Dining with the Pharisees and experts in the law Luke 11 (pt 4)

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

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.

“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore, this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

“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.”

When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say. Luke 11:37-54

During this meal, as Jesus called out the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, one of the experts in the law interrupted, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” In other words, “Look, Jesus, I know it’s unintentional, because I’m sure you would never deliberately inflict pain on us, but you need to understand, you are painting with such broad brushstrokes here that we’re starting to get offended too. We’ve been trying to send you signals. Maybe you just aren’t good at reading body language. We’ve been scowling, clearing our throats and shifting in our seats. You need to know, Jesus, this is way over the top. I know you don’t mean to offend us, we’re not really the intended targets here. But, you need to be more careful.”

Jesus responds, “And you experts in the law, woe to you.” 

This expert wanted clarity about whether or not they were included. This man’s intention was to stop Jesus from saying these abrasive things, but all he did was rev Jesus up more. Jesus tells him, “Let me be clear, I am talking about you.”

Is it okay for Jesus to do this? Shouldn’t He be nice? Jesus keeps saying, “Woe to you, woe to you, woe to you.” Where’s the good news in this? “Jesus, when you say this, you insult us also.” And Jesus says, “Let me make sure I don’t miss any toes: 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.” Jesus points out, “You’re the ones being unkind. You’re the ones being unhelpful. You’re the ones being dishonest.”

He makes the critic speechless.

Jesus isn’t speechless however: “Woe to you. You build tombs for the prophets. You have this historical society that wants to remember the prophets. You ought to be embarrassed to talk about the prophets, because it was your ancestors who killed them. You’re just like your ancestors. What is coming will show that you are even worse than your ancestors. You will be held accountable for all that bloodshed.”

Jesus was not going to pretend with these guys, “Maybe if I talk to them the right way and don’t say anything off-putting, they’ll like me.” Jesus knew what was coming. Jesus knew that these very guys who were trying to get Him to play nice were the very ones who would soon be saying, “Crucify Him. Crucify Him.” They wanted Him dead.

Jesus was, in fact, angry. In this situation, He was expressing the righteous anger of God. Yet, he wasn’t just concerned about those to whom he was speaking. He said in verse 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.” God hates religion that becomes a barrier to people knowing Him. When we behave like these Pharisees and teachers of the law, it’s not just our own lives we mess up. Countless young people have been wounded by growing up in a home where self-righteousness, rather than Christ’s righteousness, was what was offered to them. Too many parents insist that whatever they did was okay, because they are the ones who did it. Rationalizing sin is always wrong. Parents must learn to say, “I’m sorry, that was wrong of me. Please forgive me.” Instead, they often say, “Well, there’s a perfectly good reason.” Or, “Well, I know ordinarily we don’t do that, but in this circumstance, it was all right for me, because…”

You may not struggle with this at all, but I have a sin nature. I know how to justify what I want to do or have done. I’m good at it. I’ve had years of practice. And instead of repenting, I’d rather rationalize my behavior. Jesus sees through the excuses and calls us to repent.

As my pastor in Montreat used to say, “God forgives sin; He doesn’t forgive excuses.” Those who cling to self-righteousness and self-justification cannot embrace the peace that comes through forgiveness. Thanks be to God for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.