Woe For the Show

Matthew 23:29-30 ~ “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.’

This passage is from a succession of woes (or miseries) directed at the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. The theme of the woes has to do with religious hypocrisy and legalism within the pharisaic hierarchy. I refer to it simply the “holier than thou syndrome”. As noted throughout the woe passages contained in Matthew 23, the Pharisees and scribes exemplified a self-righteous attitude, boasting of how meticulous they were at “keeping the law”. In short, their motives were guided by pretense rather than justice, mercy, and faith; principles of God as cited by the prophet Micah. Today, verse 30 may be saying, “If I were him, I wouldn’t have committed the sin he did. I’m better than that!” This attitude sets us up for spiritual pride which is carnal in nature. We need to be careful when we find ourselves comparing sin as this may be an indicator of our own underlying sin. Hypocrisy and legalism are formidable enemies of the Church which can only be overcome by God’s royal law of love. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and welcome the Holy Spirit’s work on our heart. Let us be victorious over the temptation to present ourselves as judge all the while not neglecting our own call unto holiness.