Luke 11.37-54: Hypocrisy

One of the most frequent criticisms levelled against Christians is that of hypocrisy: that they say one thing, and do another. I myself rejected Christianity for a long time as a teenager because I saw people in our church raising their hands and worshiping God, then leaving the service and being horrible to their waiters at restaurants, or gossiping about people I loved when they didn’t know I was within earshot. Hypocrisy is probably the most disenchanting, disillusioning behavior a new believer or someone who is curious about the faith could run across.

There are other kinds of accusations too.

They

Now, it would be easy for people to see these large-scale examples of hypocrisy as anomalies…and then they go to a church, and they see the same thing. I myself rejected Christianity for a long time as a teenager because I saw people in our church raising their hands and worshiping God, then leaving the service and being horrible to their waiters at restaurants, or gossiping about people I loved when they didn’t know I was within earshot. Hypocrisy is probably the most disenchanting, disillusioning behavior a new believer or someone who is curious about the faith could run across.

And here’s why that’s so scary: we’re all hypocrites.

In today’s passage, Jesus is speaking to Pharisees and experts in the Law. As we’ll see, Jesus is going to criticize both groups in today’s text, and he’s going to criticize them very harshly. But if we would just take a second to think about what Jesus is saying here, we’d see him condemning a good many things we find ourselves doing all the time.

As we’ll see, Jesus is going to criticize both groups in today’s text, and he’s going to criticize them very harshly. But if we would just take a second to think about what Jesus is saying here, we’d see him condemning a good many things we find ourselves doing all the time.

But if we would just take a second to think about what Jesus is saying here, we’d see him condemning a good many things we find ourselves doing all the time.

So I hope you brought your helmets; the Holy Spirit’s going to knock us over the head a bit here. But I always get excited when the Spirit gets ready to beat us up, because that means we’ll be more like Jesus after than we were before.

So let’s get into the text, starting at v. 37.

So if you remember from last week, Jesus has been speaking to a crowd of people. And apparently in this crowd there was at least one Pharisee. The Pharisees were an influential group of Jews who emphasized observing the Law of Moses in extreme detail. And this Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner. We see in v. 37:

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.

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

So picture the scene here. This Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner, so he comes and begins to eat. And the first thing Jesus does is comes and reclines at table…but doesn’t wash up first. And that’s a big deal—Jesus didn’t just commit a breach in social etiquette. Handwashing was an important ritual of cleanliness for the Pharisees.

And the first thing Jesus does is comes and reclines at table…but doesn’t wash up first. And that’s a big deal—Jesus didn’t just commit a breach in social etiquette. Handwashing was an important ritual of cleanliness for the Pharisees.

Now, there’s a reason this Pharisee was astonished. Jesus didn’t just commit a breach in social etiquette.

The thing is, Jesus knew this wouldn’t go unnoticed. He knew this Pharisee would see that he didn’t wash up, and that he would be shocked by it. It was a calculated provocation on his part, to give him a reason to say what he’s about to say. This Pharisee wanted perhaps to charm Jesus into thinking they were on the same side, that these Pharisees weren’t all that bad after all; but Jesus wasn’t having it. He’s come to say something, and he will say it.

One thing to notice before we move on. We see in v. 45 that there were other people here as well; when Jesus addresses the Pharisees and lawyers, he speaks in the plural. The people he is with this time are a very different group from the uneducated laborers in the crowds he usually addresses. These men know what they are talking about: they know the Law, and they came with very keen eyes to see what this man Jesus was like.

So the context here was more than likely a fairly private affair, with only those people Jesus is going to accuse in attendance. He waits until they are alone before he lets out his most scathing accusations. He’s not out to humiliate them, but to reveal their sin to them. Jesus is not acting out of anger or cruelty here, but out of compassion.

The Pharisees’ spiritual eyes had become bad; the light in them had become darkness. (v. 34-35).

v. 37-38: Handwashing—an important cleanliness ritual for the Pharisees. Jesus’s not washing his hands was intentional; it was a calculated provocation. He came to clear the air concerning what these men were doing, and he was going to have his say. (The context more than likely would have been a fairly private affair, with only the accused in attendance. He wasn’t trying to humiliate, but to reveal sin in order to tear it out.)

