Matthew 20 Something

 Matthew 21

The beginning of the context of Jesus' warnings to the Pharisees is Matthew 21:1.  I don't see how it is possible to remove a few snippets from Matt 23, without acknowledging how they fit in Jesus final week on earth approaching His death.  

V:1-11   This sub narrative begins with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem five days before His death.  He does this very much in accordance with The Scripture.  Yet He comes in humility riding on an ass.   There was a custom in Israel that Judges rode on white asses, and their sons on ass colts.  As Jesus came as The Judge of Israel, and not as a conqueror on a horse, this would be appropriate.   (Judges 5:10, 12:14)

Jesus doesn't come to take vengeance, but meekly and mildly  to bring salvation.  

The crowd shouted Hoasnna (Blessed is He who comes in the name of YHWH), thinking that He was coming to bring about a temporal kingdom.  

V:12-17

Jesus comes as a King, but doesn't go to the palace, but to the Temple.  To His "Father's house".  His first order of business to to restore the Temple to it's original purpose (the dwelling place of YHWH on earth).  This one an instance of Jesus asserting His authority over the Temple, and the authority He cited was Scripture (It is written...)  Further, after driving out the merchants, He immediately began to heal the blind and lame.   

"¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

¹⁶ “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

“‘From the lips of children and infants
    you, Lord, have called forth your praise’^[g]?”

As we see, Jesus' rebuke of the Pharisees begins in Matt 21:16 when they question His right to be the subject of Hosannas.