Removing Heavy Burdens
1. Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,
2. Saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses;
3. All things therefore whatever they say to you to keep, keep and do; but do not according to their works; for they say, and do not.
4. For they bind burdens, heavy and difficult to bear, and put [them] on the shoulders of men; but they are not willing to move them with their finger.”
In the last three episodes of the previous chapter, Jesus successfully refuted the attempts of the religious leaders to discredit Him. In each case, they were silenced by the wisdom of His reply. At a deeper level, this represents how divine truth from the Word of God can silence the intrusive thoughts and selfish desires that arise within us. Whenever this takes place, we experience an inner calm. The inner voices and intrusive thoughts that had plagued us are no longer heard. In the silence, we are ready to hear the voice of the Lord again. As it is written in the opening words of this next episode, “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples.” 1
In this context, the phrase “to the crowds and to His disciples” refers to both our outer nature and our inner nature. Our outer nature, which is represented by the term, “crowds,” refers to our external life in the world, that is, our words and our actions. Our inner nature, which is represented by the term, “disciples,” refers to our inner life, especially all things of love and faith. 2
In addressing both aspects of our nature, Jesus says, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses. Therefore, whatever they tell you to do, you should do” (Matthew 23:2-3). In these opening words, Jesus reassures His disciples that the law of Moses, and especially the Ten Commandments that were given through Moses, is still the foundation of their faith, and that these laws must be followed, internally and externally. As it is written in the closing verses of the Hebrew scriptures, “Remember the law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him on Mount Sinai” (Malachi 4:4). 3
And yet, even as Jesus exhorts His followers to do as the religious leaders say, He warns them to not do as the religious leaders do. As Jesus puts it, “Whatever they say to you, do, but do not do according to their works; for they say and do not” (Matthew 23:3).
Jesus then goes on to describe the destructive practices of the religious leaders. “They pile heavy burdens on people’s shoulders,” says Jesus, “burdens that are difficult and heavy to bear, and they will not lift a finger to help” (Matthew 23:4). The religious leaders had made religion a difficult and burdensome ordeal. Not content with the laws that were given in the sacred scriptures, they added their own interpretations, multiplied rituals, added traditions, imposed dietary restrictions, demanded sacrifices, and enforced these rules and regulations with rigor.
In so doing, they made religion, which is intended to make our burdens light, into a heavy and burdensome yoke. This is the human condition that Jesus was referring to earlier in this gospel when He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
This excessive focus on rituals, traditions, dietary restrictions, and animal sacrifices was leading people away from the essence of religion — shunning evil so that God can work through us. It is about allowing God to free us from evil desires and false thoughts so that we might receive His love and understanding. As the Lord says through the Hebrew scriptures, “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free?” (Isaiah 58:6). Also, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6).
On a more interior level, these heavy burdens are much more than the unnecessary burdens that the religious leaders imposed upon people. These burdens are also the unseen pressures that evil spirits exert upon people. For example, these spirits induce inordinate feelings of guilt and self-condemnation in the name of religion. They delight in holding the mind fixed on unimportant details, and, in so doing, they turn relatively trivial matters into moral issues and opportunities for self-condemnation. 4
As a result, good people can be driven into states of deep depression by these spirits who harp incessantly on what a person may have done wrong. In fact, they can call to mind not only the actual sins of one’s past, but also uninvited thoughts that enter a person’s mind without consent. In this way, these intrusive influences oppress people with heavy burdens of guilt, feelings of worthlessness, despair about the future, and doubts about God’s power to save. For many people, this is the unseen root of depression. 5
In spiritual reality, then, it can be said that Jesus is not simply speaking about the religious leaders of that time. Rather, Jesus is speaking about the unseen world of spirit that drives and motivates the religious leaders — the same unseen world that drives and motivates each of us whenever we are ruled by our lower nature. These evil spirits from this unseen world “bind heavy burdens.” And, at the same time, they will not lift a finger to remove them.
