“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.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 23:13 Mean?
Jesus pronounces woe upon the scribes and Pharisees — the religious elite — calling them hypocrites. Their crime: shutting up the kingdom of heaven against people. They will not enter themselves, and they prevent others from entering.
The word "hypocrites" (hupokrites) originally meant stage actors — people wearing masks, playing roles. The Pharisees performed religion without living it. Their faith was theater.
The specific accusation is devastating: they use their religious authority as a barrier rather than a gateway. Instead of helping people encounter God, they block the entrance. They stand at the door of the kingdom and lock it.
"Neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in" means they actively prevent seekers from finding God. Their theology, their rules, their gatekeeping — all of it functions as an obstacle rather than an invitation. Jesus reserves his harshest words for people who make God harder to reach.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How can religious knowledge become a barrier rather than a gateway to God?
- 2.Where have you experienced religious gatekeeping that made God feel harder to reach?
- 3.Are there ways your own faith practices might be shutting doors for others?
- 4.Why does Jesus reserve his harshest words for religious leaders rather than obvious sinners?
Devotional
Woe unto you. Jesus does not say this to sinners, to outsiders, or to the irreligious. He says it to the most devout people in the room. The ones who knew Scripture best. The ones everyone else looked up to.
Ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. Imagine being told that your religion is a locked door — that the thing you built your whole life around is keeping people from God rather than leading them to him.
That is Jesus' most serious accusation: religious people who make God harder to reach. Who add barriers instead of removing them. Who turn the simple invitation of the gospel into a gauntlet of performance and approval.
Neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. People were trying to get in. They were seeking, approaching, reaching for God. And the religious leaders were blocking them.
This is a sobering mirror for anyone in spiritual leadership — or anyone who influences how others perceive God. Are you a doorway or a barrier? Does your faith make God more accessible or less?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,.... The same character is given as before, and the same woe denounced,…
Woe unto you - You are guilty, and punishment will come upon you. Jesus proceeds to state wherein they were guilty. This…
ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men In allusion to the symbolic "key of knowledge" given to the Scribe on…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture