Chapter 23.
Brood of Vipers. Spiritual wickedness in high places.
The Sermon on the Mount, which was given near the beginning of this gospel occupies three full chapters. It is a beautiful discourse on the nature of charity, and it contains some of the most profound teachings ever given to humanity. Filled with gentle wisdom, it teaches the value of humility, meekness, mercy, forgiveness, and love. It is considered the epitome of all ethical teaching, and the “Constitution of Christianity.” It has been hailed as a divine picture of a new Moses, standing on a new mountain, proclaiming a new gospel of universal love.
But as Jesus prepares for His final hours in Jerusalem, His message changes in tone. It becomes more difficult to discern the great love for humanity that lies within His words. While He has addressed the hypocritical behavior of the religious leaders at various times during His ministry, and referred to it indirectly in His parables, His message becomes much more than an encouraging sermon, or even a cautionary tale. It becomes a veritable diatribe against the religious leaders. He will call them “hypocrites,” “serpents,” “a brood of vipers,” and “whitewashed tombs filled with dead men’s bones.” And in subsequent chapters Jesus will speak about the everlasting punishment that awaits all sinners. The strong language and foreboding content of these chapters are very different from the gentle tone and promising content of the Sermon on the Mount.
But why?
The answer lies in understanding the inner battles that have been raging all along in the recesses of Jesus’ soul — spiritual battles that are now intensifying as Jesus approaches the final days of His earthly ministry. Throughout His thirty-three years on earth, Jesus has been continuously attacked by hellish forces. We saw a glimpse of these attacks when Jesus was tempted by the devil when He was in the wilderness (4:1-11). We had another glimpse when Jesus predicted that He must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die. When Peter rebuked Jesus for saying this, Jesus replied, “Get behind Me, Satan!” (16:22-23). 1
Although Jesus’ comment appeared to be directed at Peter, the real target was hell itself. It is a picture of the diabolical forces that have been striving to divert Jesus from His mission to save the human race. Jesus knows what He has to do; He knows it will involve agony and death; and He knows that it will challenge the last of all natural instincts — the instinct for self-preservation. Peter’s counsel, therefore, is not consistent with God’s plan of salvation. Peter’s counsel is a subtle temptation, redirecting Jesus to an easier, less confrontational path.
Each of us experiences moments like this — moments when we deeply know what we must do to accomplish God’s will, however difficult it may be. And yet, in moments of spiritual weakness, we can be more susceptible to the soothing advice of well-meaning friends than to the higher dictates of divine truth. These are the times when we “wrestle with the angels.” 2
In His rebuke to Peter, Jesus identifies the source of the temptation. It is not Peter at all, even though the words come through Peter. This is why Jesus says, “Get behind Me, Satan. You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but things of men” (16:23). Though Peter meant well, He was unaware of the deeper combat going on within Jesus at that very moment. As it is written, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12).
In order to understand the final days of Jesus’ life on earth, it is necessary to understand that heaven and hell are always with us, ready to bless us with goodness and truth (heaven), or destroy us with evil and falsity (hell). Although it appears to us that good people do good, and evil people do evil, we are only intermediaries and agents through whom good influences and evil influences enter the world. The good that we think, speak and do is from God. The evil that we think, speak, and do is from hell. This is an absolute and fundamental law of spiritual reality. We need to keep it in mind as we accompany Jesus on His last visit to Jerusalem, where He will confront “spiritual wickedness in high places.” 3
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.”
One of the most difficult things to understand in the gospels is the apparently harsh and condemning way that Jesus speaks to and about the religious leaders of His day. “They bind heavy burdens,” He says, “hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift them with one of their fingers” (23:4) On one level Jesus is indeed talking about the religious leaders of the day, who made religion a difficult and burdensome ordeal. Not content with the laws that were given in the sacred scriptures, they added to them their own interpretations, and enforced them with rigor. They multiplied rituals and added traditions which they imposed upon the people as though these decrees had the weight of divine Law. Excessive worry about properly observing rituals and maintaining traditions can lead people away from the essence of religion, which is simply to love God with all of one’s heart, and one’s neighbor as oneself (22:37-39). As it is written by the prophet Isaiah, “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).
