Dining with the Pharisees and experts in the law

When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

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. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

“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.

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

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

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 with the Pharisees and experts in the law, Jesus has just rebuked the Pharisees for their greed and their concern about outward appearances. Then He launches into them further: “Woe, to you, Pharisees. Because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all kinds of garden herbs.” This was one of the things they prided themselves on: tithing even the herbs they grew in their garden.

My wife grows herbs. I think it’s wonderful when she actually brings them in and uses them to cook. It’s absolutely delicious. She’s a fabulous cook. I think it’s wonderful that she grows herbs to complement our meals. But, I will confess this honestly: we do not go out there and carefully, systematically break off a 10th of the herbs in the garden and put them in the offering plate every Sunday.

The Pharisees did this, not because it was helpful, but because it made them feel righteous. It was an inexpensive way to demonstrate their meticulous attention to detail. Even down to the tiny herb plants, “We’re going to give God a tenth. Oh, wait, honey, I see a little bit of dill over there. Pinch a corner off, would you? Let’s don’t leave that out. Got to give God His share. We want God to know we honor Him.”

Years ago, there was an individual in our church who gave an odd amount, including pennies every week. The members of the counting committee called my attention to it. On the one hand, it was not a small amount, $466.97 as I recall. This person was obviously a tither, but I wondered, “Could you round up the change to a dollar?” At that level, I thought they could probably give a tad more than 10%, like maybe kick in an extra three cents and round it to $467. It reminded me of the Pharisees in their precision even down to the herbs in their garden, carefully calculating to the penny how much goes in the plate every week.

I have known a number of people across the years laboring under this legalism. “I’m going to give God exactly what He’s got coming.” The worst of it is the delusion that accompanies it. “The rest of my paycheck is mine. Don’t ever let it be said that I didn’t give God His tithe.” That’s a Pharisee for you. Jesus said they may look good on the outside, but they were full of greed.

The antithesis of the widow’s mite was this overly precise approach to stewardship, giving God the required 10% while clinging to their full share. It was in that context that Jesus said: “You neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.” Jesus was not criticizing tithing. Tithing is a good thing; but if you think because you tithed, you gave God His share, you’re wrong. God owns you and everything you have. If your approach to tithing is to give God His tenth, you’ve missed the meaning of the tithe.

The reason we should be tithers is because it reminds us that all of our wealth comes from God and belongs to God. The reason we should have a Sabbath mentality is because it reminds us every week that all of our time is to be used for the glory of God. If we use our religious practices, whether it’s our approach to tithing or our approach to the Sabbath, as a way of compartmentalizing our worship so that God gets a part and we selfishly get the rest, we are like the Pharisees. They wanted a contract with God so that they could check Him off their list: “I gave God His part. Now, the rest is mine to do with as I please.” No. None of it is yours. All of it belongs to God. He made it, and He owns it all.