Rheims New Testament Scripture: Saint Matthew - Chapter XXIII

Christ, first, commands the Jews to follow the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees, but not their life and manners, which are dishonest, inhumane, boastful, and arrogant. Second (v. 13), He threatens them with the woe of malediction because of their hypocrisy, avarice, superstition, and other sins which He lists. Third (v. 32), He predicts that His followers and Apostles will be killed by them, and, therefore, He warns about the final destruction of Jerusalem and Judea by the Romans.
This seems to be Christ’s last prophecy, His “swan song.” in which He foretells His imminent cross and death, indeed prepares and desires it. By this severe and unrestrained chastisement of His opponents He offends the scribes and Pharisees so much, that they prepare, not a response, but their revenge. Hence after three days (all these things were done and said by Christ on the Tuesday after Palm Sunday, as I noted in the Chronotaxin), they arrested and crucified Him. Christ foresaw this, but He neither willed nor was obliged to spare their malice; rather He rebuked it sharply, being the lawgiver and moral judge sent by God into the world. Even though He knew that He would be killed by them on account of it, He desired to offer this death to God the Father for the salvation of mankind, so that on this account God’s wondrous providence, which decreed that men would be saved by Christ’s cross, would be fulfilled in Him and through Him. Christ’s freedom of speech was imitated by S. Stephen, who by his harsh rebukes paved the way for the martyrdom that he had desired so much (Acts 7).

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples,

² Saying: The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses.

³ All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do: but according to their works do ye not; for they say, and do not.

⁴ For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them.

⁵ And all their works they do for to be seen of men. For they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge their fringes.

⁶ And they love the first places at feasts, and the first chairs in the synagogues,

⁷ And salutations in the market place, and to be called by men, Rabbi.

⁸ But be not you called Rabbi. For one is your master; and all you are brethren.

⁹ And call none your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven.

¹⁰ Neither be ye called masters; for one is your master, Christ.

¹¹ He that is the greatest among you shall be your servant.

¹² And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled: and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

¹³ But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter.

¹⁴ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you devour the houses of widows, praying long prayers. For this you shall receive the greater judgment.

¹⁵ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you go round about the sea and the land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, you make him the child of hell twofold more than yourselves.

¹⁶ Woe to you blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but he that shall swear by the gold of the temple, is a debtor.

¹⁷ Ye foolish and blind; for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

¹⁸ And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, is a debtor.

¹⁹ Ye blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

²⁰ He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things that are upon it:

²¹ And whosoever shall swear by temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth in it:

²² And he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

²³ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law; judgment, and mercy, and faith. These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone.

²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel.

²⁵ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within you are full of rapine and uncleanness.

²⁶ Thou blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside may become clean.

²⁷ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all filthiness.

²⁸ So you also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

²⁹ Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; that build the sepulchers of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just,

³⁰ And say: If we had been in the days of our Fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

³¹ Wherefore you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are the sons of them that killed the prophets.

³² Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

³³ You serpents, generation of vipers, how will you flee from the judgment of hell?

³⁴ Therefore behold I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them you will put to death and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city:

³⁵ That upon you may come all the just blood that hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.

³⁶ Amen I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

³⁷ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldest not?

³⁸ Behold, your house shall be left to you, desolate.

³⁹ For I say to you, you shall not see me henceforth till you say: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Commentary by Cornelius a'Lapide: Saint Matthew - Chapter XXIII

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