The Seven Woes

If you have a bible open it up to Matthew 23… I have titled the message this morning.. “The Seven Woes.” The word of the Lord says this…

“13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. 16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will “37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ””

This language is powerful. And we need to understand again who Jesus is talking to. He is talking to the pharisees and the scribes. The bible experts and the bible keepers. Who miss who Jesus is, and miss how to find him and really try their best to make sure noone else follows them.

And what I want you to see as our main idea is this…

Jesus warns the dangers of outward religiosity without a inward heart change.

Before we dig into these woes we need to think about a few things.. The word woe is a strong condemnation in fact its judgment…

And with each woe we see just how bad these pharisees are and the works they are doing.

Jesus starts by saying in woe number 1 that these pharisees shut the door for others salvation.

Jesus comes opens the door saying all who come to me find rest, and like the wicked people they are they shut the door. As the crowds are excited to hear from Jesus the pharisees at every possible point aim to shut the door. In such a way where not only do they not go into the door of salvation but they don’t let others in as well.

Jesus offers this great hope and they do not want it for themselves or for anyone else. See these were the leaders of the day it was there job to teach the people about God about the messiah and how to live and guess what they were busy keeping people out of heaven rather than opening the door for them.

I really like the words of one commentator who said… They have mounted the seat of Moses, from which they offer their teachings and traditions, but their pronouncements are false. They do not lead the people to God but away from the kingdom of heaven. Not only have they rejected the offer to enter the kingdom themselves, but their teachings and opposition to Jesus’ ministry influence the people to reject that invitation as well.

This is a terrible abuse of their responsibility. Jesus condemns them for their hypocrisy, that is, attempting to bring the people into a righteous relationship with God while at the same time not being in a genuine relationship themselves. The first woe sets the tone.

He moves on saying they are creating converts of hell with woe 2. Jesus again uses powerful language here. Saying these men go all over the world in hopes of creating converts not for God but for themselves, and because they are not following God all they are doing is creating more people to go to hell. See something we can learn from this woe is you can be full of zeal for the Lord and be lost and dead in your sin… In my study I was reminded the scribes and Pharisees are "not simply wrong but contagiously wrong." The are like the English doctors during the early phase of the bubonic plague who told the sick to leave London for the fresh air of the countryside and who in doing so, spread the disease throughout the nation.

In Hosea 4:6a the Lord says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Don't underestimate the importance of right knowledge in the church and don't underestimate the danger of uniformed enthusiasm.

Matthew has made his Gospel clear on who Jesus is and what he has done. If we run to the mission field without first bowing before Jesus as Lord and without knowing what his commandments are that we are to teach others, we are in danger falling into the same pit as the scribes and Pharisees did.

One of the reasons I believe the Lord led me to be a pastor is because I had so much zeal for the Lord even like a pharisee but I was so wrong because I lacked knowledge..

One commentator said.. How zealous are Muslim jihadists? How zealous are Mormon missionaries? Religious zeal is not an indication of truth. Woe to us if we have zeal without knowledge. Woe also to us if we have knowledge without zeal we need both. But one comes before the other-knowledge first; zeal second. Our knowledge of God is needed to make right disciples of God not make disciples of ourselves.

third woe. They are blind guides . 16-22 Jesus called the Pharisees “blind guides” because they misled others through their obsession with trivial distinctions in the practice of swearing oaths.

We talked about this in a prior sermon, but oaths were very common in Jewish times and the pharisees often emphasized technicalities.. So they could swear by the gold in the temple but not the temple itself and for them doing that was nothing more than a show. They made it look like they were religious but they were not even truthful.

They in their minds came up with a system that could allow them to take an oath one way and mean it and another way. But we know based on the scriptures teaching based on earlier sermons in this gospel that.. God wants our yes to be yes and our no to be no. Because ultimately everything we say will be judged by God, and anyone teaching anything other than that is a blind guide.

forth woe 23-24 neglecting the weighty matters of the law. Many scholars like to call this majoring on the minors. Its my belief this is why we have so many denominations.

