Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 23:13

"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter[.]" — Matthew 23:13 (ASV)

Woe to you. You are guilty, and punishment will come to you. He proceeds to state in what way they were guilty.

This most eloquent, most appalling, and most terrible of all discourses ever delivered to mortals was pronounced in the temple, in the presence of multitudes.

Never was there more faithful dealing, more terrible reproof, more profound knowledge of the workings of hypocrisy, or more skillful in detecting the concealments of sin.

This was the last of His public discourses; and it is a most impressive summary of all He ever had said, or had to say, of a wicked and hypocritical generation.

Scribes and Pharisees. (See commentary on Matthew 3:7).

Hypocrites. (See commentary on Matthew 6:2).

You shut up the kingdom of heaven. (See commentary on Matthew 3:2).

They shut it up by their doctrines. By teaching false doctrines concerning the Messiah, by binding the people to an observance of their traditions, and by opposing Jesus and attempting to convince the people that He was an impostor, they prevented many from becoming His followers.

Many were ready to embrace Jesus as the Messiah and were about to enter into the kingdom of heaven—that is, the church—but they prevented it. Luke says (Luke 11:52) they had taken away the key of knowledge, and thus prevented their entering in.

That is, they had taken away the right interpretation of the ancient prophecies concerning the Messiah, and thus had done all they could to prevent the people from receiving Jesus as the Redeemer.