The Pharisees were a prominent religious group in Judea during the time of Jesus Christ. Known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses and the oral traditions, they held significant influence over the religious life of the Jewish people. Despite their outward appearance of piety, Jesus Christ frequently criticized the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and legalism, which often overshadowed the true spirit of the Law.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus delivers a series of scathing rebukes against the Pharisees, known as the "Seven Woes." These denunciations highlight the discrepancies between the Pharisees' external religious practices and their internal spiritual state. Jesus begins by addressing the Pharisees' failure to practice what they preach, saying, "They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them" (Matthew 23:4).

The first woe condemns the Pharisees for shutting the kingdom of heaven in men's faces, neither entering themselves nor allowing others to enter. Jesus declares, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter" (Matthew 23:13).

The second woe criticizes their proselytizing efforts, which result in converts who are even more misguided than themselves. Jesus states, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are" (Matthew 23:15).

The third woe addresses their misguided emphasis on oaths and the temple, highlighting their distorted priorities. Jesus says, "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath’" (Matthew 23:16).

The fourth woe targets their neglect of justice, mercy, and faithfulness, while meticulously tithing minor herbs. Jesus admonishes them, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former" (Matthew 23:23).

The fifth woe exposes their obsession with outward cleanliness while ignoring inner corruption. Jesus declares, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence" (Matthew 23:25).

The sixth woe likens the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs, beautiful on the outside but full of dead bones within. Jesus warns, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity" (Matthew 23:27).

The seventh and final woe condemns their self-righteousness and their complicity in the persecution of the prophets. Jesus accuses them, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets’" (Matthew 23:29-30).

These woes serve as a powerful indictment of the Pharisees' spiritual blindness and their failure to recognize the true essence of God's commandments. Jesus' denunciations underscore the importance of genuine faith, humility, and the pursuit of justice and mercy over mere ritualistic observance.Matthew 23:13-33
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are entering to go in.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

But to Return Now to the Doctrine of Continual Inspiration. ...
... and goodness, and calls immediate inspiration enthusiasm, not considering, that
all the woes denounced by Christ against scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites ...
/.../address 32 0 0 but to return.htm

The Pharisee and Publican
... the gospel to poor sinners, and denounced terrible woes ... to hear, let him hear," what
Jesus Christ speaks to ... and the other a Publican." The Pharisees were the ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the pharisee and publican.htm

Index i. Of Subjects
... books denounced by Rabbis, 333,334. ... teaches His disciples concerning the leaven of
the Pharisees, 70, 71; ... Christ's last appeal in the Temple, 393-395; ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/index i of subjects.htm

Three Homilies. On Our Lord.
... For if that Pharisee retained the Pharisees' pride, how ... Now, our Lord denounced woe
to His crucifiers, that He ... could not see the persecution of Christ; but his ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/three homilies on our lord.htm

The Third Day in Passion-Week - the Last Controversies and ...
... proselytism to the sect of the Pharisees, which was ... The fourth Woe is denounced on
the moral blindness ... not easy to understand the precise allusion of Christ. ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter iv the third day.htm

References
... error of proclaiming him Christ, and then 'denounced by the ... moreover, the plot of
Herodians and Pharisees to kill ... Bruce, The Parabolic Teaching of Christ, 3d ed ...
//christianbookshelf.org/rhees/the life of jesus of nazareth/references.htm

The First Stages. Ch. 9:51 to 13:21
... Those who turn to Christ in repentance and faith and love will ... 8. Pharisaism Exposed
and Denounced. ... of the party; and in denouncing all Pharisees Jesus seemed ...
/.../erdman/the gospel of luke an exposition/a the first stages ch.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... First, all my comfort was taken from me; then darkness seized upon me; after which,
whole floods of blasphemies, both against God, Christ, and the Scriptures ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm

If Jesus condemned the Pharisees for praying out loud, should we pray aloud? | GotQuestions.org

What was Jesus writing in the dirt/sand when the Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery? | GotQuestions.org

Who were the Herodians? | GotQuestions.org

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