37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”
45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” 46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. 48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, 54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Jesus was invited to dinner at the house of a Pharisee. The Pharisee was astonished that Jesus didn’t wash his hands before He ate. The issue wasn’t about Jesus’ sense of personal hygiene but that He didn’t follow the ceremonial customs of the day that were not required by the Law. Jesus used that opportunity to raise the fact that the Pharisees were overly concerned with external religious practice over internal purity. They presented a clean and religious exterior while their hearts were filled with greed and wickedness. Jesus called them fools because they didn’t recognise that the God they sought to honour externally was the same God who made their inner person and to truly honour Him required obedience that stemmed from the heart. Jesus placed an emphasis on acts of generosity from the heart. There is a distinct connection between your attitude to your possessions and your inner life. A heart inclined to the needy cleanses you from within. You will release the things you covet, you will focus on others rather than on yourself, and you will be doing what God wants of you.
Jesus declared three woes directed at the Pharisees. Firstly, they were meticulous in tithing (giving a tenth) of even the smallest of herbs but completely ignored issues of justice and God’s love toward others. The problem wasn’t the meticulous tithing, they needed to tithe but without neglecting the other issues they conveniently overlooked. Secondly, they were focused on prominent positions and were self-centered. Thirdly, they were hypocrites with outward lives that didn’t match their inner attitude. People weren’t able to see the disconnect between the outward appearance of cleanness and their rotten hearts—but God always can.
One of the lawyers (those who studied the Mosaic law and ensured its proper application) took umbrage because they felt lumped in with the Pharisees and by implication they felt that was unjustified. So Jesus proclaimed three woes directed at the lawyers. Firstly, they placed heavy burdens of rules on the people that were over and above the Old Testament requirements. They themselves negated the very law they upheld by moving people away from God rather than toward Him. Secondly, they built tombs for the prophets killed by their ancestors. Their monuments stood as a witness to their consent to the despicable actions of their forefathers. God would send prophets and apostles in the establishment of the church which they would kill formalising the link between their forefathers and the current generation. Because of this, the blood of all the prophets from Abel (beginning of Genesis) to Zechariah (end of Jewish Old Testament; 2 Chronicles) would be on their hands. Thirdly, the lawyers had taken away the key of knowledge because they focussed on the wrong things. They hindered the people from acquiring the correct knowledge of what was required to receive eternal life and a relationship with God (Salvation is through faith alone, not works of the Law). They themselves didn’t believe the truth and hindered others from entering the Kingdom.
Instead of hearing Jesus’ accusations and responding with repentance, the Pharisees and lawyers pushed Him and cross-examined Him hoping to catch Him out in something He said.
What is your natural response to someone pointing out that you are not living rightly? You know when someone has accurately pointed out a failing in your life. Is your first response to repent and seek to make it right? Or is your first response to justify your actions thinking you can be righteous in your sin whatever your reason might be? Remember God always sees the true motivation of our heart and we cannot have a true relationship with Him while we justify living any way that is not His way.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Hezekiah Gets Sick, Recovers, Then Dies: 2 Kings 20