Woe, Woe, Woe
In recent weeks, we have looked at the beatitudes as recorded by Matthew (Matthew 5:3-12); part of the "sermon on the mount" (Matthew 5:1). This hillside sermon is not recorded by Luke, but one very similar to it is, spoken on a plain (Luke 6:17-49). There, some beatitudes are given (Luke 6:20-23), but also a series of woes (Luke 6:24-26).
| Gr. ouai - a primary exclamation of grief; alas, woe. (Strong's) |
Woe To You Who Are Rich...
Jesus declared before His audience,
But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
I am reminded of Luke 16:25, where Abraham told the rich man who was tormented in Hades, "...in your lifetime you received your good things..." He had given no thought to eternity while upon the earth. Having passed from this life, he reaped what he had sown for himself - torments.
I am also caused to think of Jesus' characterization of the charitable hypocrites, who "...sound a trumpet... to receive "...glory from men." Jesus said, "...they have their reward." Instead, he compels us to do our charitable deeds in secret, so that God who sees what is done in secret may reward us opening (Matthew 6:1-4).
Those who are focussed solely on the here and now have failed to prepare for what comes after. The 70+ years that folks spend on the earth are years of preparation for eternity. How sad if one becomes distracted with temporal items such as wealth, and in the process sells out the lasting reward of heaven (Matthew 16:24-26).
Woe To You Who Are Full...
To those who have had their fill, the Lord states,
Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger.
Jesus expresses the destitute place of the one who has filled upon the good this life has to offer, but has no hunger for the things of God. For the moment, they are satisfied - at present, their belly is full; but the time will come when they will know they are lacking, and it will be too late.
Jesus told the parable of a rich man who had a profitable harvest. So much, that he had nowhere to put all his goods. He decided, "...I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink and be merry." (Luke 12:18-19). The Lord said of him, "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
“How sad if one becomes distracted with temporal items... and in the process sells out the lasting reward”
Woe To You Who Laugh Now...
The Lord is not opposed to laughter. In fact, he used humour in His teaching on a regular basis. However, as with the two previous woes, Jesus warns those who take no thought to preparing themselves for eternity. Wealth and pleasure will not make us ready for heaven.
I said in my heart, 'Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure'; but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laughter - 'Maddness!' and of mirth, 'What does it accomplish?' (Ecclesiastes 2:1-2)
Solomon tested the "good things" this life has to offer, and concluded it was "vanity". We are free to walk in the ways of our heart, but be warned, we will stand in judgment for how we have lived (Ecclesiastes 11:9). The wise king stated,
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. (Ecclesiastes 7:4)
Woe To You When All Men Speak Well...
We like it when people speak nice things about us, but Jesus warns of the danger when all men speak well of us. Such was the manner of the people of old to the false prophts!
Consider what must be necessary to be in the position that ALL MEN speak well of us. It would require that we not offend any, but please all.
The chorus of a popular country music song from years ago began, "You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything."1 The one of whom ALL MEN speaks well stands for nothing, but compromises for everyone! Paul stated:
...if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)
To compliment the beatitudes of Christ, Luke includes these four woes as well. Really, they are the "flip-side" of some of the beatitudes. Will we be poor in Spirit (Matthew 5:3) or are we rich (toward self but not the Lord)? Do we hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) or are we full (and thus have no room for God's word)? Do we mourn for sin (Matthew 5:4), or are we caught up with the laughter and folly of life? Do men revile and speak evil against us (Matthew 5:10-11) as the servants of God, or do all (including wicked men) speak well of us?
1) Tippin, Aaron, "You've Got To Stand For Something", 1991.
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Answering The Atheist
Complaint:
Where did the devils ask not to go? Was it out of the country (Mark 5:9-10) or was it into the deep (Luke 8:30-31)? Is there a contradiction?
Response:
Neither Mark nor Luke record a quote of the demons' desire, but both comment on it. Mark indicates that they begged Jesus not to send them out of the country. No specifics are given of where they expected that He might send them - they simply did not want to be expelled from the land.
Luke gives further details about the request. The KJV reveals that they did not want "...to go out into the deep." One might assume from this that they did not want to be cast into the sea, but that is not the "deep" under consideration. The Greek word used here is abussos, translated Abyss in several English translations.
Are the two records contrary to one another? Not at all. When Mark says that they did not want to be put out of the country, it ought to be obvious that their request was not that they not be sent to another country. Their concern was that they not be cast into the Abyss (deep, KJV). Mark was generic in his writing, while Luke was detailed.
There is no contradiction.
This article is in response to Skeptic's Annotated Bible.