Seven Woes against Hypocrisy and Mere Apologetics

Today I read Matthew 23. What was so striking about this story was Jesus' anger towards hypocrisy and those who practiced it. I can think of only another instance when I see Jesus' "righteous anger" so vividly displayed and that is found in the story of Jesus clearing the temple (Matthew 21:12-17). There he told the merchants who were doing their business in the temple court:
 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[a] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[b]” (verse 13).
He was then quoting [a] Isaiah 56:7 and [b] Jeremiah 7:11. These passages speak of God's passionate love for His temple (His tent or His people where He had chosen to make his abode). He wants to have a relationship with believers, through prayer and worship but instead, some have "robbed" that relationship for personal gain.

The Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees (representing those who were knowledgeable of God's word and were in position of leadership in the church) are summarized here with my personal reflection. I am quoting from the Message translation which uses the phrase "you are hopeless" instead of "woe to you" and calls the teachers of the law and Pharisees as "frauds":

1. "You’re hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God’s kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won’t let anyone else in either." (verse 13) Oh don't let my preconceived ideas of personal holiness to blind me of the true delight of God's Kingdom on earth. If I miss the boat I will lead others away from God's true intention for mankind.
2. "You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned." (verse 15) When I present the good news to others I should be mindful of telling the good news of Jesus instead of telling them a list of do's and don'ts.
3. "You’re hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, ‘If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that’s nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that’s serious.’ What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands?...A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless." (verses 16-22) I am reminded of the importance of personal integrity in my dealings with believers and non-believers alike.
4. "You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it..." (verses 23-24) These verses helped me understanding the meaning of tithing better. It's not just 10% of my income (before tax or after tax?). It is about using what has been entrusted to me to further God's kingdom of justice and compassion.
5. "You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something." (verses 25-26) Do everything out of God's love and not just to look good.
6. "You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds." (verses 27-28) This one looks similar to (4). I guess it puts more emphasis on sincerity and transparency. Admitting to missing the mark should always be part of my testimony.
7. "You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. You protest too much! You’re cut from the same cloth as those murderers, and daily add to the death count." (verses 29-32) Wow, I really need to be aware of my criticism and judging of others, especially those who belong to the household of God. It amounts to murdering their faith!

These are good warnings for me. It's amazing how life can be if I pursue the Eight Beatitudes instead of being pulled back by the Seven Woes.

The lesson this morning ties in with the book I finished reading this past week. "Mere Apologetics" by Alister McGrath reminded me of the importance of personal narrative/stories in the post-modern age. Let me quote a few helpful passages here:
"An image I have long found helpful is to think of each person potentially being on the road leading from doubt or unbelief to faith. For some, that path is smooth and easy, having few roadblocks of any importance. For others, that path is long and difficult, with many potholes and other obstacles to faith along the way. The problem is that an external observer doesn't know what someone's road look like; the apologist has no idea whether the difficulty raised by the person she's speaking to is the one and only remaining barrier to faith - or whether a whole series of difficulties remained to be engaged. All the apologist can do is to give a good answer and trust that a seed has been sown - and that one less barrier to faith remains. Our job is to move people along by one step." (page 159 last paragraph).

In dealing with questions and concerns, some basic points (pages 160-161):

• Be gracious.
• What is the real question?
• Don't give prepackaged answers to honest questions.
• Appreciate the importance of learning from other apologists.

The Seven Woes would be a good reminder (of What Not To Do) when I engage others in matters of faith. My life should be a reflection of God's gracious redemption and words that come out of my mouth should be like the living water that overflows out of thankfulness of our heart. Like the story of Jesus reaching out to the Samaritan woman:

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
 
“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
 
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:10-13)