A Disconcerting Guest
TRANSLATION
(37) Now when Jesus had finished speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. So he went in and reclined at (his) table. (38) The Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus had not washed before eating. (39) So the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. (40) You foolish people! Didn’t the one who made the outside also make the inside? (41) But as for what is inside you, give generously to the poor and everything will be clean for you. (42) But woe to you, Pharisees, for you give to God a tithe of mint and rue and every garden herb, but neglect justice and the love of God. This you ought to have done while not neglecting the other. (43) Woe to you, Pharisees, for you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplaces. (44) Woe to you, for you are like unmarked graves which people unknowingly tread on.”
(45) And one of the teachers of the Law said to him, “Teacher, in speaking this way you insult us also.” (46) And he said, “Woe to you as well, teachers of the Law, for you pile on others burdens hard to bear, yet you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. (47) Woe to you, for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. (48) Therefore, you testify and approve of what your fathers did, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. (49) Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles some of whom they will kill and persecute.’ (50) Therefore, this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world, (51) from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. I tell you that this generation will indeed be held responsible. (52) Woe to you teachers of the Law, for you have taken away the key (to the door) of knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who wanted to enter.” (53) And when he left that place, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to oppose him fiercely and besiege him with questions, (54) waiting to catch him in something he might say.
OBSERVATIONS
The critical attitudes displayed by the Pharisees and teachers of the Law toward Jesus’ failure to conform to their legalistic observances prompted him to condemn their practices which only served to deepen their opposition to his ministry. This segment was filled with repetitions that communicated its thrust. The two groups were mentioned several times. First, it was the Pharisees who were named six times, three of these with the accompanying words, “Woe to you” (vss. 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, & 53). Then it was the “teachers of the Law” who were the focus of Jesus verbal thrusts, also accompanied by the phrase, “Woe to you” (vss. 46, 47, & 52). Several other words were repeated: “inside/outside” (vss. 39 & 40), “clean/cleanse” (vss. 39 & 41), “neglect/neglecting” (twice in vs. 42), “burdens” (twice in vs. 46), “fathers” (vss. 47 & 48), “blood” (twice in vs. 51), and “enter/entering” (both in vs. 52).
OUTLINE
I. Jesus defended himself against the charge that he had failed to wash before eating. (37-41)
II. Jesus pronounced woes on the Pharisees. (42-44)
III. Jesus pronounced woes on the teachers of the Law. (45-52)
IV. Jesus’ enemies determined to trap him in his words. (53 & 54)
IDEA STATEMENT
Jesus rebutted the accusations of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law and, in turn, condemned their legalistic practices, reinforcing their determination to discredit him.
APPLICATION
Jesus used a phrase in pronouncing woes upon the teachers of the Law, “the key to knowledge,” accusing them of taking it away from others while refusing to enter in themselves (vs. 52). To what was he referring with these words? Proverbs 1:7, which many consider the summary verse for the book of Proverbs, offers us a good starting point: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” In other words, we gain the wisdom and insight we need for godly living not from legalistic rituals and traditions of men but from “the fear of the Lord,” that is, from sustaining a reverential relationship with the God who said, “my righteous ones shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:2).
Sadly, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law on whom Jesus pronounced his series of “woes” had, with their scrupulous traditions, burdened the people with legalistic rituals and practices that were simply too heavy to bear. They had neglected justice and love for God in their demands for external conformity. They had forgotten our need for a vital relationship with Yahweh. They despised Jesus for exposing the futility of their scrupulous practices and then calling his followers to the importance of walking in close fellowship with the God of grace and mercy. It is no wonder that they were seeking ways to discredit his message and derail the powerful impact he was having throughout a nation yearning to be free of legalistic entanglements.