These unseen spirits have no desire to lighten the heavy burdens of guilt they have imposed. Why should they? After all, it is their greatest delight to lay these burdens upon people, to watch people suffer under the weight of these burdens, and to deprive people of any desire to go on living. As it is written, “they bind burdens, heavy and difficult to bear, and put them on the shoulders of people. But they are not willing to lift a finger to help them” (Matthew 23:4). 6
A practical application
Contemporary psychology contains many helpful teachings about how to deal with the destructive thoughts and feelings that burden our minds and hearts. These burdensome thoughts and feelings are often referred to as “negative self-talk,” “cognitive distortions,” “intrusive thoughts,” “overthinking,” and “catastrophizing.” In sacred scripture, these harmful states are called “heavy burdens.” This includes the unnecessary guilt that we might carry for past sins, excessive self-blame, the inability to stop thinking about errors that we have made, and recurring thoughts about traumas that we have experienced. Often, a momentary criticism that is meant to help us improve can get hijacked by evil spirits who turn it into an ongoing, repetitive attack on our character. What we may not realize is that we are not the source of these self-critical thoughts and feelings. If someone were constantly berating us for being foolish, stupid, and cruel, we would want to get out of that person’s company. We can do something similar with evil spirits whose only desire is to condemn and destroy us. As a practical application, then, consider whether the criticism that arises is something that can help you improve or is a heavy burden placed on you by evil spirits who are intending to tear you down. Whenever you notice that a simple criticism is becoming a heavy burden imposed by evil spirits, ask for the Lord’s help to subdue and quiet them. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “They rage like the roaring seas…. He rebukes them and they flee far away” (Isaiah 17:12-13). Also, “The nations raged…. He uttered His voice and the earth melted” (Psalm 55:22). 7
To Be Seen of Men
5. “But all their works they do to be observed by men; and they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the hems of their garments;
6. And love the first place to recline at suppers, and the first seats in the synagogues;
7. And greetings in the market, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8. But be ye not called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, the Christ; but all you are brothers.
9. And call not [anyone] your father on the earth; for One is your Father that [is] in the heavens.
10. Neither be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
11. But the greater of you shall be your minister.
12. And whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
There are many types and classes of evil spirits. We have just described the kind of evil spirit that overburdens the conscience with unnecessary guilt. There are, however, evil spirits who work in a different way, but with the same goal — to destroy our faith in God and replace it with faith in self. These are the proud and pretentious spirits who think they are better than others. Jesus describes them in this way: “They do all their works to be seen by others. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogue, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’” (Matthew 23:5-8).
The phylacteries which were worn by the religious leaders were small leather boxes containing words of scripture. They were worn on both the forehead and on the hands in keeping with the following words from the Hebrew scriptures: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart…. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 8).
The religious leaders not only took these words literally, but they also used them as an opportunity to put their self-righteousness on display. They made their phylacteries large so that they would be very noticeable and they turned their robes into elaborate displays of self-importance. Moreover, they expected to be given the most prominent seats at feasts and in the temples where they would be seen and regarded as holy, learned men. As Jesus puts it, “They do all their works to be seen by others.” While public worship of God and individual testimony about His goodness are to be encouraged, especially because they excite internal states of holiness, they should only be done to glorify God, not to bring attention to oneself. 8
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had urged His disciples to “not be like the hypocrites” (Matthew 6:16). Because He was initially instructing and inspiring His disciples, Jesus’ words were gentle and encouraging. But now, as Jesus approaches His last days with them, His words become more urgent as He offers final cautions. “But you,” He says, speaking to His disciples, “do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven” (Matthew 23:8-9).
Jesus then reminds them to not be like the arrogant and proud religious leaders: “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant,” says Jesus. And then He adds, “Whoever exalts himself will be abased, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12). This is a familiar theme throughout the scriptures. Whenever it occurs, it always refers to the dangers of self-exaltation and the blessings of humility. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low” (Isaiah 40:4). Also, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). 9
After describing the burdens that the religious leaders have placed upon the people, Jesus then describes the arrogant, prideful attitudes of these men. These two descriptions of the religious leaders describe two contrasting but equally devastating ploys of evil spirits. Whether they deflate us with debilitating guilt (“heavy burdens’) or inflate us with arrogant pride (“to be seen of others”), they keep us focused on ourselves. In one case, the object is self -loathing; in the other case, the object is self -importance. In either case the focus is on “self” rather than on loving the Lord and serving the neighbor. Love to the Lord and love to the neighbor should be at the forefront of our mind always. Love to the Lord and love to the neighbor should be first and foremost.
