The Day for Denunciation

On Tuesday, Nisan 11, Jesus once again goes into the temple to teach. A hostile audience is at hand. Referring to Jesus' actions the previous day, the chief priests and older men of the people ask him:  "By what authority do you do these things?  And who gave you this authority?"  The Master Teacher confounds them by his answer, and he relates these vivid illustrations-two of them about a vineyard and one about a marriage feast- that expose just how wicked his opposers are. Angered by what they hear, the religious leaders want to seize him.  But they fear the crowds, who consider Jesus to be a prophet .  So they seek to trick him into saying something for which they can have him arrested. The answers Jesus gives silence them. -Matthew 21:23-22:446.

Since the scribes and the Pharisees profess to teach God's Law, Jesus now urges his listeners:  "All  the things they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to  their deeds, for they say  but do not perform."  (Matthew 23:1-3)  What a powerful  public denunciation!  But Jesus is not through with them. this is his last day at the temple, and he boldly issues a series of exposes-one after another like rolling thunder.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"  Jesus declares six times.  They are such  because, as he explains, they shut up the Kingdom of the heavens before men, not permitting those on their way to go in.  Those hypocrites transverse sea and dry land to make on proselyte, only to make him a subject for eternal annihilation. While neglecting  "the weightier matters of the Law, namely justice and mercy and faithfulness," They give great attention to paying the tithe.  In effect, they cleanse  "the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of plunder and immoderateness"  in that their inner rottenness and putrefaction are hidden behind an outward display of piety. Furthermore, they are willing to build tombs  for the prophets  and decorate them  to draw attention to their own deeds of charity, even though they "are sons of those who murdered the prophets." m-Matthew 23:13-15, 23-31. 

Condemning the lack of spiritual values on the part of his opponents, Jesus says:  "Woe  to you blind guides." They are morally blind because they put more emphasis on the gold of the temple than on the spiritual value of that place of worship.  Going on, Jesus utters  his strongest words of denunciation .  "Serpents, offspring of vipers," He  says, "How are you to flee from the judgment of Gehenna?"  Yes, Jesus is telling them  that for pursing theier wicked course, they will suffer everlasting destruction.  (Matthew 23:16-22, 33) May we too show courage in proclaiming the Kingdom message, even when it involves  exposing false religion. 

Jesus now leaves the temple.  In the fading afternoon sun, he and his apostles  climb the Mount of Olives.  While sitting there, Jesus gives the prophecy about the destruction of the temple and the sign of his presence and of the conclusion of the system of things. The significant conclusion of these prophetic words reaches down to our time.  That evening, Jesus also tells his disciples:  "You know that two days from now the passover occurs, and the Son of man is to be delivered up to be impaled." -Matthew  24:1-14; 26:1, 2. 

Next time: Jesus 'Loves His Own to the End'

From the Watchtower magazine, 2000