Thematic Bible: Satire


Thematic Bible



saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. All, therefore, whatsoever they bid you, do and observe; but do not according to their works; for they say and do not. And they bind heavy burdens, and lay them upon the shoulders of men; but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. read more.
But all their works they do with the view to be seen by men; for they make broad their phylacteries and enlarge their fringes; and they love the first place in the feasts, and the front seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called by men 'Rabbi.' But be not ye called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and all ye are brethren. And call no one your father on the earth; for One is your Father, the Heavenly. Neither be ye called leaders; because One is your Leader, the Christ. But the greater of you shall be your minister. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for ye do not enter, neither do ye suffer those who are entering in to enter. OMITTED TEXT. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and, when he is made such, ye make him a son of Hell twofold more than yourselves. "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whosoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!' Fools, and blind! for which is greater??he gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? 'And whosoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever swears by the gift that is upon it, is a debtor!' Ye blind! for which is greater??he gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? He, therefore, who swears by the altar swears by it and by all things on it; and he who swears by the temple swears by it and by Him dwelling therein; and he who swears by Heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him sitting thereon. "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin; and have omitted the weightier things of the law??he judgment, and the mercy, and the faith; but these it was proper to have done, and those not to have omitted. Blind guides! straining out the gnat, and swallowing the camel! "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish; but within they are full from extortion and excess! Blind Pharisees! cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the dish, that its outside also may become clean. "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye are like white-washed sepulchres, which outwardly, indeed, appear beautiful, but within are full of bones of the dead and of all uncleanness. So ye also outwardly, indeed, appear righteous to men; but within ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous, and say, 'If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' So then ye testify to yourselves that ye are sons of those who killed the prophets; and fill ye up the measure of your fathers. Serpents! broods of vipers! How can ye escape the judgment of Hell?

And they send to Him some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they may entrap Him in speech. And, coming, they say to Him, "Teacher, we know that Thou art true, and carest not for any one; for Thou lookest not into the face of men, but in truth teachest the way of God. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why are ye tempting Me? Bring Me a denary, that I may see it." read more.
And they brought it. And He saith to them, "Whose is this image and inscription?" And they said to Him, "Caesar's." And Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God." And they wondered exceedingly at Him. And there come to Him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they were asking Him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote to us, 'If any man's brother die, and leave a wife behind, and leave no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.' There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife; and, dying, left no seed. And the second took her, and died, leaving no seed; and the third likewise. And the seven left no seed. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her as a wife." Jesus said to them, "Is it not on this account that ye err, because ye know not the Scriptures, nor the power of God? For, when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels in Heaven. But, concerning the dead, that they are raised, did ye not read in the book of Moses, at the 'Bush,' how God spake to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead, but of the living: ye do greatly err." And one of the scribes, coming near, hearing them discussing together, knowing that He answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel; the Lord is our God, the Lord is One; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind and with all your strength.' A second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." The scribe said to Him, "Well, Teacher, Thou didst say truly that He is One, and there is not another beside Him; and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as himself, is much more than all the whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices." And Jesus, seeing that he answered discreetly, said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one any more dared to question Him. And Jesus, answering, said, while teaching in the temple, "How do the scribes say that the Christ is David's Son? David himself said in the Holy Spirit, 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on My right hand, until I put Thy enemies underneath Thy feet.' David himself calls Him Lord; and whence is He his Son?" And the great multitude heard Him gladly. And in His teaching He said, "Beware of the scribes, who wish to walk about in long robes and have salutations in the marketplaces, and the first seats in the synagogues, and the first places at the feasts; who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers; these shall receive greater condemnation."

But the Lord said to him, "Now ye, the Pharisees, cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish; but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. Senseless ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms the things within; and, behold, all things are clean to you. read more.
"But woe to you Pharisees! because ye tithe the mint, and the rue, and every herb; but ye pass by judgment and the love of God. Now these things it was needful to do, and not to leave those undone. "Woe to you Pharisees! because ye love the first seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces! Woe to you! because ye are as the unobserved tombs; and the men, walking over them, know it not." And one of the lawyers, answering, says to Him, "Teacher, in saying these things, Thou insultest us also!" And He said, "Woe to you lawyers, also! because ye burden men with burdens hard to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers! "Woe to you! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Consequently, ye are witnesses, and consent to the works of your fathers; because they, indeed, killed them, and ye build their tombs. On this account also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them will they slay, and some will they persecute; that the blood of all the prophets, which has been shed from the founding of the world, may be required of this generation??51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah who perished between the altar and the house??ea, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.' "Woe to you lawyers; because ye took away the Key of Knowledge; ye yourselves entered not in, and those who were entering ye hindered." And, when He went forth thence, the scribes and Pharisees began vehemently to press upon Him, and to urge Him to speak concerning many things; lying in wait for Him, to catch something out of His mouth.