A practical application
When Jesus describes the self-centered practices of the religious leaders, He says that they make their phylacteries large. As we mentioned, these phylacteries were leather boxes containing passages from the Hebrew scriptures. They were worn on the forehead and on the forearms to symbolize how the scriptures were always in their actions (on their hands) and always in their minds (on their forehead). As long as this helped to remind them of God’s presence, these practices were useful. But when the religious leaders began to strap on bigger phylacteries and enlarge the borders of their garments as a way of demonstrating their righteousness, their focus shifted from the love of God to the love of self. We can do something similar whenever we see ourselves as better than or holier than others. As a practical application, then, keep the scriptures at the forefront of your thoughts and actions. At the same time, be careful that your religious devotion does not lead to feelings of self-importance or to the idea that you are better than others. As an antidote to pride, keep love to the Lord and love to the neighbor at the forefront of your mind, and within every action. Wear these truths with humility, allowing the Lord to work through them. Remember that religion is not for show; it is for use.
Woes Instead of Blessings
13. “And woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of the heavens before men; for you do not enter in [yourselves], neither do you let those that are entering in to enter in.
14. And woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you eat up the houses of widows, and for a pretense pray long; on this account you shall receive excessive judgment.
15. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you go around the sea and the dry [land] to make one proselyte, and when it is done, you make him the son of gehenna twofold more than yourselves.
16. Woe unto you, blind guides, who say, whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.
17. [Ye] fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that hallows the gold?
18. And whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gift which is on it, he is a debtor.
19. [Ye] fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that hallows the gift?
20. He therefore that swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things upon it.
21. And he that swears by the temple, swears by it, and by Him who dwells [in] it.
22. And he that swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by Him that sits upon it.
23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe of mint, and anise, and cumin, and have left [out] the weightier things of the law: the judgment, and the mercy, and the faith. These things you ought to have done, and not to have left [out] those also.
24. Blind guides, straining out the gnat, and swallowing the camel!
25. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but inside they are full of extortion and intemperance.
26. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and platter, that the outside of them may become clean also.
27. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you make yourselves like whited tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are filled with the bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness.
28. So you also outwardly indeed appear just unto men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchers of the just,
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.’
31. Thus you witness to yourselves, that you are the sons of those that murdered the prophets.
32. And you have fulfilled the measure of your fathers.”
In verse 12 of this chapter, Jesus said, “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). In a state of humble receptivity, we become open to all the blessings that God wishes to bestow upon us. The opposite state, however, is represented by the religious leaders who refuse to accept Jesus’ words. Instead of opening heaven to themselves, they were shutting themselves out of heaven.
Moreover, they were doing this not only to themselves but also to others. Their narrow, restrictive interpretations of scripture were preventing people from understanding and living the life that leads to heaven. Therefore, Jesus says to them, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:1).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described the basic attitudes needed if we are to receive the happiness and blessings of heaven. It was the beginning of His ministry. His words were filled with encouragement. He did not rebuke or reprimand the people who listened. Instead, He spoke of heavenly blessings. He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are those who are persecuted.” Again and again, Jesus promised the reward of blessing for all who freely choose to take on these heavenly attitudes.
But now, as Jesus turns His attention to the religious leaders, His manner is different. Instead of blessings, He now speaks of woes. Jesus has not changed, but His audience has. When He delivered the Sermon on the Mount, His audience was the disciples and the multitudes. But now, as He delivers His reprimand in the temple, His audience is the hypocritical religious leaders. For this reason, His great love is clothed in language that appears harsh and condemning. Nevertheless, His goal remains the same as always: to save His people from their sins.