On a more interior level, however, the “heavy burdens” Jesus speaks of are not only the unnecessary religious burdens that are imposed upon people by the religious leaders in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, but also the unseen pressures that evil spirits exert upon people today. These spirits especially induce inordinate feelings of guilt and self-condemnation in the name of religion. They delight in holding the mind fixed on unimportant details of morality. 4
As a result, good people can be driven into states of deep depression by these spirits who harp incessantly on what we have done wrong. In fact, they can call to mind not only the actual sins of our past, but also uninvited evils that merely entered our minds without our consent. In this way, these spiritual influences oppress us with heavy burdens of guilt, feelings of worthlessness, and deeply troubling doubts about whether we can ever be saved. For many people, this is the unseen root of depression. 5
Jesus sees through the religious leaders; He sees beyond their external actions to the unseen world of spirit that drives and motivates them. He sees the evil spirits themselves. And as He does so, Jesus says that these spirits “bind heavy burdens,” but that they will not lift a finger to remove them. These spirits have no desire to lighten the heavy burdens of guilt they have imposed. Why should they? After all, it is their very delight to lay these burdens upon us, to watch us writhe under the weight, and thereby to deprive us of any desire to go on living. They will “not lift a finger” to help us. 6
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 that overburden the conscience with guilt. There is, however, another class of spirits that works in a very different way, but with the same goal — to destroy us. These are the proud and pretentious spirits who think they are better than others. Jesus describes them in this way: “All their works they do to be seen by men. 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’” (23:5-8).
Jesus has already spoken about this while delivering the Sermon on the Mount, but His words were relatively gentle: “Take heed.” He said, “that you do not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them” He said (6:1). “When you pray go into your room” (6:6). “When you fast anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting” (6:17-18).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urges His disciples to “not be like the hypocrites” (6:16). Because He is instructing and inspiring His disciples, Jesus’ words are 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” (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,” He says. And then He adds, “Whoever exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (23:11-12).
After describing the burdens that the religious leaders have lain upon the people, Jesus then describes the arrogant, prideful attitudes of these men. These two descriptions describe contrasting but equally devastating ploys of evil spirits. Whether they fill us with debilitating guilt (“heavy burdens’) or puff us up with arrogant pride (“to be seen of men”), they keep us focused on the wrong objects: in once case the object is self-loathing; in the other case, the object is our 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. Love to the Lord and to love to the neighbor should be at the front. No wonder Jesus says, “Get behind Me, Satan, for you are not mindful of the things of God” (16:23).
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” (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 shut themselves out of heaven. Moreover, they do this not only to themselves, but they also do it to others. Their false teachings prevent people from understanding and living the life that leads to heaven. Therefore Jesus says, “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” (23:1).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the basic attitudes needed if we are to receive the happiness and blessings of heaven. It is the beginning of His ministry. His words are filled with encouragement. He does not rebuke or reprimand the people who listen. Instead He speaks of heavenly blessings: “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 promises the reward of blessing for all who freely chose 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 teaches 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, in no uncertain terms, 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 the hearts, it may serve to restrain their behavior. Even the worst people can be restrained by the fear of punishment. 7
In this case, if the religious leaders continue their corrupt and hypocritical ways, their “punishment” will be a miserable life, a life of woe upon woe. Each woe corresponds to the rejection of a particular heavenly blessing. Like the series of blessings that Jesus spoke 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” (24:13). This corresponds to “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The simple lesson is that pride and arrogance closes people off from the blessings of heaven. But when people freely choose to be humble and receptive, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” says Jesus, “For you devour widows’ houses” (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 blessings that could only be received through the priesthood. It is the Lord’s will that widows “be comforted” — not preyed upon. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” says Jesus, “For you travel land and sea to win one convert” (23:15). The religious leaders “travel land and sea” to get more people to honor and worship them, more people to engage in their religious traditions, and more people to support the temple and pay the temple tax. But genuine religion is not about elaborate rituals and extravagant ceremonies conducted by high priests in decorative robes. Rather, it’s about leading a gentle, quiet life in accordance with God’s commandments. The person who does this does not need to “travel land and sea” to convince people about what they should believe. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” 8
“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’” (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 is contrasted with its 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.”
