Ye foolish and blind: for whether is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
μωροι και τυφλοι τις γαρ μειζων εστιν ο χρυσος η ο ναος ο αγιαζων τον χρυσον
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The Lord admonished them for their foolishness and deception, highlighting that the temple surpasses the gold that sanctifies it, and the altar is more significant than the offerings made upon it. Their actions stemmed not from reverence for God but from a desire for wealth.
Jesus denounces the elevation of human traditions and the disregard for the teachings of the prophets, as those misled individuals pursued honor while dismissing what truly deserves reverence. The law was bestowed by Him, and although the law itself did not embody righteousness, it merely facilitated its realization. The adornments of the altar and temple were never intended to be the central focus of worship; rather, they symbolized the promise of future true honor. Each material—gold, silver, bronze, copper, pearls, crystal—holds distinct significance aligned with its essence.
Hence, Jesus admonishes them for venerating the gold of the temple and the offerings of the altar, when in fact, the temple and altar themselves merit greater reverence, as the gold and sacrificial gifts merely represent what is to come. With the arrival of Christ, reliance on the law loses its value, for it is not the law that embodies Christ, but it is through Christ that the law finds its sanctification, upon which He has established His throne. Those seeking true spirituality must look to Him who occupies that throne. Thus, the people who idolize the sacred yet overlook holiness itself are indeed misguided and blind.
Insane and blind! What holds greater significance: gold or the temple that sanctifies this holy gold? Do you not understand that gold is deemed sacred precisely because it resides within the temple? Is it not folly to regard as more sacred that which requires purity from the temple, rather than the temple itself that imparts that sanctity?
After all these events, the Lord departed from the temple, issuing a stern rebuke to the Pharisees and the temple priests, who were accountable for leading the people astray, accompanied by warnings of God's impending judgment. As He completed His earthly mission, He proclaimed that He would continue to operate among them through His servants; however, the Pharisees would also pursue them, just as they had done to the previous proclaimers of the truth. This would serve to increase the measure of their ancestors' transgressions, leading to the revelation of God's judgment upon the iniquity of Jerusalem.
For distorting the law through intricate interpretations.
Woe to you, blind guides who have taken it upon yourselves to direct the people toward the Kingdom of Heaven yet fail to discern the true path from the false due to your moral blindness! In your lack of vision, you instruct the people that oaths can be broken at will, dependent only on which oath might serve your purposes; you believe it is permissible to mislead others by swearing by the temple and its altar, treating the fulfillment of such oaths as optional. Yet, you insist on the honor of an oath when someone swears by the golden vessels and offerings of the temple, or by the sacrifices placed on the altar. Ignorant and blind leaders!
The temple is far more sacred than the gold contained within it, as the gold is sanctified only by what resides in the temple; similarly, the altar, which sanctifies the offerings upon it, holds greater significance than the offerings themselves. How can you not recognize that to swear by the altar is to also swear by all that is on it; and that to swear by the temple is to invoke not only the gold inside it but also God, who dwells within it invisibly? Just as he who swears by heaven invokes its ever-present Creator! Blessed Theophylact notes that anyone who swore by a golden vessel or a sacrificial animal and then broke that oath was obligated to present what they swore by in the temple; however, the Pharisees valued gold and sacrifices over the temple due to their monetary gain from such sacrifices. As it was impossible to demand from someone who swore by the temple and subsequently broke their oath what they had sworn by, and since no profit could be derived from such a breach, they permitted these oaths to be disregarded.
The temple that consecrates the gold signifies that to consecrate is to render something holy, assigning it for divine purposes. The gold within the temple gains its sacredness solely due to its presence in that holy space; if it were located in another place, it would lose this significance. Therefore, it is folly to regard that which has been made holy as more sacred than that which sanctifies it.
The fourth woe addresses the spiritual blindness and distortion of the true significance of oaths. The scribes and Pharisees, having permitted oaths by created entities such as heaven, earth, the sun, Jerusalem, and the temple, categorized these oaths into greater and lesser ones. Driven by self-interest, they deemed the treasures of the temple and sacrificial offerings as the most significant and sacred oaths. Jesus Christ had previously highlighted how these misguided interpreters of the law prioritized sacrificial vows over the unwavering command of God to honor one's father and mother (Matthew 15:4-6).
During this occasion, He harshly rebuked the deliberate irrationality exhibited by the spiritually blind leaders of the people’s conscience: "Woe unto you, ye leaders of the blind," declaring that those who swear by the temple are of no consequence, while those who swear by the temple's gold must be. But, blind ones, what holds greater value: gold or the temple that sanctifies it? Similarly, "whoever swears by the altar has no obligation, but he who swears by the gift upon it must eat." However, blind ones, what is of greater significance, the gift or the altar which sanctifies the gift? The esteemed Theophylact explains that according to Pharisaic teaching, anyone who swore by a golden vessel, a bull, or a sheep set for sacrifice, and then violated their oath, was required to offer to the temple whatever they swore by. This led them to favor the gift over the altar for the sake of profit from sacrifices. The essence of an oath is to invoke the omniscient and omnipresent God as a witness to the truth. Thus, in restoring the true meaning of an oath, the Lord stated: "If anyone swears by the altar, he swears by it and by Him who is upon it; if anyone swears by the church, he swears by it and by Him who dwells therein; and if anyone swears by heaven, he swears by the Throne of God and by Him who sits upon it."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 16 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS