[:en]SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 23
Bible Verses:
“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matthew 23:13-13)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. (Matthew 23:15)
“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath. (Matthew 23:16)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” (Matthew 23:23)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matthew 23:25)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.” (Matthew 23:27)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.” (Matthew 23:29)
SEVEN WOES ( vs. 1-39)
The Pharisees were hypocrites. They were blind to themselves. They considered themselves right and everybody else wrong. They majored on externals and minor issues and ignored the internal and great principles of the Word.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PHARISEES:
- They sit at Moses’ seat.
- They want you to obey them and do everything they said.
- They do not practise what they preach.
- They tie up heavy load in men’s shoulder and refuse to lift a finger to move them.
- They do things for people to see.
- They wore garments containing scriptures woven on forehead and arms.
- They want honor and the most important seats in the synagogue.
- They want people to greet them in market places and call them “Rabbi”
SEVEN WOES IN CONTRAST WITH THE BEATITUDES
| SEVEN WOES | BEATITUDES |
| Shutting the kingdom of heaven | The poor in spirit inherit the kingdom of heaven |
| Making convert as twice as son of a hell | Those who mourn will be comforted |
| Greedy for material gain | The meek shall inherit the earth |
| Practising false generosity by neglecting justice, mercy and faithfulness | Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. |
| Appearing clean outwardly but the inside is full of greed and self-indulgence | The merciful will be shown mercy |
| Looking beautiful outside but on the inside is full of hypocrisy and wickedness | The pure in heart will see God |
| Persecuting and murdering the prophets sent by god | Peacemakers will be called children of God and those persecuted because of righteousness will inherit the kingdom of heaven |
Jesus called the Pharisees snakes and bond of vipers. He lamented over the persecution of prophets sent by Him. He wanted to gather them together as a hen gather her chicks under her wings but they were not willing. So Christ left the temple.
Israel will receive her Messiah when He returns to establish the Kingdom on earth. They will not see him until they say: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”. This has to wait until the future – the Church Age – which was not yet revealed.[:]