The Woes of the Pharisees is a list of criticisms by Jesus against scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel of Luke 11:37-54 and Gospel of Matthew 23:1-39.Mark 12:35-40 and Luke 20:45-47 include warnings about scribes. Boy don't we have some modern day Pharisees, Saduccees & Scribes. They were the elders and scribes who belonged to two political parties in the Sanhedrin. The Sadducees rejected life after death, angels or and thing supernatural.
They were the aristocracy and well to do ruling class. The Pharisees believed in God. Paul said they had a zeal, but not according to truth.
They have refined hypocrisy to a science. They passed themselves off as the religious leaders of the Jews, yet they lived on pride, power and self-righteousness. They longed for a Messiah, but they wanted a strong military leader who would throw off the Roman oppressors. They wanted Israel to be strong and powerful and a glorious nation. They could not accept a Messiah, who came from the family of a poor carpenter, or the poor town of Nazareth.
They were the aristocracy and well to do ruling class. The Pharisees believed in God. Paul said they had a zeal, but not according to truth.
They have refined hypocrisy to a science. They passed themselves off as the religious leaders of the Jews, yet they lived on pride, power and self-righteousness. They longed for a Messiah, but they wanted a strong military leader who would throw off the Roman oppressors. They wanted Israel to be strong and powerful and a glorious nation. They could not accept a Messiah, who came from the family of a poor carpenter, or the poor town of Nazareth.
Eight are listed in Matthew, and hence Matthew's version is known as the eight woes. These are found in Matthew 23 verses 13, 14, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27 and 29. Only six are given in Luke, whose version is thus known as the six woes'.
The woes mostly criticize the Pharisees for hypocrisy and perjury. They illustrate the differences between inner and outer moral states
As the Easter draws near and Good Friday I have been reflecting on how the issues surrounding Christ’s death can be compared to present day matters and actions by some. Jesus for all intents and purposes was not killed by the Romans as we have been sometimes told in the story leading up to his crucifixion not to mention the payment of the blood money to Judas who betrayed Jesus as well; he sold out the master to the authorities and who were they, the Scribes, teachers, Pharisees and such who saw him as a threat to their power and influence in the annals of government and theology then. Of course we know ways are always found to eliminate political opponents by nicely planned and rolled out schemes and legal manoeuvres.
Why oh why do I see similar actions by some claiming to be Christian while going against the teachings of Christ in terms of inclusiveness are bent on dividing simply because they think they can dictate morality under the guise that the Bible said it; so it is OK the stigmatize persons blended with hypocritical conditional tolerance messages such as ‘love the sinner, hate the sin’ or the few and far in between ‘we don’t support violence towards gays but homosexuality is wrong’ which only comes when prompted by criticisms from bloggers like me or public commentators.
examples of the weird advocacy via Dr Wayne West's blog
also see:
Dr Wayne West’s continued intellectual dishonesty on fisting felching & chariot racing by homosexuals in Jamaica 2013
I find it remarkable that some resort to name calling as the way to mask their hate and indifference such as Dr Wayne West who thrives on such hate filled and stigmatizing language while weaving deceptive antigay advocacy to give strength to his cause; yet in none of his numerous blog posts or public appearances has he and others such as Shirley Richards or Betty Ann Blaine all self professed Christians do not invite persons to a middle ground or espouse any togetherness and avoid pushing ostracism. Ostracism by the way Jesus loathed as was shown in the woman with the alabaster box story or the stoning of the so called prostitute where he said to the stoners who asked him how to treat with her: ‘He who is without sine cast the first stone’
Would Jesus Hate, What would Jesus do?
I am sure that Jesus who died for us all would not hate and obviously had a special place for the poor, destitute and outcast yet others in his name and that of the father do the direct opposite; their morality in their eyes is all that matters but they are less vocal and strident with other societal atrocities but as soon as homosexuality is included somewhere they are the loudest; which make me wonder if some persons were abused in their younger days and confuse or conflate such awful abuse as normative for persons who express or seek same gender love and associated rights. It was these same scribes and such who used Jesus’s words to trap him giving rise to the system condemning him to death and it is just the same these days with some of the aforementioned folks.
Self righteous pastors despite their shoddy credibility and questionable involvement in shady matters continue to hold strain against gay lobbyists even as their issues is plain for all too see makes them not justified in their cause. Chief of them all is Pastor Al Miller and as I scan the growing religious radio stations I hear more prosperity gospel sounding messages, condemnations of all sorts especially homosexuality but very little open calls to togetherness, discussions and true tolerance at least when I am tuned in.