As Jesus addresses the disciples and the multitudes, He is aware that arrogant pride closes heaven, just as humility opens it. Throughout His ministry He has taught this lesson through parable and example — even by setting a child in the midst of His disciples. But the religious leaders have remained unmoved and unconvinced by anything that Jesus has said or done. Nothing has impressed them, or softened their stubborn hearts, or opened them to receive the blessings that Jesus wants to bring to them. Now, as a last resort, Jesus has no other choice but to warn the religious leaders of the everlasting torment and endless woe that is in store for them if they continue to reject His message. Even though Jesus’ reprimand may not change their hearts, it may serve to restrain their behavior. 10
In this case, if the religious leaders continue their corrupt and hypocritical ways, their self-inflicted punishment will be a miserable life, a life of woe upon woe. In fact, there is a remarkable parallelism of contrasting blessings and woes. Each woe that Jesus pronounces can be seen in contrast to a particular heavenly blessing. Like the series of blessings that Jesus promised when He gave the Sermon on the Mount, the series of woes also begins with a reference to the kingdom of heaven:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ” says Jesus, “For you shut up the kingdom of heaven ” (Matthew 24:13). This is in contrast to “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The simple lesson is that pride and arrogance close people off from the blessings of heaven. But when people freely choose to be humble and receptive, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ” says Jesus, “For you devour widows’ houses ” (Matthew 23:14). In the Hebrew scriptures, God had clearly said, “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child” (Exodus 22:22), and “Woe to those who make widows their prey and rob the fatherless” (Isaiah 10:2). Instead, the religious leaders convinced widows to make contributions to the temple in exchange for long prayers and other priestly blessings. It is the Lord’s will that widows be comforted — not taken advantage of. More deeply, a widow in mourning represents a state in which goodness longs to be reunited with truth. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). 11
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ” says Jesus, “For you travel land and sea to win one convert. And when it is done, you make him two times more than you a son of hell ” (Matthew 23:15). The religious leaders “travel land and sea” to get more people to honor them, more people to engage in their religious traditions, and more people to pay the temple tax. But genuine religion is not about the selfish endeavor to make converts, especially if it is merely to enhance one’s own glory and honor. Rather, it’s about believing in God and living a life in accordance with God’s commandments. More deeply, it’s about the internal conversion that must take place in everyone. It’s about being “converted” from selfishness to selflessness. This is the conversion process through which the cravings of our lower nature, represented by the “earth,” are subdued. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). 12
“Woe to you, blind guides! ” says Jesus, “For you say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it ’” (Matthew 23:16). The religious leaders have the situation backwards. The gold does not sanctify the temple; if anything, the holy temple sanctifies the gold. Moreover, because it is the Lord alone who makes the temple holy, it is the presence of the Lord that sanctifies the temple. The insistence of the religious leaders that “swearing by the gold of the temple” could somehow sanctify a promise reveals their materialistic nature, their worship of external things, and their lack of true righteousness. Their hunger for material wealth and their thirst for worldly power are contrasted with their opposite: a truly righteous life. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ” says Jesus, “For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, but you have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith ” (Matthew 23:23).” The religious leaders meticulously attend to the details of their ceremonies and traditions, but neglect what really matters: justice, and mercy, and faith. While it is true that the law contained teachings about appropriate tithing, the emphasis of the scriptures is not on carefully weighing the grain to see how much a person has tithed; rather, it is upon matters that are much weightier — matters such as justice and mercy. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ” says Jesus, “For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and dish that the outside of them may be clean also ” (Matthew 23:25-26). Here Jesus criticizes the religious leaders for the way they equate external cleanliness with moral purity. But all the water in the world cannot wash away the corruption of a sinful heart. The heart can only be purified through a life according to the commandments. At a deeper level, the “cup” represents false teachings that must be cleansed away through learning truth, and the “dish” represents evil desires that must be removed through receiving a new will — that is a pure heart. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
This emphasis on cleansing the “inside” is so important that Jesus gives further examples. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” He says. “You make yourselves like white-washed tombs, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of every uncleanness ” (Matthew 23:27). Jesus is speaking about their elaborate pretenses to look good, seem holy, and appear righteous in the eyes of people, while inwardly they are full of cunning, deceit, and treachery. As Jesus puts it, “On the outside you appear to people to be righteous, but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:28).
A few verses earlier, Jesus described the Pharisees as traveling land and sea in order to win one convert. He then added that when they succeed, they make him, even more than themselves, a “son of hell” (see Matthew 23:15). More than anything else, the desire to control others, especially the desire to get them to think, believe, and love what we want them to think, believe, and love, turns us into “sons of hell.” It is only through self-control in the light of the commandments that we can ever attain peace, first within ourselves, and then within the world. This is what it means to be a child of God rather than a son of hell. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). 13
Jesus now delivers the final woe: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets ’” (Matthew 23:29-30). Historically, the role of a prophet was not only to teach God’s will, but also to warn people of the consequences for deviating from it. One of the most commonly heard words on the lips of the prophets was “Repent!” It is for this reason that evil people — especially those in positions of power — reviled the prophets, hated them, persecuted them, and even killed them.
