The disciples and many others have been listening. Now Jesus addresses them, warning about the scribes and the Pharisees. Those men have “seated themselves in the seat of Moses” to teach God’s Law. Jesus instructs his listeners: “All the things they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds, for they say but they do not practice what they say.”​—Matthew 23:2, 3.

Jesus then gives examples of their hypocrisy, saying: “They broaden the scripture-containing cases that they wear as safeguards.” Some Jews wore on the forehead or on the arm these relatively small cases containing short passages from the Law. The Pharisees enlarge theirs to give the impression that they are zealous about the Law. Also, they “lengthen the fringes of their garments.” The Israelites were to make fringes on their garments, but the Pharisees make sure that their fringes are quite long. (Numbers 15:38-40) They do all of this “to be seen by men.”​—Matthew 23:5.

Even Jesus’ disciples could be affected by a desire for prominence, so he counsels them: “Do not you be called Rabbi, for one is your Teacher, and all of you are brothers. Moreover, do not call anyone your father on earth, for one is your Father, the heavenly One. Neither be called leaders, for your Leader is one, the Christ.” How, then, should the disciples view themselves and act? Jesus tells them: “The greatest one among you must be your minister. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”​—Matthew 23:8-12.

Next, Jesus pronounces a series of woes on the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut up the Kingdom of the heavens before men; for you yourselves do not go in, neither do you permit those on their way in to go in.”​—Matthew 23:13.

Jesus condemns the Pharisees’ lack of spiritual values, as shown by the arbitrary distinctions they make. For example, they say: “If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is under obligation.” They thus show their moral blindness, for they put more emphasis on the gold of the temple than on the spiritual value of Jehovah’s place of worship. And they “have disregarded the weightier matters of the Law, namely, justice and mercy and faithfulness.”​—Matthew 23:16, 23; Luke 11:42.

Jesus calls these Pharisees “blind guides, who strain out the gnat but gulp down the camel!” (Matthew 23:24) They strain a gnat from their wine because that insect is ceremonially unclean. Yet, the way they disregard weightier matters of the Law is like swallowing a camel, also a ceremonially unclean animal, only far larger.​—Leviticus 11:4, 21-24.

During Jesus’ last appearance at the temple, he continues to expose the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, openly calling them hypocrites. He uses illustrative language, saying: “You cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of greediness and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.” (Matthew 23:25, 26) While the Pharisees are scrupulous when it comes to ceremonial cleanness and outward appearance, they are neglecting the inner person and are failing to purify their figurative heart.

Their hypocrisy is also manifest in their willingness to build and decorate tombs for the prophets. Yet, as Jesus mentions, they “are sons of those who murdered the prophets.” (Matthew 23:31) This they have proved in their efforts to kill Jesus.​—John 5:18; 7:1, 25.

Jesus then points to what awaits these religious leaders if they do not repent: “Serpents, offspring of vipers, how will you flee from the judgment of Gehenna?” (Matthew 23:33) The nearby Valley of Hinnom is used for burning garbage, a graphic image of the permanent destruction awaiting the wicked scribes and Pharisees.

Jesus’ disciples will represent him as “prophets and wise men and public instructors.” How will they be treated? Addressing the religious leaders, Jesus says: “Some of [my disciples] you will kill and execute on stakes, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, so that there may come upon you all the righteous blood spilled on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah . . . whom you murdered.” He warns: “Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” (Matthew 23:34-36) That proves to be the case in 70 C.E. when the Roman armies destroy Jerusalem and many thousands of Jews perish.