Today’s passage: Luke 11:37-54
Helpful thoughts:
- As was always the case, the astonishment of the Pharisees(s) toward Jesus had nothing to do with any breaking of the actual OT law. Jesus had simply not followed their own extra-biblical rules.
- The Jews were considered “unclean” when they walked over the grave of a corpse. In verse 44, He is telling the Pharisees that they are corrupting the people of Israel, rendering everyone they influence “unclean”.
- After these pointed and passionate rebukes from the Son of God, the Lawyers (“Experts” in the law) only felt insulted, and the Scribes and Pharisees were driven to find fault in Jesus! Their anger and blind rejection of Jesus’ rebuke didn’t make it wrong (Or a failure) for Jesus to speak up.
Questions to consider:
- What motivated the “cleanliness” of the outside of the cup for the Pharisees? Why did they do what they did? Given the motivation they had, what did their efforts result in for themselves and for others who were taught by them? (Note: Jesus termed their motivations as “greed” and “wickedness/malice”.)
- Who would be the “Pharisees”, “scribes” and “lawyers” of our day? (Hint: It’s not atheistic college professors!) What does God think of pastors, Bible teachers, etc. who teach false doctrine and manipulate people (Whether they realize it or not) for their own personal gain? How would Jesus speak to them? (The Pharisees, scribes and lawyers were dead in their sins and therefore blind. They didn’t believe they were doing wrong. Many false teachers will not believe they are a false teacher!)
- I am not sure I have seen the “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelet applied to passages like this one… However, a better question for us is, “What Would Jesus Command Me to Do?”. How would 2 John 9-10 and 2 Peter 3:17-18 help us to answer that important question?