Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees… and the Coming of The Lord…
WOW, these two chapters of Matthew are more revealing than the Book of Revelations!
In Jesus’ words as told to the Disciples going into Holy Week:
“But all these things are the beginning of sorrows.”
“And because iniquity will abound, the charity of many will grow cold. But whoever perseveres to the end, he shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, for a witness to all nations; and then will come the end.”
“Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet…”
“For false christs and false prophets will arise, and will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”
“… and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty.”
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but the Father only.”
“… until the day when Noe entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and swept them all away; even so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
“Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord is to come. Therefore you also must be ready, because at an hour that you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
We do not know the hour of our death or when the Son of Man will come again. I am confused as God said previously that He would never destroy the Earth as He had done with the flood. What then does this end of the world as we know it mean? On a personal basis, the hour of our death hopefully means the return of the Son of Man as we enter heaven. Could this be what Jesus is referring to?
So we don’t know the hour of our demise but Jesus boldly told the Pharisees and Scribes that their day of ruling by the law, not their hearts, was coming to an end.
“But woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men.”
“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees,.. have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, right judgment and mercy and faith.”
“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees,.. outwardly appear just to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees… thus you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets.”
Woe to me and you too?
Right judgment, mercy and faith!!!
Blessed are me and you!
Day 24: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; “Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees… and the Coming of The Lord…
Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapters 23-24.
Bible Notes:
The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew
Saint Matthew, also known as Levi, was a Galilean by birth.
Tax Collector at Capharnaum
Christ called him to become a disciple, and later an Apostle
After the Holy Ghost came down on the Apostles on Pentecost, Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea.
He wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament
Matthew Chapter 23: Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees; Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees; Their distorted religion; They overstress the nonessential part of religion; Their hypocritical purity; Their persecution of religion; Lamentation over Jerusalem.
“The Scribes and the Pharisees have sat on the chair of Moses. All things, therefore, that they command you, observe and do.”
“But do not you be called ‘Rabbi’; for one is your Master, and you are brothers. And call no one on earth your father; for one is your Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called masters; for one only is your Master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”
“But woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men.”
“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees,.. have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, right judgment and mercy and faith.”
Right judgment, mercy and faith!!!
“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees,.. outwardly appear just to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees… thus you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who killed the prophets.”
“Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I say to you, you shall not see me hence-forth until you shall say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Matthew Chapter 24: Christ foretells the Temple’s destruction; The disciples question Christ; Christ warns them not to be led astray; He tells them of trials and hard times to come; The destruction of Jerusalem; The signs of the last day; Darkening of sun and moon; Jerusalem’s impending destruction; The need for watchfulness; Exhortation to vigilance.
“Do you see all these things? Amen I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Sitting on the Mount of Olives
“Take care that no one leads you astray, For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead you astray.”
“But all these things are the beginning of sorrows.”
“And because iniquity will abound, the charity of many will grow cold. But whoever perseveres to the end, he shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, for a witness to all nations; and then will come the end.”
“Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet…”
“For false christs and false prophets will arise, and will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”
“… and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty.”
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but the Father only.”
“… until the day when Noe entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and swept them all away; even so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
“Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord is to come. Therefore you also must be ready, because at an hour that you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
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