Luke 11:37-54 - Woeful Disobedience
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
Jesus once said the following…
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Today we are going to see Jesus interact with the Pharisees and Scribes. These were two groups of religious leaders that were known for obeying legalistic guidelines to the T. Yet, they neglected the commands of God. They, instead sought to obey man-made rules and regulations instead of the commands of God’s Word.
And they continued in their woeful disobedience.
Today’s Scripture is difficult. We see Jesus speak extremely hard words to these unrepentant religious leaders. Sometimes we get a little uncomfortable when we read Scriptures like this because sadly, American church culture has propagated a water-color, washed out, and soft view of Jesus. Most pastors have refused to hit hard Scriptures like this one and favored the easier ones. They have shied away from Jesus’s harsher teachings and chosen to focus only on the passages that are more palatable such as one’s highlighting Christ’s mercy.
I would argue that today’s Scripture is a passage of mercy, however. Yes, Jesus is about to give some extremely harsh words, but this is His mercy to these religious leaders. These men still have time to repent and turn from their sins. They have the opportunity to heed His warnings.
And praise be to God - all those listening to this sermon today still have time to heed these warnings as well! I pray that we all take Jesus’s words seriously today and apply them to our own lives as we go through this difficult Scripture.
Prayer
Today we will see four ways we should be changed by Christ’s teaching in these verses. The first is…
I. You Must Be Cleansed by Christ’s Work Alone (37-41)
I. You Must Be Cleansed by Christ’s Work Alone (37-41)
While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table.
Verse 37 comes right after last week’s sermon with Jesus’s warning to the wicked generation in front of Him. After His teaching of the sign of Jonah - namely His coming resurrection after being dead for three days - and His teaching about being in the light and not the darkness - a Pharisee invites Him to dine.
This is a very interesting invite as we have seen the Pharisees attacking Jesus at times and asking accusatory questions. Jesus, knowing the ill will of this invitation (which will become apparent in a moment), still accepts his invitation and reclines at the table with the Pharisee and as we will see in a moment - there are other Scribes and Pharisees present as well at this gathering.
The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.
The Pharisee, watching Jesus, is astonished to see that Jesus did not wash before dinner.
There are three important understandings to have about this verse:
It is important for us to know that this is not a teaching against washing your hands before eating! Jesus skips this ritualistic washing to teach a point. As we will see, it is a very important point.
The washing of the hands performed by the religious leaders was not written in the Law of Moses or anywhere in the Old Testament. This was a legalistic ceremonial cleansing and not hygienic. On a side note - hygienic handwashing is somewhat recent and really didn’t take off until the mid to late 1800’s! We see in Mark 7:2-4 some of the regulations that had become commonplace for the Pharisees and other religious leaders regarding ceremonial cleansing.
As we alluded to in #1, Jesus did not wash His hands in order to teach a point as seen in verses 39-41. This is a calculated move by Jesus as we will see in the next verses.
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. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.
We need to take note that the Pharisee, as far as we know, did not actually say anything out loud. However his reaction must have been easily seen by Jesus and those watching.
Jesus begins by a strong statement against the Pharisees. He states that they cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish but the inside is full of greed and wickedness.
There are three rebukes and one admonition in these verses.
Rebuke #1 - They are clean on the outside only.
As we will see in the woes to come, this exterior is only a facade. It is a fake cleansing. They have not truly been cleansed by God.
Jesus compares the cleanliness of the Pharisees to a cup or dish that would only be clean on the outside. Would you want to use a cup that was dirty on the inside? Absolutely not! Yet, that is how these Pharisees were. They appeared clean but were full of evil on the inside.
We must fight against the temptation to be this way as well. Many church-going people like to act like they have it all together. They dress nicely, talk rightly, and put on a show with their Christianly actions. Yet, their hearts are far from God and they are all about their own glory.
May we not be this way, Church. May we understand that our cleansing comes not from our outward works but from the inward change done by Jesus Christ in our lives. We must be cleansed by Christ’s work alone.
Rebuke #2 - They are full of greed.
