Beloved, I am glad to share with you today on the Lord Jesus’ cry of anger with seven woes against the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in Mat 23.13: “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. For speaking to the multitude and to his disciples, he said, The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the pulpit of Moses. So do and observe whatever they tell you; but do not act according to their works.
Because they say, and don’t. They tie heavy burdens, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they don’t want to shake them with their fingers. They do all of their actions to be seen by men. Thus, they wear large speech bubbles, and they have long fringes on their clothes, they like the first place at feasts, and the first seats in synagogues; they like to be greeted in public places, and to be called by men Rabbi, Rabbi. But you, don’t call yourselves Rabbi; for one is your Master, and you are all brothers. And call no one on earth your father; for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Don’t call yourself managers; for only one is your Director, Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant.
He concludes here by saying to them, “Whosoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whosoever humbles himself will be exalted.” And he states seven dreadful “woe to you,” the first of which is our theme for the day. The reproaches he addresses to them are concentrated in hypocrisy, which he points out in all their manner of acting. For the Pharisees are hypocrites in that they prevent men from achieving salvation, while they claim to lead them there. The kingdom of heaven that the Lord Jesus announced and founded is represented by the image of a palace or a temple that the Pharisees closed before men preventing them from believing in Jesus. They did this by their opposition, their enmity, and all their action contrary to his (Luke 11:52).
Because what they said to do was generally good, unfortunately what they did was very different (Mat 21: 28-32). And we who may have learned a number of Bible truths and know how to remind others of them, let us put them into practice ourselves (John 13.12-17; Rom 2.17-24). This is one of the requirements that man must meet, with the support of the Holy Spirit.
What a contrast between the conduct of these men and that of the apostle Paul who could say, “What you have and learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, – do these things” (Philippians 4: 9).
That is why the first “woe” is drawn upon them by the fact that they closed the kingdom of heaven before men; not only did they not enter it themselves, but they did not allow others to enter. And all through the ministry of the Lord Jesus they had stood against him, because they wanted to keep their position among the people in the old Jewish system, where their natural pride found its satisfaction, while, to enter in the kingdom it was necessary to recognize the authority of Christ and become like little children.
What a contrast between the conduct of these men and that of the apostle Paul who could say, “What you have and learned, and received, and heard, and saw in me, do these things” (Philippians 4: 9). What is the use of appearing before men what you are not before God? It is before God that one must be manifested one day (2 Cor 5:10).
These prophets, calling the people to the law, foretold the coming of Christ (Acts 7:52), and now that Christ was in their midst, they did not listen to him any more than their fathers had listened to the prophets; they wore the same characters as their fathers and filled their size. The patience which God had exercised towards his people and towards man, is very great, since the days when the first righteous was put to death.
This is why, through the various dispensations, God had tried everything before performing the judgment. But however God acted, man, instead of repenting, manifested opposition to him, which reached its peak when he put to death his Grace-come Son. As the Lord says in John 15: 22-24: “They would not be guilty of sin;… As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.”
Finally, for a long time and many times, the Savior would have wanted to gather the children of Jerusalem, like a hen with chicks under its wings, but they had not wanted to. Their home will remain abandoned and deserted, but not forever.
The verses compiled below have been compiled for your edification and put together for your understanding.
- Title searches
– earthly honor:
# is a tribute to success or to wealth: Job 29.8 the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet; #is transitory: Ps 49.12 People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish; #is the gift of a king: Dan 2.6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.” # is an obstacle to faith: Jn 5.44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
-Family of God:
# obedience enables enjoyment of God’s family: Mt 12.50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”; # the members of the family of God are joint heirs with Christ: Rom 8:17 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 1 Cor 4:17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church; # all barriers are broken down: Eph 2.19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household; # the saints of earth and heaven are united in the family of God: Eph 3.15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name; # the brotherhood of the members of the family of God is recognized by Christ: Heb 2.11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one. That’s why he’s not ashamed to call them brothers.
Fatherhood of God: He is called the father of all men: Dt 32.6 Is this the way you repay the LORD, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? M1 2.10 Do we not all have one Father ? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another? Mt 23.9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven; Rom 3.29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too; 1 Cor 8.6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live; Heb 12.9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 1 Jn 5.7 For there are three that testify.
- Calamities predicted to the hypocrites:
Mk 12.38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces; Luke 20.46 “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets;
-Stumbling stones Luke 11.52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
# must be removed Isa 57.14 And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” # The unfaithful leaders become stumbling blocks: Ml 2.7-8 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. 8 But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the LORD Almighty.” # the hypocrites within the Church are called stumbling blocks: Mt 23.13 “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.” # all should be careful not to become stumbling blocks: Rom 14.13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister; # love is a remedy against stumbling blocks: 1 Jn 2.10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.
-Examples of hypocrisy: Mt 15.7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you; Mt 22:18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Mt 23.13 “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.” Mt 24.51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; Luke 6:42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye; Luke 12.56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time? Luke 13.14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath”; Jn 12.6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. Rom 16.18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
-Last judgment according to the works:
Ps 62.12 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people; Jer 17.10 “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Mt 16.27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done; 2 Cor 5.10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad; 1 P 1.17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear; Rev 20.12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books; Rev 22.12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
From all of the above, we note that the scribes and Pharisees told the Jewish people what they did not do themselves. Their hypocrisy was seen in that they prevented men from achieving salvation, while they pretended to lead them there. But the patience which the Lord God had shown towards his people and towards man, is very great. So He had tried everything before executing the judgment. Finally, long and many times, the Savior Jesus had wanted to gather the children of Jerusalem together, but they had not wanted to. And those scribes and Pharisees who pursued their own glory, will go to ruin and perdition. This is why instead of the beatitudes of the beginning of his ministry, “woe” is the terrible word that the Lord Jesus must pronounce seven times against these hypocrites. Our prayers are with you all in your efforts to enter the kingdom of heaven.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be glad to respond to your queries and comments if necessary, before sharing with you next week on the coming of the Son of man: “For many shall come under my name, saying, I am the Christ. And, they will seduce many people.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you profusely.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.