The eight woes
The eight woes of hypocrisy are:
They taught about God but did not love God — they did not enter the kingdom of heaven themselves, nor did they let others enter. (Matt 23:13)
They devoured widows' houses and for a pretence made a long prayer, for which they would receive a greater damnation. (Matt 23:14)
They preached God but converted people to dead religion, thus making those converts twice as much sons of hell as they themselves were. (Matt 23:15)
They taught that an oath sworn by the temple or altar was not binding, but that if sworn by the gold ornamentation of the temple, or by a sacrificial gift on the altar, it was binding. The gold and gifts, however, were not sacred in themselves as the temple and altar were, but derived a measure of lesser sacredness by being connected to the temple or altar. The teachers and Pharisees worshiped at the temple and offered sacrifices at the altar because they knew that the temple and altar were sacred. How then could they deny oath-binding value to what was truly sacred and accord it to objects of trivial and derived sacredness? (Matt 23:16-22)
They taught the law but did not practice some of the most important parts of the law — justice, mercy, faithfulness to God. They obeyed the minutiae of the law such as tithing spices but not the weightier matters of the law. (Matt 23:23-24)
They presented an appearance of being 'clean' (self-restrained, not involved in carnal matters), yet they were dirty inside: they seethed with hidden worldly desires, carnality. They were full of greed and self-indulgence. (Matt 23:25-26)
They exhibited themselves as righteous on account of being scrupulous keepers of the law, but were in fact not righteous: their mask of righteousness hid a secret inner world of ungodly thoughts and feelings. They were full of wickedness. They were like whitewashed tombs, beautiful on the outside, but full of dead men's bones. (Matt 23:27-28)
They professed a high regard for the dead prophets of old, and claimed that they would never have persecuted and murdered prophets, when in fact they were cut from the same cloth as the persecutors and murderers: they too had murderous blood in their veins. (Matt 23:29-36)
Would Jesus Hate, What would Jesus do?
Self righteous pastors despite their shoddy credibility and questionable involvement in shady matters continue to hold strain against gay lobbyists even as their issues is plain for all too see makes them not justified in their cause. Chief of them all is Pastor Al Miller and as I scan the growing religious radio stations I hear more prosperity gospel sounding messages, condemnations of all sorts especially homosexuality but very little open calls to togetherness, discussions and true tolerance at least when I am tuned in.
The eight woes of hypocrisy are:
They taught about God but did not love God — they did not enter the kingdom of heaven themselves, nor did they let others enter. (Matt 23:13)
They devoured widows' houses and for a pretence made a long prayer, for which they would receive a greater damnation. (Matt 23:14)
They preached God but converted people to dead religion, thus making those converts twice as much sons of hell as they themselves were. (Matt 23:15)
They taught that an oath sworn by the temple or altar was not binding, but that if sworn by the gold ornamentation of the temple, or by a sacrificial gift on the altar, it was binding. The gold and gifts, however, were not sacred in themselves as the temple and altar were, but derived a measure of lesser sacredness by being connected to the temple or altar. The teachers and Pharisees worshiped at the temple and offered sacrifices at the altar because they knew that the temple and altar were sacred. How then could they deny oath-binding value to what was truly sacred and accord it to objects of trivial and derived sacredness? (Matt 23:16-22)
They taught the law but did not practice some of the most important parts of the law — justice, mercy, faithfulness to God. They obeyed the minutiae of the law such as tithing spices but not the weightier matters of the law. (Matt 23:23-24)
They presented an appearance of being 'clean' (self-restrained, not involved in carnal matters), yet they were dirty inside: they seethed with hidden worldly desires, carnality. They were full of greed and self-indulgence. (Matt 23:25-26)
They exhibited themselves as righteous on account of being scrupulous keepers of the law, but were in fact not righteous: their mask of righteousness hid a secret inner world of ungodly thoughts and feelings. They were full of wickedness. They were like whitewashed tombs, beautiful on the outside, but full of dead men's bones. (Matt 23:27-28)
They professed a high regard for the dead prophets of old, and claimed that they would never have persecuted and murdered prophets, when in fact they were cut from the same cloth as the persecutors and murderers: they too had murderous blood in their veins. (Matt 23:29-36)
We can add a ninth woe in condemning persons who are different and boxing them in so as to castigate them while going against the non-ostracism principle of Christ.
Sad that this where we are still at. But LGBT resilience is strong especially from survivors like me. I won't retaliate I don't believe in hate as Amber nicely puts it:
Your toxic words are like rain to me
Peace & tolerance
H
also see:
Christians say ... Don't force gay agenda on them ....
Betty Ann Blaine on Poverty, children and the Buggery Law .... and that awful confusion of homosexuality
also see:
Christians say ... Don't force gay agenda on them ....
The “rights by stealth” strategy to fisting, felching, rimming, farming, scat, chariot racing etc’
Dunce, Diseased and Depraved . (suggesting anal sex is by depraved persons)
And
Legal rights to anal penetration, felching and chariot racing ?
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