These readings remind us that, even in the midst of terrible judgment, God holds out the possibilities of repentance and mercy. Christians at Smyrna are commended for holding fast, and encouraged to be faithful in times of suffering. We all are called to give priority to justice, mercy and faith.

Amos 9:1-10

The Destruction of Israel

9:1 I saw the LORD standing beside the altar, and he said:

Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake,

and shatter them on the heads of all the people;

and those who are left I will kill with the sword;

not one of them shall flee away,

not one of them shall escape.

2 Though they dig into Sheol,

from there shall my hand take them;

though they climb up to heaven,

from there I will bring them down.

3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,

from there I will search out and take them;

and though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea,

there I will command the sea-serpent, and it shall bite them.

4 And though they go into captivity in front of their enemies,

there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them;

and I will fix my eyes on them

for harm and not for good.

5 The Lord, GOD of hosts,

he who touches the earth and it melts,

and all who live in it mourn,

and all of it rises like the Nile,

and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt;

6 who builds his upper chambers in the heavens,

and founds his vault upon the earth;

who calls for the waters of the sea,

and pours them out upon the surface of the earth–

the LORD is his name.

7 Are you not like the Ethiopians to me,

O people of Israel? says the LORD.

Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt,

and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?

8 The eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom,

and I will destroy it from the face of the earth

--except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,

says the LORD.

9 For lo, I will command,

and shake the house of Israel among all the nations

as one shakes with a sieve,

but no pebble shall fall to the ground.

10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,

who say, "Evil shall not overtake or meet us." (Amos 9:1-10, NRSV)

On December 13, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two), comments were repeated with revision and supplement from December 8, 2005 (Thursday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two); the comments are repeated again here with minor editing:

With today’s reading from Amos, and Sunday’s (Amos 9:11-15), we complete the reading of the book which began with the beginning of Advent, and is interrupted only by two readings from Haggai Friday and Saturday of this week. The entire book has been included except 1:6-12, the indictments of Gaza, Tyre and Edom, the second, third and fourth in the series which indicts eight nations (see the comments for November 29 and 30, 2009, Sunday and Monday of the first week of Advent, under “Devotions for Last Week, or in the Archives).

In today’s reading, we find ourselves completing another series, this time, of five visions (7:1-9; 8:1-3; 9:1-6). In the first two the LORD announces disastrous judgment for Israel, but in response to the prophet’s pleas (7:2, 5), he relents (7:3, 6). But in the third, the vision of the plumb line (7:7-9), the announcement of judgment stands. (See the comments for Monday of this week, Dec. 7, 2009), as it does in the fourth (8:1-3; cf. comments yesterday, Dec. 9, 2009).

In reporting the fifth vision, Amos says, “I saw the LORD standing beside the altar, and he said: / Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, / and shatter them on the heads of all the people; / and those who are left I will kill with the sword; / not one of them shall flee away, / not one of them shall escape” (Amos 9:1). In reference to this vision report, Ehud Ben Zvi asks, “Which altar? The text carefully avoids an explicit reference to the altar at Bethel, which would have constrained the intended readers of the book” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, on Amos 9:1-6). Gregory Mobley notes “other appearances of the LORD at shrines,” with reference to “1 Sam. 3:1-18; Isa. 6:1-13), and adds that, “probably [at] the altar at Bethel (3:14; 7:10) is intended” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Amos. 9:1-6, and on v. 1). For the words, “the thresholds shake,” he refers to Isaiah 6:4). But in Isaiah’s vision he is told to preach, and keep preaching (Isa. 6:9-11a) until–apparently when there is no response–judgment is announced (vv. 11b, c, d, e, f, 12), yet with hope of a remnant (v. 13).