The Greek word for greed here is actually even more harsh. It is harpagē (art-a-pie-yay) which actually means robbery or to plunder. Jesus is calling them criminals.
This is not the only time Jesus spoke of the Pharisees as lovers of money. See later in the book of Luke a couple of other references to this:
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.
The Pharisees loved money. And they loved it enough to even take advantage of widows as seen later in Luke’s Gospel:
who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
They were so greedy that they would devour widows’ houses. What outrageous evil that one would take advantage of a widow? They were, in fact, criminals who robbed and plundered the less fortunate.
We as believers are told not to be lovers of money. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). We must instead love Christ and not money. We are to be conduits of God’s money and use it for His glory and not our own.
And finally, Jesus gives his third rebuke before His woes:
Rebuke #3 - They are full of wickedness.
This is an incredibly strong statement. The Pharisees were known as religious leaders. They were strongly legalistic and prided themselves in their self-righteousness because of their religious activities. Yet Jesus says that they are full of wickedness. This is only the beginning of His strong statements as we will see in a moment.
Next, we learn that…
Scripture References: John 14:15, Mark 7:2-4, Luke 16:14, 1 Timothy 6:10, Luke 20:47
II. You Must Find Contentment in Christ’s Worth Alone (42-44)
II. You Must Find Contentment in Christ’s Worth Alone (42-44)
Our next three verses start a section called the Woes. Luke gives us 6 woes - 3 are directed at the Pharisees and 3 are directed at the lawyers/scribes. We will start with the…
The Three Woes to the Pharisees
Woe #1 - (Verse 42) Woeful Lack of Generosity
“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.
Generosity is more than just a tithe. This first woe involves the neglect for justice and the love of God. He acknowledges that they tithe mint and rue and herbs and acknowledges that they are good tithers. However loving God is the best thing. Doing good things apart from God is not good at all. God is only glorified when we do things out of love and service for Him and through His power.
This is why unbelievers do no good things. This is why the author of Romans, namely Paul, states in chapter three that no one is good, not even one (Romans 3:10-11). This is because everything that we do is tainted by our sinful nature. Only when we do things for the glory of God out of love for our Heavenly Father and in His power is He truly glorified.
Tithing or regularly giving to the church and the work of Christ is incredibly important. We are called and commanded to give to the work of Christ.
But, we do not give reluctantly or under compulsion like these Pharisees did. Paul warned us of this in 2 Corinthians 9:7 and let us know that God loves a cheerful giver. These Pharisees gave their tithe to the cent - and no more. Yet, we are called to give sacrificially to the kingdom of God. Our giving should come from a heart that understands what price has been paid for our lives on the cross. Our giving should overflow because we love Christ so much. When we give, God is able to bless us more because we are being conduits of His grace. Everything is His. The Pharisees did just enough to get by but refused to give any more. They refused to show God’s love through sacrificially giving to the poor and needy. As we saw in our last point, they not only refused to give to help those less fortunate - but instead they took advantage of such people!
Next He calls them out for their…
Woe #2 - (Verse 43) Woeful Pride
Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
His next woe attacks the pride of the Pharisees. They love the best seats in the synagogues. These seats were special because they were in the front facing the congregation. All eyes were on them. And they loved to be seen by all as the donned their religious robes.
They love to be greeted as holy and righteous on the street and in the marketplace. They are all about their own pride and acclaim.
Sadly, there are pastors and church leaders following in the footsteps of these Pharisees. They wear the best of clothes. They seek after celebrity and fame and fortune. Like the Pharisees, they devour widows homes and rob from the poor.
Ben Kirby, creator of a viral social media creation called PreachersNSneakers, has pressed in on this problem amongst the celebrity pastors in America. He posts pictures of pastors wearing shoes that are thousands of dollars as they preach. He also shows the Gucci and Armani suits that some pastors wear that are also thousands of dollars.
