Luke 11:37-54
37 Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee \*asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in and reclined at the table.
38 When the Pharisee saw this, he was surprised that Jesus had not first ceremonially washed before the meal.
39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish; but your inside is full of greed and wickedness.
40 You foolish ones, did He who made the outside not make the inside also?
41 But give that which is within as a charitable gift, and then all things are clean for you.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithes of mint, rue, and every kind of garden herb, and yet you ignore justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the seat of honor in the synagogues and personal greetings in the marketplaces.
44 Woe to you! For you are like unseen tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”
45 One of the lawyers \*said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us too.”
46 But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you load people with burdens that are hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.
48 So you are witnesses and you approve of the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs.
49 For this reason also, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill, and some they will persecute,
50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,
51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’
52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53 When He left that place, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to interrogate Him about many subjects,
54 plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.
Binding Legalism
Rebuke to the Pharisees
A Pharisee invited Jesus to a meal. But he was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not perform the ceremonial washing before eating. This ritual was not for reasons of hygiene, but to cleanse religious impurity. Jesus, perceiving what was in his heart, rebuked Pharisaic legalism. (1) The Pharisees were overly concerned with cleansing the outside, while being indifferent to the uncleanness within. (2) They paid unnecessary attention to tithing yet neglected what was most important – justice and love for God. The tithe was originally meant to be an expression of gratitude and joy. However, in their attitude of counting every single produce from their gardens and fields in order to strictly give one-tenth, the true spirit of giving was lost. (3) They sought situations that would stroke their pride rather than pursuing humility. As we see from the words “foolish ones,” “woe to you,” and “unseen tombs,” it is clear how much Jesus detested Pharisaic hypocrisy.
Rebuke to the lawyers
Jesus’ rebuke was also directed toward the lawyers. The experts in the Law (lawyers) were scholars devoted to the study of the Old Testament Law, and many of them also belonged to the Pharisees. (1) They made the interpretation of the Law complicated, placing unbearable burdens on people, yet they did not lift a finger to help them. (2) They built tombs as national monuments to honor the prophets whom their ancestors had killed. But Jesus denounced them, saying that by doing so they were in fact consenting to the sins of their ancestors. (3) They made God’s Law difficult to understand, keeping both themselves and others away from the kingdom of God. Though the Jews had already rejected the Messiahship of Jesus in the Beelzebul controversy (11:14-20), at this point they took a decisive stance of hostility against Him (v 53-54). As we read today’s passage, if we think that we have nothing to do with Pharisaism, we are mistaken. Have you ever been caught up in formality and forgotten God’s love and grace? Have you ever forgotten to glorify God, while only human effort was at work? Such a condition of the heart is the root of Pharisaism. Let us pray, “Lord, let me put first things first.”
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, nothing can be hidden from You. I confess that Pharisaic spirit dwells also within me. Please fill me with the Spirit of Christ and transform me into one who puts first things first. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.