Matthew 23:29-33 NASB “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?
A biblical reminder of woe defined is: The word “woe” is often used to express grief, regret, misfortune or grievous distress stated from such a great affliction of some sort or being in such trouble that an escape out of it seems impossible.
Some synonyms for hypocrite are pretender, deceiver, imposter and phony.
Matthew 5:10-11 NASB “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:13-48 NASB “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
31 “It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; 32 but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41 Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Young woman enjoying nature and sunlight in straw field
Galatians 1:9 NKJV As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
Salt is a preserver. We are the salt of the earth. The moral compass of the world. We are the ones trying to do the right things for the right reasons. But, and If, we lose that desire, how will the world see how they are supposed to act in matters of justice, love and mercy?
We are the light of the world. We are to shine God’s grace, love, truth and mercy to the lost. We are to be holy, to shine for His glory and lead others to the Truth. Look at verse 20 again, For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. We have to seek the Lord, now more than ever, to be the light in this dark world.
The scribes and Pharisees had a form of religion but denied the power thereof. They were concerned with rules and regulations, but not the heart of the matter, which is what the Lord is concerned about. Where is our heart? Are we dedicated to His truth and righteousness? We have went over the eight woes of Jesus and I hope you have learned as I have, the seriousness with which we are called, to be exhibiting Christ-like behavior. Looking around our world and knowing the end is near, how much more should we be on fire for God, living in such a way that our lives would shine for Him?
Pray with me please
Heavenly Father,
You are holy, loving and perfect in everything. Thank You for Your truth. I pray that as we have been through the eight woes that were listed in the book of Matthew, that our eyes have been opened to the truth as found in Your word. I pray that our lives would be changed for Your glory. Help us, Lord God, to do and say the things that are pleasing to You. We love You so much and want to honor You on this earth with our submission to You. In Jesus’ name we pray.
If you do not know Jesus but would like to know more about Him, please read the following blog titled, Never let Us Go. God bless. https://thefathersfeet.wordpress.com/2020/01/07/you-never-let-us-go/
Revelation 22:17-22 NASB
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
The Fathers Feet 
The power Jesus holds is unexplainable
His love is even great too.
What I found interesting in reading the bible is that Jesus lived, thought, felt, talked all in alignment with his father’s will.
I Believe mankind has drifted away from God but if we get in alignment with him I believe we will get through tribulations better, we will deal with situations much better, we will love each other without judgement and the world would be better.
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Yes I agree! We need to align ourselves with the truth of His word. Now more than ever we need to know the word of God. Then everything will be better. God bless you. Thanks for your insightful comment. ♡
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You’re welcome
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