Luke 11:37-54 | "Hard Words and Fierce Love" Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (38)
Luke 11:37-54 | "Hard Words and Fierce Love" Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (38)
Real-Time Application
Last week we saw Jesus talking about the danger of not responding to his message with faith and repentance. Because his message demands a response, he told the doubters and skeptics that there’s a great danger in not responding to him. He even says that those who reject God’s work in him do so because they’re filled with darkness and will be judged for it. He tells a bunch of religious people that what they think is light in them may actually be darkness (11:35).
As we move to the next section of Luke (11:37-54), we’re going to see Jesus do a real-time application of what he’s just been saying. Notice how verse 37 begins, “While Jesus was speaking.” Not after, but while. During the middle of his speech about light and darkness, a Pharisee in the crowd invites him to dinner. By linking the meal with the Pharisees with the Jesus’ teaching on willful darkness, Luke is telling us that there’s a connection here.
In other words, Jesus’ teaching on light and darkness is about to be illustrated in a real-life interchange. Jesus is about to go to a dinner and elaborate on what he’s been saying. He’s basically going to say to his host and all his friends, “Hey remember that thing I said about being careful that the light in you isn’t darkness, I was talking about you.”
It was probably the most awkward dinner party ever for people there not named Jesus. But for him, it was an opportunity for him to speak the truth for the sake of love.
In this text, we’re going to see Jesus speaking hard words to people who everyone assumed were good. He tells them that, though he’s with them at their table, they aren’t with him. He tells them that until they deal with their inner darkness and stop playing religious games, they’re in grave danger of missing the very thing they claim to be experts in: God.
At this dinner party, Jesus exposes the darkness of their hearts, and, by doing so, reveals the fierceness of his love. Those are our two points for today: hard words (vv. 37-52) and fierce love (vv. 53-54).
Hard Words
In verses 37-52, we see Jesus’ hard words. As I said, Jesus is continuing his theme of light and darkness, or integrity versus hypocrisy. He’s invited to dinner at a Pharisee’s house. One commentator says this is “a table prepared in the presence of his enemies.”[1] These were the guys who’d been critical of just about everything Jesus said and did.
Who were these guys? The Pharisees were a group of around 6,000 men, (total population of Israel was ~600,000) or about 1% of the population of Israel. Their name “Pharisee” means “separated” or “holy one.” Their goal was to protect and preserve and pass down the faith of Israel. They staunchly opposed Hellenization, or the adoption of Greco-Roman ideals, or accommodation to secular culture. When we talk about the laws these Pharisees added, in some ways it was intended to preserve the law to prevent Jewish culture and practices being chipped away by their Roman conquerors. Compare that to the jews in the past. God’s law had become virtually forgotten until it was found in the temple during the reign king Josiah. The Pharisees wanted to make sure something like that wouldn’t happen again.
The Pharisees were highly regarded among the people. Had it not been for the strength of their movement, Judaism may’ve collapsed after the Jewish war with Rome in AD 66-70 because every other Jewish party except Pharisaism collapsed after the war. From the time of the Maccabees to the war with Rome, the Pharisees were the preservers of the faith of Israel.
And they hated Jesus (6:11). When Jesus heals a mans hand on the sabbath the text says “they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” Their hatred was driven by lots of things, one of which was a zeal for the laws of ritual purity. This is why this Pharisee “was astonished” when Jesus didn’t wash properly before dinner (11:38). Jesus of course knows exactly what’s expected and what he’s doing here. “Uncleanness” was transmitted through touch, so if Jesus didn’t wash his hands properly, he was in danger of defiling everything he touched. The Pharisee’s problem isn’t about hygiene, but about ritual or spiritual cleanness.
Where did the Pharisees get this idea of washing?
Washing was commanded in Leviticus for those who’d touched a bodily discharge, but over time the Pharisees and others expanded the number of washings required in order to make distinctions between observant and nonobservant Jews. These purity laws were a big deal to the Pharisees. Twenty-five percent of the Mishnah (the collection of Jewish oral tradition) is devoted to issues of purity. This Pharisee isn’t worried that Jesus may catch a stomach bug if he doesn’t wash his hands. He’s offended that Jesus has deliberately ignored a cherished (though man-made) tradition.
Dirty Hearts
This “astonishment” is why Jesus launches into perhaps his harshest and fiercest speech. He begins in verse 39 by stating his primary criticism. He says that underneath the Pharisee’s outward cleanness is inward dirtiness. He says their lives are like clean dishes on the outside while filthy on the inside.
Have y’all ever drank a Capri sun? If you look on the bottom of the pouch it’s actually translucent. The reason is a while back someone found mold inside of the pouch. It didn’t matter if the capri sun was in pristine new packaging. If the inside is contaminated the whole thing needs to be thrown out!
He says their hearts are “full of greed and wickedness” (v. 39). They have dark hearts that want to take advantage of others. He’s accusing them of giving meticulous attention to outward appearances while grossly neglecting inward integrity. Their cosmetic exterior hides a decaying interior. Their spiritual eye isn’t healthy (v. 34). He says their good appearances don’t mean they have pure hearts.