Amos, quoting, the LORD, emphasizes the inevitability, the finality of God’s impending judgment on Israel. “Though they dig into Sheol, / from there shall my hand take them; / though they climb up to heaven, / from there I will bring them down” (Amos 9:2). Ben Zvi explains “sheol [as] the place of the dead. The nadir of the earth; the opposite of heaven” (op. cit., on v. 2). According to Mobley, Amos asserts that Sheol “is in God’s purview (Ps. 139:7-12, though many feared it was not (e.g., Ps. 6:6; 88:3-5)” (op. cit., on v. 2). Amos continues: “Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, / from there I will search out and take them” (v. 3a, b). “Carmel,” says Ben Zvi, is “a peak in northern Israel. Here it serves as both a reference to the highest point on earth that an Israelite may think of reaching and as a symbol of the highest point on earth in cosmic terms (cf. 1:2); the opposite of the bottom of the sea” (op. cit., on v. 3). According to Mobley, “Mount Carmel, which juts into the Mediterranean at the northwest border of Israel, reaches a summit of ca. 550 m (1,800 ft) above sea level and also boasts caves and forests for those who wish to hide” (op. cit., on v. 3). In contrast to this height, Amos adds that “though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, / there I will command the sea-serpent, and it shall bite them” (v. 3c, d). Ben Zvi explains “serpent” here as “a mythical sea-creature” (loc. cit.). Mobley elaborates: “Sea-serpent,” he says, “sea monsters, personifications of chaos, are at times cast as opponents of God (Ps. 72:13); at other times, as here, as God’s servants (Ps. 104:25-26; Job 41)” (loc. cit.). Even being taken into captivity by her enemies will not put Israel out of the reach of God’s judgment. “And though they go into captivity in front of their enemies, / there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; / and I will fix my eyes on them / for harm and not for good” (v. 4). Gene M. Tucker and J. Andrew Dearman sum up briefly: “There is no escape from the Lord, not even in death or captivity” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Amos 9:2-4).

Amos continues with words that Mobley associates with the fifth vision report (9:1-6), but he refers to the last two verses as “the third hymn-like passage (4:13; 5:8-9)” (op. cit., on 9:5-6). “The Lord, GOD of hosts, / he who touches the earth and it melts, / and all who live in it mourn, / and all of it rises like the Nile, / and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt; / who builds his upper chambers in the heavens, / and founds his vault upon the earth; / who calls for the waters of the sea, / and pours them out upon the surface of the earth–the LORD is his name” (vv. 5-6). The analysis of Tucker and Dearman limits the fifth vision report to 9:1-4, and simply calls verses 5-6 “the third hymnic passage or doxology of judgment in the book” (op. cit., on 9:5-6 with the same cross-references). They add that “the Lord is the name of the one who created the world and whose touch can cause it to melt or toss about” (ibid.). Ben Zvi is more descriptive: “Theophanic (cf. 1:2) and creation imagery is used to emphasize God’s power. Such descriptions, called doxologies (praises of God) are interspersed throughout Amos, and characterize this prophetic book” (op. cit., on vv. 5-6).

As Amos continues to pronounce God’s judgment on Israel, he denies their claim to special privilege before God. “Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, / O people of Israel? says the LORD. / Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, / and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?” (v. 7). According to Mobley, the LORD claims to have “enacted other exoduses [than that of Israel] at other times and places” (op. cit., on vv. 7-10; cf. Tucker and Dearman, op. cit., on vv. 7-8). Amos says that Israel can claim no special privileges, even if God took them out of Egypt (cf. Ben Zvi, op. cit., on v. 7). “The eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom,” says Amos, “and I will destroy it from the face of the earth–except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, / says the LORD” (v. 8). Within all this judgment, note the glimmer of hope, “except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob.”

The forthcoming judgment, says Amos, speaking for the LORD, will be what we might call a “great shake-out.” “For lo, I will command,” says the LORD, “and shake the house of Israel among all the nations / as one shakes with a sieve, / but no pebble shall fall to the ground. / All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, / who say, ‘Evil shall not overtake or meet us’ ” (vv. 9-10). The “sieve” simile suggest a separation of the people, limiting the punishment to “the sinners of my people.” “Typically in the book of Amos,” say Tucker and Dearman, “judgment is announced on the people as a whole, but these verses restrict it to certain sinners” (on vv. 9-10). Early on in the Book of Amos, as noted earlier, Amos has called on Israel to repent (e.g. 5:5-6, 14-15); but for the most part, so far in the Book of Amos, we have met mainly gloom and doom. As noted above, a glimmer of hope emerges in today’s reading. But even the Book of Amos holds out promises of restoration and new life for Israel (in tomorrow’s reading).