There was a call to tithe all your possessions including those you might call minor things like dill, mint, and cumin. But the pharisees focused so much on the minor things they neglected the greater. Like Justice mercy and faithfulness. And when you focus on the small stuff you often forget the big stuff. Now all of this is important but when you focus on the small stuff you miss other things. See while they were busy policing minor things they neglected how the law was suppose to carry over into everyday life.

And so even Jesus Using vivid imagery, exposes the hypocrisy of their behavior with the saying, “You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” While they carefully filtered small insects from wine to obey ritual laws, they ignored much larger matters of ethical and spiritual importance.

This contrast illustrates their partial obedience and selective rule following, showing that they engaged in religion superficially while neglecting the truths that the law was meant to teach.

fifth woe… 25-26 Clean outside dirty inside..

For the pharisees everything became an outside show. They cared so much how they looked, and how other perceived them. They wanted to look pure without the pure heart. Jesus seems to even say you know you look clean, but your heart is full of greed and self indulgence..

Jesus is trying to tell them its the heart that is the problem. He is telling them your heart wants you to look clean on the outside, it wants to do good to appear good in front of others but without being cleaned first your outside might look pretty but your inside is filthy .

Jesus wants them to know its inner righteousness that allows them to be clean in fact to be clean on the outside you must first be clean on the inside.

sixth.. They were whitewashed tombs…

this one needs a little context.. I know some of you who spend time at the graveyard will like this one.. but learning from scholars in the springtime before the Passover, it was the custom to whitewash the roadside tombstones so no pilgrim to Jerusalem would mistakenly touch a tomb and thus be rendered unclean for the seven days of the feast (Numbers 19:16). The scribes and Pharisees looked like those tombs. Outwardly they looked so beautifully clean. Inwardly they were unclean—dead, decaying, putrid.

This woe is just like the last but if you ever seen those fancy tombstone know whats underneath decaying dusty bones no life.

Again you can look the part but without the heart you are just a dead man walking and this is what these pharisees were.

seventh woe which you could extend all the way to the end of this chapter. The woe of unbelief and unbelief sure does manifest itself doesn't it.

One scholar said.. I want you to notice that this is the seventh woe. The numerology might be intentional, as the number seven does symbolize completeness or fullness, and it often appears in judgment texts, and the book of Revelation (with its seven seals, seven plagues, seven golden bowls). 4Certainly the picture here is the pot of God's patience boiling over. It's more than complete or full.

The other detail to notice here before you read the text is the judicial language. I will highlight it at the start. Starting in verse 29, Jesus announces;

Matthew 23:29–36 “29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”

Then we read in verses 37—39:

Matthew 23:37–39 “37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ””

A Scholar says..Due to this judicial language, I think the best and easiest way to remember this final woe and warning is with the image of a courtroom. The scene is this: Jesus is the divine judge. I say divine because Jesus speaks here only as God would speak in the Old Testament. The four "I" statements show his hand. "Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes..." (v. 34).

Who does he think he is—God? "Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation" (v. 36). Who does he think he is-again God? "How often would / have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings..." (v. 37). Who does he think he is again -God? "For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'" (v. 39). Who does he think he is God? Does the Lord Jesus think he is the Lord God? Yes!

The scribes and Pharisees are the defendants. They are on trial for the crimes of unbelief and murder. They did not come to Jesus for life; instead they put him to death, along with the prophets before him and the servants sent after them. Their actions are inexcusable. Thus Judge Jesus renders his sentence (guilty as charged) and punishment (a razed city [Jerusalem] and ever-rising flames [Hell]). That's the sad, scary scene.

This scholar said.. I don't have space to go into how they could be guilty for killing everyone from Abel (the first "martyr" in the Bible) to Zechariah (the last martyr in the Hebrew canon).' I also won't tackle the nature of the punishment-(a) that Jesus predicts the temporal punishment of the destruction of the temple in AD 70 (vv. 36, 38), as well as (b) the eternal punishment of hellfire. I will simply focus on the serious nature of the crime of unbelief, for that is the most pertinent warning to us.

Think about this church as I try to illustrate this for you.. Jesus stands at the forefront, speaking with a posture of solemn judgment (not angry shouting, but judicial authority).

