The Rev. Dr. Aimee Moiso forthrightly addresses the disagreements Jesus had with some of the other Jewish teachers in his time and place: "While Jesus critiqued aspects of the behavior and practices of some Jewish leaders, he also ate in their homes, talked with them about their teachings and his, and honored Jewish traditions and the authority of the Torah."

Further, she writes, "Any interpretation of Matthew 23:1-12 requires a broad and comprehensive understanding of Jewish traditions and leaders and a vigilant awareness of slanderous uses of these texts for anti-Semitic purposes throughout Christian history."

Dr. Moiso continues: "Matthew's Jesus cannot be referring to all scribes and Pharisees because at the time the Gospel was written, there was no monolithic Judaism. Rather, Judaism was made up of various sects and movements within the tradition--of which Matthew's group of Jesus-followers was one."

Matthew's Jesus is seeking, Dr. Moiso proposes, "not so much to tear down scribes and Pharisees as to lift up the kind of community he is building. There is little room for gloating in a community that esteems humility; any disciple who intends to use Jesus' words to lord over others will have sorely missed the point."

The Rev. Dr. Aimee Moiso is in ministry at The Louisville Institute. Her full comments on Matthew 23:1-12 can be found in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary, Year A, Volume 3, 2020, pages 456-457.