While Jesus
taught in the
temple the
scribes and
the Pharisees
fumed in
rage, trying
to trap Him
in His speech.

Each time He
made them look foolish.

When they tried to argue that the Messiah
was David's son after the flesh, He gave them
an answer that left them speechless.
Read Luke 20:39-44

Then He warned the people of these leaders,
that they sought the praises of men, but in
secret did such things as cheat the widow out of
her possessions and "for show make long prayers".
Luke 21:47.

This action of Jesus was the last straw for the
high priests and the rulers.

They were already angry because the people
had come to the city shouting "Hosanna!";
they could hardly believe their eyes that this
prophet as they say Him, had the boldness to
overrule their authority and drive out those
selling in the courtyard.

They got together to see what they could do
to destroy Him. But for the moment they
could do nothing "for all the people were very
attentive to hear him."

When the temple was cleansed, then the blind
and lame came in and got healed.

Improper importance on commercial aspects
can grieve the Holy Spirit, and not only hinder
a revival but bring the very curse of God upon
the place.

"And Jesus went into the temple of God,
and cast out all them that sold and
bought in the temple, and overthrew the
tables of the moneychangers, and the seats
of them that sold doves,
And said
unto
them,
it is
written,
My house
shall be
called the
house of
prayer;
but ye have made it a den of thieves."
Matthew 21:12-13

Three years before, Jesus, at the beginning
of His ministry had entered the temple and
cleansed it by driving out the cattle and the
moneychangers.

Again He found that greed had won out and
the court was filled with the same activities.

After all the commotion was over, Jesus back
to begin teaching.

As Jesus and the
people came into
view of Jerusalem,
He gazed upon it
and was shakened.

As He looked at a
doomed city, He
wept as He fortold
of its coming
destruction.

Read Luke 19:41-44.

Within forty years His words were fulfilled,
the people were taken into slavery and the
temple was burned to ashes and rubble.

When the people of Jerusalem saw the strange
group coming into their town, they said, "Who
is this?"

The group said, "This is Jesus the prophet of
Nazareth of Galilee" Matthew 21:11

Apparently the people didn't think of Him as
the Messiah but only as a prophet.

It seemed clear that the nation of Israel wasn't
ready to receive Him in the mission of which He
was sent.

The people were excited and they praised "God
with a loud voice for all the mighty works that
they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that
cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven
and glory in the highest" Luke 19:37-38

This was the highest moment in Christ's earthly
ministry.

"And a very great multitude spread their gar-
ments in the way; others cut down branches
from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
And the multitudes that went before, and that
followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of
David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name
of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
And when he was come into Jerusalem, all
the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
And the multitude said, This is Jesus the
prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."
Matthew 21:8-11

This was Jesus Christ's official offering of
Himself to the nation of Israel as their Messiah!

The people around Jesus took their garments
and placed them over the animal.

Then Jesus mounted and they proceeded to
enter the city.

The crowds that had watch what had been
happening, recognized that Jesus of Nazareth
was nearing Jerusalem to give Himself to the
nation of Israel and they wanted to give Him
a proper welcome.

They broke off palm branches and scattered
them on the road. Some others removed their
outer garments and laid them in the way as
they would for royalty.

"And it came to pass, when he was come nigh
to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called
the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
Saying, Go ye into the village over against you;
in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt
tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him,
and bring him hither.
And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him?
thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord
hath need of him.
And they that were sent went their way, and
found even as he had said unto them."
Luke 19:29-32

The people of and around Jerusalem talked
about Jesus and what He was doing. They
wondered if He would be at the feast that year.

Then they heard that Jesus was in Bethany
and would come to Jerusalem the next day.
This cause great excitement and many of the
people decided that they would go to meet Him
and come back to the city with Him

The raising of
Lazarus had
caused the
fame of
Jesus to
spread all
around
Jerusalem,
to the

point where the rulers were becoming alarmed.
Something had to be done about it and soon.

The Sanhedrin decreed death to Him; and
because the miracle of raising Lazarus from
the dead had caused so much attention the
rulers thought to put Lazarus to death also.

They just waited for a good time to do it.

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We see a similar thing today.

There are those who strongly defend the miracles
of Jesus. They believe the inspiration of the
scriptures.

Even though the passages that they defend speak
of the signs following believers of today, when
men take God at His word and go forth healing
the sick as Jesus did, they loudly oppose what they
are doing.

Books and commentaries are written on the
miracles of Jesus and His disciples, but at the
same time warn all people against those who
preach deliverance for the sick.

EIGHTH WOE

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
crites! because ye build the tombs of the
prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the
righteous,
And say, If we had been in the days of our
fathers, we would not have been partakers
with them in the blood of the prophets.
Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves,
that ye are the children of them which killed
the prophets.
Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can
ye escape the damnation of hell? "
Matthew 23:29-33

This is the final and most damning woe! There
stood the tombs of the prophets which were
built. The Pharisees said, "If we had been in
the days of our fathers, we would not have
been partakers with them in the blood of the
prophets" (vs 30).