We absolutely must watch judging others by their external appearance - maybe some of these guys have been gifted things from their congregation or maybe they got a good deal at a yard sale or Goodwill (which I highly recommend!). However, one cannot argue with the celebrity movement of many of the megachurch pastors of our day. Some church services have become nothing more than an entertainment show in place of the holy and set apart worship that our sovereign Creator so deserves.
This celebrity movement stands in direct opposition to Christ’s call on a pastor. Countless scriptures tell us of God's hatred toward pride. He stands against those who are prideful.
Listen to James assert this:
James 4:6b (ESV)
… Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
And in this same vein, Christ says an even greater woe…
Woe #3 - (Verse 44) Woeful State
Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”
Their pride has put them in a woeful state. Jesus asserts that they are like unmarked graves that people walk over unaware. Before pride comes destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Jesus prophesied destruction for these people. They are as good as dead. They are as good as being in hell even as they walk on earth. They are dead men walking. Jesus warns them of what is to come without repentance.
My friends, there are many dead men walking among us. They are as good as dead. They are as good as being in hell already. Apart from repenting of their sins and turning to Christ, they will spend eternity apart from the Lord in a real place called hell. May we be as bold as Jesus to share this truth with them and proclaim the Gospel - namely the love of Christ that invites them into a personal relationship with Him.
Our contentment cannot come from our own worthiness or pride. We must find it in Christ alone.
Next we see that…
Scripture References: Romans 3:10-11, 2 Corinthians 9:7, James 4:6b, Proverbs 16:18
III. You Must Find Confidence in Christ’s Word Alone (45-52)
III. You Must Find Confidence in Christ’s Word Alone (45-52)
Listen to the conversation change gears toward the lawyers and Scribes...
One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.”
One of the lawyers that is present at this feast begins to become offended by Jesus's comments. One could imagine why he would be offended. Jesus has already spoken some very difficult words. The lawyer reminds Jesus that he is being insulted along with his friends that are present.
Of course Jesus wouldn’t want to offend the lawyers and the scribes, right? These were among the highest of religiosity. They memorized the Scriptures and copied them. They were experts in the Law.
But as we will see in a short moment… Jesus had even more ammunition for them!
Listen to…
The Three Woes to the Lawyers/Scribes
Woe #1 (Verse 46) - Woeful Burdening
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.
Jesus blasts the lawyers for adding to the Word of God. We have quite a warning at the end of the Bible when it comes to adding or taking away from the Bible.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
It is clear that God hates it when His Word is minimized or added to.
And these religious leaders have added burdens that were hard for the people to bear - impossible in all actuality. Their countless legalistic additions to the Law numbered some 6,000 rules and regulations. And they make no effort in helping the people obey these man-made rules.
Contrast this with Jesus’s statement in Matthew 11:28-30:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The Scribes and Lawyers did nothing but burden the people. Yet, Christ offered relief from the burden. And He continues to offer relief from the burden of sin in our lives today. His yoke is easy and His burden in light. He bore the weight of our sins upon the cross. He took the punishment we deserved. He stands in direct contrast to these wicked religious leaders. He is loving and merciful while they were full of hate and merciless.
Jesus has two more woes to come. The next is…
Woe #2 (Verses 47-51) - Woeful False Respect
Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 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.
These are some harsh words. He is literally holding the generation in front of Him responsible for the death of all of the prophets - past, present, and future.
These people build tombs which are memorials for the dead and yet still do not listen to the words of the prophets. They continue to act like their forefathers who killed the prophets.
And in His judgment upon them He actually goes back to Abel. This is an interesting statement. Obviously Abel was the first person murdered (Genesis 4:8). If you recall, Cain, upset because of God accepting Abel’s offering and not accepting his, killed his brother. The Israelite people were not actually even a people group yet when this happened. Yet Jesus asserts that they our following the way of Cain.
Then He moves forward to Zechariah. There is some debate upon which Zechariah that this was. Matthew clarifies this in his parallel passage.
so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
Zechariah the son of Barachiah is the prophet Zechariah who wrote the book bearing his name. He was a prophet during the time of Haggai who encouraged the people to repent and renew their covenant with God. We are not told in the Old Testament how Zechariah the prophet died, but Matthew lets us know in his Gospel how this occured. He died in a similar way to Zechariah the son of Jehoiada as seen in 2 Chronicles 24:20 - which has caused some confusion to commentators in the past - since these two men bearing the same name suffered a similar fate.
