Woe to you hypocrites and blind guides who lock the kingdom of heaven before men. Jesus follows his affirmation of the place held by the Scribes and Pharisees in the life of the community (cf. Matthew 23:1-3a) with a tough scathing of them. The Scribes and Pharisees were called to fit in the shoes of Moses and the other great prophets of old, that is, to be guides and intercessors for the community. To this end, they had been given the keys to the Kingdom, not for locking, but for unlocking and keeping open the doors to the kingdom. It was a responsibility of honor that had been bestowed upon them by the office (position) they were occupying. It was a responsibility of honor, a privilege, but a great responsibility nonetheless. However, instead of discharging their responsibility as was intended and required, these religious leaders became proud and began despising everyone else. They took pride especially in the knowledge that they were the only ones who had been “initiated” into the secrets of the kingdom. Because of pride, they believed (wrongly) that they knew the secrets of the kingdom, and that they held the power of admitting people (or refusing them entry) into the kingdom. Jesus refers to them as hypocrites and blind guides. They are blind guides because of their pretense to both knowing and “owning” the secrets of the kingdom. They are hypocrites because instead of being guides to their people, they made themselves obstacles to the people’s march towards the kingdom. Their pretense at knowing the secrets of the kingdom made them assume the place of God.