Seven Woes and a Wail, Part 1

If you are prone to think Jesus is a meek and mild smelling today study will shatter that stereotype. He was anything but today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll's teaching from Matthew chapter 23. This passage contains a blistering attack by Jesus against the hypocritical behavior. Religious leaders regarded their pompous behavior is not only despicable but damaging to anyone who tried to abide by their impossible standards. Gratefully, Jesus doesn't call us into a life of perfection, but rather a life of humility.

Let's begin by reading the passage as we learn last week. This this chapter is clearly a severe and a strongly worded body of information. This is the final sermon Jesus would preach to the general public before he would drop by and minister in the shadows if you will to his disciples and two individuals before he would be taken under arrest and ultimately nailed to a cross.

So these are words that are set aside for those who have over the years taken advantage of others through their demanding way of life and their legalism and their requirements to maintain a religious approach to life that they themselves were poor models of so they were hypocrites of the sections I'm going to read since we don't want take the time for all of these 39 verses of Matthew 23. I want to read only those seven woes and then we come to the end where he he cries out to the city of Jerusalem in a way kind of lament over the city you have your Bible open to Matthew 23 verses 13 through 39 verse 13 woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for you shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces, you will go in yourselves, and you don't let others enter either. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for you cross land and sea to make one convert and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are my God's woe to you for you say that it means nothing to swear by God's temple, but that it is blinding to swear by the gold in the temple, blinded fools.

What is more important, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred numbers 23, the fourth, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are careful to tire the even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law, justice and mercy, and faith. Verse 25 the fifth. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for your so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside your filthy full agreed and self-indulgent.

27 woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity. The final woe is in verse 29 woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for your bill terms for the prophets, your ancestors killed and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. Then you say if we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets, but in saying that you testify against yourselves that you are indeed descendents of those who murdered the prophets. Finally, verse 30 70, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messenger how often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me an Outlook. Your house is abandoned and desolate. But I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say blessings on the one who comes in the name study the book of Matthew Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures.

Studies going to Insight world.org/study another message from Chuck titled seven woes and a whale.

Amanda New York had a wife who had a cat so should say the cat had her. She stroked it and she combed it for her and she petted expensive food and sheet pampered it day and evening and the problem was the man in her life detested that He was allergic to cat hair. He resented the money she spent feeding that thing he did not enjoy the smell of the litter box and you could even get a good night sleep because the cat kept jumping on and off the bed and on and off the bed. One weekend she left to spend time with her friends and he saw it as his moment he got the cat put it in a bag brought in some rocks tied it up drop it in the Hudson River waved goodbye. Her his wife came all over that following weekend and looking for the cat couldn't find them and began to be sad about it. He said to her sweetheart on Obama's encampment to you will tell you what I will I will put an ad in the paper for $500. Anyone who finds the cat can bring it to us.

I want you to know how much I care about your happiness showed up her grief went deeper and he said to her that next Saturday arms around her honey. Nothing means more to me than your happiness. You want to do good double the reward. I'm going to take out another ad for $1000 for anyone who could find the cat and bring them to us his friend that next week saw that Ed and said to him at work.

Are you crazy no cat is worth $1000 what are you thinking and the man said well when you know what I know you can afford to be generous, you know I like that story not because I hate cats. The why do I like the story I get mail on that way I can. I like this story because it reveals that being in the know can have a profound effect on your attitude and actions. What you know and others don't know put you in a very distinct position I just described the reason Jesus ministry was so affected he knew what no one else knew he was in the know he knew fully what was in the human heart that gave him strength and confidence when he confronted those whom no one else had the audacity to confront you must understand that in the first century there were very powerful people. In fact, if I were asked to describe the realms of authority. I would name for groups. First there was the priesthood made up of priests, chief priests and the high priest second there were the religious parties.

The Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Herodian's third there were the scholars the religious scholars they would be the scribes for them. Finally, there were the councils the local synagogue Council and then the ultimate supreme Council not unlike our Supreme Court but called in that day, the Sanhedrin, the general public lived under the thumb of those authorities, those that influence the people the most were the scribes, those who interpreted the Scriptures and the Pharisees, those who guarded and The Scriptures. The problem is, even though they were in authority. Their voice had a hollow ring to it because they were eaten up with hypocrisy but who would tell someone in authority that that was true unless they could prove it and knew it. Only one and that's what Jesus does when he comes to this last major message of his public life before he goes into quasi-heating and ministers to his disciples regarding future things ultimately to be taken under arrest and finally pushed through six illegal trials and nailed to a cross. But before we get there appearing in this chapter the 23rd of Matthew, not one, not two, not four, not five, but seven specific repeated woes. Woe to you, woe to you, we need to know what the word means is difficult to translate the Greek word translated woe. It's a mixture of two things.

First, wrath and second sorrow.

There is a righteous anger here rights one man but is the anger from a heart of love broken by the stubborn blindness of men.

There is not only an air of savage denunciation. There was also an atmosphere of poignant tragedy rights.

William Barclay you know what I would liken it to. I would liken it to a faithful, loving wife who, for a period of 30 to 35 years has been everything or wife could be to her husband while her husband has lived secret affairs from one woman to another to another. All the while looking like a faithful husband but in fact during these 35 years of their marriage. He has been an adulterer when she discovers it finally and the facts are laid in front of her. Her words to him would be like this word will you, but they would come out in how could you share the anger here. The anguish here. The disappointment and the sorrow could you do that, year after year after year as our children were growing up in this home, thinking you were one kind of person, and now I and they will soon realize you were not that person at all, who moved to you and to make matters even worse hypocrite. That word also needs to be understood.

