The Seven Woes which Jesus named the Pharisees: Their Relation to this Day and Time

The Seven Woes which Jesus named the Pharisees: Their Relation to this Day and Time

(See Mathew, Chapter 23, for these seven woes in the bible)

Here are the seven woes of hypocrisy:

Woe 1: Teachers of Religious Law and you Pharisees: sorrow awaits you: hypocrites! Shutting the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces, neither do you enter nor will you allow others to enter in.

Now: There are churches and organizations, who will frown on someone who is not dressed in the finest, with a fancy car setting in the parking lot. Come in looking poor, expect to be treated poorly; no chance, according to them, that such a sinner can find atonement and make it into Heaven; “just not up to standards, can’t quite cut the mustard, you’re dirty, shaggy, a bad history and no future,” so they whisper to each other: “will you look at that?” and when it’s time to go: snubbed, or a disdainful “We really think you belong somewhere else.”

And how does Jesus react to this sort of behavior: “Sorrow awaits you, hypocrites.”

Woe 2: Teachers of Religious Law and you Pharisees: sorrow awaits you: hypocrites! Crossing land and sea, seeking one ‘convert’ only to turn that person ‘double time over’ a child of hell, even more-so than yourselves are.

Now: Missionaries, spreading the word, across land and over the sea to distant shores; finding a convert...and then instilling a ‘hell has no fury like heaven scorned’ mentality...and the convert ends up backing away, no desire to follow something that is shoved down their throat and to be told who you are, how you pray or relate to a Supreme Being doesn’t matter, what matters is the Laws of Abraham and Moses; only this matters, the rest of the world faiths are wrong; a Native American was perceived as being soul-less and unspiritual, misguided, and a savage, the only good red-man was a dead one. When sent to school, they were harshly punished if found speaking in their heathen native tongue; forced to take on white man’s civilized ways, belittled, stripped of their identity, yet never to be accepted by the white man’s establishment. An outsider, a man or woman with nothing left, no dignity, no identity, no homeland, no way of life, not accepted by their own people because they dressed and were taught the ways of the white man, but never to be accepted by those who claimed this was the way they should be, because of their race, considered beneath them, therefore contemptible...kept down, even to this year of 2012, herded on reservations in the 1800s, which were picked because the white man didn’t see that land as worthy; not until gold was found in the Black Hills, and then forget any treaties; or forests that loggers wanted, or for other reasons; just how can they screw the Indian out of what is theirs?

And how does Jesus react to this sort of behavior: “Sorrow awaits you, hypocrites.”

Woe 3: Blind guides, what sorrows await you! Saying it means nothing to swear by God’s Temple, but finding it binding to swear by the gold in the Temple. Blind Fools! Which is more important- the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? But more, you say to swear by the altar is not binding, but to swear by the gift on the altar is binding. How blind can you be? Which is most important: the gift on the altar or the altar that makes it sacred? Gold or gifts made as sacrifices for atonement were only as good as the heart and determination for purity behind it. But the altar was sacred and close to God and part of the Temple; it wasn’t to be defiled. The Pharisees worshipped at the Temple, carried on in manners they believed right by the fact they were followers of the Law. Yet they chose to declare gold and gifts of a trivial kind as binding but not as truly sacred and their oath-binding was loose where they wanted to be lax but tight in other ways, making it rigid and unforgiving, judgmental and self-righteous.

Now: Gifts of gold or other riches, in a church of fine esteem, matters more than the alter that is for the humble hearted, those with a sincerity to improve on their attitude and life style. Outwardly, making like there is a love of God’s Temple but inwardly hating the following a straight line with no desire for effluent ways, not wanting to be self-sacrificing and kind, desiring nothing in return; “oh no, that so and so curse them into the ground for not saying thank you or realizing how much they owe me for what I did for them”; forgetting it is not for man to claim any good that befalls another, except to say I was an instrument in God’s plan; all glory goes to God.

And how does Jesus react to this sort of behavior: “Sorrow awaits you, hypocrites.”

