Self-Examination - Against Hypocrisy (Matthew 23:1–39)

[Stephan Choe]

August 27, 2026

Key Verses

3: “So whatever they tell you, do and observe; but do not act according to their deeds, for they say it but do not do it.”

37: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

Jesus is kind and gentle toward all people, especially those who are weak, make mistakes, or sin. There are only two instances in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus pronounces a "woe": in Chapter 11 against the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida because of their unbelief (11:20–24) and in this chapter against the scribes and Pharisees because of their hypocrisy.

Thus, Jesus pronounces a woe upon their unbelief and hypocrisy; yet these pronouncements of woe spring from His true love. We ought to recognize and accept His love.

In light of these pronouncements of woe, let us examine ourselves today to see whether we are unbelieving or hypocritical. This self-examination is intended to help us recognize and correct our insincerity so that we may lead a blessed life of faith.

1. Against the Scribes and Pharisees (1–12)

The Israelites’ exodus from Egypt took place around 1200 BC. At that time, Moses received the Ten Commandments and the laws from God and passed them on in the form of the five books of Moses. Initially, there was no king in Israel; instead, judges such as Deborah, Gideon, and Samson held office. In times of crisis, these judges acted as saviors of the people, while in times of peace, they settled disputes.

Around 1000 BC, Israel became a kingdom. Saul, David, and Solomon were its kings. Later, however, Israel split into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria in 722 BC. The Southern Kingdom of Judah was conquered by Babylon in 587 BC, and many Jews were taken into Babylonian captivity.

However, Babylon was soon conquered by Persia, and numerous Jews were able to... in 538 BC. ...returned to Jerusalem. They began rebuilding the city and the Temple. Ezra served at the Persian court as a state secretary for Jewish religious affairs. Armed with the king's authorization, he traveled to Jerusalem in 458 BC. There, he read from the Book of the Law to the people. In response, the people vowed to obey the Law (Nehemiah 8:1–8).

From that day on, the study of the Law was considered the highest calling for the Jews. The men who dedicated themselves to studying the Law were known as "scribes." They interpreted the laws and established thousands of specific rules and regulations regarding how these laws should be observed in daily life. The Bible merely states that one should not work on the Sabbath; the scribes derived a multitude of regulations from this regarding the observance of the Sabbath rest. For instance, anyone who ran more than ten steps quickly on the Sabbath was considered to be violating the commandment of Sabbath rest. There were more than fifty volumes detailing such regulations.

But who were the Pharisees?

Palestine was conquered by Alexander the Great around 332 BC. Subsequently, it was taken over first by Egypt and then by Syria. Around 175 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria attempted to eradicate Judaism once and for all and to introduce the Greek culture of idolatry into Palestine. It was during this time that a Jewish group known as the Pharisees emerged. "Pharisee" literally means "the separated one." Faced with the threat hanging over Judaism, the Pharisees were determined to hold fast to their faith throughout their lives. They dedicated their entire lives to the task of strictly observing the rules and regulations established by the scribes. Anyone wishing to keep the Law in this manner had to withdraw from ordinary daily life and set themselves apart.

For the Pharisees, religion meant adhering to specific legal requirements. They judged and criticized others, yet failed to properly observe all the commandments themselves. They led a double life.

In this text, Jesus points out examples of the Pharisees' hypocrisy. In light of this hypocrisy, let us now examine our own spiritual state.

In what did the Pharisees' hypocrisy consist?

First, they teach others but do not act according to their own words.

In verse 3b, Jesus identifies their problem: "For they say one thing but do not do it."

They teach others and demand observance of the Law. They watch others closely to see if they are obeying the Law and criticize them for it. Yet they themselves do not obey God's Word.

To please God, a person should be both righteous and merciful. The Pharisees, however, have a legalistic mindset. That is, they place great emphasis on righteousness but very little on mercy. They insist that all commandments and laws be kept flawlessly, yet they themselves do not follow God's commandments. In reality, they are by no means righteous; they are unrighteous.

Of course, Jesus directs this rebuke at the scribes and Pharisees. But his rebuke applies to us as well. The scribes and Pharisees are just like "me."

When I see someone else behaving wrongly, I have no understanding for it. I may not voice criticism, but in my thoughts, I condemn that person. If I see the same misconduct a second or third time, I write the person off as a hopeless case.

However, when I have done something wrong myself, I view my actions with full understanding and forgive myself immediately. If I lacked understanding for my own misconduct, I would have fallen ill long ago. If I repeat a wrong action, I once again find understanding for my behavior.

In Romans 2:1, Paul says, "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, do the very same things!"

Second, Their teaching places a heavy burden on people.

Jesus says of the scribes and Pharisees, “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, yet they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (4). With their extensive regulations, the scribes load heavy burdens onto people’s shoulders. For this reason, the Pharisees withdrew from ordinary social life.