So what does he say? V. 39:

Hypocritical Practice (v. 37-44)

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.

Their practice is hypocritical. They pay attention to what can be seen.

You wash your hands before dinner. Great—your hands are clean, but your insides are filthy. You pay attention to what people can see, and completely neglect those things that go unseen. But God made both, so God sees both. That’s a general statement which he’s going to elaborate in v. 42:

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.

Fruit and root: In other words, you get lost in the details, and you neglect the basics.

The Pharisees were exemplary tithers. “Tithing” is the practice of giving ten percent of whatever you have to God; and the Pharisees went beyond what the Law called them to give. They didn’t just give out of their income; they gave off their spice rack. Synagogues which had Pharisees in regular attendance did very well.

But they neglected what truly mattered: justice and the love of God. As we see many times in the gospels, the Pharisees thought themselves better than others. They’d look at commoners and pray, Thank you, Lord, that I’m not like that sinner (cf. ). They would unfairly judge others, without ever turning that judgmental eye o themselves.

So what we have here is a case of the details superceding the basics. It’s like a kid trying to master calculus before he’s learned to count to 100, or trying to do parkour before he can walk. The latter is the foundation of the former.

The Pharisees, in essence, were trying to master the details without concerning themselves with the basics. They were working hard on the letter of the Law, but completely neglecting the heart of the Law. The prophet Micah had warned against such behavior—he spoke of all the various sacrifices and rituals the people of Israel followed, and then in he says that nevertheless,

8 [God] 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?

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

The Pharisees knew this verse. They should have known that if they were devoted to justice and kindness and humility with God, then they would want to be generous. They wouldn’t have to force themselves to give to the house of God; it would be their pleasure to do so. That’s why when Jesus talks about their tithing, he says, “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” Tithing is good! Extravagant generosity is good! Yes! You ought to do these things.

But if they aren’t coming as a natural by-product of the basics—justice and love of God—then you’re just a kid who can’t run trying to do parkour: it’s going to end badly. The only proper response is, Woe to you!

And again, v. 43:

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

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Desire for approval: So we see what motivates these Pharisees in what they do—they want to be seen.

Everyone loves to be admired. Why is Instagram such a big deal? Because on Instagram, everyone gets to be beautiful. You can erase pimples and get rid of red eyes and retake a picture as many times as you have to in order to look just right. It doesn’t matter if in reality you never go to the gym or take care of yourself; it doesn’t matter if you suck in that gut before the picture’s taken and then gasp when you let it out again. As long as everyone thinks you actually look like that, you’re good.

The Pharisees would have loved Instagram.

They did what they did because they knew that if they were seen as righteous and generous, they wouldn’t actually need to be righteous and generous.

And what is the effect of this hypocritical behavior? Jesus says, v. 44:

v. 37-41: They pay attention to that which is seen, and neglect that which goes unseen. Your hands are clean, but your insides are filthy—and God sees both.

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

v. 42-44: They get lost in the details, and neglect the basics. (The details are good, v. 42b, but should come out of the basics, and not attempt to bypass them.)

Hypocrisy

According to the Law, coming in contact with a grave made you ritually unclean. But if a grave wasn’t marked, you could walk over it and become unclean without even realizing it.

Same thing here. People thought the Pharisees were righteous men; they were admired for their zeal. But those who sought to follow in their footsteps were almost systematically led astray, falling into the same traps, and made unclean before God without even realizing it.

Now at this point the tension in this room would have been palpable. Imagine inviting someone to dinner and hearing him talk like this to you and your guests!

The Pharisees were exemplary tithers—synagogues which had Pharisees in regular attendance did well.

One of these guests, one of the lawyers, speaks up, and gives Jesus a perfect opportunity to set his sights on them. If he accused the Pharisees of hypocritical practice, he’s going to accuse the lawyers of hypocritical handling of the Word of God.

But they neglected what truly mattered (cf. ).

Why? To be seen, v. 43. If they are seen as righteous and generous, they don’t actually need to be righteous and generous.

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The effect? v. 44.

Hypocritical Handling of the Word (v. 45-52)

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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.

