Dead Works

Big Idea: Works bring only judgment to those who are spiritually dead

Three things Jesus addresses:

External washing vs. Internal generosity

Careful tithing vs. justice and love of God

Recognition vs. facade

Introduction:

The danger of pride in our works, status or otherwise outward persona, such as:

Writing a big check

Making a show of our service

Enjoying the adoration of people

These dangers to the Pharisees can be a danger to people today.

Where is our heart?

If we struggle with these, the struggle may indicate that we are in the battle

The danger is in not struggling

If we are not struggling, we may have a hard heart that is in love with ourselves, but not truly in love with our God and Savior.

We may lack appreciation for Him.

we will cover through verse 44 this morning

Luke 11:37–54 ESV

While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 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. “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. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.” One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” 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. 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. 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.” 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.

Big Idea: Works bring only judgment to those who are spiritually dead

Three things Jesus addresses:

External washing vs. Internal generosity

Careful tithing vs. justice and love of God

Recognition vs. facade

External washing vs. Internal generosity

Luke 11:37–38 ESV

While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.

Many commentators believe this Pharisee had bad motives to invite Jesus

Could have wanted to trap him in his words

May have wanted to get him away from the crowds who had gathered around him.

We cannot be sure of the motives of the Pharisee, because scripture does not tell us explicitly

Either way, Jesus went, and he knew the motives.

The Pharisees were people who put up guardrails around the law to protect their own personal holiness.

Many rules over and above what Scripture required.

Washing hands was one of those rules. They had writings on it, and the hand washing only counted if it was done in a specific manner.

Jesus knew their ritual. It seems he intentionally avoided entertaining their rules so that he could make a teaching moment happen.

He knew they would be offended. He would use this offense to unmask the real motives behind their rules and regulations.

Luke 11:39–40 ESV

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?

They were concerned about outward cleaning in their pursuit of holiness, but not the inward holiness that God looks at

Jesus is pointing out that in their concern for the appearance of holiness, they had ignored the inward cleansing that was needed.

Luke 11:41 ESV

But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

This is figurative speech

“Give as alms”: give, or do act generously

“Those things that are within” - What you have. If you freely give of what you have, and with a pure heart, then everything is clean for you.

Careful tithing vs. justice and love of God

Luke 11:42 ESV

“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.

More Pharisaical rules.

This tithing is not required in scripture.

But their fastidious tithing would certainly impress others

They would look down their noses at people who didn’t do what they did.

If they had rain gauges, they would have tithed of the rain!

This is not a rebuke for generosity towards God through giving.

It is a rebuke of focusing on less important things while ignoring much more important things.

Example: A son is left home alone while the parents went away, entrusted with the property. They come home and the house is burned down, but the son proudly proclaims that he mowed the lawn, even though he really didn’t have to

Micah 6:8 ESV

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Amos 5:21–24 ESV

“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

1 John 3:17–18 ESV

But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

The Pharisees were apparently generous towards God, evidenced by their tithing of even their herbs.

But they were not generous towards people, whom God has commanded his people to be concerned with.

Recognition vs. facade

Luke 11:43 ESV

Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

Recognition

Standing out for their external holiness

They adore adoration

Luke 11:44 ESV

Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

Stepping over a grave made one unclean for a week

If they unknowingly stepped over a grave and entered the temple, the temple became unclean until ritually cleansed.

Graves were marked (whitewashed) so that people would not inadvertently walk over them.

The Pharisees were like unmarked graves.

People who listened to their teaching, followed their rules, lived according to their ways, were brought into a trap.

Neither did they realize that they were unwittingly unclean.

Just as someone who walks over an unmarked grave is unclean anyway, followers of bad teaching can be under the impression that they are good, while they are actually in great danger.

Big Idea: Works bring only judgment to those who are spiritually dead

Three things Jesus addresses:

External washing vs. Internal generosity

Careful tithing vs. justice and love of God

Recognition vs. facade