hotcoffee
New Member
Seventh Woe on the Teachers of the Law and Pharisees
One of the commentaries put this in language I think we can all latch on to today.
I don't think any of the commentaries made it any clearer.
Matthew 23:29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 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.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 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. 35 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. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
One of the commentaries put this in language I think we can all latch on to today.
A parallel today would be to claim, "If I had lived in 1830, I would have opposed slavery," while treating others in racist or otherwise demeaning ways today; or to say, "If I had lived in Nazi Germany, I would have helped Jewish people escape Hitler," while fearing to speak against abortion or racism lest someone think us too reactionary
I don't think any of the commentaries made it any clearer.