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The experts in the Law—sometimes called “Lawyers” or “Scribes”—were men who took the Law of Moses and interpreted it for their modern age, explaining how they thought Jews should observe the Law of Moses in their context…and in the process they consistently added regulations that God never intended.

One sort of hilarious example is found in the Mishnah, a book of these interpretations of the Law, carried down by oral tradition. In this book you see detailed what people were allowed to carry on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a day on which the people were meant to do no work; they were allowed to carry no burden. So to help the people out, the authors of the Mishnah said that anything heavier than a dried fig was to be considered a “burden” (M. Shabbath 7:3). So you could carry food on the Sabbath as long as that item of fod weighed less than a dried fig. But if you put that food down, then picked it up again, that doubled the weight, so you’d be breaking the Sabbath Law.

The lawyers/scribes/experts of the Law—codified the Law, updating it for their modern age, interpreting it for others…and in the process added regulations God never intended.

There were all kinds of rules that the scribes and lawyers had, constantly adding their own interpretations of the Law and imposing them on everyone else.

And Jesus calls them out—not only because he came to bring the people rest for their souls (cf. ), but because these lawyers themselves weren’t doing what they told others to do. They know that people assume that those who preach, do what they preach. But these men don’t do what they preach, and they don’t help others to do so either.

Example: The Mishnah (M. Shabbath 7.2) detailed what was allowed to be carried on the Sabbath: nothing heavier than a dried fig was listed as a “burden.” So you could carry something weighing less than a dried fig. But if you put that thing down, then picked it up again, that doubled the weight, so you’d be breaking the Sabbath Law.

Cf. Matt. 11.28-30

They tell others what to do, because they know that people assume that those who preach, do what they preach. But they don’t, and they don’t help others to do so either. Again, if everyone thinks they are righteous, that is enough.

Again, if everyone thinks they are righteous, that is enough.

And the result of this perceived righteousness is power. They gave the impression of having great wisdom and self-control, so they became the self-proclaimed arbiters of God’s Word for the people.

And that is the problem we see in Jesus’s next accusation, v. 47:

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.

What’s he talking about here? He’s talking about a hypocritical handling of God’s Word. The prophets were one of the main ways (in addition to the Torah) that God’s Word came to the people of Israel in the Old Testament. And what did their ancestors do with the prophets? They killed them.

And although these men built shrines to these past prophets in Israel, Jesus says that their forefathers’ murdering ways continue in them. How do we know he’s right?

Well, look how they rejected John the Baptist, the first prophet in generations. Look what they’ll do to Jesus in just a short time. These men want to set themselves up as experts in the Word because they know it will give them power, not because they actually love the Word. As Jesus says in v. 52,

The prophets were one of the main ways (in addition to the Torah) that God’s Word came to the people of Israel. And what did their ancestors do with the prophets?

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

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.

They made it so that every good Jew was to think they had to be an expert to understand the Word of God. Only a scribe, or a lawyer, or a Pharisee, could possibly grasp the complexities of God’s revelation to man. By adding on this multiplicity of rules and regulations to God’s Law, they made it impossible to comprehend, and impossible to follow. They didn’t follow the heart of the Law themselves, distracted as they were by the details; and the Law became so complex that no one else could follow it either.

(By the way, this is exactly what the Catholic Church did before the Reformation: they refused to translate the Bible into common languages, and maintained all of their services in Latin. The common people didn’t speak Latin, so the only ones who had access to the Bible were priests. One of the most important victories of the Reformation was the translation and printing of the Bible into languages people could understand, so that they could read it and interpret it and understand it for themselves.)

And with that power...

v. 47-52: Jesus’s implication—their fathers’ murdering ways continue in them. (The cross is proof.) They act as if they honor God’s Word (i.e. prophets), but in reality oppose it. (Cf. v. 52, pre-Reformation Catholic Church.)

This passage is one of the hardest passages in the Bible for me—not because it’s hard to understand, but because it is almost universally condemning. Nearly every Christian who reads this passage will be pricked—or should be.

So Jesus stops talking, and leaves; and the men are left to stew and consider what to do. They could have responded to Jesus’s criticisms by admitting their errors and deciding to change, but—no. V. 53:

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.

