Matthew Chapter 23
What is a hypocrite? Why does Jesus keep calling the scribes and Pharisees “hypocrites”?
The word “hypocrite” comes from the Greek word for mask worn by an actor, and by reading through this chapter, the answer becomes clear why Jesus calls them “hypocrites”. The scribes and Pharisees deliberately put up an act for people to think that they are more spiritual than what they really are!
In verses 1 – 3, Jesus admonished the people to listen and obey what the scribes and Pharisees read from the Torah, but never emulate their actions, because they could only say but never do.
Actually, failing to reach the goal set by God is not hypocrisy, but pretending to have “arrived” is clearly hypocrisy.
It is true and not unreasonable for our Lord Jesus to command us to be perfect when He says in Matthew 5: 48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect”, even though God knows our shortcomings and limitation, but as long as we pursue after perfection with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are on the right path in our pursuit for perfection.
Whether are we able to reach perfection or not in our life-time may not be crucial, as long as we persevere in our pursuit, and never pretend to have “arrived” at perfection and thus judging others, we will be well pleasing in the eyes of God.
In this chapter, Jesus also laments over Jerusalem, because the people totally ignored the deep desire of God to gather them into His bosom for security. So these woes pronounced upon the scribes and Pharisees are not out of anger, but anguish. Jesus could even be weeping for them for their self-righteousness and stubbornness.
So remember what our Lord tells us, “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