Revelation 2:8-17

8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life:

9 "I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.

12 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:

13 "I know where you are living, where Satan's throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication. 15 So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it. (Revelation 2:8-17, NRSV)

On January 8, 2009 (Thursday in the week of the Second Sunday after Christmas, refs. for Jan. 8, Year One), comments were repeated with minor editing from December 13, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two), when comments were repeated with extensive editing and supplement from January 8, 2005 (dated reference for January 8, Saturday in the week of the Epiphany, Year One), with some reference to the comments of December 8, 2005 (Thursday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two); the revised comments are repeated again here with minor editing:

John next presents the letters to the churches of Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11) and Pergamum (vv. 12-17). He commends both churches, the church of Smyrna for enduring affliction, poverty and slander: “I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9). They are “rich,” says Jean Pierre Ruiz, “in spiritual things.” He adds that “those who say that they are Jews and are not, [are] Jews whose anti-Christian arguments are causing suffering in the church. Synagogue of Satan reflects the tension between Jews and Jewish Christians (cf. Jn. 8:44; 1QH 2.22, which refers to apostate Jews as ‘a congregation of Belial’ ” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Rev. 2:9). This church is not rebuked, but encouraged. “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction” (v. 10a). David E. Aune, explains: “The devil (Greek diabolos, ‘slanderer,’ a synonym for Hebrew ‘Satan’), working through his earthly henchmen, will throw them into prison. Ten days symbolizes a short but indefinite period of time” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 2:10). “Be faithful until death,” says the Lord to the church of Smyrna, “and I will give you the crown of life” (v. 10b). The message to Smyrna concludes, as the others do, with what, as we noted yesterday, Ruiz calls a “concluding promise and exhortation to the faithful” (op. cit., on Rev. 2:1-3:22).

The commendation of the church at Pergamum takes note of their location. “I know where you are living, where Satan's throne is” (v. 13a). Ruiz notes that Pergamum is “a noted center of the Roman imperial cult ca. 80 km (60 mi) north of Smyrna” (ibid., on vv. 12-17), and that the reference to “where Satan’s throne is, in contrast to the throne of God in ch. 4 . . . may be a reference either to the temple of the emperor Augustus or to the monumental altar of Zeus, both at Pergamum” (ibid., on v. 13). In spite of this environment, the church at Pergamum is commended for faithfulness to Christ. “Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives” (v. 13b). “Antipas,” says Ruiz, “is otherwise unknown; he is the only martyr named in the book” (ibid.). But along with these commendations, the church of Pergamum also comes in for some criticism. “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication” (v. 14). Aune says, “According to postbiblical Jewish literature, the error of Balaam (see Num. 22-24; 31:16; 2 Pet. 2:1-15-16; Jude 11) involved idolatry and sexual immorality.” Aune adds that “Food sacrificed to idols, sold to the public in pagan temple meat markets, violated the Jewish prohibition of idolatry (Ex. 34:15f; 4 Macc. 5:2) and, because of its connection with pagan worship, was a problem for observant Christians as well (2:20; Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25; 1 Cor 8:1, 4, 7, 10; 10:28)” (ibid., on v. 14).

The Lord has another criticism of the church of Pergamum. “ So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (v. 15). Compare the commendation of the church at Ephesus for not tolerating the Nicolaitans (v. 6), and yesterday’s comments (Dec. 9, 2009). So, for these two condemnations, the church at Pergamum is called to repent: “Repent, then,” says the Lord. “If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth” (v. 16). Compare the “sharp, two-edged sword” described as coming “from his mouth” (1:16). Again there is a promise open to all: “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it” (v. 17). “Manna,” says Aune, “from the Hebrew for ‘What is it?’ is also called ‘bread from heaven’ (see Ex. 16:4; Neh. 9:15; Jn. 6:31-34) and “food from heaven (Ps. 105:40); here it is a metaphor for participation in eternal life. According to Jewish expectation, the miraculous feeding would be repeated in the last days” (ibid., on v. 17). The phrase,“a new name,” reflects a promise of Isaiah: “The nations shall see your [i.e. Jerusalem’s] vindication, / and all the kings your glory; / and you shall be called by a new name / that the mouth of the LORD will give” (Isa. 62:2). As in Isaiah’s situation, there are external enemies of the people of God, but God also requires the churches of Revelation (and us) to deal with sin in our own lives.