Behind Him is a large open gate labeled “Kingdom of Heaven,” shining with light — but the Pharisees stand in front of it, blocking the entrance for others. Seven Panels/Scenes Around Him (like stained glass or mural sections):

First Woe – Blocking the Kingdom Pharisees hold scrolls, turning their backs on the open gate, while pushing away common people who are trying to enter. Their faces are shadowed, showing rejection of Jesus as Messiah.

Second Woe – Misguided Converts A Pharisee drags a new convert on a chain labeled “Tradition,” who looks more bound and weighed down than free. The convert mirrors the Pharisee’s stern, closed-off expression.

Third Woe – Blind Guides A blindfolded Pharisee leads others, holding up golden objects from the temple, swearing empty oaths. Behind them, broken scales of justice symbolize their twisted handling of truth.

fourth Woe – Straining Gnats, Swallowing Camels A Pharisee carefully filtering a cup with a strainer to remove a tiny gnat, while behind him he gulps down an enormous camel. On a table nearby lie herbs (mint, dill, cumin), but a scroll of “Justice, Mercy, Faithfulness” is left untouched.

Fifth Woe – Dirty Vessels A gleaming cup polished on the outside, but inside crawling with rot, greed, and filth. Jesus gestures toward it, pointing to the inside first.

Sixth Woe – Whitewashed Tombs A row of whitewashed tombs, beautiful with carvings and flowers, but cracked open to reveal bones and decay inside. Pharisees stand proudly in front, dressed in white robes, but their feet are sunk in shadows of corruption.

Seventh Woe – Sons of the Murderers Pharisees build ornate tombs for prophets, lifting chisels and hammers proudly. Behind them, ghostly images of the slain prophets point toward them, while Jesus points to the looming cross in the background — hinting at their coming rejection of Him.

) At the bottom of the scene: snakes slithering out from the tombs, coiling around the Pharisees — tying back to Jesus’ words, “You snakes, you brood of vipers!” Above, storm clouds gather over Jerusalem, foreshadowing judgment, while rays of light break through near Jesus, offering hope for those who follow Him instead of the hypocrites.

The illustration I have given you of the Seven Woes in Matthew 23 shows the dangers of hypocrisy, pride, and misplaced devotion.

Even with that let me scene being so dark let me remind you of this..

There are no woes in Christ.

Why is that important well.. In Matthew 23, we see the powerful contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees, and one striking truth emerges: Jesus Himself had no woes. While He pronounces seven woes upon the Pharisees and scribes for their hypocrisy, blindness, and unbelief, He Himself embodies the perfect alignment of heart, mind, and action. The Pharisees shut the door of the kingdom of heaven, refusing entrance to themselves and blocking others, yet Jesus opens the door, offering rest and salvation to all who come to Him. Unlike the leaders who zealously create converts of hell through misguided teaching, Jesus’ mission is to draw people into life, truth, and the kingdom of God. He offers hope, mercy, and instruction, never hypocrisy or obstruction.

The Pharisees are condemned for their outward religion that masks inner corruption—tithing herbs while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness, following minor rules while ignoring the law’s greater purpose. They are blind guides, obsessed with trivial distinctions in oaths, and whitewashed tombs, beautiful outwardly but full of death inwardly.

In contrast, Jesus’ heart and actions are pure and consistent. He speaks truth without guile, teaches the law’s true intent, and exemplifies justice and mercy in every encounter. His righteousness flows from a heart aligned with God’s will; He does not merely appear holy but actually is holy. Where the Pharisees’ zeal is misdirected, His zeal is rooted in knowledge, love, and obedience, demonstrating that His teaching produces life rather than condemnation.

Finally, the seventh woe highlights the Pharisees’ unbelief and murderous rebellion, making them guilty of continuing the sins of their ancestors, even plotting to kill Jesus Himself. Here, Jesus stands as the divine judge, pronouncing judgment with authority because He alone is fully righteous. Unlike the Pharisees, He is without deceit, pride, or self-interest. Every word and action flows from truth, compassion, and a desire to reconcile humanity to God. While the Pharisees mislead, manipulate, and pursue empty appearances, Jesus demonstrates inward purity, authentic obedience, and perfect alignment with God’s kingdom. In Him, there is no hypocrisy, no selective obedience, no blindness, and no unbelief.

