Matthew 23:13-15
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Jesus uses the stark image of "shutting the kingdom of heaven in people's faces" to show the Pharisees' profound obstruction. They not only failed to enter the spiritual reality they were meant to embody, but they actively blocked others who were genuinely seeking.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is in the temple, launching into a series of stern "woes" directed at the scribes and Pharisees, condemning their hypocrisy and harmful leadership. He accuses them of blocking people's access to God's kingdom, neither entering themselves nor allowing others to find the way in through their misinterpretations and opposition. This scathing critique escalates the conflict between Jesus and the religious elite, just days before his crucifixion.
Jesus calls the scribes and Pharisees 'hypocrites.' But what does that really mean? It’s more than just being fake; it reveals a deep disconnect between their public performance and their inner reality.
The word 'hypocrite' in Jesus' day, derived from the Greek word for 'actor,' described someone playing a role. The scribes and Pharisees were masters of outward religious performance – long prayers, strict adherence to minor laws, and public displays of piety.
However, Jesus exposes their true character:
Jesus accuses the religious leaders of 'shutting up the kingdom of heaven.' What does it mean to lock God's kingdom, and how did they misuse the very 'keys' they were given?
The 'kingdom of heaven' here refers to God's reign, specifically the opportunity to enter it through faith in Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees, as religious leaders, were meant to be interpreters of God's Law – holding the 'key of knowledge' that would open the door to understanding God's will and His Messiah.
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Instead, Jesus declares they did the opposite:
Understand the original words
ouai · Greek Interjection
An exclamation of grief, sorrow, or impending judgment, signifying severe divine displeasure or curse upon a person or group for their conduct.
grammateus/Pharisaios · Greek Noun
Jewish religious leaders and teachers of the Law (scribes) and those who strictly adhered to a legalistic interpretation of the Law (Pharisees), often criticized for their outward piety masking inward corruption.
hypokritēs · Greek Noun
An actor or pretender; one who masks their true character by acting out a role of righteousness, used by Jesus to describe those who display external piety while lacking internal transformation.
basileia · Greek Noun
The rule, reign, or sovereign authority of God, often synonymous with the presence and life of God's people under His rule, which began with Jesus' ministry.
prosēlytos · Greek Noun
A person who has converted from paganism to Judaism, undergoing ritual initiation; in the NT, it implies a commitment to the legalistic traditions of the religious leaders.
geenna · Greek Noun
A biblical metaphor for the place of final judgment and eternal separation from God; a state of extreme moral corruption or spiritual death.
Jesus' pronouncements against the scribes and Pharisees occurred during His final week in Jerusalem, a period of intense confrontation as His ministry reached its climax and the religious establishment sought to oppose Him. His 'woes' served as a stark warning against those who claimed religious authority but actively blocked people from entering God's kingdom.
c. 150 BC - AD 30
Rise of the Pharisees
The Pharisee movement gained significant influence during the late Second Temple period, emphasizing strict adherence to Mosaic Law and oral traditions. They became a powerful religious and political force, often in tension with other Jewish sects.
c. 4 BC - AD 30/33— this verse
Jesus' Public Ministry
Jesus engaged in public teaching and healing throughout Galilee and Judea, directly challenging the religious establishment and offering a new interpretation of God's kingdom.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Confrontation with Religious Leaders
During His final days in Jerusalem, Jesus delivered sharp rebukes, including the 'woes' in Matthew 23, directly to the scribes and Pharisees in the temple courts, denouncing their hypocrisy and obstruction of God's kingdom.
c. AD 62
Destruction of the Second Temple
The Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, marking a catastrophic turning point for Judaism and fulfilling Jesus' prophecies about the temple's destruction.
This passage directly echoes the accusation that the scribes and Pharisees 'have taken away the key of knowledge,' which is the very thing Jesus says they use to lock the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 23:13.
John 9:40-41In this exchange, Jesus confronts the Pharisees with their spiritual blindness, stating that their claim to see makes them guilty. This connects to Matthew 23:13 by highlighting their self-deception and their role in blinding others to the truth.
Galatians 4:17Paul describes false teachers who 'make much of you, but for no good purpose.' This parallels Jesus' condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees for hindering people from entering the kingdom of heaven while seemingly being religious leaders.
Matthew 15:14Jesus states, 'If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.' This proverb powerfully illustrates the consequence of the scribes and Pharisees, who were spiritually blind, leading people away from the kingdom of heaven.
vincentMatthew 23:13: "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."
Hypocrites (ὑποκριταί)From ὑποκρίνω, to separate gradually; so of separating the truth from a mass of falsehood, and thence to subject to inquiry, and, as a result of this, to expound or interpret what is elicited. Then, to reply to inquiry, and so to answer on the stage, to speak in dialog…
calvinMatthew 23:13-15: "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."
- But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you do not enter yourselves, and do not permit those who come to enter. 14. And woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows' houses, and that under the disgu…
Jesus uses the stark image of "shutting the kingdom of heaven in people's faces" to show the Pharisees' profound obstruction. They not only failed to enter the spiritual reality they were meant to embody, but they actively blocked others who were genuinely seeking.
Jesus is in the temple, launching into a series of stern "woes" directed at the scribes and Pharisees, condemning their hypocrisy and harmful leadership. He accuses them of blocking people's access to God's kingdom, neither entering themselves nor allowing others to find the way in through their misinterpretations and opposition. This scathing critique escalates the conflict between Jesus and the religious elite, just days before his crucifixion.
Jesus is in the temple, launching into a series of stern "woes" directed at the scribes and Pharisees, condemning their hypocrisy and harmful leadership. He accuses them of blocking people's access to God's kingdom, neither entering themselves nor allowing others to find the way in through their misinterpretations and opposition. This scathing critique escalates the conflict between Jesus and the religious elite, just days before his crucifixion.
"“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tra…" — Jesus uses the stark image of "shutting the kingdom of heaven in people's faces" to show the Pharisees' profound obstruction. They not only failed to enter the spiritual reality they were meant to em…
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Last reviewed October 2026
