Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7.

God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6.

Living in our world today, it can become overwhelming. The negative, the exact opposite of caring for others’ welfare – the very struggles against darkness itself – feels very much as though what Jesus, the Son, is saying to the religious leaders of that time, He is saying to leaders of every kind everywhere now because it still applies. What about our own hearts? Matthew 23…Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and He is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” v. 1-12.

And then the woes: Jesus shows the hypocrisy of the things we do: “Woe to you”…..”You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to…You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are…You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’…You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men!…You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness…You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence…You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness…You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.” v. 13-31. And this…so strong! “Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!” v. 32. And they will. There was a sermon by Jonathan Edwards in 1741 titled, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. Can we see the complete opposite? God in the Hands of Angry Sinners. “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am – do not miss this – Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.” v. 34-36. And then Jesus’ heart for these very people and every one of us…“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” v. 37-39. And that is our hope….when all will say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. The negatives in our own hearts and minds need to be clearly shown so they can be seen for what they are. And Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, never leaves us in the negatives. He teaches so we can see and repent and turn to the only One who can help us…Creator God. This is such a powerful chapter. Imagine hearing these words from Jesus, the Son, Himself. That’s why He came. He is our Father, our Teacher, our Instructor, our Savior. The “Pharisee” within us needs to see and understand and with His help, repent. And then, go on with Him helping us. Be willing! He is! He longs to help.