Seven Warnings of Calamity

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Info: (651) 283-0568 Discipleship Training Ministries, Inc www.dtminc.org Today’s Date: March 26, 2006

Seven Warnings of Calamity
by Dan Trygg

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees" Matthew 23:15

If the scribes and Pharisees were getting offended and uncomfortable by what Jesus was saying to the crowd and His followers, they probably were not at all prepared for the blistering attack which the Lord now leveled at them. Remember, they had started this interchange, challenging Jesus’ authority and then attempting to entrap Him through trickery. They didn’t realize that they were arousing the Lion of Judah (Gen. 49:8,9; Rev. 5:5), but they were about to find out what they were up against. Like a lion playing with a mouse, He was going to pin them to the ground, and they were helpless before His assault. They had no response. They initiated the confrontation, but He was going to finish it. He had already dealt with their objections and tricks, and had turned the tables so that He had asked them a question that they could not answer (21:23-22:45). They were already in retreat, and no longer dared to ask Him any more questions (22:46). Then, as they were still standing there, He spoke to the crowd, speaking of the self-promotion, hypocrisy and pretension which they exhibit. Now, He turns up the intensity of the offensive by directly and publicly rebuking them. He totally obliterated any credibility they had, and calls them on the carpet for their inconsistencies. At the same time, however, He is strongly warning them of the disaster awaiting them if they continue in their ways.

It would be important to talk for a moment about what the word, "woe", means, since Jesus uses it repeatedly. It is actually a transliteration of the Greek word, meaning that our word, "woe" comes directly from the Greek. Basically, it is what Jesus actually uttered. The word is an interjection or exclamation, like "Wow!" or "Oh!", but it is strongly negative. It means "Disaster!", "Calamity!", "Horror!". Our words, "woe" or "alas", are strong emotional words that would be our response to experiencing trouble, disaster, or calamity, but these words no longer have any clear tie back to the original idea of calamity or disaster. In other words, we miss the fact that Jesus is calling disaster, calamity or judgment down upon the heads of these people. He was actually saying, "Calamity to you!" "Disaster on you!" "Horror on you!" That is a much more direct and pungent declaration than simply "woe" or "alas". Jesus was coming on like gangbusters, and He was not pulling any punches. Since Matthew’s audience was Jewish, he chose to record seven of these declarations of judgment, a number representative of fullness or completion. (The text used to translate the King James Version includes verse 14, which is not in the earliest manuscripts, and is sometimes found added before verse 13 in some later manuscripts, and after vs. 13 in other manuscripts. It is an obvious scribal gloss, a carryover from Mark 12:40.) With each declaration, Jesus provided an explanation describing what they have done to call down destruction and wrath upon themselves.

Note, too, that Jesus used the word, "hypocrite" in all but the third of these declarative statements. A hypocrite was a play actor, someone who put on a persona or appearance to play a part. This was not who they really were, just a mask that they wore, or a role they played while "on stage". They were pretenders. As Jesus had said in vs. 5, they did their works in order to be seen by people.

(1.) Calamity on them, because they shut up the kingdom of God before people. They don’t enter into the will of God for themselves, and they do not allow those who are entering to do so. They block people from clearly seeing and doing God’s will. The picture is of slamming the door in the face of those trying to enter into God’s reign, keeping the seekers outside with themselves, since they themselves are unwilling to enter by yielding to God in obedience. In an interesting parallel in Lk. 11:52, Jesus pronounces disaster on the scribes because they took the key of experiential knowledge of God. They did not enter into that knowledge of God, and hindered others who were seeking it. There are many pastors and religious people who block those who are seeking to know and do God’s will, either by their poor example, or by distorted and false theology.

(2.) Disaster on them, because they travel land and sea to make one follower, but if one responds, their training and example develops an even worse religious person than they have been. They had a zeal for making followers, but their methods produced even worse hypocrites and spiritual guides than they had been. This is a commonly observed principle. What happens is that often the first generation of those who grow up in a religious culture, but who do not have an experience with God for themselves, will remain somewhat close to their spiritual roots, as far as behavior and theology is concerned. Because the foundation is eroded away, however, the thinking and behavior of the next generation tends to move farther away from the true faith’s original moorings. Religious thinking and practices grow in number and extremity. Legalism becomes more codified and focused on minutia. Disbelief in and disregard of the reality of God or of the authority of scripture produces more extreme expressions of humanistic thinking and political maneuvering.

