Thursday, 8 October 2026
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Matthew 23:13
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“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you close the ‘kingdom, the heavens’ before the ‘men’. You, indeed, neither enter, nor those entering you permit to enter.” (CG)
In the previous verse, Jesus noted that the one who will elevate himself will be humbled, and the person who humbles himself will be elevated. Jesus next directly addresses those He has been speaking about, saying, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”
This is the first of eight times Jesus will proclaim woe in Chapter 23. The words are directed to the scribes and Pharisees who were supposedly the religious elite of society. And yet, Jesus directly charges them for their hypocritical attitude. In this first charge, He continues, saying, “Because you close the ‘kingdom, the heavens’ before the ‘men’.”
The words are similar to those of Luke 11 –
“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge.” Luke 11:52
In other words, they are supposed to be the ones leading people into a right relationship with the Lord, thus receiving the benefits of the kingdom of the heavens. Instead of this, they essentially walked up to the doors of the gate, then closed and locked them, thus keep any from gaining access. Their actions and instructions took over in place of proper instruction.
What mirrors so many in the world today is that they were so filled with their religious life that they thought it was the way to gain God’s favor. They so deluded themselves that they couldn’t imagine God not simply fawning over them. And yet, Jesus tells them directly that, “You, indeed, neither enter, nor those entering you permit to enter.”
Again, it is similar to the second half of Luke 11:52 –
“You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”
Think of anyone who is in a position of religious authority, be it the Pope in Rome, a Jewish rabbi, an Islamic imam, a Buddhist monk, etc. They dedicate their lives to what they are doing, certain that they have the keys to whatever religious reward they expect to receive. And yet, not only do they not possess the necessary access allowance, which is the shed blood of Christ, but their teachings lead others away from the truth so that none of their adherents will be saved.
Suppose an Islamic imam is presented with the gospel. He then rejects it, and he continues teaching the doctrines of Islam. In doing so, he will keep those who listen to him from salvation. This is exactly what was going on with the scribes and Pharisees. They had the law. The law pointed to Christ. Christ had come, and yet they failed to acknowledge Him. This continues in Israel to this day.
Life application: The Pope is mentioned in the main section above. God alone knows if the current Pope or any Pope along the way is saved. The point is that they have the necessary information to lead people to salvation. They have the Bible. They have the doctrines of the virgin birth, the sinless nature of Christ, the fulfilling of the law, the all-sufficient atonement, the substitution for sin, the imputation of righteousness, the resurrection, etc.
All of this is right before them. And yet, they add in heaps and heaps of religiosity that has nothing to do with the Christian faith, just as the scribes and Pharisees did. They add in the immaculate conception, Mary as the co-mediatrix, prayers to the saints, etc. They also deny that Christ’s atonement covers all sin apart from any works, even after salvation, and so on.
Just like those scolded by Jesus, it is as if they walk up to the doors of heaven, slam them shut, lock them, and throw away the key. Those who follow them will be just as shut out as they are. This is true with innumerable denominations and sects. Think of the loss of humanity because people are unwilling to pick up the word of God, accept it for what it is, and believe the simple gospel.
It is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. Multitudes of humanity are lost forever because of rejecting that God has done everything necessary for us to be reconciled to Him through Jesus. The debt is paid, the path is cleared, and all we have to do is believe. Pray that people will put away their stubbornness and look to Jesus.
Lord God, the greatest tragedy of all is when the gospel is rejected. We may have many troubles in this life, but if we have Jesus, we have everything we will ever need. Houses, jobs, bank accounts, large families, and long vacations won’t matter at all when our final breath is taken. If we don’t have Jesus, it will have been a pointless existence. Help us to share the good news that there is more than this futile, temporary life. Amen.