Am I a Pharisee without realizing it?
During the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the week is known as Passion Week, Jesus confronted and confounded the religious leaders in the city of Jerusalem. After the triumphal entry and the cleansing of the temple, some of these religious leaders challenged Him, asking, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” (Matt. 21:23). This question set off a series of debates with the priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees (21:24–22:46). All of this culminates in Matthew 23, where Jesus pronounces seven oracles of woe against the scribes and Pharisees (Vv. 13, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29). He introduces these oracles of judgment with the following words: Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, b