(3.) Horrors to them, because they are blind guides, not able to sort out truth from superstition, but leading others in their foolishness. Jesus had called them blind guides before (15:14). When blind people follow blind guides, they will fall into a pit together.

(4.) Destruction to them, because they scrupulously keep very minute applications of the law, but miss the most important, weightier matters of the law, such as justice, mercy and faith. The attraction of religious legalism is that you can seemingly "do your duty" of religious performance in one compartment of your life, but remain essentially unchanged in your heart. You could go to church, Bible studies, religious meetings, spend extensive time in prayer, sing songs, pay tithes or give offerings, but still be a crab, a cheat, and a liar. Such a faith is worthless (e.g., Jas. 1:26,27). Both the OT and the NT indicate that those who follow God should become champions of justice, helping and lifting up the poor and needy, and people who become trustworthy. They should become gracious and forgiving, people who are known for being loving, kind and blessing others. There is a question regarding what Jesus meant by the word "faith". The Greek word can mean both trust in God, or reliability and trustworthiness of character. Probably He meant to imply both aspects. His last comment about straining at a gnat but swallowing a camel is a powerful picture. Both the insect and the mammal are unclean according to the law, but these religionists are so busy focusing on avoiding the gnat that they unknowingly swallow a camel (if that were possible)! The hyperbole would be even more memorable in the Aramaic of Jesus’ words, since they would be straining out a galma (gnat) to swallow a gamla (camel).

(5.) Trouble to them, because they were focused only on externals, focusing on religious rituals of cleansing, but inwardly being filled with violent greed and lack of self-control. The word translated as "robbery" or "violent greed" indicates a person who is at least very opportunistic, always looking for what they can get for themselves. It can also refer to extortion or taking things by force or manipulation. The word translated as "self-indulgence" or "lack of self-control" is a negated form for the word which means "inner strength". In other words, such people want what they want when they want it, and are not strong on delaying gratification or saying no to themselves. Furthermore, they are not above manipulating, threatening or even taking things from others, if they want something. By contrast, "self-control" is one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22,23), and is an important ingredient in spiritual growth which we have to add to our faith (II Pet. 1:6). The Pharisees and scribes were big on outward rituals, but were very self-centered in character. They were like someone who would ritually wash the outside of the cup, but not check to see that the inside was dirty. Jesus’ counsel was to clean the inside first, then cleaning the outside would make some sense.

(6.) Tribulation to them, because they are like whitewashed tombs. These tombs appear clean and beautiful on the outside, but inside they were full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. It was customary, especially at feast times, to paint tombs and grave markers with limestone dust, so that they would be easily seen by travelers. This was so that they could avoid the seven-day defilement that would be associated with touching a grave (Num. 19:16). To be unclean for a week would cause the person to miss out on the festivities. He could not come into the city or the temple. He would have traveled all that way for nothing. This image would be very fresh in the minds of the travelers, who had seen many whitewashed sepulchers on their journey. The comparison was that, like the whitewashed tombs, the scribes and Pharisees outwardly appear beautiful and clean, but inwardly they were full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. It is interesting that Jesus would mention lawlessness, because keeping the law was the focus of what their disciplined lives were all about. Again, however, even though they appeared to be keeping the law on the outside, their hearts were full of rebellion and wickedness.

(7.) Judgment on them, because they are like their forefathers, who murdered the prophets. Jesus says that He will send them prophets, wise men and scribes, which they will scourge, persecute and kill. They are snakes, the offspring of vipers. They may not think they are like their fathers, but they are, and will do as they did. The judgment for the blood of all the righteous people from the time of Abel to the end of the OT will come upon their generation.

Finally, turning His focus away from the scribes and Pharisees, He directs His attention to the city at large, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen her chicks, but you were not willing. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!" He closed by saying that they would no longer see Him until they cry, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." This is a quote from Psa. 118:26, where the stone which the builders had rejected had now, by God’s doing, become the chief corner stone. Unbeknownst to His listeners, this was also a prophetic reference to the resurrection, exaltation and return of Christ as the Messianic Son of Man (Dan. 7:13,14).