Beware the Hypocrite

Luke 11:37–54 CSB

37 As he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him. So he went in and reclined at the table. 38 When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that he did not first perform the ritual washing before dinner. 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and evil. 40 Fools! Didn’t he who made the outside make the inside too? 41 But give from what is within to the poor, and then everything is clean for you. 42 “But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass justice and love for God. These things you should have done without neglecting the others. 43 “Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 “Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves; the people who walk over them don’t know it.” 45 One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too.” 46 Then he said, “Woe also to you experts in the law! You load people with burdens that are hard to carry, and yet you yourselves don’t touch these burdens with one of your fingers. 47 “Woe to you! You build tombs for the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 Therefore, you are witnesses that you approve the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their monuments. 49 Because of this, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that this generation may be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world—51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. “Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible. 52 “Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were trying to go in.” 53 When he left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose him fiercely and to cross-examine him about many things; 54 they were lying in wait for him to trap him in something he said.

God knows the heart behind all we do.

The outside can look perfectly good but if the inside is dirty so is the outside.

The Greek word for hypocrite (hupokrites) literally means "an actor". In ancient Greek theater, one actor would play multiple roles by switching large, handheld masks.

Here we see Jesus engaging the religious leaders or the Pharisees…

The Talmud (Sota 22b) says there are 7 types of Pharisees

1) The “shoulder” Pharisees, who wear their good actions on their shoulders for everyone to see

2) The “wait-a-little” Pharisees who always find excuses for putting off a good deed

3) The “bruised” Pharisees, who run into walls because they are so busy avoiding looking at women

4) The “pestle” or hunched-over Pharisees, who walk bent over in pretend humility

5) The “ever-reckoning” Pharisees, always weighing their good deeds against the bad

6) The “fearful” Pharisees, who are frightened of doing the wrong thing

Jesus issues 6 woes…

Woe: a state of intense hardship or distress (disaster or horror)

Woe 1- Luke 11:42 “42 “But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass justice and love for God. These things you should have done without neglecting the others.” - Went to the extreme on man-imposed rules for fear of not tithing on something they could have but skipped showing God’s love and justice

Woe 2- Luke 11:43 “43 “Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.” - Love the best for themselves and adoration of man

Woe 3- Luke 11:44 “44 “Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves; the people who walk over them don’t know it.”” - In Jewish law, touching a grave made you ceremonially unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:16). To prevent this, people would whitewash graves so they were visible. Jesus calls the Pharisees unmarked graves—they look like normal ground, but anyone who gets close to them is secretly "contaminated" by their dead spirit without even knowing it. - Causing people to think they are walking rightly but really leading them to destruction

Woe 4- Luke 11:46 “46 Then he said, “Woe also to you experts in the law! You load people with burdens that are hard to carry, and yet you yourselves don’t touch these burdens with one of your fingers.” - Holding people to a standard even they do not have to uphold (sounds familiar)

Woe 5- Luke 11:47 “47 “Woe to you! You build tombs for the prophets, and your fathers killed them.” - Demanding to hear from God yet killing the messenger

Woe 6- Luke 11:52 “52 “Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were trying to go in.”” - Teaching false doctrines and preventing people from hearing the truth

- There is a seventh type of Pharisees that we need to be…

7) The “God-loving” Pharisees, who really love God from their heart and take delight in His law.

"At the end of the day, Jesus isn't looking for a perfect performance; He’s looking for a . The Pharisees were world-class at polishing the outside of the cup, but they were . Don’t spend your life trying to manage an image while your soul is in decay. Don’t be like an  that looks like solid ground but holds only spiritual dryness within. Instead, let’s be the 'God-loving' ones who invite Him into the messy, hidden corners of our lives. Because when the heart is right with God, the life will follow—not because we’re following a set of rules, but because we’re following a Savior. Remember: the ."