Good Morning,
I hope you
enjoyed my last article on the introduction of Matthew 23. For the remainder of
this series we will be looking at the seven woes found in this chapter one at a
time. This may seem as if we are moving at a snail’s pace but I fear that to do
otherwise might keep us from seeing some of the truths that God wants us to
see.
Matthew 23:13
13 “Woe
to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom
of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those
enter who are trying to.
As we discussed
yesterday the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were considered the upper
crust in Jewish society; the ruling class if you will, and they were extremely
proud of this fact. They were so proud of this fact that they were willing to
fight to protect their way of life so much so that they would not even listen
to John, who was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, or Jesus himself (John
1:23). Worse than the fact that they didn’t want to believe in what Jesus was
doing is that they were keeping others from believing in the Kingdom as well
through their actions.
The world we
live in today is in desperate need of Jesus Christ. The world we live in is
plagued with people and things that are shutting the door to the Kingdom and
unfortunately sometimes these people and things are Christians. Un-churched
people look at Christians and see us fighting amongst each other, gossiping and
backstabbing all while proclaiming to be followers of Christ. This is not a new
phenomenon and the answer to this problem is not new either, it is found in 1
Corinthians 10:31-33.
1 Corinthians 10:31-33
31 So
whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do
not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God — 33 even
as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but
the good of many, so that they may be saved.
As God’s people
we need to consider our actions. If we are faced with the decision to do
something that glorifies God or something that is sinful then we need to choose
the former and not the latter. When we have the opportunity to be in the
company of un-churched individuals then we need to do our best to live out a
Christian example, not by putting on a fake façade, but by living the kind of
life that makes God proud. We can do it but it will take a great deal of work.
As we close I
would like to leave you with a quote.
“Eight times in
this chapter Jesus pronounces woe
upon the scribes and Pharisees. The word is an interjection and means a term of
grief or dismay, and when spoken by an inspired man means that great calamity
is in store for those referred to.”-E.M. Zerr
Don’t live a
life that is a life of woe, rather live a life that reflects Jesus.
Questions For Thought
1. What closes
the door to the Kingdom?
2. How can you
help change preconceived notions about Christianity to un-churched people?
3. How are you
helping to keep the door to the Kingdom open?
Be Strong and
Courageous,
Paul
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