The Flow of Woe:

Matthew 23:2-4 “...The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger...”

What problem did Jesus identify within the religious people of the day?

• They preach, but do no practice.
• They lay heavy burdens on people without offering assistance.

Matthew 23:5-12 “...They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted...”

What was the source of this problem?

• Vainglory - inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity.

How should people live?

• Not to be seen by others.
• To serve others.

What does Jesus mean when He says ...Woe to you...?

• He is warning that grievous distress, affliction, and/or trouble is on it’s way.
• This trouble is directly related to a person’s behavior.

Woe 1:

Matthew 23:13 “...But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in...”

Luke 11:52 “...Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering...”

Why was the first woe given?

• Religious people were failing to enter the kingdom.
• These same people were preventing others from entering.

How does this still happen today?

Woe 2:

Matthew 23:15 “...Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves...”

Luke 11:46 “...And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers...”

Why was the second woe given?

• Religious people are always trying to make converts.
• Converting someone to the wrong thing destroys people.

How does this still happen today?

Woe 3:

Matthew 23:16-22 “...Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it...”

Why was the third woe given?

• Simply stated, the religious guides were blind in there teaching on oath taking.
• There is a more complicated discussion that we’ll pass on for now.

How does this still happen today?

Woe 4:

Matthew 23:23-24 “...Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!...”

Luke 11:42-44 “...But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it...”

Why was the fourth woe given?

• The weightier matters were being neglected.
• Justice, Mercy, and faithfulness.
• Micah 6:8 “...He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?...”
• Always do what is right and just.
• Always extend kindness and mercy to others.
• Always walk faithfully and humbly with God.

What did Jesus recommend regarding the less weighty matters, like tithing?

• They shouldn’t be neglected either.

Woe 5:

Matthew 23:25-26 “...Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean...”

Luke 11:39-41 “...And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you...”

Why was the fifth woe given?

• The religious people cared more for ritual cleanliness than for heart cleanliness.
• They cared more for how things appeared than for how things are at the core of one’s being.

How does this still happen today?

Woe 6:

Matthew 23:27-28 “...Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness...”

Why was the sixth woe given?

• The religious people looked righteous outwardly, but their real life didn’t match their beautiful appearance.
• Hypocrisy and lawlessness filled their inner life.

How does this still happen today?

Woe 7:

Matthew 23:29-36 “...Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation...”

Luke 11:47-51 “...Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation...”

Why was the seventh woe given?

• The religious people say they respect the prophets, God’s voice to His people.
• The religious people are guilty of killing, crucifying, and persecuting those that God sends to them.

How does this still happen today?