Jesus here points out that the religious leaders of His day are no different from those who killed the prophets in former times. If they honor the prophets at all, it is only to look good in the eyes of the common people. Though they build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, this is only a matter of outward show. They claim that if they had lived during the days that the prophets were murdered, “the blood of the prophets” would not have been on their hands.
But Jesus knows that the religious leaders are hypocrites. He knows that they are lying when they say that, unlike their forefathers, they would never be partakers in the blood of the prophets. In fact, Jesus turns their own words against them, saying, “So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets” (Matthew 23:31).
In other words, Jesus knows that they are no different than their forefathers who murdered the prophets, no matter how much they may say that they are not like them. Therefore, Jesus tells them to go ahead and finish what their forefathers have already started. He says, “Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers” (Matthew 23:32).
Ironically, even while the religious leaders are claiming that they would never kill a prophet or have the blood of the prophets on their hands, as their forefathers had done, they are even now plotting to destroy Jesus who is much more than a prophet. Nevertheless, Jesus encourages them to go ahead with their evil plan, saying that they are no different than their ancestors.
These are hard words. No one is condemned to repeat the sins of one’s ancestors. There is always hope. There is always the possibility of turning to the Lord and keeping His commandments. However, it is also true that if we repeatedly deny the truths that are intended to shine light on our sins, we are condemned to repeat them. And the more we deny the truth that has come to save us, the more we will indulge in self-serving practices until they become so ingrained in us that we cannot be separated from them. If nothing is done to avert this steady decline, which can be passed on from generation to generation, we not only condemn ourselves to hell, but we also pass on these evil, self-centered tendencies to our children and grandchildren. 14
There is a more interior lesson here as well. The “prophets” who come to each of us are the truths of the Lord’s Word. These prophets help us not only to identify the evils within ourselves but also to denounce them. If, however, we dismiss the teachings of sacred scripture, or see them solely in relation to others, rather than in relation to ourselves, we miss a great opportunity to put an end to any evils that have been passed down to us through the generations. We, so to speak, “murder the prophets” who have been sent to us.
It’s hard work to accept the truth and admit one’s failings. Our old nature fights to retain its control over us and refuses to give up. Sometimes it feels like the truths we embrace are under siege. Evils rise up within us to persecute and destroy these truths. But if we have the faith and the courage to persevere, we will find ourselves living the promise of Jesus’ final blessing given in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).
A practical application
In this long series of “woes,” the final woe involves our tendency to murder the prophets that have been sent to us. This refers to our tendency to despise and reject the truth. While we may give lip-service to the teachings of sacred scripture “building the tombs of the prophets and adorning the monuments of the righteous,” we do not take these teachings to heart, nor do we allow them to change us from within. This is how we destroy our opportunities for spiritual growth — praising rather than practicing religion. Instead, we need to learn how to take criticism well, not only as it comes to us through the words of sacred scripture, but also as it comes to us through others. As a practical application, then, notice your reaction to criticism. Ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” and “How might I apply this to my life?” If your first reaction is to reject it, you will miss a valuable opportunity to learn. Even worse, you will be bound to repeat this pattern and suffer the woes associated with that attitude or behavior. On the other hand, with God’s help, you can learn to receive criticism with grace, not as an attack upon your ego, but rather as an opportunity to learn and grow. In fact, every attack can become another chance to deepen your understanding of truth and strengthen your faith in God. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures when the children of Israel were persecuted by their Egyptian taskmasters, “The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew” (Exodus 1:12). 15
In the Name of the Lord
33. “Serpents, brood of vipers, how can you flee from the judgment of gehenna?
34. On this account, behold, I send to you prophets, and wise [men], and scribes; and [some] of them you shall kill and crucify, and [some] of them you shall scourge in your synagogues, and shall persecute from city to city:
35. So that upon you may come all the just blood poured out upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just unto the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachias, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36. Amen I say to you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
37. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets, and stonest those that were sent unto her, how often I willed to gather together thy children, even as a hen gathers together her young under the wings, and you were not willing!
38. Behold, your house is left unto you deserted.
39. For I say to you, you shall not see Me from henceforth, until you shall say, Blessed [is] He that comes in the name of the Lord.”
