MATTHEW 23:13-36

I have read that the seven woes found in Matthew 13-36 form a chiastic set. Is there any evidence to support that claim?

 

The proposal that you describe would be that shown below:

Matthew's Seven Woes

    1. Matthew 23:13-14

            2. Matthew 23:15

                    3. Mathew 23:16-22

                            4. Matthew 23:23-24

                    5. Matthew 23:25-26

            6. Matthew 23:27-28

    7. Matthew 23:29-36

Verses 33-36 may be alternatively be treated as a summary of all the woes.

For the above structure to be demonstrated, the following parallels would have to be established: 1 with 7, 2 with 6, and 3 with 5, and #4 containing characteristics unique from the rest. The first thing to note is that the only truly unique woe is actually #3, which starts out using a description of the leaders that is quite different from the other six woes: “blind guides” vs. “scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.”

To establish a true parallel between two sections, one can utilize thematic and/or verbal similarities. Concerning duplicated language, we see the following correspondences:

3 and 4 – blind guides

3, 4 and 5 – blind

1 and 5 – heaven

6 and 7 – tombs

It is more common in the scholarly literature to see references to common themes within the series of seven. In this respect, scholars have weighed in as shown below:

Barbieri (Bible Knowledge Commentary) feels that 1 and 2 deal with the effects of the leaders on others while 3 through 7 describe the leaders' character and actions.

Ellison (International Bible Commentary) and Hendricksen (The Gospel of Matthew) see woes 4, 5 and 6 as forming a thematic continuity.

Blomberg (Matthew) and France (The Gospel of Matthew) discern a pattern described by France as follows: 1 and 2 are concerned with exclusion of people from the Kingdom; 3 and 4 deal with the leaders' preoccupation with details; 5 and 6 contrast outward and inward purity; and 7 is the climax of the series.

In summary, the only data even weakly supporting a chiastic structure for the seven woes is the identification of the center three woes (3,4 and 5) by their common word “blind.”