Matthew 23:13-26

13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' 19 How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21 and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; 22 and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. (Matthew 23:13-26, NRSV)

The following comments are based on comments on Matthew 23:13-24 of November 16, 2008 (the Sunday closest to November 16, Year Two) and earlier comments, including those of December 13, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Second Sunday of Advent, Year Two), and of July 8, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to July 6, Year Two).

In the readings from Matthew for yesterday, today and tomorrow (Dec. 9, 10, 11, 2009), Jesus presents a severe denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees. Yesterday’s reading (Mt. 23:1-12) introduced this criticism by faulting them for not practicing what they teach (v. 3), laying oppressive burdens on others (v. 4). and an inordinate “craving for honor” (vv. 5-7; cf. Richard A. Horsley, NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mk. 12:38-40). The latter becomes a lesson on servant leadership for Christian leaders (Mt. 23:8-12). Within the second and third lessons from Matthew, Jesus presents a severe denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus pronounces seven woes (Oujai; de; uJmi:n or Oujai; uJmi:n, Ouai de hymin or Ouai hymin, “Woe to you [plural]”) against the scribes and Pharisees. Each woe is introduced with these words: “But woe to you, scribes (grammatei:V, grammateis) and Pharisees, hypocrites (uJpokritaiv, hypocritai)!” (Mt. 23:13, 15, 16 [to “blind guides” = “scribes and Pharisees], 23, 25, 27, 29). Elwyn E. Tilden and Bruce M. Metzger remind us that “the denunciations are an indictment of some, not all, Pharisees” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1991, 1994, on Mt. 23:13). I emphasize the words, “not all.” For parallel passages to today’s reading, see the separate file, Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees, Part 2. The complete list of woes will be found in the separate file, Woes List.

In Luke’s parallel passages to these readings from Matthew (Lk. 20:45-47; 11:37-54), we find six woes and other comparable denunciations. But the context is different. Whereas Jesus’ discourse, including the seven woes, comes after a series of controversy debates with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, from the Pharisees’ question about Paying Tribute to the Emperor (Mt. 22:15-22) through Jesus question about whether the Messiah is David’s son or David’s lord (Mt. 22:41-46), in Luke the six woes are spoken by Jesus along with other criticisms, when he is an invited dinner guest in the home of a Pharisee (Lk. 11:37). And, whereas the seven woes of Jesus in Matthew are directed at the “scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,” the first three woes in Luke are directed at the Pharisees–in the home of a Pharisee, no less! But the remaining three, responding to a lawyer’s complaint (Lk. 11:45), are directed at “you lawyers (nomikoiv, nomikoi)” (vv. 46, 52, cf. 47). In Luke 20:45-47, Jesus warns about the scribes (v. 45), in a context parallel to Mark (Mk. 12:37b-40).

Five woes from the series of seven in Matthew are included in today’s reading (six of eight if verse 14 were to be included). Of these seven woes, four have parallel woes in Luke’s version, two have parallel statements in Luke not in the form of “woes,” and one, about making converts–a particularly Jewish concern (Mt. 23:15)–has no parallel in content in the Gospels. Parallel relationships between Matthew’s woes and other denunciations are indicated in the table in the separate file, Woes List, as noted above. The woes and other denunciations are listed in the order of their appearance in the respective Gospels (columns 1 and 4), with cross-references by woe number (1-6 or -7) and by letter characters (A to D) for selected denunciations.