Why didn’t they change? Because dishonest handling of the Word produces hypocritical practice in life…which in turn inclines people to further hypocrisy. These men should have known better. They were experts in the Law; they knew Jesus was right.

One of the most frequent criticisms leveled against Christians is that of hypocrisy: that they say one thing, and do another. I myself rejected Christianity for a long time as a teenager because I saw people in our church raising their hands and worshiping God, then leaving the service and being horrible to their waiters at restaurants, or gossiping about people I loved when they didn’t know I was within earshot. Hypocrisy is probably the most disenchanting, disillusioning behavior a new believer or someone who is curious about the faith could run across.

v. 53-54: Rather than repent, they plot to trap him, proving that everything he’s said about them and the state of their hearts is right.

But hypocrisy is a hole it is close to impossible to climb out of once you’ve fallen in, because it’s always motivated by the same thought: I want what I want, and what would people think if they knew that? Becoming unhypocritical requires us to let people see what’s actually going on in us, and that’s just too great a burden for many people to bear.

the thought that motivated the first act—But what will people think?—comes back every time. Becoming unhypocritical requires us to let people see what’s actually going on in us, and that’s just too great a burden for many people to bear.

Becoming unhypocritical requires us to let people see what’s actually going on in us, and that’s just too great a burden for many people to bear.

So rather than climbing out of the hole we’ve dug for ourselves, we keep digging, deeper and deeper, because as long as everyone else thinks we’re holy, we can go on feeling holy.

What’s the point of all this talk?

The point is that the Christian life that the Bible describes for us is radically different from the life that most Christians actually live.

Church leaders

Christians often have two lives. They have the life they live when they’re with other Christians; and they have the life they live the rest of the week, when no one else can see them as they really are.

We come to church, and become Oscar-caliber actors and actresses, because this is the place where we remember God calls us to be holy, so we’d better not let anyone see how unholy we actually are, or else we won’t belong anymore.

We rarely take someone aside and ask them to pray for us because we’re struggling with sin or doubt or fear. When someone asks how we are, we rarely say, “Honestly, not great.” When we are struggling with sin, or even more so when we’ve failed, we rarely let anyone know about it, we rarely confess that sin. Instead, we keep it to ourselves, determined to do better just through sheer force of will.

Why do we feel the need to hide our brokenness?

Because what will they think of me if I showed them what I’m REALLY like?

Same goes for pastors: in fact, we often feel this more acutely than others, because the Bible calls us to set an example for others to follow, and if anyone sees that we’ve got struggles too, we’ve got fears too, we’ve got problems too… What kind of example is that? Jesus says a lot about these men who misuse the Word of God to make themselves look better, and it is so easy to do the same thing from where I’m standing. It’s easy to preach holiness and generosity and joy in the grace we have in Christ, all the while feeling loaded down with guilt over our own failures, putting burdens on your shoulders we’re not able to bear ourselves.

We do this because we’re human beings, and like all human beings—Christian or no—we find our value in the opinions of others.

We, like the Pharisees,

We, like everyone else, find our value in the regard of others.

It’s a basic principle of social psychology that our self-worth is in large part determined by the perceived opinions of those who are important to us: by what we think the most important people in our lives think of us.

Think about it. There was a guy who came to the church for a while, who didn’t like me much, because of what I believe and preach, and he let me know he didn’t like me. I didn’t lose any sleep over it. I tried to convince him he was wrong to think the way he did, but his accusations did nothing to actually change how I felt about myself. At the end of the day, I was okay.

But my wife? She can destroy me. And it doesn’t take much. One well-timed sentence out of her mouth can wreck me.

Why? Because she’s more important to me than any other person in my life. Her opinion of me shapes how I see myself.

Now, the Bible knows this; it knows that our identity and worth are very much wrapped up in what we think other people think of us. That is why at every turn, when the gospel is preached, over and over again, the gospel tells us what Jesus did FOR us, and what God says ABOUT us.

Jesus lived a perfect life in our place; and he died a horrendous death in our place. He took our sins and was punished for them; and in exchange, he gave us his perfect life.

And because of that, God’s entire view on us has radically shifted.

We think, God is disappointed in me. He says, in the beginning of nearly every letter Paul writes in the New Testament, “You are saints” (cf. Philippians 1.1).