Woe 4: Teachers of Religious Law and you Pharisees: sorrow awaits you: hypocrites! Tithing is given to careful attention to the tiniest herb garden’s income, oh, you must reap from it; but there is far more important matters and these you ignore: fair justice, gentle mercy, and faith in God. You should tithe, yes, but don’t be consumed by it, forgetting all else. Blind guides, straining your water to free it of gnats/mosquitoes’ larvae...but instead, your greed assists in you swallowing a camel/bloated ego.

Now: Ah yes, that greed of the material verses spiritual worth; so many in this world worship money and call it their god, literally, I mean this, not just figuratively. They will go to the biggest church because the wealth oozes out of pores and the fact is, you won’t find poor folks there, appeals to their ego’s idea of being grand, important and famous, and better than others; they’ll tithe richly and then write it off for tax-breaks. Whatever they do of a Christian generous nature is not from an honest heart and desire to help another but to make an appearance of ‘giving to others in need’ when in truth they would spit on a homeless man and curse him for being worthless and shouldn’t be allowed to breath, lower than rats.

And how does Jesus react to this sort of behavior: “Sorrow awaits you, hypocrites.”

Woe 5: Teachers of Religious Law and you Pharisees: sorrow awaits you: hypocrites! Attentive at keeping the outside of your cup and saucer clean, but neglecting your inner self, filling it with filthy thoughts and yearning for carnal lusts and worse: full of greed and indulgence of your most base desire. Appearing to be clean, showing others outward restraint and an appearance of having no interest in carnal matters, but in secret, having minds most foul, soaked in greedy self-indulgence.

Now: Better check that closet for those hidden lies; the bodies under the patio stones, that foreign bank account where you socked all your cash so you wouldn’t be taxed for it; the trunk of your Mercedes Benz or BMW or Cadillac Town-car for the rest of the secrets you’ve hidden from everyone; man, that is, but not from God; he knows all.

And how does Jesus react to this sort of behavior: “Sorrow awaits you, hypocrites.”

Woe 6: Teachers of Religious Law and you Pharisees: sorrow awaits you, hypocrites! Walking white-washed tombs, this is your aspect to any who looks at you, appearing a façade of perfection and purity, beautiful to behold, but within a wasteland of dead bones reaching to the horizon, each reeking of rot; even the buzzards want not and turn away. Scrupulous law-keepers, righteous in your own dust filled minds. Skeletons in the cobwebbery of the darkest corner of the castle dungeon, torturous writhing mask of ‘I am so right.’ Wickedness is the name of your bed.

Now: Putting on a front for caring about the ancestors of yore; and especially for Jesus... you stand on stages, acting out how good you are; admitting to sins that have been patterned for your sinner turned saint appearance; big show, you of multiple faces, repeating a story with facts but some are evasive or straight out lies contrived to suit your needs; your real aim, besides being sanctimonious is that gated mansion, kids in colleges, wealth pouring in every week in the thousands because your cornerstone is a place attractive to thousands, oh charismatic and cunning, even funny, able to play on the emotions of the audience; is this the preacher or disciple Jesus called to walk in his footsteps? He warned of false prophets. 

And how does Jesus react to this sort of behavior: “Sorrow awaits you, hypocrites.”

Woe 7: Teachers of Religious Law and you Pharisees: sorrow awaits you: hypocrites! Building tombs for the Prophets even though your ancestors killed them, decorating the monuments of the Godly people your ancestors spat on and stoned to death. Saying, ‘oh had you been in that time, you would never have joined in that reviling hatred.’ Testament to the fact you are your grandfather’s children. Like begets like. Go ahead, you snakes and vipers, carry on what your forefathers started. Just how will you escape the Judgment of Hell? Many godly people’s blood will be on your hands, and I tell you the truth, this judgment belongs to this very generation for killing prophets and God’s Messengers, yours will be a place of desolation and I tell you this, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Now: Snakes and vipers, Jesus called you well, he knows every heart and thought; he will not be deceived even if you fool yourself. 

And how does Jesus react to this sort of behavior: “Sorrow awaits you, hypocrites.”

Jerriann Wayahowl, 9-18-2012