ACC ~ Matthew 23 v4

THEY BIND HEAVY BURDENS

ORIGEN: Therefore up until now the scribes and Pharisees among the Jews have been sitting on the throne of Moses. I am not saying this because only scribes and Pharisees will sit on the seat of Moses. They speak but do not do anything, laying heavy and unsupportable burdens on the shoulders of men. Yet they are not even willing to lift a finger to lighten those burdens. For I judge that those who rightly understand and explain Moses according to his spiritual power are the ones who will indeed sit on the throne of Moses. But these are not the scribes and Pharisees. They are much better. They are the beloved disciples of Christ who interpret his word through the grace of God. They are able to sort out different meanings in different words. Indeed, therefore, before the coming of Christ they sat well on the throne of Moses who interpreted the sayings of Moses well and according to reason. However, after the coming of Christ, they sit on the throne of the church, which is the seat and throne of Christ. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 9. [1]

[1] GCS 38.2:16-17.

NOT WISHING TO MOVE A FINGER

ORIGEN: Just as the scribes and Pharisees wickedly sat upon the throne of Moses, so do some in the church who sit upon the ecclesiastical throne. There are some in the church who have the right understanding of the law and pass it on correctly. They say what each person needs to do, but they themselves do not do it. Some of them lay heavy burdens upon the shoulders of men, but they won’t even lift a finger to help. These are the ones the Savior is talking about when he says, “Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of God.” [1] There are others, however, who sit on the throne, who act before they speak and speak wisely, restraining those who are disordered. They place merciful burdens on the shoulders of others. They themselves are the first to lift the heavy burden, for the exhortation of other listeners. It is these of whom the Lord speaks when he says, “He who does so and teaches others to do so, this man will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” [2] COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 9. [3]

[1] Mt 5:19.

[2] Mt 5:19.

[3] GCS 38.2:16-17.

THEY ALLOW THEMSELVES PRIVILEGE

CHRYSOSTOM: He mentions here a twofold wickedness. First they require great and extreme strictness of life, without any indulgence, from those over whom they rule. Yet they are much less stringent with themselves. This is opposite from what the truly good pastor ought to hold. He ought to be a rigorous and severe judge in things that concern himself. But in the matters of those whom he rules, he ought to be gentle and ready to make allowances. What these men do is just the opposite.

For such are all they who practice self-restraint in mere words while being unforgiving and grievous to bear when they have had no experience of the difficulty in actions. This is no small fault. In no small way does Jesus increase the former charge. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 72.2. [1]

[1] HE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST | MATTHEW 14:1-12

THEY LAY BURDENS ON PEOPLE’S SHOULDERS

INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW: How great indeed were the heavy burdens and the insupportable demands of the law—attributed to the scribes and the Pharisees—about which Christ spoke and which God most assuredly gave them on account of the sin of the golden calf. The scribes and Pharisees taught [this law], persuading the people to live according to the commands of the law and not to go over to the easy and joyful grace of Christ. Indeed, the Lord spoke above about these very burdensome commands, exhorting the Jews, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” [1] And in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter says, “And you, why do you tempt God and wish to impose a yoke on the necks of the disciples which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear?” [2] For there were indeed those who, commending the burdens of the law to their listeners for certain fabled reasons, could not push these things away from themselves, as if chains were binding on their shoulders above their hearts, as if they were constricted by the chains of reason. For the Pharisees and scribes did not fulfill these duties in any moderation. That is to say, they did not do so with full strength nor even with a moderate effort, such as with a finger. Consequently, however, priests who now order justice among their people but who themselves do not serve even moderately are surely not just in doing so, although they may appear to be just teachers. Such are they who impose heavy burdens on those coming to repentance, they who preach but do not practice; and so, while the punishment of sin is placed on those present, the punishment of future sin is despised. HOMILY 43. [3]

[1] Mt 11:28.

[2] Acts 15:10.

[3] PG 56:877-78.

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