Having pronounced eight successive woes on the religious leaders, Jesus then says to them, “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33). This reference to “vipers” brings to mind the first Messianic prophecy when God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed” (Genesis 3:15).
The prophecy has now come true in the enmity between Jesus, the seed of the woman, and the religious leaders whom Jesus compares to the seed of the serpent. The religious leaders represent every evil inclination and false teaching that would lead us away from loving God and serving our neighbor. These evil tendencies are the true “serpents” and “vipers” that Jesus came to combat and subdue. To put it another way, the “brood of vipers” that Jesus speaks about are the evil tendencies that exist in everyone, not just the religious leaders.
The battle against these evil tendencies is something that we all must face. This is one of the main reasons that the Lord came to earth as “the seed of the woman” — to fight this battle first within Himself and then within each of us. Through meeting and subjugating the hells, Jesus opened the way for all people to conquer during times of temptation. No longer would evil spirits subjugate people, but people — through the power of the Lord — would subjugate them. 16
This battle against every kind of evil influence is now intensifying as Jesus confronts the hellish forces that are attacking Him through the religious leaders. In so doing, Jesus identifies evil after evil and declares woe upon woe. Throughout the long and arduous process, it is clear that this kind of conflict gives Him no pleasure. Instead, with grief and pity in His divine heart, Jesus says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37).
Instead of a life filled with woe (sadness, anxiety, and hatred), Jesus would much rather have us accept His invitation to enjoy a life filled with blessing (joy, peace, and love). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus carefully enumerates the blessings that come to those who strive to live according to His teachings — the blessings that include qualities such as humility, patience, mercy, and forgiveness.
These divine qualities are the “name of the Lord” in each of us. The Lord’s “name” is every form of goodness and truth; it is every divinely human quality — whatever name we give to it. God is love, mercy, patience, forgiveness, charity, humility, kindness, compassion, courage, gentleness, and strength. In fact, the list of the Lord’s holy names is inexhaustible. This is because “the name of the Lord,” that is, the entirety of His divine attributes constitutes all the qualities of love and wisdom that belong to God. 17
Therefore, God continually strives to fill our mind with His “name” — the many wonderful qualities that He longs to give us. To the extent that we receive His words and live by them, these qualities become a part of who we are. Our minds can then be compared to a magnificently furnished house, built on a rock — a happy and blessed dwelling-place filled with peace and joy.
But without the presence of God’s qualities, the human mind is like a desolate, abandoned house, a sorrowful dwelling-place, filled with nothing but woe. Because the Lord is shut out, there is nothing truly living in that house. Therefore, Jesus says, “See! Your house is left to you desolate” (Matthew 23:28).
In His next breath, however, Jesus quickly adds, “for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:39). To say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” is to acknowledge Jesus’ divinity. It is to open the door of our minds and let Him in. It is to go into life with the Lord’s qualities in our hearts, practicing them and living by them in everything we do, and in every place we go. In this way we can go forward into every aspect of life “in the name of the Lord.”
While there are numberless blessings — and equally numberless woes — the sum and summation of all blessings is to live “in His name.” Therefore, even as this chapter is filled with woes, and even as Jesus laments over Jerusalem, it ends on a note of hope. We are reminded, once again, that great blessings await all who live “in the name of the Lord,” honoring and praising His name by living according to His teachings.
This is the end of Jesus’ teaching in the temple. He has clearly warned the religious leaders of the woes in store for them if they continue to reject Him. As He gets ready to leave, He tells them that they will see Him no more until they can truly say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
A practical application
When Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, His words were filled with inspiration and hope. But now, as He approaches the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus is directly addressing the religious leaders, warning them in the strongest language possible about the misery they will bring upon themselves if they do not change their ways. And yet, even in the midst of His ringing diatribe against the religious leaders, Jesus reveals His great love for all people, even the inhabitants of Jerusalem. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” He says, “how often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”
There are times when gentle words and inspiring promises are not enough to restrain the darker forces within us. We need something more. Like a loving parent who sees an oncoming truck and screams, “Get out of the street! Right now!” the Lord sometimes has to warn us about the harm we can bring upon ourselves by disregarding His teachings. As a practical application, then, take to heart the words that Jesus delivers to the religious leaders, hearing them as a direct warning to your lower nature. When a selfish, evil inclination arises, hear the Lord saying to you something like, Get out of the street! Right now!