“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” (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.”
“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” (23:25). 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. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” says Jesus, “…. For when you make one convert, you make him two times more than you the son of hell (23:15). This is the second part of the verse that begins with the words, “You travel land and sea to make one convert.” The first part deals with the desire to convert and control others — to make them submissive to one’s will. The hellish desire to control, and the willingness to be controlled by hellish desire, turns people into “sons of hell.” This is the opposite of freely choosing to live in accordance with the commandments. When we love to do God’s will, we enter a state of peace and become God’s children. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Before launching into the final woe, Jesus returns to the central theme that runs throughout the list of woes — hypocrisy. “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” (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, 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” (23:28).
With this absolute denouncement of the religious leaders as a preface, 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’” (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 — hated the prophets, reviled 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.
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” (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. They are, as Jesus told them before, and will tell them again, “a brood of vipers” — the offspring of venomous people. Therefore, Jesus tells them to go ahead and finish what their forefathers have already started. “Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers” (23:32).
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 the evil practices until they become so ingrained 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 also pass on these evil tendencies to our children and grandchildren. 9
There is a more interior lesson here as well. The prophets who come to each of us are the truths of the Lord Word. These prophets help us to identify the evils within ourselves, and denounce them. If, however, we dismiss the teachings of sacred scripture, or see it 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.
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…. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets before you.”
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?” (23:33). This 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 seen between Jesus (the seed of the woman) and the religious leaders (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 are the true “serpents” and “vipers” — within us — that Jesus came to combat and subdue.
But first He had to fight this battle within Himself.
This battle is now intensifying as Jesus confronts the hellish influences that are attacking him through the religious leaders. He identifies evil after evil, and declares woe upon woe, as He combats these enemies of humanity. 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, He 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” (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 … 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 — when taken together constitute all the qualities of love and wisdom that belong to God. 10
God continually strives to fill our mind with His “name” — the many wonderful qualities that He longs to give us. And to the extent that we receive His words and live by them, these qualities become our own. 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” (23:28).
But in the next breath 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!’” (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 through 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” — the Lord’s qualities in our minds and hearts.
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.”
Will they relent? Will they acknowledge that Jesus is more than the son of David? Will they acknowledge His divinity and allow Him to bless their lives? Or will they maintain their stubborn opposition and, even worse, conspire to destroy Him? We will soon find out.
V:
1. Arcana Coelestia 1690[3]: “The Lord's life was love toward the whole human race, and was indeed so great, and of such a quality, as to be nothing but pure love. Against this His life, continual temptations were admitted from His earliest childhood to His last hour in the world.”
2. Arcana Coelestia 4295[3]: “In order that the Lord might reduce the universal heaven into heavenly order, He admitted into Himself temptations from the angels also, who, insofar as they were in what is their own, were so far not in good and truth. These temptations are the inmost of all, for they act solely into the ends, and with such subtlety as cannot possibly be noticed.”
3. Heaven and Hell 302: “If a person believed, as is really true, that all good is from the Lord and all evil from hell, he would not make the good in him a matter of merit nor would evil be imputed to him; for he would then look to the Lord in all the good he thinks and does, and all the evil that inflows would be cast down to hell whence it comes.”
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.”
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. 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.”
8. The last part of this Woe, “. . . for you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves” will be explained when we compare it to “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.”
9. 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 suffer punishment for any actualized evil that is ours — that is, for whatever hereditary evil we have claimed as our own by acting it out in our lives.” See also Arcana Coelestia 313: “Everyone who commits actual sin thereby induces on himself a nature, and the evil from it is implanted in his 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 by his actual sins, and never being dissipated so as to become harmless except in those who are being regenerated by the Lord.”
10. 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.”
