They Shut the Gates of the Kingdom…Based on Today’s (13/26 of August 2019) Gospel’s Reading
Matthew 23: 13-22
“13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20Whoso, therefore, shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him, that sitteth thereon.”
The twentieth century was known for betrayals of our Orthodox Faith. Masonic patriarchs, ecumenism, the calendar change, Sergianism. Then in our latter times, we say people that held the name of True Orthodox leaders being neither Orthodox nor True. Where are they leading their flocks? What master are they really serving?
St. John Chrysostom says, “By “the kingdom of heaven” is meant the Scriptures, because in them the kingdom of heaven is lodged; the understanding of these is the door. Or “the kingdom of heaven” is the blessedness of heaven, and the door thereof Christ, by Whom men enter in. The door-keepers are the Priests, to whom is committed the word of teaching or interpreting Scripture, by which the door of truth is opened to men. The opening of this door is right interpretation. And observe that He said not, “Woe unto you,” for ye open, but, “for ye shut up;” the Scriptures then are not shut up, though they are obscure.”
Saint John Chrysostom in another place tells us that ” For if it be the part of a teacher to save that which is perishing, to destroy that which is on the point of being saved is that of a destroyer.” The thought is horrific! An attempt to lead away from the Truth even the chosen!
