Woe to the Hypocrites
So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. Matthew 23:3 · Berean Standard Bible
Jesus says to follow what the religious leaders teach from Scripture, but don't follow their example. They talk a good game but don't practice what they preach.
This is such an important principle. Truth is truth even when the person sharing it doesn't live up to it. But hypocrisy is deeply damaging.
Jesus is giving practical guidance to everyday people about how to relate to flawed leaders.
Have you ever known someone who gives great advice but doesn't follow it themselves? That's exactly what Jesus is describing here. The message can be right even when the messenger is wrong.
Jesus commands obedience to the Pharisees' teaching ('practice and observe everything they tell you') while condemning their behavior ('do not do what they do'). The disconnect between their words and actions defines their hypocrisy (hypokrisis).
This verse establishes the core theme of Chapter 23: the gap between profession and practice. Jesus affirms Torah teaching while condemning those who teach it without living it.
Jesus gives a direct instruction to His audience, distinguishing between the Pharisees' teaching authority and their personal conduct.
Jesus makes a razor-sharp distinction: listen to what they teach from Scripture, but don't follow their example. They preach one thing and live another.
1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples:
2“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
3So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
Read all of Matthew 23 — Seven devastating woes crash down on the religious establishment. Jesus doesn't whisper his critique — he thunders it.
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