In the Hebrew scriptures the angels urged Lot and his family to get out of the streets of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Escape for your lives!” said the angels. “Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain. Flee to the mountains or you will be destroyed” (Genesis 19:17). Their advice is timeless. The moment you sense an evil tendency arising, flee for your life. Do not stop anywhere on the horizontal plane of your life. Science, psychology, exercise, and distractions will not be enough. Go vertical. Get up into the mountains. Turn to the Lord and receive the qualities you need in the moment. Then go forth in the name of the Lord.
Фусноти:
1. Arcana Coelestia 842:2: “When evil spirits have been dispersed a kind of calm or silence follows the state of disturbance. A similar situation exists with the person undergoing temptation. While undergoing temptation a person is amid the throng of such spirits; but when they have been driven away or dispersed, a kind of calm descends which is the start to an arranging of all things into order.
2. Apocalypse Revealed 363: “The phrase, ‘a great crowd,’ signifies the lower heavens and the external church.” See also Arcana Coelestia 10087: “The disciples represent all things of faith and love.”
3. Arcana Coelestia 5620:6: “The things written of the Lord in the literal sense of the Old Testament are few; but those in its internal sense are all so written, for from this is the holiness of the Word. This is what is meant by His saying that ‘all things must be fulfilled which are written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Him.’”
4. Arcana Coelestia 5386: “There are spirits who take a conscientious stand on issues that are not vitally important. Their nature is such that they make rigorous inquiries into matters where no such inquiries at all ought to be made. Consequently, because they burden the consciences of simple people, they are called ‘conscience-mongers.’ And yet they have no knowledge of what true conscience is, because they make all issues into matters of conscience…. Their thoughts do not extend to any concern for matters that have greater purpose or that are vitally important.” See also Arcana Coelestia 1033: “True conscience is a conscience formed by the Lord out of genuine religious truth.”
5. Arcana Coelestia 6202 “I have also noticed another kind of influx which does not take place through the spirits present with a person but through others who are sent out from some community in hell to the sphere emanating from that person’s life…. They talk among themselves about the kinds of things that are unacceptable to the person, which results generally in a flowing into the person of what is in many different ways troublesome, unpleasant, dejecting, and worrying. This is the kind of influx that takes place among those who for no good reason are anxious and depressed.”
6. Arcana Coelestia 741: “Evil spirits call up all the wrong things that from infancy a person has either done or even thought, thus both his evils and his falsities, and condemn him, and there is nothing that gives them greater delight than to do this, for the very delight of their life consists therein.”
7. Arcana Coelestia 7573:2: “The voice of Jehovah denotes truth Divine, which enlightens and perfects those who are in good, and terrifies and devastates those who are in evil.”
8. Apocalypse Explained 395:11: “The scribes and Pharisees did these things … that they might appear holy and learned. Their phylacteries which they made broad signify goods in outward form. The phylacteries that were worn upon the ‘hands’ signify deeds, because these outward deeds are done by the hands. The borders of their robes which they enlarge signify external truths. External truths are those that are in the literal sense of the Word. This is because ‘robes’ signify truths in general, and ‘borders’ their most external expression.” See also Arcana Coelestia 1618: “People are worshipping all the time if love and charity abide in them…. Such is the worship of angels…. However, as long as people are in the world, they certainly ought to participate in external worship. This is because external worship can excite internal things. It is by means of external worship that external things are kept in holiness, allowing internal things to flow in. Furthermore, through external worship people absorb the knowledge that helps them accept heavenly qualities. While in external worship, they can also receive the gift of holy states that can be preserved for use in eternal life.”
9. Arcana Coelestia 8678:2: “Pride of heart, which is the love of self, repels from itself the divine, and removes heaven from itself. This can be plainly seen from the state of reception of the divine and of heaven, which is a state of love toward the neighbor, and a state of humiliation toward God. So far as people can humble themselves before the Lord, and so far as they can love their neighbor as themselves, and, as in heaven, love their neighbor more than themselves, so far they receive the divine, and consequently are so far in heaven. From all this it is evident in what state are those who love themselves more than the neighbor, and who ‘deal proudly over him,’ that is, who are in the love of self. Namely, they are in a state opposite to heaven and to the divine, consequently in a state in which hellish spirits live.”
