God’s Spirit works within us in a similar way, revealing sin that lurks in our lives. How comfortable would you feel if God held an open house in your life today?
Jesus Condemns Religious Leaders (Mat 23:13-36)
The Seven Woes
Jesus mentioned seven ways to guarantee God’s anger, often called the “seven woes.” These seven statements about the religious leaders must have been spoken with a mixed tone of judgment and sorrow. They were strong and unforgettable. They are still applicable any time we become so involved in perfecting the practice of religion that we forget that God is also concerned with mercy, real love and forgiveness.
Not letting others enter the kingdom of heaven and not entering yourselves (23:14).
Converting people away from God to be like yourselves (23:15). Blindly leading God’s people to follow man-made traditions instead of God’s Word (23:16-22). Involving yourself in every last detail and ignoring what is really important: justice, mercy, and faith (23:23, 24). Keeping up appearances, while your private world is corrupt(23:25,26). Acting spiritual to cover up sin (23:27,28). Pretending to have learned from past history, while your present behavior shows you have learned nothing (23:29-36)
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in,” (Mat 23:13).
“Hypocrites,” hupokritai. In classical Greek, hypocrite meant an actor in a play. The actor, of course, was not expected to live out in his daily life the character he played on the stage. Jesus used the term for people who were putting on an act in public; only a pretense. Their religious appearance were like masks that concealed their spiritual blindness and the corruption within their hearts.
23:13 “woe to you, hypocrites!” Jesus’ words in Chapter 23 constitutes His most severe denunciation. His words are directed against religious leaders and teachers who have rejected at least a part of the revealed word of God and replaced it with their own ideas and interpretations (vv.23, 28; 15:3, 6-9; Mk 7:6-9).
1• The spirit of Jesus should be noted. Rather than tolerating and accommodating persons who outwardly appeared righteous in their religious performance but who were unrighteous in their personal lives, Jesus confronted their hypocrisy and sinfulness (vv.25-28). Like John the Baptist and the OT prophets, Jesus denounced sin and corruption among those in positions of spiritual influence.
2• Jesus’ love for the honour of His Father and the integrity of God’s word and His righteous indignation against those who dishonoured God and distorted His word by their practices (cf. 15:3-9; 23:13,15) were so great that it caused Him to use words like “hypocrites” (v.15), “child of hell,” (v.15).