We use it, but probably you've never studied the etymology of the word hypocrisy costs. It means in Greek, the one who wears a mask and plays a part on the stage you see those masks smiling for the comedy lines and frowning for the tragedy lines the one behind the mask was called a hopeful chrysalis.

I hypocrite. Interestingly, as years pass the word left the stage and moved into the street and it came to be used for anyone who played a part that didn't represent the true.

In other words, there was an external show, but in fact they were pretenders. Outwardly they look one way, but inwardly they were another mall to our part now to our passage, the scribes and Pharisees are acting apart, but no one has the courage or the authority to confront them until now.

Jesus being God as seen right through them and if there's anything I hypocrite doesn't want to happen is that someone see through them and call it out exactly what Jesus is doing. He's telling them that your outward observances. Nothing to the wearing of these elaborate looking garments.

Nothing to it. The keeping of meticulous of tedious rules. Nothing to it.

The legalistic demands that you make of others.

You have no right because you yourself are living a lie. Which is why he repeats again and again hypocrite hypocrite hypocrite hypocrite. Hopefully by the repetition it will sink in. Because the truth is what was deep within them.

Get this was bitterness in the hatred pride and arrogance and even murder. They are the ones who conspire with Judas so that they would be able to corner Jesus at a vulnerable place like the Garden of Gethsemane. Take him under arrest sending to a Roman court were ultimately to begin with Jewish court and then the Roman as he stood before Pilate, and ultimately mailed to a cross which is a Roman method of capital punishment. Since the Jews were not allowed to take a life will be the Romans, but all of this was conspired by these who so religious I'm going to use a word for them, but you may have never heard used for any religious person. They were members of the religious Mafia. The Godfather was the high priest and the one who led them in their way. Were those priests and Pharisees and scribes that were determined to have their way as they nailed Jesus to across this is on the edge of all of that happening. Jesus decides now is the time so he would, in today's terms, he would unload the truck which is exactly what we find in the verses of Matthew 23. Let's work our way through them and there's no reason to go over every single word because you get the picture. But let me give you categories that he rebukes them for the first ball was in verse 13 we see it for yourself what are you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, why she word for FO or is the word for because it's an explanatory connective I pronounce woe on you because you shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You won't even go in yourselves, and you don't let others go in either Christ came offering himself as the gift of eternal life, and these people kept them away from him.

Not only did they not know when they were busy keeping others out so they are guilty of exclusion. The first woe is a woe is he charges them with exclusion. The second is a charge of subversion. See the following 15 verse woe to use scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, having your missionaries, your proselytes you cross land and sea to gain those that will join up with you see how he puts it, you make one convert and then you turn that person into a person or child of hell. Just as you yourselves are, and he rebukes them for their zeal without knowledge you're actively engaged but engage in the wrong activity.

The third woe is adverse. 16 and now it comes to one of his favorite analogies blind guides. Think about the analogy for a moment if there's one thing that God needs his good eyesight.

Good perception. The ability to know the direction that the group ought to be going. But if they are blind than those who follow follow in a blind manner, which is the tragedy of it all you blind guides.

Woe to you, you say it means nothing to swear by God's temple, but that it is blinding to swear by the gold in the temple blind fool's which is more important. The gold in the temple that makes the which is more blinding the gold or the temple that makes the goal sacred. You say that to swear by the altar is not binding but swear by the gifts on the altar is binding, how blind, for which is more important the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred. He probes deeper so that they will realize that they are majoring in the minors in this or they are twisting the truth you were taken. What is meant to be truth that you are twisting it fit your own system of thinking now. The fourth is when they majoring the minors that begins here in verse 23. What's what sorrow awaits you want to use scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites are careful to tithe even the tiniest, the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law, you overlook justice and goodness and faithfulness on your busy about the intricacies of every nitpicking tie. You should tithe, yes, but he adds do not neglect the more important things and uses a word to get blind guides and now look at this would you strain your water or your wine or your milk or whatever. Maybe the beverage are going to drink you stretch the Muslim over the container and you pour the liquid onto that so that you can strain up and that by the way, was considered unclean to that you the same time you are getting ready to swallow another. There's supposed to be a little humor that sure you're fussing around with Nat's which are unclean and you overlook the fact that what you're spending your time on is the swallowing of's. How ludicrous and examples of majoring in the minors. Jesus withheld nothing of your rebuke of the religious Pharisees that factors more. We are only midway through this message from Chuck Swindoll titled seven woes and a whale W a IL and learn more about this ministry. Please visit us online@insightworld.org well. You likely noticed there's an overarching theme rising out of the study in Matthew's gospel and is consistent with our core mission at Insight for living I'm referring to the responsibility that falls to every follower of Jesus to study the Bible by God's design. There's no rabbi, no teacher, no religious authority that stands between us and the person of Jesus Christ.

God has entrusted us with his inspired Word, the Bible and is our privilege to dig into the Scriptures on our own well.

To that end, Insight for living provides a variety of helpful resources to guide your personal study of the Bible and today I'm pleased to point out a devotional book from Chuck. It's titled God's word for you. The subtitle gives you a taste of what this book is all about an invitation to find the nourishment your soul needs you can purchase a copy by going to Insight.org/offer torticollis listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 Angela to give a donation to Insight for living, would like to assure you that your investment truly makes a difference. For instance, I just saw a glowing note from a local police officer said your devotional on her back became my cry during the terrible months of writing 2020. I'm thankful for and can attest to God's grace, like you, since God prompting you to support Insight for living ministries. We invite you to give whatever amounts each and every give large or small, truly makes a difference in those who rely on this program to get if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 give a donation online insight.describes what he calls seven woes and the whale tomorrow Insight for living. The preceding message seven woes in a way was inaugurated in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide.

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