Rarely does the church discuss the woes that Jesus gave out. The church only wants to focus on the love of Christ but it was not always that way. Leading up to the revolutionary period in American history Johnathan Edwards preached a now famous sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Where he preached about punishment and destruction. This kind of preaching will have one canceled or the flocks running for the doors of the church. Woe is not a fun topic. So what does woe mean in the Bible and are we really sinners in the hands of an angry God?

Meaning of Woe

As I have written in the past a woe is an exclamation of sorrow and grief. Like when someone sees trouble coming for someone else who is blind to the direction they are going. The woes Jesus proclaims are a warning. He is communicating to men and women of the world that they are in danger. Trouble is on the horizon and woe to them if they do not listen and do not change.

In the gospel of Matthew Jesus gives out four kinds of woes. The woes in chapter 18 is the second kind and the most relevant to the world I see before me today.

⁷ “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!  Matthew 18:7 ESV

Meaning of Woe to the World

What does woe in the Bible mean in this verse? We can break this down into a few parts and explore the context of the message Jesus is giving to us today.

Woe

First is the woe that Jesus starts the sentence with. οὐαί (Ouai) is an exclamation like the use of the word WOW for example. Jesus is the attention of the listener with an exclamation that is related to grief. Woe is an ominous Alas. I would add that only someone who loves us would take the time to give warning for what comes. Those who love you the most are willing to share hard truths that will not be well received.

Temptation

Second is the word temptation. The woe is directed at those who bring temptation to others. Alas! Jesus says. Those who tempt others to sin are in danger. I will cover what danger they are in in the next section. Temptation here, σκάνδαλον (skandalon), means a trap or snare. Something that is put in the way to cause them to be entrapped. Jesus is saying Woe to people who use sin to ensnare the life of others. An obvious example would be the drug peddlers pushing something addictive to entrap a new client for the drug dealer’s own selfish gain. Jesus says Woe to you if you are like this. Jesus is expressing grief that it is not enough to sin on your own. Woe to those who push sin on others.

Necessary?

Third temptations are necessary. Jesus said what? Yes he said temptations are necessary. We are all sinners. We have all fallen short of God’s perfect standard. But the woe goes to those who have embraced temptation and now push everyone else to join them in that temptation. In this broken world God is giving people the free will to reject him. Rejecting God is an ugly and sinful business. That means temptation will come to us by way of those who have embraced it.  

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

Warning by way of Woe

The woe of Jesus to the world is one of warning. The meaning of the word woe in the Bible is an anguished cry of warning to the reader. Jesus loves you and is warning us that we are in danger if we lead other into sin. Right before giving out the woe to the world Jesus gave his example.

6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:6 ESV

Woe to those who want to pull children into sin. Woe to those who corrupt and ensnare youth into a live of sex, drugs, and abuse. Jesus says that it would be better for them to jump off a bridge than to receive what is on the horizon for tempting others.

Loving Warning

The good news however is that God does love us and he has provided an alternative to the woe that comes. Paul summarizes it best.

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV

Dear reader Paul writes to his audience “such were some of you” when describing the type of people who the meaning of the woe in the bible was directed. They were tempters of others and now they have changed. No longer are they identified as greedy or drunkards. They are washed and justified before God. May we all turn from the woe and embrace a life worth living in Christ.