The Blessings and Curses of the New Covenant compared
["alas" or "woe" means curse]
| Blessings of Matthew 5:1-12 | Curses of Matthew 23:13-32 |
| Matthew 5:3, 10: "Blessed are the poor in spirit the kingdom of Heaven is theirs."; "Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness, the kingdom of Heaven is theirs." | Matthew 23:13: "Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut up the kingdom of Heaven in people's faces..." |
| Matthew 5:4: "Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted." Those who mourn their sins shall be comforted. | Matthew 23:16 "Alas for you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the Temple, it has no force; but anyone who swears by the gold of the Temple is bound.' [...]. And someone who swears by the Temple is swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it. And someone who swears by heaven is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there." Temple sacrifice was the vehicle for confession and atonement for sins. |
| Matthew 5:5: "Blessed are the meek: they shall inherit the earth." Meekness means humility and submission to the will of God. | Matthew 23:29: "Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the sepulchers of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the upright, saying. 'We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our ancestors' day.' So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the children of those who murdered the prophets!..." Pride of Pharisees hinders humility. |
| Matthew 5:6: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: they shall be filled." | Matthew 23:27: "Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of corruption. [...]." Pharisees exhibit righteousness only externally but are filled with corruption. |
| Matthew 5:7: "Blessed are the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them." | Matthew 23:23: "Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay your tithe of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law-justice, mercy, good faith! ...." |
| Matthew 5:8: "Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God." | Matthew 23:25: "Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance. [...] Clean the inside of the cup and dish first so that it and the outside are both clean." |
| Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be recognized as children of God." | Matthew 23:15: "Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and anyone who becomes one you make twice as fit for hell as you are." They are making proselytes fit to be the sons of Satan. |
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2006 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.
See CCC # 1967-72 or more information on the New Law of the Sermon on the Mount.