In the first woe, Jesus addresses the key issue. Those who “sit on Moses’ seat” and whose teaching should be followed (Mt. 23:2) are in fact preventing their people from realizing the desired effect of this teaching. “But woe to you, scribes (grammatei:V, grammateis) and Pharisees, hypocrites (uJpokritaiv, hypocritai)! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them” (Mt. 23:13). In Luke’s version of this saying, Jesus says, “Woe to you lawyers (nomikoiv, nomikoi)! For you have taken away the key (kleivV. kleis) of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering” (Lk. 11:52). As one might expect, the term “lawyer” (oJ nomikovV, ho nomikos), a substantive (noun) use of the adjective which “pertains to being well informed about law, learned in the law [and so refers to a] legal expert, jurist, lawyer (Strabo . . . Epictetus . . . ).” The term is used in Titus 3:13 of “a certain Zenas the nomikovV (nomikos), but it is not clear whether he was expert in Mosaic or non-Mosaic (in the latter case most probably Roman) law.–Elsewhere in the NT only once in Mt. and several times in Lk., always of those expert in Mosaic law” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. (nomikovV, nomikos, meaning no. (2) ). Although Matthew’s term “scribe” (grammateuvV, grammateus) has a somewhat different range of meanings, in this context it can be considered a synonym of Luke’s term “lawyer” (nomikovV, nomikos). The former can refer to the “chief executive officer of a governmental agency, secretary (of state), clerk” (BDAG, s.v. grammatei:V, grammateis, meaning no. (1) ), as in Acts 19:35, “the town clerk” who “quieted the crowd” stirred up by the silversmiths who protested Paul’s stand against idolatry, and “dismissed the assembly” (v. 41). But it usually refers to “an expert in matters related to divine revelation,” that is, “specialists in the law of Moses: experts in the law, scholars versed in the law, scribes” (ibid., meaning no. (2) ). The Lexicon adds that the scribes are “mentioned together with high priests . . . with whom and the elders (often referred to in the same context) their representatives formed the Sanhedrin).” If there is a difference in connotation here, Matthew’s context, Jesus denouncing the religious leadership in Jerusalem as compared with Jesus being a Pharisee’s dinner guest (cf. Lk. 11:37), fits the connotations of “scribe” ( grammatei:V, grammateis) indicated above. We also note that in the Pharisee’s home, according to Luke, Jesus denounces the Pharisees and the lawyers, but in the context of the final confrontations in Jerusalem, according to Luke, Jesus denounces the scribes.

Luke’s word “key” (kleivV. kleis) in this saying (Lk. 11:52), occurs four times in Revelation, but elsewhere in the New Testament only once in Matthew, where Jesus says to Peter, “I will give you the keys (klei:daV, kleidas) of the kingdom of heaven . . .” (Mt. 16:19). It is defined in a literal sense, as one might expect, as “something used for locking, key,” but in a figurative sense, as “a means of acquiring access to something, key, for this passage in Luke. Matthew uses a verbal equivalent, “for you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven” (kleivete th;n basileian tw:n oujranw:n e[mprosqen tw:n ajnqrwvpwn, kleiete tēn basileian tōn ouranōn emprosthen tōn anthrōpōn) (Mt. 23:13), literally, “you close up the kingdom of heaven in front of human beings,” or as we might put it, “you slam the door in their faces!” “In Lk. (11:52),” says Krister Stendahl, “this logion gives the climax to the criticism of the Pharisees, and that in good grounds. In Mt. it is the first of seven ‘woes’ ” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprinted 1972, sec. 691 d, p. 792, on Mt. 23:13-14). According to C. G. Montefiore,

This [Mt. 23:13] probably means that the Rabbis, by their ritualistic, outward, casuistic, perverse interpretation of the Law had made it impossible for those who followed, or sought to follow, their teaching to ‘enter the Kingdom,’ i.e. to be ‘saved.’ Another view is that the Rabbis prevented Jews from becoming Christians. In this case the ‘Kingdom’ is the Christian community. A third view is that the Rabbis did all they could to hinder the preaching of Jesus: they refused to listen themselves, and they tried to prevent others from listening. (The Synoptic Gospels, Edited with an Introduction and a Commentary, vol. 2, Library of Biblical Studies, 1927, reprinted 1968, p. 300, on Mt. 23:13)

