Woe to you, hypocrites, scribes and Pharisees, for you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
In these words Jesus points out yet another expression of the Pharisees’ false piety: their attitude toward the prophets. They were building and adorning the tombs of the prophets and the righteous as if it were a sign of honor, but in reality this action did not come from love or obedience to God, but from a drive for self-righteousness and show. In fact, as we will see from Jesus’ words, by their conduct they identified themselves with those who had killed the prophets; moreover, they were rejecting Christ, which also testifies to that same likeness.