There were those that persecuted the prophets,
rejected their messages and even killed them.

Later generations built tombs in their honor.
That is what the rulers of the Jews did. But in
their blindness they rejected Jesus, who was
the prophet of their own day.

SEVENTH WOE

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
Because you build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our
fathers, we would not have been partakers
with them in the blood of the prophets.’
Therefore you are witnesses against your
selves that you are sons of those who mur-
dered the prophets” Matthew 23: 29-31).

These religious leaders pretended to be kind
toward the departed prophets, while they
persecuted those of the present day.

Notice the mode , of the Lord’s expression:
“Fill ye up the measure of your fathers.”
Paraphrased: “Go on, complete the evil work;
finish what your fathers began.”

How often today we hear praise for a preacher
of past days or maybe one somewhere else, and
hear nothing of appreciation or sincere thank-
fulness for those that are here. The Lord knows
our motives. He knows just why we say and do
the things we do. We may claim other reasons,
but the Lord knows!

SIXTH WOE

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you are like whitewashed tombs which
indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside
are full of dead men’s bones and all unclean-
ness. Even so you also outwardly appear
righteous to men, but inside you are full of
hypocrisy and lawlessness”
(Matthew 23: 27,28).

There is an excessive desire in some for
popularity. The Lord soundly condemns this.
Outwardly they appear beautiful–attractive
to men, but inwardly they are full of corruption–
corrupt thoughts, jealousy, envy, hostility, and
corrupt motives. We all know the one who
“wants to be a big fish in a little pond.”

FIFTH WOE

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
crites! for ye make clean the outside of the
cup and of the platter, but within they are
full of extortion and excess. Thou blind
Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within
the cup and platter, that the outside of them
may be clean also” Matthew 23: 25,26.

This, of course, is condemnation of externalism.
They are careful about externals, but are indif-
ferent toward internals.

They want the outside of their life to look
clean but they leave filthy things (evil thoughts)
on the inside. They do not know that outward
purity is an outgrowth of internal cleansing.
When a person knows the forgiveness of sin in
his life, and he walks with the Lord, there is a
serenity about him.

“And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:7.

FOURTH WOE

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier matters of the
law: justice and mercy and faith. These you
ought to have done, without leaving the others
undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and
swallow a camel!” Matthew 23:23,24.

There are those who misplace emphasis. They
are particular about one thing or another, but
are careless about great things. They major on
minors and minor on majors.
(Read James 4:17).
They pray with themselves, “I thank God I’m
not as others... ” When they need to put into
practice the “weightier matters... justice, mercy
and faith.”

THIRD WOE

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever
swears by the temple, it is nothing; but
whoever swears by the gold of the temple,
he is obliged to perform it.’ Fools and blind!
For which is greater, the gold or the temple
that sanctifies the gold? And, ‘Whoever
swears by the altar, it is nothing; but
whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he
is obliged to perform it.’ Fools and blind!
For which is greater, the gift or the altar
that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who
swears by the altar, swears by it and by all
things on it. He who swears by the temple,
swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.
And he who swears by heaven, swears by t
he throne of God and by Him who sits on it”
Matthew 23:16–22.

Here the Lord condemns inventing distinctions.
They pretend to be teachers of God’s will but
they do not understand the very things on
which they teach. Their teaching is childish; it
is full of trivial and false distinctions.
They make out things to be sin or no sin, as it
serves their own purpose. We all know people
who can see clear teaching of the word of God
but don’t want to do what it says. Then one day
they shout gleefully, “I’ve found a loophole!”
How sad! God has always pronounced a woe on
those who would try to change His principles –
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good
evil; that put darkness for light, and light for
darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet
for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)

SECOND WOE

Matthew 23:14
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
crites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for
a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye
shall receive the greater damnation."

What wickedness this was. Many stories of
these acts of the Pharisees had gotten to Jesus
and stirred His indignation.

FIRST WOE

"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of
heaven against men; for ye neither go in
yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are
entering to go in" Matthew 23:13

The scribes and Pharisees sat in Moses seat.
They had custody of the Scriptures.
They were looked up to by the people.

They were too proud to enter into the kingdom
themselves: "Have any of the rulers or the
Pharisees believed on him?" John 7:48

It was bad enough not to enter it themselves,
but their greater sin was to shut it up to the
others and to prevent them from entering.
How terrible their judgment would be!

THE EIGHT WOES

Just as there were eight beatitudes in the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave eight woes
against the scribes and Pharisees.

These woes are remarkable because of the
meekness and gentleness of Him who gave
them.

He came to bless, not to condemn; and so
if His wrath was kindled, there was cause
for it.

Jesus cautioned the disciples about taking on
titles. He told them that they were not to even
call one another "father" in the spiritual sense,
"for one is your father which is in heaven."

He concluded, "But he that is greatest among
you shall be your servant. And whosoever
shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he
that shall humble himself shall be exalted"
Matthew 23:11-12