The next verse (Mt. 23:14), would, if it were original within Matthew’s text, bring the total of “woes” from seven to eight, as noted above. But given its absence from many early witnesses, it is likely a later copyist’s insertion based on the parallels in Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47. Bruce M. Metzger sums up the thinking of the Committee that edited the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament, 3^rd ed., 1975, as follows:

That ver. 14 [i.e., Mt. 23:14] is an interpolation derived from the parallel in Mk. 12:40 or Lk. 20:47 is clear (a) from its absence in the earliest and best authorities of the Alexandrian, the Western, and the Caesarean types of text, and (b) from the fact that the witnesses which include the passage have it in different places, either after ver. 13 (so the Textus Receptus) or before ver. 13. (A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament; A Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament, [third edition]), 1971, p. 60, on Mt. 23:13)

Mark 12:40, worded the same in Luke 20:47, except that the finite verb “say [long] prayers,” proseuvcontai, proseuchontai, replaces the participle“saying [long] prayers,” proseucovmenoi, proseuchomenoi (a difference not reflected in the NRSV, nor in TNIV), is used by a later copyist of Matthew, who uses Matthew’s formula, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” to construct an added woe.

As noted above, Matthew’s woe about going to extreme lengths to make converts has no parallel in Luke. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert (proshvlutoV, prosēlytos), and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves” (Mt. 23:15). According to Stendahl, “Judaism was a missionary religion in the time of Jesus, but only in areas where there was already a Jewish synagogue. A proselyte [convert] has taken a step beyond the so-called ‘men who feared God’ (e.g., Ac. 10:2; 13:16) and become circumcised. The verse may have the same problem in mind which Paul encounters among the ‘Judaisers’ (e.g. Gal. 5:2ff.)” (loc. cit.). According to Montefiore, this is “a famous verse. The charge is probably exaggerated and inaccurate. The Palestinian Rabbis were, on the whole, not particularly favourable to proselytes. The idea is that the convert out-Herods Herod. He is more ‘outward,’ more intent on ceremonies and more lax in morals, than the Rabbis themselves” (op. cit., p. 300, on Mt. 23:15).

The paragraph that contains Matthew’s next woe (Mt. 23:16-22) is the longest, except for the introductory paragraph (vv. 1-12, yesterday’s reading, with no woes), and the paragraph that presents the last woe (vv. 29-36, in tomorrow’s reading). “Woe to you, blind guides,” says Jesus, “who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath’ ” (Mt. 23:16). This woe departs from the structure of Matthew’s other six woes, “Woe [or ‘But woe, v. 13] to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (vv. 13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29)” But the words, “Woe to you, blind guides,” clearly imply what the other woes make explicit,” and they, with the extended paragraph (vv. 16-22), break the monotony, somewhat, of the repeated formula. The “blind guides” epithet, but not the phrase “woe to you, blind guides,” is repeated in conjunction with the next woe (Mt. 23:24). The blind guides metaphor also occurs in other contexts, for example, “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind” (Mt. 15:14, in a Markan context on the “tradition[s] of the elders,” Mk. 7:3, cf. vv. 1-23), where it is directed against the Pharisees (cf. Mt. 15:12). Luke also uses the “blind guide” idea in a context of teaching for Jesus’ followers, the Sermon on the Plain (Lk. 6:20-49). It comes as a parable within a section on judging others, vv. 37-42, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” (Lk. 6:39).

“You blind fools (mwroi; kai; tufloiv, mōroi kai typhloi, lit. ‘fools and blind’)!” says Jesus, according to Matthew, and continues with a series of things by which one should, or should not, swear” (v. 17a, cf. vv.22). On the issue of swearing “by the sanctuary,” or “by the gold of the sanctuary” (Mt. 23:16), we may compare Jesus admonition, “Do not swear at all (Mt. 5:34; cf. Jas. 5:12; cf. also Lev. 19:12; Num. 30:2; Deut. 23:21). We may keep in mind Jesus’ injunction not to swear at all as a way to avoid the dilemmas about what to swear by and what not to swear by, the altar or the gift (Mt. 23:18-19), by the sanctuary, or by “the one who dwells in it” (vv. 20-21), that is, by God? But compare what follows: “by heaven . . . by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it” (v. 22). According to Stendahl, “The intention behind the rulings of the scribes here under criticism was a good one: they were against insincere oaths and this led them to discourage oaths by the most holy things, allowing such by what appeared more removed from the centre of holiness. Such rulings are ridiculed here by the hermeneutic rule ‘if the lesser then also the greater’ ” (op. cit., sec. 691, p. 792, on vv. 16-22). If Stendahl suggests good intentions behind the distinctions criticized here, Montefiore apparently sees outrageous criticism of Judaism here.

