PASSION WEEK – Tuesday

WOE TO THE PHARISEES

We saw at the end of Luke 19 how Jesus warned His disciples about the Torah academics (the scribes); and He said it loud enough for everyone to hear.

Luke recorded just a little summary. Matthew has the unabridged version. There are 7 “Woes.”

😯 Seven whoahs? When I’m in a hurry my dad usually does three. Four max.

No, not that kind. It’s woe not whoah.

😐 I can’t hear a difference.

🤓 What’s a woe?

🤔 Isn’t it like a burden or sorrow?

Yes. As a noun it means a sad misfortune. It can also be used as an interjection to express anguish, like Alas!

😧 Alas! These words are no longer used!

🤓 Why not?

In my observation, they are generally replaced by a 4-letter expletive.

🤓 Oh.

Those of us who prefer not to scrounge a word from the garbage heap of language to express grief or anguish are generally left with “oh no…” and silence.

🤨 I think we should bring back Alas! And Alack!

🤓 A lack of what?

🙄

How about we look at the original biblical words?

If you looked at what Jesus said in the original Greek manuscripts you’d see:

I think this is probably a Greek spelling of a Hebrew word.

🤔 Owie? Like, I stubbed my toe and got an owie?

No. It’s oy like toy or boy. This word ended up in the Yiddish expression oy vey.

THE PREFACE

Jesus prefaces the woes with a sharp critique of the pride and superficiality of the scribes and Pharisees.

👳🏻‍♂️ Joe the Pharisee…

• Do as I say, not as I do.
• Rules for thee but not for me.
• Look at my phylactery.
• Look at me.
• I’m a rabbi. Did you notice? You should probably bow.

As far as Joe Pharisee, Jim Scribe, and Bob the chief priest are concerned, they are above other people. The people they lead should look up to them. In this leadership concept you have some people postioned above and others below. It’s that top-down hierarchical structure Jesus has warned the disciples about before. Here, Jesus forbids the use of 3 titles within His budding community of followers:

• Rabbi – Aramaic term (rab) that means captain, chief, great, lord, master. We may joke about “too many chiefs and not enough Indians” in the Church but Jesus didn’t want us to have chiefs.
• Father – Greek pater. The church ignored this one pretty early on and began calling bishops “father” [Latin: papa]. This later became the title of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. I have no idea how our Catholic friends get around this one.
• Master – this is the compound Greek word, kathegetes [kath-ayg-ay-tace]. It can be translated also as guide or teacher. The prefix [kata] is a preposition that means down in relationship. The main word [hegeomai] means to lead. So it’s the idea of leading in a downward direction, or from a place above or superior to the people you are leading who are down or lower/inferior.
  • There is another Greek word for teacher that Jesus did not forbid, didaskolos. It means someone who teaches. It lacks the over-under orientation of kathegetes. This is the kind of teacher that God placed in the Church in 1 Cor. 12:28.

Jesus forbids these titles because they encourage people to categorize themselves as either “over” or “under.” In the Church, Jesus is the only one who is over. The rest of us are all on level ground. That’s why the only “titles” we see in the NT Church are “brother” and “sister.”

THE 7 WOES

Technically, the word “woe” appears 8 times in this chapter but there are 7 times when Jesus says “Woe to you scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites!”

We have talked before about the scribes being the academics; the Torah interpreters. And we know the Pharisees are the ultra-conservative political party. The use of the term hypocrite is very interesting. Back then, that was the name for this:

An actor in a Greek or Roman theater was called a hupokrites. And that’s what Jesus calls the Jewish leaders.

Actors used masks for different roles. And Jesus is saying that the religious leaders are playing a role. They put on a persona and want people to watch their performance. But the persona they portray is only a mask. In reality, they are not as they seem.

Jesus says woe unto you. Terrible misfortune and calamity BE UPON YOU. This is not nice, cuddly-lamb Jesus. This is I-will-wipe-the-floor-with-you Jesus. And He gives them 7 reasons why.

Here is a summary list of the woes:

1. (V13) You won’t enter the Kingdom of God yourselves and you block others from doing so.
2. (V14) You privately consume the livelihood of poor widows while publicly praying ostentatious prayers.
3. (V15) You go to extreme lengths to convert one Gentile to Judaism and in doing so you manage to make him further from God than he was before.
   • (V16) We’ll call this one 3.5. Jesus breaks the pattern of “scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites,” and just calls them “blind guides.” All of the details about the temple vs the stuff in the temple are simply invented legal loopholes just so the elites can exploit them and have leverage over the people.
4. (V23) You are nitpicky about “doing the right thing” with herbs that weigh a few grams, while ignoring the heaviest matters of morality.
5. (V25) You look clean on the surface but inside you are wicked.
6. (V27) You are pretty and decorated…. tombs full of rotting corpses. You are not what you appear to be.
7. (V29) You say, “We would never have killed the prophets.” Oh yes. Yes you would have. And you’re about to kill the One greater than all the prophets.

YOU ARE FINISHED – THE SENTENCE

I don’t know why – well, maybe it’s because there wasn’t open prostitution and idol worship in the temple like before – but I kinda thought that maybe this bunch of Israel’s rulers weren’t quite so bad as the ones before the exile. Based on the tongue-lashing they get from Jesus, I’m kinda thinking they’re just as bad. Maybe worse. At least the idolaters before were open about their idolatry and adultery. These guys hide their sins behind a false front of piety.

“You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jerusalem is finished. It’s over.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There are no chances left. Back before and during the Babylonian Exile the message from God through the prophets was – one day I will restore you. And Jesus is that day. He is the promised restoration. He is opening the door of the Kingdom of God. He is the new Temple where God dwells.

The Jewish leaders can tell themselves and others “This isn’t the Messiah. The promised restoration to glory is still coming. We’ll just sit here and wait for it.” Well…

The next day of the Passion Week (Wednesday) we’ll see a shift. There’s no more debates about His identity, no more parables, no more healings or miracles or calls to follow Him. His public teaching changes to warnings to escape judgment. If His people (as a nation) were going to receive Him as their King, they have had their chance. And now that chance is over. From here on, Jesus noticeably shifts His focus to His disciples.

These are His parting words to Jerusalem:

“For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭39‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Some of the people already said this when He entered Jerusalem on the donkey. He’s not talking about that. Jerusalem will not see Jesus again (really see Him) until He returns to earth in splendor when every eye will see Him and even those who pierced Him. And they will weep bitterly over Him (Zec. 12:10) even as they welcome Him (probably with profound relief to be rescued from certain destruction) and say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”