Audio Download

Matthew 23:1–39 The Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

[Study Aired October 13, 2025]

Today’s study is about Jesus exposing the hypocrisy of the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon, symbolized by the scribes and the Pharisees. Before we can understand today’s study, we need to know the use of the word “woe” in the Bible. A woe in the Bible can have various meanings depending on the context. It can mean an expression of deep sorrow, pain, or a state of great misery and trouble. It can also mean a solemn declaration of God’s judgment against those who persist in sin or hypocrisy. A woe can indicate a lament over one’s own pitiful state, as seen in Isaiah’s vision of God’s holiness.  

Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts [here Isaiah is lamenting over his spiritual poverty].

Rev 8:13  And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! [This is talking about our judgment]

In today’s study, Jesus pronouncing seven “woes” against the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy and spiritual blindness serves as a divine pronouncement of their judgment. As we are aware, the number seven spiritually means complete. Therefore, the seven woes show us the complete judgment of the Lord on our old man or flesh for our deeds during our time in the church system of this world. It also shows our spiritual poverty during our time in Babylon.

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

Mat 23:1  Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 
Mat 23:2  Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 

Here we see Jesus speaking to both the multitude and His disciples. As we have indicated in this study of the Book of Matthew, the multitude represents us in the churches of this world, and the disciples signify the Lord’s elect. We must first be part of the church system of this world before we are given to become the Lord’s elect. The Scribes and the Pharisees sitting in Moses’ seat means that in this age, it is the church system of this world or Babylon who are the custodians of the law of Moses. This implies that the church system preaches only the law of Moses, and therefore, they are not given to know Christ. In other words, the church system of this world does not have the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 

We know that the law of Moses only serves to make us aware of our sinful state. That is why we must first be in Babylon so that we know our sins through the law. Knowing our sins is a prerequisite to knowing Christ and His words. It is when we begin to see our spiritual poverty that the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to open our understanding to know Him. 

Rom 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 
Rom 7:8  But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 
Rom 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 

Mat 23:3  All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 
Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.   

During our time in the churches of this world, the Lord required us to be obedient to the law of Moses which is taught in Babylon. This is because it is through our disobedience that we can know our sinful state. It is in Babylon that we saw the works of the leaders which reflect our state. That is, we worshiped the Lord with our mouth but our hearts were far away from Him.

Mat 15:8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 

In Matthew 15:9, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men is the same as teaching the law of Moses. 

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 

As shown in verse 4, these commandments of men are like heavy burdens which are grievous to be borne because we do not have what it takes to obey them – not even the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon. This heavy burden we bore during our time in the churches of this world is depicted by the people of Israel’s reaction to Rehoboam, Solomon’s son who succeeded him as king. Rehoboam’s insistence on increasing the burden on the people of Israel was what brought about the separation of the northern kingdom from Judah. We can therefore deduce that this heavy burden that we bore when we were in the churches of this world was what accelerated our exit from Babylon.   

1Ki 12:1  And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
1Ki 12:2  And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;) 
1Ki 12:3  That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, 
1Ki 12:4  Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. 

1Ki 12:12  So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day. 
1Ki 12:13  And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him; 
1Ki 12:14 And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 

1Ki 12:16  So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. 

1Ki 12:17 But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 

Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 
Mat 23:6  And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 
Mat 23:7  And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 
Mat 23:8  But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 

In these verses, the Lord is warning us, His disciples, of the Nicolaitan system in the churches of this world. The word “Nicolaitans” is found in the following verses of scripture:

Rev 2:6  But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 

Rev 2:15  So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

It means conquerors of the people or victory over the laity. These scribes and Pharisees were lording over the Lord’s people, and this nicolaitan doctrine is what prevails in the church system of this world where the pastors rule over the Lord’s people. The Lord has warned His disciples of this tendency as follows:

Mat 20:25  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 
Mat 20:26  But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 
Mat 20:27  And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 
Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

As indicated in verses 5-7, these scribes and pharisees, who represent the leaders of Babylon, want their works to be seen by everybody. This runs contrary to what the Lord wants His elect to do.

Mat 6:3  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 
Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.  

Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

Mat 6:17  But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 
Mat 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 

Mat 23:9  And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 
Mat 23:10  Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 
Mat 23:11  But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 
Mat 23:12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 

We are called to serve and not lord over the Lord’s people as we see in the churches of this world or Babylon, where the pastors reign as kings over the Lord’s people. 

Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 

1Pe 4:10  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 
Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 

In verse 12, the Lord is warning us to humble ourselves before Him and men and we shall be exalted. On the other hand, if we exalt ourselves, we shall be abased. The story of Nebuchadnezzar is a reminder of how the Lord brings us down if we exalt ourselves.

Dan 4:28  All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. 
Dan 4:29  At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. 
Dan 4:30  The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 
Dan 4:31  While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 
Dan 4:32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.   

Mat 23:13  But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Mat 23:14  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 
Mat 23:15  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. 

We were the scribes and pharisees during our time in the churches of this world. The question is, “How do the scribes and Pharisees shut up the kingdom of heaven against men?” When we preach the doctrines of men or false doctrines, we are shutting up the kingdom of heaven. As indicated earlier, the doctrines of men are just like the law of Moses, which only requires obedience from our end, but does not provide the way to obedience. This implies that those who preach the law of Moses cannot live according to what they preach and therefore cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. If those leading the way cannot enter, then the followers are made worse off.

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 

As indicated in the introductory portion of this study, woe can mean a lament over our pitiful state of being worse off. The Lord’s use of woe to the scribes and pharisees shows our worsened state as we become entangled with the pollution of this world during our time in Babylon.

The next question is, “How do we devour widows houses?” It is when our message makes them worse off. The widows here represent the church system of this world or Babylon, who is without her husband Christ. As indicated in 2 Peter 2:17 above, it is in Babylon that we are made worse off, using prayer as a smoke screen to deceive many. Receiving greater damnation means that we shall be judged severely.

2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Compassing the sea and land to make one proselyte means putting in significant resources and effort to win a convert. We can see everywhere around us, many Christian TV stations and so-called mega pastors, travelling all over the world in the name of the gospel. In the final analysis, these converts become worse off than when they started in the faith.      

2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 

The Lord predicted how these men of God (scribes and Pharisees) will make His people worse off through the prophet Joel as follows:

Joe 2:2  A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 
Joe 2:3  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 
Joe 2:4  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
Joe 2:5  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 
Joe 2:6  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 
Joe 2:7  They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march everyone on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
Joe 2:8  Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk everyone in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 
Joe 2:9  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 

Mat 23:16  Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 
Mat 23:17  Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 
Mat 23:18  And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 
Mat 23:19  Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 

In verse 16, Jesus is referring to the scribes and the Pharisees as blind guides. This sums up what the leaders of the church system of this world are – they are blind guides. In other words, being blind, their eyes are not opened to perceive the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. We know that our bodies are the temple of the Lord. These scribes and Pharisees, who represent our lifestyle when we were in the churches of this world,  focus on the gold of the temple instead of the temple. This implies that many consider financial gain as a form of godliness instead of the cleansing of our hearts and minds (the temple).   

1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 
1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain. 
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 
1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 

In verses 17-19, Jesus is showing us that we are indeed fools and blind to consider the gold of the temple (riches) more than the temple (the sanctification of our hearts and minds). The parable of the rich fool demonstrate the point that Jesus was making.

Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 
Luk 12:16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 
Luk 12:17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 
Luk 12:18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 
Luk 12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 
Luk 12:20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 
Luk 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 

Mat 23:20  Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 
Mat 23:21  And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 
Mat 23:22  And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 

Verses 20 to 22 show us the importance of our body as living sacrifice to the Lord. The altar is within the temple, and the temple and the heavens all refer to our hearts and minds, where the throne of the Lord is. The sanctification of our hearts and minds is the work of the Lord who uses judgment as His cleansing tool. We can therefore see that the work of the Lord in our lives pertains to building of our temple or hearts and mind. This building of our temple is the cleansing of our hearts and minds. To ignore our temple, the center of the Lord’s work, and to focus on anything else means that we have been blinded and as a result, we have become fools.

Zec 6:12  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:   

Mat 23:23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 
Mat 23:24  Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 

These verses show us that the church system in Jesus days is not different from what the churches are doing today. Obsession with tithing was what drove the leaders in churches in Jesus days and it is the same as today.

