This is the last of seven woes that Jesus pronounces in the 23rd chapter of Matthew. All are directed at the formal religious leaders of the time. “Woe” is an exclamation of distress or sorrow.
Woe to you, …… on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
This woe specifically mentions the hypocrisy of the religious leaders which they inherited from their forbearers over many generations. While outwardly appearing righteous and holy, inwardly they are full of filth and evil intentions. The transmission of hypocrisy from one generation to the next had reached a critical point and was now a cultural norm that was leading them to self-destruction. Their hypocrisy and self-righteousness blocked their ability to recognize Jesus as the Messiah – just as the same attitudes had blocked their forbearers capacity to accept the prophets. The whole purpose of the Law, the temple, and the religious leaders in Israel at that time was to prepare the people for the arrival of the Messiah.
It is very easy for us to slip into the same attitude that those religious leaders had. It is very easy to maintain an outward appearance of holiness while our interior attitudes and the values we use to organize our lives are far from holy. Everything becomes normal and acceptable – many times without even the semblance or façade of piety. After a few generations, what Jesus calls filth and hypocrisy become the cultural norm.
As modern-day Christians, it is important to root out hypocrisy from our personal lives. Hypocrisy destroys our relationship with God and our capacity to give a meaningful witness to faith on a personal level and as a community of faith. Each Christian and community of faith is called to separate itself from the culture and tradition of hypocrisy.
Image: https://jeffblock.com/2015/06/29/the-internalization-and-radicalization-of-the-law/