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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat_23:13-14
13"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves; nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." 14[" Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows'houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation." ]
Mat_23:13 "woe to you" This passage (Mat_23:13-36) is known as the "seven woes." Matthew often structured his Gospel using seven things. Woes are the opposite of blessings. In Luke's parallel to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, he added four "woes" to the beatitudes (cf. Mat_5:3-11 vs. Luk_6:20-26). In the OT the term "woe" introduced a prophetic "dirge" or lament. It was structured (i.e., Hebrew beat or meter, accented lines of poetry) like funeral music to express God's judgment.
▣ "hypocrites" This was a compound Greek term meaning " to judge under." It was a theatrical term used to describe one who played a part or acting role behind a mask. It was used earlier in Mat_6:2; Mat_6:5; Mat_6:16; Mat_7:5; Mat_15:7; Mat_16:3; Mat_22:18; and also Mat_24:51.
▣ "you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people" This was the use of "the keys of the kingdom" (cf. Mat_16:19; Rev_1:18; Rev_3:7). What an awesome responsibility it is to know truth! Modern, secular humanity has not so much rejected Jesus as he has rejected the modern church's presentation of Him in our words, lives and priorities! This is what the religious leaders of Jesus day did also. How many Pharisees are in the church today?
This is a shocking and tragic statement (irony).
1. the religious leaders themselves were not right with God (cf. Mat_5:20)
2. the religious leaders led others astray and kept them from being right with God (cf. Mat_15:14; Mat_23:16; Mat_23:24; Mat_24:24; Rom_2:19)
▣ "enter in" This verb is used of becoming part of the new eschatological Kingdom of God (i.e., the new covenant of Jer_31:31-34). One enters by their reception of Jesus now! Those who reject Him cannot enter (note Mat_5:20; Mat_7:21; Mat_18:3; Mat_19:23-24; Mat_23:13).
Jesus is the only door to the Kingdom (i.e., Joh_1:12; Joh_10:7-18; Joh_14:6; Rom_10:9-13).
Mat_23:14 Mat_23:14 is not in the Greek uncial manuscripts A, B, D, or L, nor most versions and, therefore, is probably not original to Matthew. It was probably put here by a copyist from Mar_12:40 or Luk_20:47. It appears in some later Greek manuscripts before Mat_23:13 and in some after Mat_23:13. The UBS4 rates its exclusion as "B" (almost certain).