Ecc 1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 

Here three things are mentioned as being of greater significance than tithing – judgment, mercy, and faith. Judgment is the means the Lord uses to take us out of the miry clay and to establish us on the rock which is Christ. It is through the suffering we go through that the Lord is able to destroy our flesh, or old man, who is the source of sin in our lives. The importance therefore of judgment is without question. It is the process the Lord uses to prepare us as His bride as we learn righteousness. As the church system in Jesus’ days ignored the issue of judgment, so is the church system of this world today. We can therefore see why the Lord called the scribes and the pharisees blind guides. This is because they do not have a clue as to how the Lord prepares us to be like Him. The same is today. The church system or Babylon today is ignorant of the Lord’s judgment, and therefore they are as blind as their fathers. We were also blind until the Lord came to us to open our eyes to see and ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

The church system in Jesus’ days and today do not understand the extent of the Lord’s mercy. The Jews thought they were the only people to whom the Lord will show mercy. The church today also thinks the same way in the sense that the Lord will show mercy to them but will not show mercy to all but burn them forever in the lake of fire. That is not the Lord we serve, who will show mercy to all in the fullness of time.  

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 

The third item of importance is faith. Our walk with Christ is a walk of faith, and it is through faith that we receive a good report and are able to overcome. It is through faith that we might obtain a better resurrection (first resurrection).

Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 
Heb 11:34  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 
Heb 11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 

The biblical phrase “strain at a gnat and swallow a camel” in Matthew 23:24 means to focus on trivial rules and external appearances while ignoring weightier matters that leads to salvation, such as, judgment, mercy and faith.

Mat 23:25  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 
Mat 23:26  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Mat 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 
Mat 23:28  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 

When our focus is on outward godliness, we miss out on the power of the Lord to cleanse us from within. As a result, we become worse off. The Lord does not see as we men see, in the sense that He focuses on the inward while men pay attention to the outward. The whole of the church system of this world pay attention to the outward. No wonder during our time in the churches of this world, we were filled with all sorts of evil.  

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

1Sa 16:7  But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 

Mat 23:29  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 
Mat 23:30  And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 
Mat 23:31  Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 
Mat 23:32  Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 

These scribes and Pharisees claimed innocence of the shedding of the blood of the prophets, but want to kill Jesus. The word of the Lord says that what we do to any of His messengers, we have done it to the Lord. This implies that the church system of this world is guilty for shedding the blood of Jesus and the prophets. We, His elect, were part of the church system at a certain stage of our walk and therefore were equally guilty.

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  

Mat 23:33  Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 
Mat 23:34  Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 
Mat 23:35  That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 
Mat 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 

The first time that the word vipers was used in the Bible, it referred to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to John the Baptist to be baptized. That was when John the Baptist asked them if it is because they want to flee from the wrath of God that they have come to be baptized. 

Mat 3:7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

This shows that vipers represent the Lord’s people who think they can escape from the wrath of the Lord or His judgment. This is confirmed in verse 33 where Jesus referred to them as generation of vipers who think they can escape from His judgment. Jesus also referred to them as serpents. Since the serpent represent the devil, it shows us that when we were in the churches of this world, our father was the devil. In verse 33 therefore, the Lord was revealing to us our state when we were in the churches of this world – we were deceived to believe that we have escaped the Lord’s judgement and were not aware that our father was the devil.   

Mat 12:34  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil (being of our father the devil), speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

As indicated in the previous verses, we were guilty of the blood of the prophets including our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore cannot escape the Lord’s judgment. Every generation of the Lord’s elect is guilty of the blood of Jesus and the prophets and must go through the Lord’s judgment.

Lament over Jerusalem

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 
Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 

Jerusalem in verse 37 represents the church system of this world or Babylon, of which we were part before the Lord came to rescue us. 

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 

As we are aware, hating a brother or sister means murder. We were therefore guilty of killing the Lord’s prophets sent to us as we rejected their message and considered them dead in the street of Jerusalem.

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 

Verse 37 is showing us that while we were in the churches of the world, the Lord wanted to gather us together as His elect, but He gave us a spirit of rebellion so that we were not willing. In verse 38, we are given a reason why we were not willing. Our house must become desolate before the Lord steps in to deliver us. In other words, we must come to see our spiritual poverty before the Lord comes to intervene in our circumstance.  

Mat 23:39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

Here in this verse, the Lord is showing us how He comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His judgment, that is, through His elect. Recognizing His elect as coming in the name of the Lord is therefore an indication that we have indeed, seen the Lord. Jesus told Thomas that anyone who has seen Him, has seen the Father. Since we are His Christ, anyone who recognize us as messengers of Christ has also seen Christ. 

Joh 14:8  Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 

May the Lord continue to uphold us in Him as we see the day approaching. Amen!!