We think, God won’t possibly forgive me after this. He says, “For your sake, I made Jesus to be sin, so that in him you might become my righteousness” (cf. 2 Corinthians 5.21).

We think, I can’t let anyone see how imperfect I am. He says, “I predestined you to be conformed to the image of my Son” (cf. ).

God declares us perfect in Christ, and he promises to make us progressively like Christ.

“I can’t let anyone see how imperfect I am.” ≠ God declares me perfect in Christ, and he promises to make me progressively like Christ. I don’t need to be perfect, because God says I am, and I will be.

Why does this matter? It matters because if that’s true—if he really has declared us righteous and really will make us like Christ—then we don’t need to be perfect, because Jesus was perfect for us.

This doesn’t mean he’s content to let us stay where we are. This doesn’t mean he will allow us to continue in sin. This means that God doesn’t wait for us to become perfect before loving us and forgiving us and adopting us. He takes us as we are, in order to make us as he is.

We are all complete idiots. We are sinful, imperfect, flawed human beings—so of course unbelievers see through our hypocrisy! No one is as perfect as Christians pretend to be!

I am a complete idiot.

The difference between us before Christ and us after Christ is that we know now that we will be perfect, because God will make us like Christ, and because of what Jesus did for us, that goal is no longer out of our grasp.

My future is unbelievably bright.

The question is, how do we do this? When we see such scathing criticism from Jesus, the obvious call of the text is, Don’t live like this. Don’t be like this. How?

Anyone can get in on this.

Two ways: pursue universal holiness, and be real.

Pursue universal holiness. John Owen coined this phrase; by “universal obedience,” he meant holiness in every aspect of our lives, whether anyone else sees it or not.

Dishonest handling of the Word produces hypocritical practice in life…which inclines to further hypocrisy.

It’s easy to clean up our act when people are around, to put on a good face and even encourage other people to holiness…and then to completely drop the mask when we’re alone, and allow ourselves to sin in private. It’s easy to wash our hands and clean the outside of the cup, while inside we’re full of greed and wickedness. It’s easy to have all of our “personal holiness” boxes checked, while neglecting justice and the love of God. If everyone else thinks we’re holy, then we must be, right?

Hypocrisy is a hole it is close to impossible to climb out of once you’ve fallen in.

Remember Jesus telling his disciples (),

He completely neglected to see that the disdain he felt towards this brother in Christ was a more serious problem than this young man saying what he considered to be a bad word.

Because the thought that motivated the first act—But what will they think?—comes back every time.

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

He gave us this seemingly impossible commandment because he doesn’t want us to live under the mistaken impression that some sins matter, while others don’t. Sin is a cancer, and cancer spreads, whether it be one cell or a million. If we don’t pursue obedience in all of life, we are not pursuing obedience at all.

So this text calls us to pursue universal obedience. We’ll make mistakes. We’ll have sin in our lives we’re not even aware of. But because the Spirit is making us more like Christ, he will reveal those things to us sooner or later, and the moment he does, he calls us to focus all our efforts on killing that sin through his power.

Secondly: be real.

There was a pastor I had esteemed for a long time, and several years ago I finally got the chance to get to know him. (He was in his fifties at the time.) I remember the first time I spent with him and his team, in their church, in their off time.

I was shocked by what I saw: he was sitting on a chair, his head in his hands, clearly exhausted, and someone mentioned the food would be late. He lifted his head and complained, “Oh come on, you were supposed to order that food an hour ago!”

This angry outburst was surprising enough; what surprised me even more was that one of the young women in the room, not a day over twenty, commented, “Uh-oh—Steve’s grumpy today.”

He realized what he’d said, sat back, laughed and said, “You got me. Sorry everyone, please forgive me.”

And everyone just went back to laughing and talking—even he was in a better mood.

It shocked me because I had never seen a pastor—particularly a well-known pastor I esteemed—let his guard down, get called on by a woman thirty years younger than him, then confess that sin and ask forgiveness. The effect it had on everyone there was amazing: there was a palpable calm in that room, the kind of relaxed feeling you get when you know you can be yourself with these people.