The seven woes reveal human failure; Jesus reveals divine perfection, showing that the way to the kingdom is through a heart surrendered to Him. Where the Pharisees embody judgment, Jesus embodies grace, truth, and life. This is most seen at the cross of Christ where he laid down his life for sinners so you could have life. How do you respond? 7 points of application..

1. Keep the Gospel Central

The Pharisees shut the door to the kingdom by adding burdens and traditions that kept people from God. Guard your heart by keeping Christ at the center of your life and message. Remember: salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, not by religious performance. Always go back to the gospel, and let the gospel and its message change everything about your life.

2. Live What You Preach

The Pharisees were passionate about teaching, but not about living truth. Guard your heart by asking: Am I practicing what I proclaim? While I am a preacher and I love to proclaim his Word the greatest gospel someone will read is myself. I shared one pther time in another sermon that people may not read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but they will read you.. Amen or OUCHHHHHH!!! This pains me to say this but my life should be the loudest sermon anyone every hears, yes that includes what I say but it should be followed in obedience. We all should live what we preach.

3. Value the Weightier Matters

Jesus rebuked them for tithing tiny spices but neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Guard your heart by majoring on what God majors on. Don’t let rituals or outward duties replace love for God and compassion for people. Ask daily: Am I showing justice, mercy, and faithfulness in my relationships? Do i see people the way Christ does as someone who is made in the image of God and needing grace. Offering acts of mercy when it is not deserved. Seeking the things God wants me to seek and not just what I want to focus on.

4. Pursue Inner Purity

The Pharisees looked clean on the outside but were full of greed and indulgence inside. Guard your heart by tending to your inner life with God — your thoughts, desires, and motives. Confession, prayer, and Scripture are how the Spirit cleans the “inside of the cup.” The world will try and i mean will try so hard to steal your purity do your best to maintain it. To keep your mind and yours kids pure for as long as you can.

5. Reject Outward-Only Religion

The pharisees were like whitewashed tombs — beautiful outside, but dead within. Many of us like to look our Sunday best, but its only a show. Guard your heart by choosing authenticity over appearance. Don’t just look spiritual; be transformed. Seek to please God in secret, not just people in public. Our goal is to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Not dead tombs. Not dry dead bones, but people who are alive in him.

6. Humble Yourself Before God

The Pharisees honored the prophets in words but carried the same rebellious spirit. Guard your heart by humbly receiving God’s Word, even when it corrects you. Always stay teachable, repent quickly, and don’t assume you are above falling into the same traps. Remember the scripture Take head lest you fall. = without the grace of God we to can become those pharisees.

7. Stay Close to Christ’s Compassion

Jesus ends not with rage but with lament: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often would I have gathered you.” Guard your heart by drawing near to the Savior’s heart. Let His mercy shape your spirit so you don’t become harsh, cold, or proud. Its so easy in this fallen world to be look at these people these sinners… I am glad I am not like them, the truth is if we are going to be different from the scribes and Pharisees we have to and i mean have to stay close to his compassion.

Church, as we’ve walked through the Seven Woes, we’ve seen just how serious Jesus is about hypocrisy, pride, and outward-only religion. The Pharisees looked holy, but their hearts were far from God. They shut the door of the kingdom, created converts of hell, majored on the minors, and lived for appearances instead of truth. And Jesus pronounced woe after woe upon them.

But here’s the good news — there are no woes in Christ. In Him, there is grace, mercy, and life. Where the Pharisees shut the door, Jesus opens it wide and says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Where they strained gnats and swallowed camels, Jesus offers living water that truly satisfies. Where they were whitewashed tombs full of death, Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

The question before us today is this: will we follow in the footsteps of the Pharisees, content with appearances and outward religion, or will we bow our hearts before Jesus and let Him cleanse us from the inside out?

Guard your heart. Keep the gospel central. Live what you preach. Value justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Pursue purity, humility, and compassion. Because the greatest tragedy would be to spend your life looking religious and miss Jesus Himself.

So let us choose Christ. Let us walk in His life and light. And let us echo the words that one day all will say: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Let us pray…