Gospel MT 23:13-22
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.
You do not enter yourselves,
nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You traverse sea and land to make one convert,
and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna
twice as much as yourselves.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,
or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it
and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him who is seated on it.”
Reflection:
“Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.”
Hypocrite comes from the Greek word ‘hypokrites’, which means “an actor” or someone who is pretending to be something they are not.
In calling them “hypocrites,” Jesus is condemning in the strongest possible terms the scribes, who are the interpreters of religious law, and the Pharisees, who are committed to living in accordance with the religious law.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?”
In swearing by the gold in the temple, rather than by the temple itself, the scribes and Pharisees cleverly avoid swearing by God, for “the one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.”
The scribes and Pharisees were more concerned with how they appeared to others than how they appeared to God. They were not authentic, for their actions did not match their words. Therefore, they were “blind guides.”
Elsewhere in the gospel, Jesus makes it clear: if our intentions are pure, we should not make a vow but simply do what is right.
“But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
Matthew 5:34, 35, 37
“I would rather be honest and authentic and disappoint some people, than exhaust myself keeping up the facade of perfection.” Crystal Paine