The modern scribes and Pharisees
Our Lord warned us to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy (Luke 12,1) and elsewhere He says the terrible “woes” rebuking the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites. (Matthew 23,13-16)
He spoke to the multitudes of the people and His disciples, that the scribes and Pharisees, that is, the teachers of the law, sat in the teaching chair (Matthew 23,1-2). Today, this pastoral responsibility and catechesis of the flock of our Church is carried out by hierarchs, priests, monks, theologians, people of God.
And He continued His word, whatever they teach you, follow and do. But do not do according to their deeds, as what they say, they do not apply them themselves. (Matthew 23,3). These deeds of hypocrisy and corruption in the Temple led our Lord to overturn the tables there, saying, My house is house of prayer, but you have turned it into a cavern of robbers. (Luke 19,46)
In our end times, things are turning out to be even worse, because the modern Pharisees, not only do not apply the Word of our Lord, but they have gone so far as to distort and adulterate the Truth, leaving the flock without catechism and defenseless before the devil’s traps.
“From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and bishops and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day.” (Matthew 16,21)
Hypocrisy brings scandalism
Works and deeds of shepherds of our Church that are not in conformance with the Gospel cause great scandal in the flock. That is why the Lord warns us: “Whoever causes to stumble one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18,6)
Such actions come from the adulteration and distortion of the truth, blatant anti-Christian actions, omissions and impermissible condescension in all of these. Some of these modern anti-Christian issues are: the kolymbari, the ukrainian, compulsory vaccinations and masks, acceptance of sexual education in schools, removal of the Crucified Jesus Christ from the Holy Sanctuary, homosexual marriage and adoption of children, the rise of ecumenism, persecution of Orthodox hierarchs and clergy, digital slavery.
The attitude of the wolf-shepherds and their collaborators in all of this does not surprise us as Christians, as the Gospel already informs us that some people have crept in, who from ancient times were destined, due to their predestination, for this evil, that is, to be impious, who change the grace of our God into licentiousness, and deny our only Archpriest and Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1,4)
The terrible "woes" to the scribes and Pharisees
The spiritual and moral degradation of those who hypocritically teach the Word of God is revealed by the terrible “woes” of our Lord to the scribes and Pharisees of yesterday, but also of today (Matthew 23,13-16):
- “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you devour widows’ fortunes, and then hypocritically make long prayers. Therefore you will receive a greater punishment.”
- “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you obstruct the kingdom of heaven for the people. Certainly, you yourself will not go in, but you neither allow to those, who are willing to enter, to go in.”
- “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel over sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is converted, you make him two times worse than yourselves.”
Lukewarm Christians are an object lesson
In the Revelation of John, the Lord sternly rebukes the Bishop of the Church of Laodicea: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Rev. 3,14-16)
Lukewarmness in faith represents a serious spiritual fall for a Christian, as it not only causes the individual to slide into delusion but also drags other souls toward perdition. There is no room for diplomacy in the Church of Christ. Christ is the Truth! No deviation from the words of our Lord is permissible under the guise of so-called diplomacy or the strategies invoked by some.
Our Lord reminds us to take a clear stand “you cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6,24), and our speech to be equally clear: “let your word Yes to be—yes or No to be—no, anything more than this comes from the evil one”. (Matthew 5,37)
Beware of wolf-shepherds
The Apostle Paul warns us: even if we ourselves, the Apostles or an angel from heaven should preach to you a Gospel different from the one we originally preached to you, let that person be accursed and cut off from God. (Gal. 1,8)
Saint Gabriel the Fool for Christ told his spiritual children that times would come where the Christian will be difficult to save onself—so then, what will happen to the unbeliever? Then, he referred to the end times and the hardships Christians would face, as well as to the spiritual fathers who, instead of saving souls, would destroy them. When asked by what criterion one should choose a spiritual father, he replied: “By his works.” [1]
Today, the words of our Lord—“even the chosen ones will be deluded” (Mark 13,22)—are being confirmed. We see fathers who, until recently, were notable people, gradually falling spiritually, one after another. Especially in these end times, blind obedience can prove spiritually fatal for careless and unprepared Christians.
Continuous spiritual vigilance is essential until the very end, so that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we manage to distinguish wolf-shepherds [2] from good shepherds and safeguard the true faith and the salvation of our souls, because "he who endures until the end will be saved". (Matthew 24,13)
Zacchaeus’s true repentance
“Then, Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, look, Lord, I give half of my fortune to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold” (Luke 19,8). Likewise, when we are mistaken before God and people, we have to repent through substantive deeds rather than mere words.
And while everything is now clear: from the irregular and unjust persecutions of clergy and laity, the demonic removal of the Crucified Jesus Christ from the Holy Sanctuary, persistence in unorthodox ecumenist alignments, the adverse effects of experimental vaccinations, acceptance of digital slavery, etc, all of this testifies to the fact that we remain unrepentant, without fear of God, lacking even a shred of will to rectify the bad faith and heresy that are methodically and fraudulently infiltrating in our Church.
To confess Crucified Jesus Christ
“Whoever confesses me before people, I will confess him before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10,32)
“We preach Christ Crucified, while Jews consider it a scandal and Greeks silliness.” (A' Cor. 1,23)
Saint Cyril (†387) warns us in his catechism: “Keep the Cross as the primary and unshakable foundation, and upon it build the rest of the faith. Do not deny the Crucified Christ. If you deny Him, there will be many who will reproach you for it. Judas the traitor will be the first to reproach you, because he betrayed Jesus Christ knowing that He had been condemned to death by the hierarchs and the elders.” [3]
“When morning came, all the hierarchs and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.” (Matthew 27,1)
Epilogue by a Holy Hierarch
Let us keep the epilogue, from the words of the ever-memorable Bishop Augoustinos Kantiotis (†2010): “My beloved, this is how Christ spoke to the scribes and Pharisees of that time. But did the Pharisees cease to exist from then on? They exist today—and they will continue to exist until the end of age. That is why, at the end of the New Testament, in the Revelation of John, we hear again, other “woes” (Rev. 8,13; Rev. 18,10) against the Pharisees of the end times. And if anyone wonders, "Is God bad and threatening?" the answer is—God loves and desires the salvation of all—he threatens with the "woes" in order to prevent evil and bring repentance and salvation.” [4]
With our humble prayers for the flock and the shepherds of our Church.
Amen!
N.M.
Source: https://tasthyras.wordpress.com/
Translation from the original article in Greek
References
[1] Youth Office of the Holy Metropolis of Paphos, 17/1/2025 (from the spiritual work of the Metropolitan of Paphos Tychikos)
[2] St. John Chrysostom, Discourse on false prophets and false teachers (A’), PG 59.553-5, https://www.impantokratoros.gr/BAA6F00E.el.aspx
[3] St. Cyril Catechism XIII, The Cross, the Pride of the Church, Excerpt LH’
[4] https://www.augoustinos-kantiotis.gr/?p=52680 (St. Panteleimon of Florina, 2/5/1983)