The significance of mentioning both Abel and Zechariah shows the greatness of their iniquity. They are guilty from the beginning of time as seen in the book of Genesis with Abel’s murder until the end of the prophets of the Old Testament. This guilt would continue as they would go on to crucify the Son of God - Jesus Christ.
It is obvious that their memorials to the prophets are memorials of false respect. They are no different than their fathers.
And finally, Jesus gives his final woe…
Woe #3 (Verse 52) - Woeful Prevention
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.”
His final woe focuses on the greatest evil of the lawyers and scribes. They have not only taken away the key of knowledge - meaning that they are holding back the truth of God's Word and have replaced it with false teachings - but they also are hindering others by their wickedness.
Commentator Robert Stein states:
“The religious teaching of the experts of the law was not simply unhelpful; it was in fact an obstacle to seekers and caused them to oppose God’s messengers.”
Robert Stein (NAC Commentary on Luke)
We see this today as well. Listen to Paul’s warning to false teachers and those who deny the Word of God:
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
After this list of heinous sins, Paul ends the section with a grave warning in verse 32…
Romans 1:32 (ESV)
Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Can you hear the warning here, friends? They not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. There is an even greater judgment on those who suppress the Word of God and encourage others to do so as well. Countless believers, church leaders and pastors are out there preaching a false Gospel and denying the Word of God.
A terrifying judgment awaits those who not only practice lawlessness - but encourage and approve others who do so as well.
Paul, in essence, is giving a woe of his own to end chapter one of Romans. Woe to those who practice lawlessness and approve of others doing the same.
Brothers and sisters, we must stand confident in Christ’s Word alone. We must fight against the ways of sinful man and stand firm on God’s Word which never changes.
And finally…
Scripture References: Revelation 22:18-19, Matthew 11:28-30, Genesis 4:8, Matthew 23:35
IV. You Must Find Courage in Christ’s Way Alone (53-54)
IV. You Must Find Courage in Christ’s Way Alone (53-54)
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, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
Obviously, the scribes and Pharisees are not happy with this interchange that has just occurred. We are told that they began to press Him hard and provoke him to speak about many things. They are seeking to catch Him in something He might say. Obviously, their goal is to see Jesus dead.
And as we all know today, they accomplished their goal. They accomplished the goal of Satan which was to kill the Son of God.
However, we glory in the fact that the fight was not over!
Three days later, Christ rose from the dead thereby defeating death and the grave. Listen to Jesus speak in Revelation 1:18:
Revelation 1:18 (ESV)
...I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
He is alive forevermore!
We can find courage in Christ because He is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).
We can find courage in Christ because He has defeated Hell and the grave!
We do not need to shrink back when attacked. We know Who holds our tomorrow. We know where our help comes from. Listen to the Psalmist assert this so beautifully in Psalm 121:1-2:
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Church, stand firm in world full of evil and wickedness. Be courageous in a world full of adversity. Because we know where our help comes from. It comes from the Lord - who made everything and holds everything together (Colossians 1:17).
Scripture References: Revelation 1:18, John 14:6, Psalm 121:1-2, Colossians 1:17
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, we have heard some very tough words today. May we learn from these warnings given by Christ to the religious leaders of His day.
May we remember that…
1. You must be cleansed by Christ’s work alone - salvation comes from Him and Him alone - not from your own works.
2. You must find contentment in Christ’s worth alone - you bring nothing the table. All worthiness comes from His worth and not your own intrinsic worth.
3. You must find confidence in Christ’s Word alone - our opinion and our own man-made rules have no power or authority. His Word stands forever.
4. You must find courage in Christ’s way alone - He is the only Way and His is the only Way for salvation.
May we fight against the woeful disobedience that so infects our world even to this day. And may we instead be wholly obedient to our Savior and Lord.
Closing