The Seven Woes
Part 1
The Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States defines legalism as “the direct or indirect attachment of behaviors, disciplines, and practices to the belief in order to achieve salvation and right standing before God”, emphasizing a need “to perform certain deeds in order to gain salvation” (works). This perspective is what led Jesus to speak the Seven Woes to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees.
Additionally, legalism refers to the view that Christians should not engage in social practices perceived as contrary to a Christian witness. This might consist of gambling, dancing, consuming alcohol, enjoying secular entertainment, and so on.
Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces seven “woes” on the religious leaders of His day. The seven woes are addressed to the teachers of the law and Pharisees.
Jesus prefaced His seven woes by explaining to the disciples that they should obey the teachings of the Jewish leaders. But not to emulate their behavior because they did not practice what they preached (Matthew 23:3).
The Woe of The Pretender
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”
Matthew 23:13-14
The first of Jesus’ seven woes condemned the scribes and Pharisees for keeping people out of the kingdom of heaven. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matthew 23:13). Jesus is the only Savior and the only way to heaven. In their rejection of Jesus Christ, the Pharisees were effectively refusing to enter the kingdom of heaven. They also hindered the common people from believing in Him, thereby blocking the way to heaven for others. Repentance and faith in Christ is the door of admission into this kingdom. Nothing could be more disagreeable to the Pharisees, who saw no need for repentance in their own lives. They attempted to justify themselves by strict adherence to the law.
The Woe of The Legalist
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”
Matthew 23:15 NIV
In the second of the seven woes, Jesus condemned the leaders for teaching their converts the same hypocrisy that they themselves practiced. They led their converts into a religion of works, but not into true righteousness, making them “twice as much a child of hell” (Matthew 13:15).
The Woe of The Blind Leading The Blind
“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.”
Matthew 23:16-22 NIV
The third woe Jesus pronounced referred to the religious elite as “blind guides” and “blind fools” (Matthew 23:16–17). The hypocrites considered themselves guides of the blind (see Romans 2:19), but they themselves were blind and therefore unfit to guide others. Their spiritual blindness caused them to be ignorant of many things, including the identity of the Messiah and the way of salvation. They were blind to the true meaning of Scripture and to their own sin. They purported to guide the people into the truth, but they were incapable of doing so because they had no personal knowledge of the truth. Instead of teaching spiritual truth, they preferred to quibble over irrelevant matters and find loopholes in the rules for their own personal benefit.
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