Living in the light of Jesus exposing the dark - Luke 11:33-54

The truth hurts

Old fashioned insults

BESPAWLER

To bespawl means to spit or dribble. A bespawler is a slobbering person, who spits when he talks.

DEW-BEATER

An 18th century word for an especially large shoe, and consequently a clumsy or awkward person.

FOPDOODLE

An insignificant or foolish man.

GOBERMOUCH

An old Irish word for a nosy, prying person who likes to interfere in other people’s business. 

TALLOWCATCH

Another of Shakespeare’s inventions directed at the gross, womanizing knight Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1. It’s probably derived from “tallow ketch,” literally “a barrel of fat.”

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61819/42-old-english-insults

In our story today, Jesus brings home some pretty hard hitting truths to the Pharisees and teachers of the law. And it hurts!

Luke 11:45 NIV

45 One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

What do we learn from the harsh words Jesus has for these people in our passage today?

Well let’s set it in context, first:

Look at the Light (Lk 11:33-36)

Jesus’ message, his teaching is a lamp that ought to shine brightly so that people can see it.

Luke 11:33 NIV

33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.

To recieve the light of Jesus, we need to look at Jesus and recieve the light.

But there are people who are not willing to do this. They are unhealthy, they refuse to look at Jesus and so they are full of darkness.

Luke 11:34 NIV

34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.

So make sure you’re looking at Jesus, sitting at his feet, spending time with him, doing what he says. For then you will be full of light.

Luke 11:35–36 NIV

35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

An Awkward Dinner (Lk 11:37-54)

Now, Pharisees thought they were full of light. They thought they had the whole being a good religious person thing sorted, and so now that Jesus has finished teaching one of them invites Jesus around to his place for dinner. At this point we should be thinking, bad idea. Don’t invite Jesus around for dinner, it doesn’t end well for you. Martha did and she learnt the hard way the importance of listening to Jesus, of putting first things first instead of worrying about the many other good things in life. Now a Pharisee has been bold enough to invite Jesus over but it doesn’t go well from the begining.

Luke 11:38 NIV

38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

And of course Jesus has done this presumably to allow the opportunity for himself to teach the Pharisees how wrong they’ve got this whole worshipping God thing.

He essentially saying, you guys are hypocrites, you’ve got it all around the wrong way.

What have they got wrong?

External rather than internal focus (Lk 11:39-41)

Luke 11:39–41 NIV

39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

The Pharisees had chosen a certain set of external laws that they decided meant you were on the in with God, even if it meant you had neglected the really important things of God. That is as we heard back in Ch 10, in the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus is saying to them that they have failed to love their neighbour!

And we Jesus rebuke them for this failure:

Wrong Priorities (Lk 11:42)

Luke 11:42 NIV

42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

It’s not that tithing wasn’t important. It’s that they had got it out of balance. They thought because I tithe I must be ok. And they were willing to look over a whole bunch of other really important things.

And because they had set up their own set of external rules they were full of:

Pride and Arrogance (Lk 11:43)

Luke 11:43 NIV

43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.

They kept their own rules. They were the most holy. They got the best seats.

One of the wonderful things about being a minister in 2019 is that I don’t really get that many respectful greetings in the marketplaces or very many important seats. In fact as I introduce myself I can occasionally hope my job doesn’t come up just because it can make the conversation so horribly awkward.

But for the Pharisees, they were well respected and they loved it. They made the external rules, fulfilled them to the letter and enjoyed the importance and praise they recieved.

But you know what this meant? Look what Jesus says:

Luke 11:44 NIV

44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”

You’re dead inside!

These Pharisees were so focussed on the wrong stuff that they had missed the light of life. They thought they were walking in the light, but instead they were full of darkness.

And when Jesus confronts you with this reality it hurts!

A teacher of the law, another group like the Pharisees, comes up to Jesus and says, hey we’re feeling a bit bummed (v45). A bit insulted…

...and Jesus’ response. I’m not even finished!

and so he continues:

Unhelpful Burdens (Lk 11:46)

Luke 11:46 NIV

46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

You lay these burdens on people. Do this to be holy. Do that to be holy. And then you simply tell them about all they have to do but then stand back and don’t help.

They are not the kind of servant hearted leaders of God’s people they are supposed to be.

Jesus’ final criticsm probably stings the most:

Ignore the Prophets/Word of God (Lk 11:47-52)

They loved building tombs for the prophets as a way to try and honour them. But Jesus points out in fact this is just a testimony to the fact that just as God’s people in the past rejected God’s prophets and God’s word. So they have done the same.

And In doing this they’ve not only missed the whole point themselves, but they’ve also made it harder for people to come to know God (v52)

Luke 11:52 NIV

52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

They are meant to be the people who lead people to know and understand God. And who trust in his messiah. But instead they are rejecting Jesus, because he doesn’t fit their way of doing things.

How terrible it is, when the people of God get so caught up in their own way of doing things, they stop looking at the truth light of Jesus and they start looking at their own way of doing things. Their man made assumptions. Their rules and regulations.

Two ways this happens today:

Rejection of the word of God

Anglican Church - SSM. People have gotten so caught up in their own way of thinking, and have been so keen to recieve that commendation of the secular world in which we live that they have walked away from the clear teaching of scripture from Genesis to Revelation regarding human sexuality. We now have two dioceses in the Anglican Church in Australia who have voted to call what is sin, sex outside of christian marraige between a man and a women, blessed. And in doing so they are hindering those who might be entering God’s kingdom, just like Jesus says in v52. You can’t enter the kingdom of God if you call sin, holy.

Legalism.

I think that sadly in the recent past we have made the Christian gospel about good works leading to salvation. We have bought into the idea that many of us have that if we are good people we will go to heaven. We have focussed on external things rather than internal things, just like Jesus condemens the Pharasiees for back in v39. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve met with long term church attending people in our nursing homes and when I ask them about their views on eternity they say, I hope I’ve done enough.

NO YOU HAVEN’T! YOU HAVEN’T DONE ENOUGH. I HAVEN’T DONE ENOUGH. WE ARE NOT GOING TO GET THERE WITHOUT JESUS! Without his grace, mercy and forgiveness. And if you think otherwise you’re as misguided as the pharisess and teachers of the law in Jesus’ day were.

Maybe that’s uncomfortable to hear. Well certainly when Jesus brings correction it may not feel very nice. Look at how the Pharisee’s respond:

A hostile response (Lk 11:53-54)

Luke 11:53–54 NIV

53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.

With hostility...

Not surprising really.

Imagine Jesus had just confronted you with some pretty full on home truths. I wonder, how would you respond?

With hosility? Or with repentance and faith, looking to Jesus to bring light to the dark places of your self righteous heart?

As we reflect on the hostile reaction of the Pharisees, and the hard word Jesus had for them I want us to remember that :

It’s not always pleasant when darkness is exposed by light.

When I’m at the gym and my lack of fitness is being exposed as I nearly die trying to run or lift heavy things I’m not comfortable, but the pain leads to a better way of living.

So too when we confront our sin with the truth of God’s word. It can be painful, but oh so worth it! There’s nothing better than exposing darkness in our hearts and stepping into the light!

And so, let me finsih today by encouraging you to look at Jesus and invite His light to expose your darkness. Yes it might be unpleasant at first. But in the end so so worth it as we experience the wonder of God’s goodness and grace.

Let’s be healthy people full of lifht so that we migth shine brightly in this dark world.