‘The 7 woes’

Matthew 23 vs 13 – 30

When I saw ‘the seven woes’ as the chapter title I was not expecting to read what I read. This perhaps stemmed from my only superficial knowledge of what ‘woe’ means and perhaps the fact that I was not really thinking as I read the title.

So what does woe mean?

A dictionary definition is ‘things that cause great sorrow or distress’ or simply ‘great sorrow or distress.’ The way the phrase ‘woe to you’ is used in this chapter indicates trouble and distress awaiting those whom Christ is referring to. I wanted to list these woes and not expand on them because I believe they speak for themselves. The truth of the matter can clearly be seen with no need for commentary.

1) Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to

2) Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are

3) Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath

4) 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

5) 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. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean

6) 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 the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

7) Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets

It is more than easy to sit  back and think ‘those darn Pharisees’ but sometimes we are no different to them. These few verses really shook me and made me think. I do not believe I do all of these things that the Pharisees did but I know I have been able to identify with at least one thing. Reading the gospel according to Matthew has made heaven and hell so much more real for me. It has changed my prayers and made me more conscious of myself and my actions. The sharpness with which Jesus delivered messages cuts me but also gives me hope. I pray you are able to take something away from these verses too.