Scripture: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” Matthew 23:13-15 ESV
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Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Jesus turned toward the crowd and warned them about their religious leaders. He challenged them to listen to and obey what the scribes and Pharisees preach and teach but not follow their example. He contended that they are quick to expound on the application of the law in a burdensome manner, yet they are unwilling to come alongside others and lighten their load. Moreover, their praxis of the law is pretentious and self-aggrandizing. And they are all about titles. So Jesus tells his listening audience not to show deference and feed the monster by addressing the religious leaders with salutations reserved for the Triune God.
Today’s reading continues the intense interaction between Jesus and the religious leaders who continue to spy amid the crowds in the temple court. Knowing his crucifixion is near, Jesus turns to the scribes and Pharisees and pulls no punches. He blasts them as hypocrites and spells out in no uncertain terms that they will not enter nor allow others to enter the kingdom of heaven and, thus, they shut its door in people’s faces (v.13). Yet they will go to great lengths of travel and expense to make a single convert to the Hebrew faith (proselyte). Still, all they genuinely do is make a disciple for themselves, and both are hellbound. Ouch!
Takeaway: As Jesus cries out the first of his seven woes, he addresses the scribes and Pharisees’ spiritual corruption, for they delude themselves as blessed by God in their positions of power and authority (thinking Yahweh has rewarded them for their meticulous observance of the law). But their hypocrisy and resultant resistance to Christ’s Gospel invitation draws them (and those who follow them) away from the kingdom of heaven to perdition. Indeed, they are like the citizens of Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, who, unrepentant, rejected the Gospel (see 11:20-24). And there, Jesus pronounces a similar woe.
So what exactly does the word “woe” mean in the Bible? It can express compassion (usually translated as “alas” in these instances, see 24:19), a strong condemnation (as in our text), or a combination of the two (see 18:17 and 26:24). But Jesus is not being vindictive or revengeful here. He warns of certain judgment, aiming to implode the scribes and Pharisees’ self-delusional worldview and provoke a paradigm shift that only his Gospel can bring about. But these recalcitrant religious leaders are no better than Pharaoh, whom Paul cites as an example of those hardened of heart and destined for ignoble purposes under God’s sovereign plan (see Romans 9:19).
Our takeaway? While few, if any, of us reading this devotion have stepped into a church leadership position where we think we have it all assessed and have dissuaded others from following Christ. But all of us, from time to time, succumb to the temptation of guiding others young in the faith according to our Christian worldview with all our subtle preferences and dislikes (tantamount to making disciples of us rather than Christ). Whether we mix politics, patriotism, or our views of holiness with the Gospel (as did the scribes and the Pharisees), we risk misguiding those seeking to grow in their faith and closer to Christ.
So how do we guard against this? We stay focused on Christ and submit to the Holy Spirit’s guidance (through Scripture, prayer, and the community of believers), for we cannot lead others where we are not already going. And we will not head in the right direction if we insularly rely on ourselves to navigate the challenges of this world in seeking God’s kingdom. Sadly, the jealous religious leaders despised Jesus, their only hope for eternal life with Yahweh. But if we cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work and direction, he will guide us and keep us focused on Christ through a growing love for the Father and him.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who sought not his own will but yours and resultantly rose from the grave and ascended to his heavenly office where he has prepared a place for us. So would you please help us as your Son’s ambassadors to stay focused on him and submit to the Holy Spirit’s guidance so that we might lead ourselves and others onward and upward to your heavenly kingdom? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling