May 7 - Woe to the Pharisees

Read Matthew 23:13-33

Context: Jesus has been having a rough day. He entered the temple courts to teach the people and he has been tested by the authorities all day long. The Pharisees sent their disciples and the Herodians to trap him in his words. They were amazed at his response, so they left and a little later the Sadducees came to him with a trick question. After he had silenced them, the Pharisees came back to test him again. Jesus then gives the following speech to the crowds and his disciples.

Text:

13"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.[a]

15"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

16"Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' 19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.

23"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. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25"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. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27"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 dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!

33"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? (NIV)

Footnotes:
Matthew 23:13 Some manuscripts to. 14 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Therefore you will be punished more severely.
taken from www.biblegateway.com

Wow -- I'm so glad we aren't like the Pharisees! They must have been pompous and self assured, knowing that they were going to Heaven because of their righteousness. They worked hard to ensure that all of those they taught really understood the difficulties of being good enough to get to heaven. They probably didn't associate with those people who were 'real' sinners -- the tax collectors, harlots, and the like. Everyone around them must have been awestruck by their devotion. They had given up their whole lives to serve their God. They were unapproachable and condescending. What hypocrites.

I know that if I had lived back then I would never have done the things they did...

But wait...look back at verse 30. That's exactly what they said! Oh, and that part about looking good on the outside but being filled with greed and self-indulgence...that hits a little close to home, too.

Be warned...the Pharisees are still on the loose. I saw one in the mirror just this morning.