WOE UNTO YOU

In the book of Matthew, Jesus Christ uses the word 'woe' to express extreme displeasure or grief. Seven separate warnings of impending judgment followed ... all aimed at the religious elite who were guilty of hypocrisy and corrupting the Word of God. 

1. Woe unto 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 go in. Matthew 23:13

The teacher or preacher who allows his personal prejudices to evolve into religious doctrine is not a guide, but a barrier to the Kingdom (misled himself, he misleads others). 

2. Woe unto 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

Religious leaders who lead converts into a relationship with God based on works tap into man's 'do it yourself' nature and draw them down the same dead end road that they themselves travel. 

3. Woe unto 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'. You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? Matthew 23:16-17

These hypocrites fancy themselves as guides of the blind, but they themselves are blind to God's truth. Instead of proclaiming the freedom found in the Gospel message, they prefer to quibble over their strict rules of conduct. 

4. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. Matthew 23:23

Their focus is on making a 'mountain out of a mole hill', all the while ignoring that which is crucial to one's faith. They are careful to avoid offending in things of lesser importance (straining gnats), while tolerating and committing grievous sins (swallowing camels).

5. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. Matthew 23:25

False prophets are like dishes that are scrupulously cleaned on the outside but filthy on the inside. Their religious observances make them appear virtuous, but inwardly their hearts are filled with greed and intemperance.

6. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Matthew 23:27

Many who claim to speak for God come across as pious conduits of truth, but are instead spiritually reprobate. Hidden from view are lives of blatant hypocrisy and lawless behavior ... a rotting corpse inside a beautified tomb.

7. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. Matthew 23:29

False religions often claim a connection with the Old Testament men of God. It is not based on the truths revealed in the lives of our Biblical forefathers ... but a concocted kinship with those who are safely out of sight. They worship the 'dead and buried'.

Though these were dire warnings to the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, they also speak to a spiritual cancer in today's church. There are legalistic 'Christians' who are more concerned about changing a sinner's behavior than they are with his salvation. It is 'pharisaic' to emphasize the outward at the expense of the inward.

Pretension, affectation, and hypocrisy lead to 'woe'. 
Instead ... we are called to true godliness, sincere love, and enduring faith. 

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