Why were Scribes, Pharisees and Hypocrites lumped together in these very harsh criticisms by our Lord?
There must have had some common mindset or agenda. What was it? Let's take a look at each of the charges Jesus levied against them. They...
→ shut up the kingdom of heaven against men
→ devour widows' houses
→ make long prayer
→ make him [proselyte] twofold more the child of hell than yourselves
→ omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith
→ are full of extortion and excess
→ are like unto whited sepulchres
→ are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness
→ build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous
→ are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them
These all add up to the fact that Scribes Pharisees And Hypocrites were Carnal Minded people who, though disconnected from God, made pretense to represent God for the purpose of gaining Wealth and Power over the people.
The Scribe was an Authority on the Scriptures being a copier of them. They were experts at Law and so were able to effect legal documents for the people.
The Pharisee was overtly Religious in appearance and were Mosaic fundamentalists.
The Hypocrites were people who profaned the things of God by operating in them for ungoldly purposes.
Jesus began each of His criticisms with the word, Woe, which means 'ruinous trouble: calamity, affliction'. Jesus was pronouncing judgment upon them.
Essentially, the Scribes Pharisees And Hypocrites worked together to promote and ensure the continuation of the System.
Do we have a group of people today from various professions who support a System which is contrary to the Kingdom Of God?
Political Tyrants, Media Tyrants and Tech Tyrants are the modern day equivalent of Scribes Pharisees And Hypocrites.
Political Tyrants have redefined Good and Evil. Media Tyrants have promoted the new definition. Tech Tyrants have enforced the new definition.
The ScribesPhariseeAndHypocrites of Jesus day were Fascists whose System Jesus came to undermine. Remember, He came saying Repent for the Kingdom Of Heaven is at hand. The people of His day were Brainwashed by the Scribes Pharisees And Hypocrites.
Today whole generations of people have been Brainwashed by the Political Tyrants, the Media Tyrants and the Tech Tyrants. If there is a Revival we will have to come against these Children Of Satan.
The Gospel Truth is how we attack them. We must be Bold as Jesus was. We must Speak as Jesus spoke. We will need the Power of His Holy Spirit to do so.
And just as Jesus was Persecuted and eventually murdered by them, we must be willing to "love not our lives unto death". We will then Overcome by the blood of the Lamb!