Paul himself had once been such a Pharisee. Through the grace of Christ, he was able to recognize the error of a legalistic faith and free himself from a legalistic mindset. From then on, he fought to preserve the Gospel from legalism.

When a faith tradition establishes thousands of rules, it becomes a heavy burden for us. Such rules could often only be kept by withdrawing from normal life—just as the Pharisees did. A healthy faith, on the other hand, emphasizes essential principles, such as the Ten Commandments and the Gospel.

If we tave broken one of the Ten Commandments, we should accept forgiveness—through repentance and faith in the sacrificial death of Christ. God gladly forgives us. That is the Gospel.

Is my faith a heavy burden that forces me to withdraw from ordinary life like the Pharisees? Or does it bring me great joy and encouragement?

Jesus Christ came to free us from the power of sin and from legalism, and to give us life, joy, and strength. That is why He says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).

Third, they make a show of their piety.

The Pharisees want to be seen and praised by people. That is why Jesus says: “They do all their deeds to be seen by others” (5). He cites prayer boxes (phylacteries), tassels, and places of honor as examples of their hypocrisy.

Prayer straps (tefillin) with cube-shaped leather cases containing texts from the Torah.

Left: Head tefillin [1]. Center: Hand tefillin [2]. Right: Tassel [3].

Prayer straps are bands featuring small capsules that contain important passages of Scripture, such as the Ten Commandments. During prayer, these straps are worn on the forehead and the left arm (Exodus 13:9; Deuteronomy 6:8).

In the Old Testament (Numbers 15:37–41), God commanded His people to attach tassels to the four corners of their cloaks to remind them of His commandments. Jesus Himself wore these tassels; that is why a woman suffering from a hemorrhage touched the tassel of His garment in faith and was healed (Matthew 9:20).

The Pharisees wear particularly large prayer straps to display their piety. They also make their tassels excessively large so that people will notice and praise their devotion.

Fourth, they strive to exalt themselves and have others serve them.

The Pharisees and scribes are all too eager to take the places of honor at the table or during worship services. They want people to greet them in the marketplace as “Rabbi Stephan Choe” or “Rabbi Schmeinck.” Koreans, too, often like to be addressed by their titles—such as Pastor So-and-so, Professor Park, Dr. Kim, and so on.

But what does Jesus say to us? He says, “But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one Master, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘Father,’ for you have one Father—the One in heaven. Nor are you to be called teachers, for you have one Teacher, the Messiah” (8).

Fundamentally, all Christians are brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. We must not forget this brotherhood. In some free churches, it is customary to address a pastor simply as “Brother So-and-so.” We should take Jesus’ words to heart, “The greatest among you shall be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (12).

Of course, no one wants to serve others; instead, everyone wants to be served. That is human nature. Yet we should heed Jesus’ words:

“Whoever among you wants to be first shall be the servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:44–45).

We should remember Jesus’ grace. His grace and our gratitude enable us to follow Him. If we truly wish to imitate Jesus, we can serve others from the heart.

2. Seven Woes Pronounced Against the Pharisees and Scribes (13–36)

Jesus now pronounces seven woes: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees…”

His first woe is:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, who shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces! You yourselves do not enter, nor do you let those enter who wish to do so” (13).

The word “hypocrite” originally referred to an actor giving a performance on stage. We should not be like actors who put on a show for others but do not obey God’s Word in their actual lives.

His second woe warns us against hypocrisy (15).

The sin of the Pharisees lay in the fact that they did not lead people to grace, but rather into the bondage of the law. At the conclusion of these woes, Jesus laments over Jerusalem: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were unwilling. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you: You will not see me again from now on until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (37–39).

At the end of these woes, Jesus proclaims that people will welcome the returning Christ with praise. In Christ, all things culminate in victory and praise.

Self-Examination

In light of Jesus’ words to the scribes and Pharisees, let us examine ourselves to see whether we are unbelieving or hypocritical. Through this self-examination, we should cast off our unbelief and hypocrisy and become faithful and sincere. As imperfect human beings, each of us may discover something amiss during this self-examination. In such instances, we should humbly accept Jesus’s rebuke and change our behavior.

Finally, we should gratefully accept the grace of Jesus’s forgiveness. For Jesus Christ died on the cross for our guilt in order to forgive us. When we confess our guilt and believe in His sacrificial death for our sins, He forgives us and remembers our guilt no more. We should firmly believe in His forgiveness and thank God for it.

Thank You, Jesus, for Your love and Your grace! Amen!

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[1] http://www.morija.de/einzigartiges-israel/bild/534-gegenstand.jpg

[2] http://www.payer.de/judentum/jud92.gif

[3] https://erbrechet.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/image3.png