Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 23:27-28

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men`s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." — Matthew 23:27-28 (ASV)

Origen of Alexandria: Just as they are described above as being "full of extortion and excess," so here they are "full of hypocrisy and iniquity," and are compared to dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The bodies of the righteous are justly called temples, because in the body of a righteous person the soul has dominion, just as God does in His temple, or because God Himself dwells in righteous bodies.

But the bodies of sinners are called tombs of the dead, because the sinner's soul is dead within his body. For a soul cannot be considered alive if it performs no spiritual or living acts.

St. Jerome: Tombs are whitewashed on the outside and decorated with marble, gold paint, and various colors, but inside they are full of dead men's bones. In the same way, corrupt teachers who teach one thing and do another feign purity in their dress and humility in their speech, but inside are full of all uncleanness, greed, and lust.

Origen of Alexandria: For all feigned righteousness is dead, since it is not done for God's sake. Indeed, it is not righteousness at all, any more than a dead man is a man, or an actor playing a character is the person he portrays.

Therefore, the amount of bones and uncleanness within them corresponds to the good things they wickedly pretend to possess. And they appear righteous outwardly, not in the eyes of those whom Scripture calls gods, but only to those who die like men (Psalm 82:6).

St. Gregory the Great: But before their strict Judge, they cannot plead ignorance, for by assuming every form of holiness in the eyes of others, they testify against themselves that they are not ignorant of how to live well. ¹

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But tell me, hypocrite, if it is good to be wicked, why do you not want to appear as you truly desire to be? For if something is shameful to appear to be, it is more shameful to actually be; and if something is honorable to appear to be, it is more honorable to actually be. Therefore, either be what you appear to be, or appear as you truly are.

1. Mor., xxvi, 32