The Lord called the "key of understanding" teaching and guidance by means of the Law, which can lead to Christ. For the Law, without a doubt, serves as a guide to Christ (Gal. 3:24). Thus, the lawyers apparently explained the Law, and yet maliciously held the key of understanding and did not open the doors of the Law, through which they and the people could come to Christ. The law is the door to Christ. But this door remains closed unless someone explains the dark side of the Law and thus opens the door. For the Lord also said: "If ye had believed Moses, ye would have believed me also" (John 5:46). And again, "Search the Scriptures, they bear witness of Me. But ye will not come unto me" (John 5:39-40). For example, I will point out one.

     Among the Jews, as we know, the lamb was slaughtered, the thresholds were anointed, they ate these meats, and this was their victory over the destroyer (Exodus 12:1-13). All this was foreshadowed by the Mystery of Christ.

     When Christ was sacrificed as the Immaculate and Most Pure Lamb, then our thresholds were anointed, that is, the heart and will, and their threshold, that is, the mind, and we tasted the flesh of the Son of Man and defeated the destroyer of our spiritual strength. And so many of the statutes of the Law pointed to Christ.

     Although the Law was as it were covered and locked by the darkness of the letter, as if by a door, yet if anyone was entrusted with teaching, he had the key of understanding; and if he had willed, he could have opened it, and he himself would have entered, and would have brought in others. But the lawyers did not do this, but took the key of understanding, that is, hid it, hid it from sight; but when this key, that is, the interpretation of the Law, was taken from the midst (hidden), then its door was also shut. "By the key of understanding you can understand faith as well. For the knowledge of the truth comes through faith, as the prophet Isaiah says: "Unless ye believe, ye shall not understand" (Isaiah 6:10). Thus, the lawyers took the key of understanding, that is, faith, from the environment and hid it. For they did not allow some to believe in Christ, the Savior of all. He performed miracles, and the people, believing for the sake of these miracles, would have recognized Him as God, but they (the lawyers) said that He performed these miracles by the power of Beelzebub. Do you see how they took the key of understanding, not allowing them to believe that which would themselves lead to knowledge? He (Christ) taught the will of God in the synagogues, and they (the lawyers) said: He has a demon and is possessed, why do you listen to Him?

     Thus, they (i.e., the Pharisees and scribes) truly took the key of understanding, but they themselves did not enter in and did not let others in, and moreover those who were "entering," that is, already capable of knowing God. - While He was still saying this, instead of confessing their impotence, as if to refute His words, they declared themselves to be wiser than Him, and began to stop His mouth, that is, to constantly question Him and perplex Him. For usually there is a difficulty in speech, when one person is suddenly asked by many people, and moreover about different subjects. Then this man, not being able to answer everyone, gives the unreasonable a reason to consider himself defeated. These accursed plotted the same against Christ. Many of them, questioning one, thought to confuse Him in His speeches and bring Him into difficulty, as He who was unable to answer them: what happened and probable. For how can one suddenly answer many different questions? This can also be taken in the following meaning: to catch Him from the mouth and rebuke Him. For when someone is caught in his own words, he seems to close his own mouth, that is, he is rebuked by his own lips and condemned. This meaning is also evident from the following. For it is said, "Trying to catch something out of His mouth." That which was named a little before, is now replaced by the words "to catch out of His mouth."

     Questions were put to Him concerning the Law (of Moses), in order to convict Him as a blasphemer who blasphemed Moses (for they suspected Him of this), then concerning Caesar, in order to declare Him a troublemaker and a coveter of power, and about all such things as evil souls and full of all malice could invent.

Chapter Twelve

And when thousands of people were gathered together, so that they pressed one another, he began to say first to his disciples, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing secret that will not be known. Therefore, what you have spoken in the darkness will be heard in the light; and what was spoken in the ear within the house will be proclaimed on the housetops. 

The Pharisees tried to catch the Lord at His word in order to turn the people away from Him, but it turned out to be the opposite. The people gathered even more: many thousands gathered, and each was so eager to draw near to Him that they pressed each other together. So the truth is strong, and the lie is powerless everywhere! Jesus, knowing the deceit of the Pharisees, seeing that they only pretended to be questioners, but in fact sought under Him, spoke to His disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, no doubt in order to rebuke them and reveal the hypocrisy of their hearts. The Lord calls hypocrisy "leaven" because it is astringent, full of ancient malice, and changes and corrupts the way of thinking of those people to whom it is infected. For nothing changes morals so much as hypocrisy. Therefore, the disciples of Christ must avoid hypocrisy. For Christ, being the Truth (John 14:6), is obviously the opposite of falsehood. And all hypocrisy, appearing to some in appearance and being in fact to others, is full of falsehood. Although the Pharisees, he says, think to hide behind hypocrisy, pretending good manners for themselves, nevertheless, there is nothing hidden that is not revealed. For all words, both words and thoughts, will be presented in all nakedness at the last judgment (1 Corinthians 4:5). And in real life a lot of secrets are usually revealed. Therefore, what you have spoken in the dark, and what you have spoken within the house and in secret, will be proclaimed in the light and from the housetops. - Apparently, He says this to His disciples, and yet He directs it against the Pharisees, alluding to their fetters, and although He apparently speaks to His disciples, He expresses it to the Pharisees as it were: Pharisees! What you have plotted in the darkness, in your dark hearts, desiring to entrap Me, will be heard and known in the light, for I am the light (John 8:12), and you cannot hide from Me, but in Me - the Light - everything that your darkness is up to is discerned. And what you have decided among yourselves in the ear has become known to Me as if it were proclaimed from the high housetops. "And you can understand this to mean that the light is the Gospel, and the high roofs are the lofty souls of the apostles." What the Pharisees had planned was later proclaimed and heard in the light of the Gospel, when the great Preacher, the Holy Spirit, stood upon the lofty souls of the apostles.

     But I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and then are able to do nothing more; But I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after being killed, is able to cast you into hell: yes, I say to you, fear him. Are not five little birds sold for two assarii? and not one of them is forgotten by God. And your hair on your head is all numbered. Therefore, do not be afraid: you are more precious than many small birds.