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Matthew 23 · Grade 5

Woes and Tears

Name Date

Read and Think

Matthew 23 is Jesus' final public teaching in the temple. He acknowledges that the scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. But He exposes the gap between their words and their lives. Their religion had become a performance: broad phylacteries, long fringes, places of honor and titles like Rabbi. In His Kingdom, there is one Teacher, one Father and one Master, and all disciples are brothers.

The seven woes are not angry insults but solemn prophetic warnings, like those of Isaiah. Jesus condemns shutting others out of the Kingdom, misleading converts, twisting rules about oaths, majoring on minor matters while ignoring justice, mercy and faithfulness. He also condemns appearing righteous while being full of hypocrisy inside. The images of straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel and of whitewashed tombs are vivid and memorable.

The chapter ends not with anger but with grief. Jesus, the Son, speaks as God speaks: "How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!" Judgment is coming on the city that rejected the prophets. Yet Jesus holds out hope: they will see Him again when they say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Show What You Know

  1. What gap did Jesus expose in the religious leaders?

  2. What are the woes, and what are they like?

  3. What does straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel mean?

  4. How does the hen image show Jesus' heart?

  5. What hope does Jesus hold out at the end of the chapter?

Crossword

645321

Across

  1. A hen gathers these under her wings.
  2. The city Jesus loved.

Down

  1. Those who are ____ will be lifted up.
  2. The greatest among you will be your ____.
  3. She gathers her chicks.
  4. Jesus said the leaders were like a ____ clean only outside.

Think About It

  1. Why is it important that Jesus' warnings end with tears rather than anger?

  2. Where do you see a gnat-and-camel problem in the way people practice religion today, or in your own life?

Memory Verse

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!

Matthew 23:37 (WEB)

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Prayer

Dear God, thank You for this Bible story. Help me to . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • What is hypocrisy, and how can we avoid it?
  • Jesus wept over Jerusalem. What does His sadness show about His heart for people?
  • Jesus said the humble will be lifted up and the proud brought low. How could you encourage a friend who feels unnoticed?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.