Why Jesus Speaks so Harshly: The Seven Woes for Today
About this episode
The episode discusses spiritual abuse and hypocrisy in church leadership through the lens of Matthew 23.
Today, Mike Erre, Tim Stafford, and super special guest host Suzie P. Lind open a serious conversation about spiritual abuse by reading Matthew 23 alongside current headlines of pastor misconduct and church corruption. The episode asks why Jesus’ harshest words land on religious leaders, and what that reveals about abusive systems, hypocrisy, and the responsibility of shepherds. Suzie brings a crucial perspective as a pastor, elder, and woman in church leadership, helping widen the conversation beyond the usual assumptions. The discussion moves between biblical context, present-day church culture, and the personal work of examining how easily leaders can become what they condemn. The group walks through Matthew 23 and focuses on Jesus’ repeated rebukes: hypocrisy burdening people without helping status-seeking spiritual blindness neglect of justice, mercy, and faithfulness Chapters: 00:00 - Welcome back and introduction of Suzie P. Lind 02:34 - Coaching update, Patreon thanks, and book club announcement 04:00 - Trigger Warning: The reality of abuse headlines 07:24 - Why this feels like a culture problem, not just bad individuals 1 3:33 - Jesus’ woe over Jerusalem and why the tone…
More episodes of Voxology
- Hypocrisy, Confession & The Mercy of Being Found Out
- Do Not Do What They Do: Jesus’ Warning About the Pharisees
- How To recognize Spiritually Healthy or Spiritually Toxic Environments
- Toward a Theology of Disability - with Alex Wolf
- The Difference Between Spiritual Abuse and Normal Church Conflict
- Salvation is the Restoration of our Humanity, Not Evacuation From it
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Voxology podcast page.