There is no uncertainty about the compassion of Jesus during His earthly ministry. Various individuals and groups were the objects of His compassion (e.g., Matthew 9:35-38; Luke 7:11-15). But Jesus was also frequently involved in controversy and sometimes handed out sharp rebukes.<\/p>\n
One of His most scathing rebukes is found in Matthew 23. In the words recorded by Matthew, Jesus leveled seven “woes” against the religious leaders of His day. He referred to\u00a0them as “serpents” and a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 23:33), and charged them with hypocrisy.<\/p>\n
Some, however, argue that hypocrisy was not particularly a problem in Second Temple Judaism (the Judaism being practiced in Jesus’ day). E. P. Sanders published his book Paul and Palestinian Judaism<\/em> in 1977, asserting that Second Temple Judaism has been grossly misunderstood. His book\u00a0has served as a foundation for the New Perspective on Paul (NPP),\u00a0a reinterpretation of Paul and his writings. This viewpoint is popular in academic circles and has begun\u00a0influencing our brethren. Consider Sanders’ conclusions from his study concentrated principally on extrabiblical literature of the period:<\/p>\n Thus, in all this literature considered together one has Judaism as it spoke for itself during the period, not just Judaism as subsequent generations wanted it remembered (which is\u00a0the case with Christianity). On\u00a0the assumption that a religion\u00a0should be understood on the basis\u00a0of its own self-presentations, as\u00a0long as these are not manifestly bowdlerized, and not on the basis\u00a0of polemical attacks, we must say\u00a0that the Judaism of before 70\u00a0kept grace and works in the right perspective, did not trivialize\u00a0the commandments of God and was not especially marked by hypocrisy<\/strong>. The frequent Christian charge against Judaism, it must be recalled, is not that some individual Jews misunderstood, misapplied\u00a0and abused their religion, but that Judaism necessarily tends towards petty legalism, self-serving and self-deceiving casuistry, and a mixture\u00a0of arrogance and lack of confidence in God. But the surviving Jewish literature is as free of these characteristics as any I have ever read. [426-427; boldface emphasis mine- asd]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Jesus presented a view of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 that suggested they were<\/strong> especially marked by hypocrisy! Seven times, Jesus specifically referred to these religious leaders as “hypocrites”\u00a0and gave specific examples of their hypocrisy (Matthew 23:13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29; NKJV).<\/p>\n Matthew 23 is not the only passage that emphasizes the presence of hypocrisy among the Jews. In His mountain sermon, Jesus warned extensively against hypocrisy in benevolence, prayer, and fasting (Matthew 6:1-16).<\/p>\n In Matthew 22, the Pharisees, in company with the Herodians, came to Jesus with a question about paying taxes to Caesar (Matthew 22:15-22). Jesus recognized their words as empty flattery as they set up their “test”\u00a0(Matthew 22:16). He knew that they were not asking for information’s sake, and so He identified them as hypocrites (Matthew 22:18).<\/p>\n Jesus referred to the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites when\u00a0these religious leaders criticized His disciples for not washing their hands according to the traditions of the elders before they ate (Matthew 15:1-9).<\/p>\n I don’t believe that Jesus’ words necessarily imply that every Jew of His day was guilty of hypocrisy. On the other hand, there is no doubt that those who were recognized religious leaders, the scribes and the Pharisees, were characterized by Jesus as having a serious “hypocrisy problem.” It\u00a0also doesn’t seem reasonable to conclude that every scribe and every Pharisee was a hypocrite. However, for Sanders to suggest that Second Temple Judaism was “not especially marked by hypocrisy” is a denial of the clear import of the rebukes of Jesus. Of the two, Jesus and E. P. Sanders, who has mischaracterized the general nature of Second Temple Judaism? I, for one, am unwilling\u00a0to discount the words of Jesus because Sanders believes that the characterization of Matthew 23 is inconclusive.<\/p>\n The use of others’ scholarship in\u00a0our efforts to understand the Word of God is certainly legitimate, but we must never allow the opinions and theories of men to cause us to abandon the inspired text of the Bible. Too many preaching brethren are simply reading the popular writings of denominational authors and parroting their ideas without adequate investigation to determine their truthfulness. The writings of men should be examined against\u00a0the truth of God’s Word rather than the evaluation of God’s Word by the uninspired opinions of men.<\/p>\n Back to the Word!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Allen Dvorak Biblical Insights, 14(9), September 2014 There is no uncertainty about the compassion of Jesus during His earthly ministry. Various individuals and groups were the objects of His compassion (e.g., Matthew 9:35-38; Luke 7:11-15). But Jesus was also frequently involved in controversy and sometimes handed out sharp rebukes. One of His most scathing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[418,555,1114],"class_list":["post-67916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-hypocrites","tag-pharisees","tag-scribes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":69089,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jewish-sects-pharisees\/","url_meta":{"origin":67916,"position":0},"title":"Jewish Sects: Pharisees","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Fred A. Shewmaker Proselytes and Traditions via Truth Magazine, XVI: 7, pp. 8-9 December 16, 1971 The Pharisees were by far the largest sect among the Jews. They are mentioned in the New Testament more often than other Jewish sects. The origin of this sect is somewhat obscure. Peloubet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":93828,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/not-saved-by-saying-alone\/","url_meta":{"origin":67916,"position":1},"title":"Not Saved by Saying Alone","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gary Henry via WordsPoint.com \"The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do\" (Matthew 23:2-3). Saying and doing are closely related, but they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61048,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-so-many-afraid-to-call-a-dog-a-dog\/","url_meta":{"origin":67916,"position":2},"title":"Why Are So Many Afraid to Call a Dog – \u201cA DOG\u201d?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 29, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Brian A. Yeager When one reads of false brethren and those teaching errors (false teachers\/prophets) throughout the word of God you find that they were labeled, at times, in colorful ways. Of the watchman in Israel, Isaiah penned the following: \"His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28930,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-christian-criticize-society\/","url_meta":{"origin":67916,"position":3},"title":"Can a Christian criticize society?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 12, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can a Christian be a social critic, such as a lawyer or a journalist dealing with a corrupt government? How far can he go in criticizing? Answer: John the Baptist ended up in jail because he told the current ruler that he wasn't properly married. \"But Herod the tetrarch,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27529,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-a-hypocrite\/","url_meta":{"origin":67916,"position":4},"title":"What is a hypocrite?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What is it to be a hypocrite? I remember a time when one friend wanted me to give him more attention, but there was a friend of his who was always talking to him, and he just ignored him.\u00a0So I said, \"You want to get attention from me but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89800,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-doctrine\/","url_meta":{"origin":67916,"position":5},"title":"What Is Doctrine?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mike Riley The word \"doctrine\" means \"teaching\", either of an individual or a group. But from what source? For example, Jesus warned His disciples about the \"doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees\" (Matthew 16:12). Their \"doctrine\" or teaching originated from an uninspired source. The people were astonished at the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67916\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}