I can't even think of any examples of this off the top of my head, but I feel like I saw

like a hundred movies in the 80s and 90s where somebody gets up to give some empowered

speech and they start to talk to the bad people and they're like, you know what, mom?

You did this and this and this and mom with her wine and her sparkly outfit and her fancy

golf friends.

It's like, oh, well, I did, I know that's so nice.

But you know what, mom?

You were also this and then the speech turns and it's like, finally, here's some catharsis.

We're going to tell you how the thing actually is.

And that's what I feel like we're getting in Matthew chapter 23, the speech that Jesus

gives that consumes the entire chapter of 23 starts out with an affirmation of the Pharisees

potential to do good, the potential to speak with some authority, maybe even derived

from Moses himself.

I even see here as we talked about yesterday some sort of tacit affirmation of the synagogue

system.

Maybe Jesus went to synagogues.

He taught in synagogues.

He's acknowledging this is a vehicle for connection with God, connection with the Scriptures

for an understanding and a preparation for what the Messiah will be when he shows up.

I think the best way to read the opening of Matthew 23 is that Jesus is genuinely acknowledging

the goodness and effectiveness and potential of those things.

But then here comes the pivot, Matthew 23, one, then Jesus said to the crowd into his disciples,

...