Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: MATTHEW #38 - 23:14-39)
2. 23:14-36 SEVEN WOES UPON HYPOCRITICAL SCRIBES AND PHARISEES
a. 23:14 THE FIRST WOE
OuAI [3759] de huMIN, gram-maTEIS kai Pha-riSAIoi, hu-po-kriTAI [5273]!
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
HOti KLEIe-te [2808] ten ba-siLEIan ton ou-raNON EMpros-then ton anTHROpon:
because you shut the kingdom of the heavens before :men:
huMEIS gar ouk eiSERches-the, OUde tous ei-ser-choMEnous aPHIe-te [868] ei-selTHEIN.
for YOU enter not in neither do you suffer those entering in to go in.
b. 23:15 THE SECOND WOE
OuAI huMIN, gram-maTEIS kai Pha-riSAIoi, hu-po-kriTAI!
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
HOti pe-riAge-te [4013] ten THAlas-san kai ten xeRAN [3584]poiEsai HEna proSElu-ton [4339];
for you compass :sea and :land to make one proselyte;
kai HOtan GEne-tai, poiEIte auTON huiON geENnes [1067]diPLOteron [1362]huMON.
and when he is become one, you make him twofold more a son of geenna than you.
c. 23:16 THE THIRD WOE
OuAI huMIN, ho-deGOI [3595]tuphLOI [5185], hoi LEgon-tes, Hos an oMOse[3660]en to naO, ouDEN es-tin;
Woe to you, blind guides, that say, Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing;
hos d' 'AN oMOseen to chruSOtou naOU, oPHEIlei [3784].
but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is debtor.
d. 23:17 Fools and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that has sanctified the gold?
moROI [3474]kai tuphLOI: tis gar MEIzon esTIN, ho chruSOS, eho naOS ho ha-giAsas [37]ton chruSON?
e. 23:18 FAULTY HUMAN TRADITION
kai, Hos an oMOse en tothu-si-a-steRIo[2379], ouDEN es-tin;
And, whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing;
hos d' 'AN hoMOseen to DOroto ePAnoauTOU, oPHEIlei.
but whoever shall swear by the gift :upon it, he is debtor.
f. 23:19 Blind! for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
tuphLOI! ti gar MEIzon, to DOron, eto thu-si-aSTEri-on to ha-giAzon to DOron?
g. 23:20 Who therefore swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all the thingson it.
ho oun hoMOsas en tothu-si-a-steRIo, omNUei en auTO, kai en PAsi tois ePAnoauTOU.
h. 23:21 And who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him that dwells in it.
kai ho oMOsas en tonaO, omNUei en auTO, kai en toka-toiKOUNti [2730]auTON.
i. 23:22 And who swears by the heaven, swears by the throne of :God, and by the onesitting on it.
kai ho oMOsas en toou-raNO, omNUei en toTHROnotou TheOU, kai en toka-theMEnoePAnoauTOU.
j. 23:23 THE FOURTH WOE
OuAI huMIN, gram-maTEIS kai Pha-riSAIoi, hu-po-kriTAI!
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
HOti a-po-de-kaTOUte [586] to heDUos-mon [2238]kai to Ane-thon [432]kai to KUmi-non [2951],
because you tithe :mint and :anise and :cummin,
kai aPHEka-te ta baRUte-ra [926]tou NOmou: ten KRIsin [2920]kai to Ele-os [1656], kai ten PIstin [4102];
and have left the weightier mattersof the law: :judgment and :mercy, and :faith;
TAUta de Edei poiEsai, ka' 'KEIna meaPHEInai [863].
but these you ought to have done, and not to have left those.
k. 23:24 Blind guides, straining out the gnat, and swallowing the camel!
ho-deGOI [3595]tuphLOI, di-uLIzon-tes [1368]ton KOno-pa [2971], ten de KAme-lon ka-taPInon-tes [2666]!
l. 23:25 THE FIFTH WOE
OuAI huMIN, gram-maTEIS kai Pha-riSAIoi, hu-po-kriTAI!
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
HOti ka-thaRIze-te [2511] to Exo-then [1855] tou po-teRIou [4221] kai tes pa-roPSIdos [3953],
because you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter,
Eso-then de GEmou-sin ex har-paGES [723] kai a-kraSIas [192].
but within they are full from extortion and excess.
m. 23:26 WISDOM FOR THE BLIND
Pha-riSAIe tuphLE, kaTHAri-son [2511] PROton to enTOS [1787] tou po-teRIou [4221]
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup
kai tes pa-roPSIdos [3953], HIna GEne-tai kai to ekTOS auTOU ka-thaRON [2813].
and of the platter, that its :outside become clean also.
n. 23:27 THE SIXTH WOE
OuAI huMIN, gram-maTEIS kai Pha-riSAIoi, hu-po-kriTAI!
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
HOti pa-ro-moiAze-te [3945] TAphois [5028] ke-ko-ni-aMEnois [2867],
for you are like whited sepulchers,
HOIti-nes Exo-then men PHAInon-tai [5316] hoRAIoi [5611],
which outwardly appear beautiful,
Eso-then de GEmou-sin oSTEon [3747] neKRON [3498], kai PAses aka-tharSIas [167].
but inwardly are full of dead men'sbones, and of all uncleanness.
o. 23:28 THE TRUE STATE OF HYPOCRITES
HOUtos kai huMEIS Exo-then men PHAInes-the tois anTHROpois DIkai-oi [1342],
Thus you also outwardly appear righteous unto :men,
Eso-then DE es-te meSTOI hu-poKRIse-os [5212] kai a-noMIas [458].
but inwardly are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
p. 23:29-30 THE SEVENTH WOE
OuAI huMIN, gram-maTEIS kai Pha-riSAIoi, hu-po-kriTAI!
