Woe and wonder

[Jesus said,] ‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! 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’ (Matthew 23:23a).

Read Matthew 23:13–26

It’s incredibly difficult to read Jesus’s litany of ‘woes’ without feeling a squeeze of discomfort that I, too, can sometimes be a little teacher-of-the-law-ish. Throughout chapter 23 of Matthew, there are seven woes, ranging from generalised hypocrisy to full-out ignorance of humanity by these leaders of the religion.

As a Christian, despite my best attempts to be faithful to God’s law and the beautiful order of how that word holds things together, I sometimes point to the wrong things and proclaim to God:

But look! See my sacrifice! See the minty goodness of my time spent volunteering and note my diligent attempts not to be a dill. Full disclosure here: I don’t have a realistic understanding of what cumin does, but … come on over to my side and pat me on the back for all the good things that I do so that other people will see what a good person I am.

Woe to the Pharisees. Woe to me.

At times, I am more impressed by these little things than presenting myself as a living sacrifice to God, poured out by his good and pleasing will, for the benefit of these beautiful people around me. Jesus points me and Christian communities back to Micah 6:8: ‘What does the Lord require of me but to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?’

These things are much more difficult, requiring perseverance and often pain. But woe to us, not just that we don’t do them, but that we miss out on the blessings of being part of God’s work in this world of administering justice and mercy and finding faithfulness.

The good news is this: the seven woes that Jesus speaks can be turned into words of wonder. He actually gives us the communal blueprint for joy rather than woe. As you read through this passage again, focus instead on the latter halves of Jesus’ statements and ponder how they might change your perspective on the life of your community.

From woe to wonder!

Heavenly Father, thank you for your wonderful gifts to me. Help me to live a life of wonder and assistance to others. Amen.