“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matthew 23:13 (ESV)
It is easy to criticize and condemn the scribes and the Pharisees, as Jesus did (Matt. 23:13-36). However, it would also be wrong and hypocritical. Why? It is because by exposing their inconsistency in biblical righteousness, we expose our own. By concentrating on the sin in others’ lives, we ignore the greater sins within our own (Matt. 7:1-5). We must first confess and repent of our own sin prior to confronting others regarding theirs.
The following are some introductory and concluding remarks from biblical commentators with respect to the Seven Woes. Perhaps their perspectives from the biblical text will assist us in applying the lessons in our pursuit of biblical righteousness and the rejection of religious hypocrisy.
“In warning the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees of their ultimate destruction if they continued in their present path, Jesus pronounced seven denunciations, each beginning with Woe to you. “Those woes, in contrast to the Beatitudes, denounce false religion as utterly abhorrent to God and worthy of severe condemnation” (Walvoord, Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come, p. 171). In six of the seven, Jesus called the leaders you hypocrites,” states Dr. Louis A. Barbieri in The Bible Knowledge Commentary.
“In one of the most scathing indictments imaginable, Jesus cataloged the faults of the Pharisees—faults of which all of us must be wary; particularly those who stand in places of spiritual leadership. What was wrong with Phariseeism,” asks commentator Lawrence O. Richards in The Teachers Commentary?
- They preached, but did not practice (v. 3).
- They acted only to be seen and admired by others, not to please God (v. 5).
- They were proud, seeking to be prominent and exalted over others (vv. 6–9). Because they rejected servanthood and humility, they were themselves rejected by God (vv. 10–12).
- They were hypocrites who neither responded to God nor let others respond (vv. 13–15).
- They were blind guides who played with man-made rules and missed the great realities of faith (vv. 16–22).
- They were hypocrites who made a great to-do over strict tithing of the leaves of tiny herbs like mint and dill, but who neglected great matters like justice and mercy (vv. 23–24).
- They were hypocrites who focused on outward appearances, when within they were filled with greed and pride (vv. 25–27).
“The gospel has its woes as well as the law, and gospel curses are of all curses the heaviest. These woes are the more remarkable, not only because of the authority, but because of the meekness and gentleness, of him that denounced them. He came to bless, and loved to bless; but, if his wrath be kindled, there is surely cause for it: and who shall entreat for him that the great Intercessor pleads against? A woe from Christ is a remediless woe,” explains Puritan Matthew Henry.
We look upon evil every day. We must always biblically confront it, never ignoring the greater evil of our own. May each of us have a God honoring day today.
Soli deo Gloria!
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