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From: Matthew 23:1-12

Vices of the Scribes and Pharisees

[1] Then said Jesus to the crowds and to His disciples, [2] "The
scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; [3] so practice and
observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach,
but do not practice. [4] They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and
lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them
with their finger. [5] They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for
they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, [6] and they
love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues,
[7] and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by
men. [8] But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher,
and you are all brethren. [9] And call no man your father on earth,
for you have one Father, who is in Heaven. [10] Neither be called
masters, for you have one master, the Christ. [11] He who is greatest
among you shall be your servant; [12] whoever exalts himself will be
humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Commentary:

1-39. Throughout this chapter Jesus severely criticizes the scribes and
Pharisees and demonstrates the sorrow and compassion He feels towards
the ordinary mass of the people, who have been ill-used, "harassed and
helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). His address
may be divided into three parts: in the first (verses 1-12) He
identifies their principal vices and corrupt practices; in the second
(verses 13-36) He confronts them and speaks His famous "woes", which in
effect are the reverse of the Beatitudes He preached in Chapter 5: no
one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven--no one can escape condemnation to
the flames--unless he changes his attitude and behavior; in the third
part (verses 37-39) He weeps over Jerusalem, so grieved is He by the
evils into which the blind pride and hardheartedness of the scribes and
Pharisees have misled the people.

2-3. Moses passed on to the people the Law received from God. The
scribes, who for the most part sided with the Pharisees, had the
function of educating the people in the Law of Moses; that is why they
were said to "sit on Moses' seat". Our Lord recognized that the
scribes and Pharisees did have authority to teach the Law; but He warns
the people and His disciples to be sure to distinguish the Law as read
out and taught in the synagogues from the practical interpretations of
the Law to be seen in their leaders' lifestyles. Some years later, St.
Paul--a Pharisee like his father before him--faced his former
colleagues with exactly the same kind of accusations as Jesus makes
here: "You then who teach others, will you not teach yourself? While
you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must
not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do
you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by
breaking the law? For, as it is written, `The name of God is
blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you'" (Romans 2:21-24).

5. "Phylacteries": belts or bands carrying quotations from sacred
Scripture which the Jews used to wear fastened to their arms or
foreheads. To mark themselves out as more religiously observant than
others, the Pharisees used to wear broader phylacteries. The fringes
were light-blue stripes on the hems of cloaks; the Pharisees
ostentatiously wore broader fringes.

8-10. Jesus comes to teach the truth; in fact, He is the Truth (John
14:6). As a teacher, therefore, He is absolutely unique and
unparalleled. "The whole of Christ's life was a continual teaching:
His silences, His miracles, His gestures, His prayer, His love for
people, His special affection for the little and the poor, His
acceptance of the total sacrifice on the cross for the redemption of
the world, and His resurrection are the actualization of His word and
the fulfillment of revelation. Hence for Christians the crucifix is one
of the most sublime and popular images of Christ the Teacher.

"These considerations are in line with the great traditions of the
Church and they all strengthen our fervor with regard to Christ, the
Teacher who reveals God to man and man to himself, the Teacher who
saves, sanctifies and guides, who lives, who speaks, rouses, moves,
redresses, judges, forgives, and goes with us day by day on the path of
history, the Teacher who comes and will come in glory" (John Paul II,
"Catechesi Tradendae", 9).

11. The Pharisees were greedy for honor and recognition: our Lord
insists that every form of authority, particularly in the context of
religion, should be exercised as a form of service to others; it must
not be used to indulge personal vanity or greed. "He who is the
greatest among you shall be your servant".

12. A spirit of pride and ambition is incompatible with being a disciple
of Christ. Here our Lord stresses the need for true humility, for
anyone who is to follow Him. The verbs "will be humbled", "will be
exalted" have "God" as their active agent. Along the same lines, St.
James preaches that "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the
humble" (James 4:6). And in the "Magnificat", the Blessed Virgin
explains that the Lord "has put down the mighty from their thrones, and
exalted those of low degree [the humble]" (Luke 1:52).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.