People have this idea that a pastor shouldn’t be “too real,” should put on a good face so that others will trust them to be a good pastor, so that they’ll see him as an example to follow. And that idea is wrong. People should trust their pastor, and they should see him as an example to follow…which is exactly why he should be honest and open about his own sin.

Pastors are not perfect men; we are men who are sinners just like everyone else, who fail just like everyone else. The life we are called to model is a life of repentance and perseverance in holiness. That means pursuing holiness with everything we have, and repenting of our sin and resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ when we fail.

In Paul tells Timothy that an elder should be “above reproach.” Whom did Jesus reproach the most forcefully? Not repentant sinners, but hypocritical leaders who pridefully pretended to be better than they were.

Pastors are not perfect men; we are men who are sinners just like everyone else, who fail just like everyone else. The life we are called to model is a life of repentance and perseverance in holiness. That means pursuing holiness with everything we have, and repenting of our sin and resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ when we fail. That is the example we are called to set; and that is the example you are called to follow.

God does not call pastors to “give an appearance of holiness.” He calls us to “be holy!” To follow Christ with everything we have, and to persevere in repentance, resting in the finished work of Christ, when we fail. That is the example we are called to set; and that is the example you are called to follow.

I’ve said this many times before: if there is one place where we should be able to say we’re not doing well, where we should feel free to not be judged or beaten down for our failures, it should be the church. You can’t change if you’re faking perfection, because change will require you to show others that you need to change.

I’ve said this many times before: if there is one place where we should be able to say we’re not doing well, where we should feel free to not be judged or beaten down for our failures, it should be the church. You can’t change if you’re faking perfection, because change will require you to show others that you needed to be changed.

And here’s why that’s so scary: we’re all hypocrites.

There was a man last year who came to me, and then the elders, to confess sin in his life. It was serious; he had been struggling with it for a long time, and the Holy Spirit was just beating him up about it. So he confessed it, he repented of it, and he began the very long, hard process of living out that repentance.

But he was terrified that other people would find out. What would they think if they knew? What would they say? What you all thought of him was of massive importance to him.

We told him he was right: some people may judge. Some people may think less of you.

The second thing we told him was that some people may judge. Some people may think less of you. But what does God say of you? We read :

And so what if they do? Who’s more important here? Your friends at church, or the God who saved you? What does he say about you?

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s…

How do we do this today?

In today’s passage, Jesus is speaking to Pharisees and experts in the Law. As we’ll see, Jesus is going to criticize both groups in today’s text, and he’s going to criticize them very harshly. But if we would just take a second to think about what Jesus is saying here, we’d see him condemning a good many things we find ourselves doing all the time.

As Christians:

Giving the appearance of holiness and having-it-all-togetherness when we are with other Christians, while wholly neglecting justice and the love of God when we are alone.

As church leaders

Preaching what we do not practice; putting forward a good face, so that others will trust us to instruct them.

Example: This idea that a pastor shouldn’t be too “real,” because they should be seen by the church as an example to follow. NO—that’s exactly why we should be real and honest about our failings. Pastors are not perfect men; we are men who are sinners just like everyone else, who fail just like everyone else. The life we are called to model is a life of repentance and perseverance in holiness.

cf. Elders are called to be “above reproach,” . Whom did Jesus reproach? Not repentant sinners, but hypocritical leaders who pridefully pretended to be more than they were.

It’s not “give an appearance of holiness.” It’s “be holy!” Follow Christ with everything you have, and persevere in repentance, resting in the finished work of Christ, when you fail. That is the model we are called to follow; and that is the example we are called to set for you.

As Christians:

Giving the appearance of holiness and having-it-all-togetherness when we are with other Christians, while wholly neglecting justice and the love of God when we are alone.

How are we called to respond?

Universal obedience, John Owen.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

So I hope you brought your helmets; the Holy Spirit’s going to knock us over the head a bit here. But I always get excited when the Spirit gets ready to beat us up, because that means we’ll be more like Jesus after than we were before.

And in those moments when we fall...

He says that Christ bore your wrath, and took your shame, and gave you his righteousness. So as filthy and screwed up and very imperfect as you feel right now, God declares that you are as righteous as Jesus himself. That feeling you get when you think of it—that feeling that this isn’t right, this isn’t fair, it shouldn’t be this way… That’s grace.

