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Blessings & Woes from Jesus Part 2 |
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| Introduction This page continues a study of the *8 Woes* that Jesus pronounced upon the Scribes and Pharisees in Jerusalem. If you haven't yet read the first study in this series, I strongly recommend you to do so. |
Each of these studies makes a comparison between one of the Lord's
*8 Woes* in Matthew chapter 23 |in contrast with| one of the Lord's *8 Blessings* in Matthew chapter 5. The full lists of woes and blessings are given below. The ones covered in this lesson are highlighted in yellow. |
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| The Second Woe Jesus pronounced a second woe upon the Jewish religious leaders [Scribes and Pharisees] for two reasons: Reason #1- The religious leaders prayed long prayers in public as a pretense... |
Woe #2- Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you... pray at length as a pretense. Mt 23.14b | |||
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[Jesus said...]
When you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the
corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Mt 6.5-6 |
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| Reason #2- The religious leaders devoured widows' houses... | Woe #2- Woe
to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows' houses Mt 23.14a |
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Jesus pronounced the second woe because the religious leaders had turned the temple into a means of making money for themselves. Everyone -- even those who were very poor -- had to make offerings in the temple at Jerusalem...
Jesus condemned the religious leaders because they were unconcerned by the fact that their commercialization of the temple could cause widows and other impoverished people to lack food and clothing, and even to lose their homes. |
Jesus found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves,
and the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And Jesus said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" John 2.14-16 |
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| Under the guise of religiosity and position, the Scribes and Pharisees
were making a lucrative living. Making a living from preaching the Gospel and serving the Lord is not wrong (see the verses alongside), but using preaching as a means of taking advantage of those who are vulnerable is inexcusable. |
The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live
from the gospel. 1 Cor 9.14 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Gal 6.6 |
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| The Second Blessing God has promised to bless and comfort those who mourn because of their own sin, and the sins of the world. He has further promised that those who plant the seeds of the Gospel shall reap a joyous harvest of saved souls. Rather than mourning over sin, and seeking to save the lost, the Pharisees made long prayers as a pretense to show how sincere and caring they were. But Jesus saw the pride and greed that were hidden deep within their hearts. The prayers and shepherding care of the Pharisees were only a cloak for them to acquire more possessions. Jesus saw this and condemned them. |
Blessing #2-
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Mt
5.4 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. Psalm 126.5-6 |
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| As in the days of yore, so also TODAY... The exercise of greed and deceit in the name of religion did not cease with the days of the Pharisees. Those evil deeds continue today, and shall only get more extensive as we near the return of Lord Jesus. As shown by the verses alongside, the Bible warns us that, in the last days, there will be religious teachers who hold to a form of godliness but deny its power for rightful use. Instead, they will misuse their ministries to captivate weak-willed women weighed down with sins. |
There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers
of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy... having
a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desire 2 Tim 3.1-2a, 3.5-6 |
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Even today, there are religious charlatans who seek to make money
by feeding on the guilt, shame and burdens of folks who are seeking spiritual hope and answers.
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Watch and pray carefully concerning who and what you watch on TV. Be careful about trusting the things you get in the mail from non-profit organizations that ask for contributions. Hopefully, you have a home church that preaches the Word and loves Jesus. The safest route is to give your money to it and let God use your church to distribute His resources as directed. In Matthew 23:14 we have both the predator and victim. Although it is the predator that’s condemned by Christ, being a victim doesn’t lessen the guilt and shame. Amen |
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