Christian Reflection and Prayer

Throughout the Gospels, the language Jesus uses
to condemn the hypocrisy of the Scribes and
Pharisees is always harsh and uncompromising.
He says:

They preach but they do not practice.

They bind up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay
them on men's shoulders.
They do all their deeds to be seen by men.
They love the place of honor at feasts and the best
seats in the synagogues.
They pay tithes while neglecting the weightier
matters of justice, mercy and faith.

They are frauds, blind fools, blind guides; they are
like white-washed tombs, beautiful to look at on the
outside but on the inside full of filth and dead men's
bones.

They display a holy exterior, but inside they are filled
with evil.

Fools! Frauds! Blind guides! White-washed tombs!
Notice again that these very strong words of Jesus are
not directed toward atheists or agnostics or criminal-types or
public sinners. They are directed at respected Churchmen --
men who publicly profess faith in God