BE REAL. Not just “be good.”

Hypocritical Practice (v. 37-44)

No matter what anyone thinks about you, no matter what you may think about yourself, when God saved you, he gave you a new identity, and that identity is found in Christ; and in Christ, God declares you holy, and loved.

That’s what God says about you…and whose opinion really matters? Whose opinion will determine your worth and identity?

Be real. Don’t put up the “Je vais bien, tout va bien” mask when you come here. Don’t tell everyone all your dirty secrets; but make sure you’re known by at least a handful of brothers or sisters in Christ. This is why we have discipleship groups; so that a small number of brothers and sisters can know you well enough to ask you the hard questions, and encourage you when you struggle, and bring you back to the cross when you fail.

Our identity is found in Christ, and in Christ, God declares us holy, and loved.

We told him two things: firstly, the context makes a huge difference. If someone had caught him in the act of sinning—if he had come forward because he knew he’d been had—that would be one thing. But this sin was revealed in the context of repentance. No one caught him; no one knew before he confessed. The Holy Spirit convicted his heart, and he listened.

BE REAL. Don’t tell everyone all your dirty secrets; but make sure you’re known by at least a handful of brothers or sisters in Christ. > Discipleship groups.

What we (the elders) told him: the context makes a huge difference. If someone had caught him in the act of sinning—if he had come forward because he knew he’d been had—that would be one thing. But this sin was revealed in the context of repentance. No one caught him; no one knew. The Holy Spirit convicted his heart, and he listened. So although the sin was great, he could rest assured that that sin was paid for by Christ. His repentance was evidence of the Spirit’s presence in his life. So rather than condemn or judge, we were inclined to celebrate the work of the Spirit in him, and to get down with him and do everything we could to help him shoulder the burden of putting his sin to death.

You can’t change if you’re faking perfection, because change will mean showing others that change was necessary.

So if you remember from last week, Jesus has been speaking to a crowd of people. And apparently in this crowd there was at least one Pharisee. The Pharisees were an influential group of Jews who emphasized observing the Law of Moses in extreme detail. And this Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner. We see in v. 37:

If there is one place in this world where it’s okay to not be okay, it’s here. Because here, we all know: we are all sinners, we all need the same Savior, and we have all received the same grace.

So although the sin was great, he could rest assured that that sin was paid for by Christ. His repentance was evidence of the Spirit’s presence in his life. So rather than condemn or judge, we were inclined to celebrate the work of the Spirit in him, and to get down with him and do everything we could to help him shoulder the burden of putting his sin to death.

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.

If there’s one place where we should be able to say we’re not doing well, where we should feel free to not be judged or beaten down for our failures, it should be the church.

If you don’t know Christ, and you want to know him, come to him in faith, repent of your sin, and know him. Look at all these broken, fallible people, and know that there is not a single person in this room who is better or worse off than you. The playing field is level: we all have the same need, and we all have the same Savior to provide for that need. Let’s be real, and run to him.

The second thing we told him was that some people may judge. Some people may think less of you. But what does God say of you? We read :

Example 1: This idea that a pastor shouldn’t be too “real,” because they should be seen by the church as an example to follow. NO—that’s exactly why we should be real and honest about our failings. Pastors are not perfect men; we are men who are sinners just like everyone else, who fail just like everyone else. The life we are called to model is a life of repentance and perseverance in holiness.

cf. Elders are called to be “above reproach,” . Whom did Jesus reproach? Not repentant sinners, but hypocritical leaders who pridefully pretended to be more than they were.

It’s not “give an appearance of holiness.” It’s “be holy!” Follow Christ with everything you have, and persevere in repentance, resting in the finished work of Christ, when you fail. That is the model we are called to follow; and that is the example we are called to set for you.

The second thing we told him was that some people may judge. Some people may think less of you. But what does God say of you? We read :

Example: There was a man last year who came to us to confess sin in his life. He had been struggling with it for a long time, and it finally had become too much to bear. He confessed it, he repented of it, and he began the very long, hard process of living out that repentance.

