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)