You claim not to be a biblical scholar, but you are certainly more of an expert than I am. You have made a convincing argument concerning Jesus' humor when rebuking the Pharisees, but I still can't help but think that he is speaking in an angry (or at least stern) tone of voice when saying these words. The exclamation points in the New American Bible certainly contribute to that impression. (Yes, I know that ancient Greek didn't have punctuation marks and they were added.) True, it doesn't say Jesus was angry, but the only instance that I can think of in the Gospels that specifically says that He was involved Him speaking to the Pharisees (Mark 3:5).
When reading your superb and thorough article, I couldn't help but think about this scene from the Gospel of Matthew dramatized in the third episode of the The Chosen Season 4, in which Jesus is speaking angrily and the situation is definitely unfunny. Do you think it is possible that Jesus spoke this way while using the ridiculous imagery of the camel?
The subtitle for this piece is “notes on the humor and the harshness of Jesus.” I agree that Jesus is being harsh in upbraiding the Pharisees. If he is also being humorous, I don’t see that as softening the harshness at all! Scathing criticism and humor are quite compatible. Think of late-night comics criticizing and mocking politicians and other public figures!
I think it’s important to remember that Matthew 23 starts out with Jesus addressing “the crowds and his disciples,” speaking about the scribes and Pharisees in the third person—so when he shifts to addressing the Pharisees in the second person, I think this is a rhetorical move, and he’s still talking ABOUT them to OTHER PEOPLE. When he says “You blind guides, straining out the gnat but swallowing the camel!” he’s inviting OTHER PEOPLE to recognize just how blind the Pharisees are, in a way that is both harshly critical and, I believe, brutally funny!
I didn't think of it like that, even though I did consider the late-night (or stand-up) comedian analogy. I have always imagined the Pharisees being present. Thanks for your reply.
I mean, it’s certainly open to interpretation, Christopher! Matthew’s Gospel structures Jesus’ teaching in five discourses, evoking the five books of Moses, with chapter 23 either part of the 24–25 discourse or a stand-alone passage, but in any case Matthew has a hand in stringing together material thematically that Jesus delivered on different occasions.
It’s entirely possible, then, that the verses in Matthew 23 in which Jesus addresses the Pharisees in the second person were actually delivered speaking to the Pharisees, even though Matthew sets them in the context of Jesus addressing the crowds and his disciples. And of course it’s also possible that Pharisees were present in the crowds Jesus was addressing!
Still, I find it persuasive to imagine Jesus addressing his disciples the whole time, rhetorically addressing the Pharisees, regardless whether or not they were present. In this regard, it may be significant that this discourse ends without a reaction from any Pharisees present—in contrast, for example, to the prior material in Matthew 21–22, e.g., “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them” (21:45), etc.
You claim not to be a biblical scholar, but you are certainly more of an expert than I am. You have made a convincing argument concerning Jesus' humor when rebuking the Pharisees, but I still can't help but think that he is speaking in an angry (or at least stern) tone of voice when saying these words. The exclamation points in the New American Bible certainly contribute to that impression. (Yes, I know that ancient Greek didn't have punctuation marks and they were added.) True, it doesn't say Jesus was angry, but the only instance that I can think of in the Gospels that specifically says that He was involved Him speaking to the Pharisees (Mark 3:5).
When reading your superb and thorough article, I couldn't help but think about this scene from the Gospel of Matthew dramatized in the third episode of the The Chosen Season 4, in which Jesus is speaking angrily and the situation is definitely unfunny. Do you think it is possible that Jesus spoke this way while using the ridiculous imagery of the camel?
Thanks for your comment, Christopher!
The subtitle for this piece is “notes on the humor and the harshness of Jesus.” I agree that Jesus is being harsh in upbraiding the Pharisees. If he is also being humorous, I don’t see that as softening the harshness at all! Scathing criticism and humor are quite compatible. Think of late-night comics criticizing and mocking politicians and other public figures!
I think it’s important to remember that Matthew 23 starts out with Jesus addressing “the crowds and his disciples,” speaking about the scribes and Pharisees in the third person—so when he shifts to addressing the Pharisees in the second person, I think this is a rhetorical move, and he’s still talking ABOUT them to OTHER PEOPLE. When he says “You blind guides, straining out the gnat but swallowing the camel!” he’s inviting OTHER PEOPLE to recognize just how blind the Pharisees are, in a way that is both harshly critical and, I believe, brutally funny!
I didn't think of it like that, even though I did consider the late-night (or stand-up) comedian analogy. I have always imagined the Pharisees being present. Thanks for your reply.
I mean, it’s certainly open to interpretation, Christopher! Matthew’s Gospel structures Jesus’ teaching in five discourses, evoking the five books of Moses, with chapter 23 either part of the 24–25 discourse or a stand-alone passage, but in any case Matthew has a hand in stringing together material thematically that Jesus delivered on different occasions.
It’s entirely possible, then, that the verses in Matthew 23 in which Jesus addresses the Pharisees in the second person were actually delivered speaking to the Pharisees, even though Matthew sets them in the context of Jesus addressing the crowds and his disciples. And of course it’s also possible that Pharisees were present in the crowds Jesus was addressing!
Still, I find it persuasive to imagine Jesus addressing his disciples the whole time, rhetorically addressing the Pharisees, regardless whether or not they were present. In this regard, it may be significant that this discourse ends without a reaction from any Pharisees present—in contrast, for example, to the prior material in Matthew 21–22, e.g., “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them” (21:45), etc.