So picture the scene here. This Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner, so he comes and begins to eat. And the first thing Jesus does is comes and reclines at table…but doesn’t wash up first. And that’s a big deal—Jesus didn’t just commit a breach in social etiquette. Handwashing was an important ritual of cleanliness for the Pharisees.

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s…

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s…

The thing is, Jesus knew this wouldn’t go unnoticed. He knew this Pharisee would see that he didn’t wash up, and that he would be shocked by it. It was a calculated provocation on his part, to give him a reason to say what he’s about to say. This Pharisee wanted perhaps to charm Jesus into thinking they were on the same side, that these Pharisees weren’t all that bad after all; but Jesus wasn’t having it. He’s come to say something, and he will say it.

But he was terrified that others would find out. What would they think? What would they say? What we (the elders) told him: the context makes a huge difference. If someone had caught him in the act of sinning—if he had come forward because he knew he’d been had—that would be one thing. But this sin was revealed in the context of repentance. No one caught him; no one knew. The Holy Spirit convicted his heart, and he listened. So although the sin was great, he could rest assured that that sin was paid for by Christ. His repentance was evidence of the Spirit’s presence in his life. So rather than condemn or judge, we were inclined to celebrate the work of the Spirit in him, and to get down with him and do everything we could to help him shoulder the burden of putting his sin to death.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

and forget not all his benefits,

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

So what does he say? V. 39:

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

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.

who heals all your diseases,

Their practice is hypocritical. They pay attention to what can be seen.

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

You wash your hands before dinner. Great—your hands are clean, but your insides are filthy. You pay attention to what people can see, and completely neglect those things that go unseen. But God made both, so God sees both. That’s a general statement which he’s going to elaborate in v. 42:

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

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.

5 who satisfies you with good

Fruit and root: In other words, you get lost in the details, and you neglect the basics.

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Pharisees were exemplary tithers. “Tithing” is the practice of giving ten percent of whatever you have to God; and the Pharisees went beyond what the Law called them to give. They didn’t just give out of their income; they gave off their spice rack. Synagogues which had Pharisees in regular attendance did very well.

6 The Lord works righteousness

But they neglected what truly mattered: justice and the love of God. As we see many times in the gospels, the Pharisees thought themselves better than others. They’d look at commoners and pray, Thank you, Lord, that I’m not like that sinner (cf. ). They would unfairly judge others, without ever turning that judgmental eye o themselves.

and justice for all who are oppressed.

So what we have here is a case of the details superceding the basics. It’s like a kid trying to master calculus before he’s learned to count to 100, or trying to do parkour before he can walk. The latter is the foundation of the former.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

The Pharisees, in essence, were trying to master the details without concerning themselves with the basics. They were working hard on the letter of the Law, but completely neglecting the heart of the Law. The prophet Micah had warned against such behavior—he spoke of all the various sacrifices and rituals the people of Israel followed, and then in he says that nevertheless,

his acts to the people of Israel.

8 [God] 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?

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

The Pharisees knew this verse. They should have known that if they were devoted to justice and kindness and humility with God, then they would want to be generous. They wouldn’t have to force themselves to give to the house of God; it would be their pleasure to do so. That’s why when Jesus talks about their tithing, he says, “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” Tithing is good! Extravagant generosity is good! Yes! You ought to do these things.

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

But if they aren’t coming as a natural by-product of the basics—justice and love of God—then you’re just a kid who can’t run trying to do parkour: it’s going to end badly. The only proper response is, Woe to you!

9 He will not always chide,

And again, v. 43:

nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

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

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

Desire for approval: So we see what motivates these Pharisees in what they do—they want to be seen.

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Everyone loves to be admired. Why is Instagram such a big deal? Because on Instagram, everyone gets to be beautiful. You can erase pimples and get rid of red eyes and retake a picture as many times as you have to in order to look just right. It doesn’t matter if in reality you never go to the gym or take care of yourself; it doesn’t matter if you suck in that gut before the picture’s taken and then gasp when you let it out again. As long as everyone thinks you actually look like that, you’re good.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

The Pharisees would have loved Instagram.

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

They did what they did because they knew that if they were seen as righteous and generous, they wouldn’t actually need to be righteous and generous.

12 as far as the east is from the west,

And what is the effect of this hypocritical behavior? Jesus says, v. 44:

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.