By Ashley Morris | Archdiocese of Atlanta

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.” (Matthew 23:13)

Of the many deeds and words attributed to Jesus found in the gospels, his denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees found in Matthew 23 provide particularly profound and prophetic messages worth greater consideration in our modern times. It is easy to take a casual glance at Christ’s condemnations and think of them as warnings for high-ranking church officials who fail to practice what they preach. However, we who live, worship and work in the twenty-first century can find the ancient teachings in the Bible relatable in more ways than one.