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
HOti oi-ko-doMEIte tous TAphous [5028] ton pro-pheTON,
because you build the sepulchers of the prophets,
kai kosMEIte [2885] ta mneMEIa [3419] ton diKAIon, kai LEge-te,
and garnish the tombs of the righteous, 30and say,
Ei Eme-tha en tais heMErais ton paTEron heMON, ouk an Eme-tha
If we had been in the days of our :fathers, we should not
auTON koi-noNOI [3844] en to HAIma-ti ton pro-pheTON.
have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
q. 23:31 So that you witness to yourselves, that you are sons of them that slew the prophets.
HOste mar-tuREIte [3140] he-auTOIS, HOti huiOI es-te ton pho-neuSANton [5407] tous proPHEtas.
r. 23:32 Fill YOU also up then the measure of your :fathers.
kai huMEIS pleROsa-te [4137]to MEtron [3358]ton paTEron huMON.
s. 23:33 Serpents, offspring of vipers, how shall you escape the judgment of :geenna?
Opheis [3789], genNEma-ta [1081] e-chidNON [2191], pos PHUgete aPO tes KRIse-os tes geENnes [1067]?
t. 23:34-35 AN APPALLING HISTORY OF PERSECUTION
diA TOUto, iDOU, eGO apoSTELlo pros huMAS proPHEtas, kai soPHOUS, kai gram-maTEIS:
Therefore, lo, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes:
ex auTON a-pok-teNEIte [615] kai stauROse-te [4717];
someof them shall you kill and crucify;
kai ex auTON ma-stiGOse-te [3146] en tais su-na-goGAIS huMON,
and someof them shall you scourge in your :synagogues,
kai diOxe-te [1377] aPO POle-os eis POlin: HOpos ELthe eph' huMAS
and persecute from city to city: 35that upon you might come
pan HAIma DIkai-on ek-chunNOme-non [1632] ePI tes ges, aPO tou HAIma-tos
all therighteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood
A-bel tou diKAIou HEos tou HAIma-tos Za-chaRIou hiuOU Ba-raCHIou,
of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah,
hon e-phoNEUsa-te [5407] me-taXU tou naOU kai tou thu-si-a-steRIou [2379].
whom you slew between the sanctuary and the altar.
u. 23:36 Amen I say unto you, All these thingsshall come upon this :race.
aMEN LEgohuMIN, HExei PANta TAUta ePI ten ge-neAN [1074]TAUten.
3. 23:37-39 A LAMENT FOR JERUSALEM
a. 23:37 CHRIST'S COMPASSION
Ie-rou-saLEM, Ie-rou-saLEM, he a-pokTEInou-sa [615] tous proPHEtas,
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets,
kai li-tho-boLOUsa [3036] tous a-pe-sta-leMEnous pros auTEN!
and stones those sent unto her!
poSAkis eTHEle-sa e-pi-su-na-gaGEIN [1996] ta TEKna sou,
how oft would I have gathered your :children together,
hon TROpon ORnis [1996] e-pi-suNAgei ta nosSIa [3556] auTES huPO tas PTEru-gas, kai ouk e-theLEsa-te!
even as a hen gathers her :chicks under the wings, and you would not!
b. 23:38 Lo, your :house is left unto you.
iDOU, aPHIe-tai huMIN ho OIkos huMON.
c. 23:39 THE KEY TO RECEIVE JESUS BACK
LEgo gar huMIN, ou me me Ide-te ap' ARti, HEos an EIpete,
For I say unto you, You shall in no wise see me henceforth, till you shall say,
Eu-lo-geMEnos [2127] ho erCHOme-nos en oNOma-ti KuRIou.
Blessed who comes in theLord's name.
NOTE: (23:13 - is omitted in Panin's Bible Numeric Greek and English New Testaments.)
These 7 woes by Jesus to the Scribes and Pharisees - sealed their decision to kill Him. It took place in the last earthly week of the life of Jesus, and were the words of the Father for His Son; for He spoke nothing, nor performed any miracles, apart from the direct leading of His Father. He was the perfectservant!. He perfectly fulfilled the 4 servant songs of Isaiah.
Jesus didcome to die. He said - “The Son of :man came notto be served, but to serve, and to give his :life a ransomfor many.” Matthew 20:28. The Book of Hebrews tells of the conversation between the Father and the Son in the days prior to His Incarnation. Redemption and Reconciliation on our behalf by Jesus the Son of God and Son of man was absolutely essential. Apart from the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.
How the Scribes and Pharisees must have ground their teeth at this 7-fold exposure of their hypocrisy. Further, it was unforgivable, and absolutely demanded His death. So God the Master Chess-player, worked all of this out, so that His plans from the beginning and even prior to time, would all be worked out exactly as foreseen. And also in the foreknowledge of God, the generation that killed John the Baptist and Jesus, would suffer the judgment of allformer generation right down to that of Abel. Can we comprehend and understand the intricacy and exactness of God and His plan? Probably not. In heaven we can start to comprehend the wonderof all His ways.
One last thought. Do religious and political leaders today mirror the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day? All too sadly. And what judgment will God mete out to them? Not more than they deserve - but at least what they deserve.
In evolutionary biology, we learned a phrase - “Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.” The thought is - that each individual organism goes through from conception to birth, what the race goes through. True scientists reject such unsatisfactory truth. What has been recently discovered by true science, would have prevented Darwin in his day, from making his foolish conclusion. J.A.W.