Jesus calls his opponents ‘fools,’ in spite of his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (v, 22). Can the inconsistency be got over by the ingenious remark, ‘It shews that not the word but the spirit in which it is uttered is what matters’ (McNeile). If R. Akiba had said what we find in [Mt. 5:]22, and if he had called his Christian contemporaries ‘fools,’ I wonder if a similar excuse for him would have been suggested by the same commentator! (op. cit., on Mt. 23:17)

In Jesus’ next woe, he accuses the scribes and Pharisees of focusing on trivial matters to the neglect of major religious concerns, for they “tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith” (v. 23b, cf. Lk. 11:42, with “mint and rue and every herb”). These they “ought to have practiced without neglecting the others” (v. 23c). J. Andrew Overman sums this up as follows: “The point of the denunciation seems to be that in trying to carry out the law requiring tithes of produce even for such tiny herbs, the Pharisees miss the important requirements of the Law (see Mic. 6:8)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mt. 23:23). Jesus repeats his reference to blind guides. “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!” (Mt. 23:24, cf. v. 16). According to Stendahl, “The Talmud’s ‘he that kills a flea on the Sabbath is as guilty as if he killed a camel’ (Shab. 12a) gives the background to this saying, which is more natural in Aramaic where ‘camel’ and ‘gnat’ are similar in pronunciation” (op. cit., sec. 691 f, pp. 792-793, on v. 24). Who among us, we might ask, has not, at times, been confused about values and priorities?

Another woe about priorities follows, in which Jesus says the scribes and Pharisees “clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (v. 25). And, replacing the metaphor, “blind guides,” Jesus here says, “You blind Pharisee (cf. Jn. 9:40-41)! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean” (v. 26; to vv. 25-26, cf. Lk. 11:39-41; also cf. Mk. 7:1-8, 14-23). According to Montefiore, the words “inward” ( e[swqen, esōthen) and “outward” ( e[xwqen, exōthen)

may mean that they clean dish and cup outwardly, but fill them unrighteously through rapine and avarice. The word ajkrasiva [akrasia] would signify insatiable appetite, the object of which is here the goods or property of others. Or the cup and platter may be a mere metaphor for men. They are outwardly clean, i.e. ritually punctilious, but inwardly, in their hearts, they are full of vice. Or, thirdly, the original meaning of 25 may have been, ‘you clean what is outward,’ namely such things as cups and platters, ‘but within ye are full of extortion.’ This would be a sort of combination of part of the first and second meanings. If the cups had been meant as a metaphor for men, the dishes would not have been added; and 26, which actually does so interpret the cups, omits the dishes. But 26 probably implies an old misunderstanding of 25. (op. cit., p. 302, on v. 25)

Anticipating the next woe, that comes in tomorrow’s reading, Stendahl comments on two together: “The theme from ch. 15 [i.e. conflict over tradition and authority, with reference to defilement] comes here in more apodictic form, but both examples are highly rhetorical since certainly the cleansing of the inside of the vessels was more important to the opponents and since the point in chalking the tombs was to mark them so that nobody contracted defilement unwittingly by walking over them” (op. cit., on vv. 25-28).

So more woes follow, but today’s reading selects these for our consideration. We need to remind ourselves that Jesus, though his criticism is harsh and severe, was indicting a few leaders, not all Jews then–and certainly not all Jews since then. One can quote criticism of Pharisees by Pharisees from the Rabbinic writings. It may be that Matthew records these denunciations of hypocrisy pronounced by Jesus against Pharisees as warnings against similar attitudes within his own Christian, probably Jewish-Christian, community.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net