10. Heaven and Hell 509: “People are punished because the fear of punishment is the only means of subduing evils in this state. Exhortation is no longer of any avail, neither is instruction or fear of the law, or fear for the loss of their reputation. This is because people [in a hellish state] then act from their nature; and that nature can only be restrained and broken by punishments.”
11. Apocalypse Revealed 764:2: “A widow in the Word means someone without protection, for in the spiritual sense a widow symbolizes someone who possesses goodness but no truth, for a man symbolizes truth, and his wife goodness. Thus a widow symbolizes goodness without truth, and goodness without truth lacks protection, for it is truth that protects goodness.”
12. Arcana Coelestia 89: “In the Word, ‘earth’ signifies the external of a person, and ‘heaven’ signifies the internal of a person.”
13. Arcana Coelestia 10038:2: “The worst kind of self-love is the love of controlling others for selfish reasons, that is, the love of ruling over others solely for the sake of honor and gain. Those in whom that love predominates may, it is true, make profession of faith and charity, but they do so with their lips, not with their heart. Indeed, the worst among them look on the things that belong to faith and charity, thus the holy things of the church, as means to their own ends.” See also Conjugial Love 261:2: “The universal characteristics of hell are the following three loves: a love of controlling others stemming from a love of self; a love of possessing the goods of others stemming from a love of the world; and licentious love.”
14. Heaven and Hell 342:3: “In the other life, none of us suffers any punishment for inherited evil, because it is not ours. We are not at fault for our hereditary nature. We only suffer punishment for actualized evils — that is, for whatever hereditary evil we have made our own by acting it out in our lives.” See also Arcana Coelestia 313: “All those who commit actual sin thereby induce upon themselves a nature that arises from that sin. The evil of that sin is then implanted in their children and becomes hereditary. It thus descends from every parent, from the father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and their ancestors in succession, and is thus multiplied and augmented in each descending posterity, remaining with each person, and being increased in each person by one’s actual sins, and never being dissipated so as to become harmless except in those who are being regenerated by the Lord.”
15. Arcana Coelestia 6663: “Most spirits who come from the world and have lived the life of the Lord’s commandments, before they can be uplifted into heaven and joined to societies there, are infested by the evils and falsities pertaining to them, to the end that they may be removed for there are impurities which they have contracted in the life of the body that in no wise agree with heaven. The infestations take place by their being immersed in their evils and falsities; and while they are in them, spirits who are in like evils and falsities are present, and labor by every means to lead them away from truth and good. But still they are not immersed so deeply in their evils and falsities that the influx through the angels from the Lord may not prevail; and the balance is maintained with exactness. The purpose of this is, that people who are infested may seem to themselves to be in freedom, and thus to fight against the evils and falsities of themselves, yet with the acknowledgment, if not at the time, yet afterward, that all the power of resisting was from the Lord. When this is being done, not only are the truths and goods strengthened which had been implanted before, but more are instilled; this being the result of every spiritual combat in which the combatant is victorious.”
16. Arcana Coelestia 6666:2: “The endeavor and intention of the hells to subjugate those who are in good and truth is so great that it cannot be described. This is because they make use of all malice, all cunning and fraud, all deceit, and all cruelty, so great and of such a nature that if these were told in part only, hardly anyone in the world could believe it; so cunning and artful are their devices, and so execrable. In a word, these evil spirits are of such a nature that they cannot possibly be resisted by any person, nor even by any angel, but by the Lord alone.” See also Arcana Coelestia 2795: “That neither the Divine Itself nor the Divine Human could be tempted, must be evident to everyone simply from the fact that not even the angels can approach the Divine, much less the spirits who induce temptations, and still less the hells. Hence it is manifest why the Lord came into the world, and put on the human state itself with its infirmity; for thus He could be tempted as to the human, and by means of the temptations subjugate the hells, and reduce each and all things to obedience and into order, and save the human race which had removed itself so far away from the supreme Divine.”
17. Arcana Coelestia 144: “The ancients understood that by the ‘name’ the essence of a thing was meant…. They gave names to their sons and daughters according to the things which were signified, for every name had something unique in it, from which, and by which, they might know the origin and the nature of their children.” See also Apocalypse Explained 959:4: “‘The word ‘name’ signifies quality for the reason that in heaven everyone is named according to one’s quality; and the quality of God or the Lord is everything that is from Him by which He is worshiped.”