Their condition is so bad that Jesus calls them “fools” in verse 40. In the Old Testament wisdom literature, a “fool” was someone who rejected God’s ways in favor of their own destructive ways. The wise person understands that God made both outside and inside and so cares about both.
These guys knew the Torah like the back of their hand. Even really smart people can be fools.
The wording of verse 41 is a bit ambiguous. The word for “give alms” is related to the Hebrew idea of “doing righteousness” (cf. Deut 24: 13) “You shall restore to him the pledge as the sun sets, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the Lord your God” The word for righteousness here, Tzedakah, is the same one used for alms or charity. At the heart of God’s idea of righteousness in the world is giving to the poor. Giving to those in need is the opposite of a greedy and wicked heart and expresses a pure and clean heart. Why is this? Because our money follows our hearts. Living generously reveals a pure heart, a heart that cares about others more than us. And Jesus says that when our hearts are pure, “everything is clean for you” (v. 41). Having a pure heart is the way to freedom.
Jesus calls the Pharisees to not just give monetarily but give things tied to character: justice, mercy, righteousness, patience
Three Woes for the Pharisees
Just in case the Pharisee and his friends were missing Jesus’ point, he then speaks three “woes” over them in verses 42-44. These “woes” are a prophetic pronouncement of judgment. They’re similar to what the Old Testament prophets said on occasion: “For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves…Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him” (Isa. 3:9, 11). And, “‘Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 23:1). These “woes” aren’t the result of unfortunate circumstances of the Pharaisees but are indictments and serious warnings of consequences coming for the unrighteous.
Majoring on the Minors
The first “woe” in verse 42 is about their failure to prioritize the right things. The law required Israel to give a tenth of all that their fields produced in a year to support the temple, those who worked in it, immigrants, the fatherless, and widows (Deut. 14:22, 28-29). The Pharisees, however, took the law on tithing to the extreme so that they were tithing “every herb,” tithing things required by law like mint and things that weren’t like rue.
Notice that Jesus doesn’t denounce them for the discipline of tithing.
When David brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, 2 Samuel says he made a sacrifice every 6 steps. Excessiveness isn’t the problem, it’s the heart
The problem is that they failed to do the more basic and important commands of God. They failed to do justice and love God. This they “ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”
They were obsessed with trivial displays of devotion while ignoring the things that truly mattered. This is similar to what King Saul did in 1 Samuel. He was instructed to kill all the Amalekites and leave nothing alive, but he and his men kept the best part of the plunder and kept their king Agag alive. When Samuel arrives on the scene, Saul makes excuses and says he wanted to use the plunder as an offering to God. But Samuel says, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22).
Saul, like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, failed to do the main thing God asked him to do, and as a result he was rejected by God. The Pharisees were passionate tithers all while their hearts were disobedient. They majored on the minors. And in so doing, they missed the heart of their God.
Displaced Affections
In the second “woe” (v. 43), Jesus condemns their affections. They craved status and recognition and loved having their egos stroked when they walked through the market or into the synagogue. They justified their inflated sense of self-importance by assuming that they were the models of righteousness that the common people needed.
They desired to be seen and known and appreciated. These aren’t necessarily ungodly desires, but Jesus calls them out because they were seeking to meet these desires for approval in ungodly ways. They were using God to get people to like them. They were trying to use God to make themselves look good instead of using what they’ve been given to make much of God. They were looking for validation from men rather than from God. But those who truly know the Lord live to please the “Father who sees in secret.” Knowing and pleasing him is “their reward” (Mt. 6:4, 6, 18).
Conduits of Contamination
Then in the third “woe” (v. 44), Jesus says something incredibly offensive. In Israel, contact with the dead or with a tomb or grave made a person unclean (Lev. 21:1-4, 11; Num. 19:11-22). This is why the Israelites would paint their tombs white, so that everyone could see them and not accidentally bump into them.
So when Jesus calls the Pharisees “unmarked graves” that people “walk over without knowing it,” he’s saying that they’re guilty of defiling unsuspecting people. They’re like “hidden hazards” who harm people.[2] People who brush up against them are defiled.
Do you see what Jesus is saying? He’s saying that these religious leaders are guilty of a dangerous deception. They presume to be arbiters and models of God’s truth but those who follow them become unclean in the sight of God. In the name of uncompromising religious purity, they’re actually transmitting uncleanness to unsuspecting people. They’re “conduits of contamination.”[3] The Pharisee’s hypocrisy is not only wrong. It’s also hurting others.
When we play religious games with God, there’s always collateral damage. We do not get to sin in isolation. Hypocrisy offends God and injures those we love.
Three Woes for the Lawyers
Then in verses 45-52, Jesus gives three more “woes,” this time to the “lawyers.” These “lawyers” were the experts in the Torah. They were the professional theologians of the day.
As they listened to Jesus, his words hit a little too close to home, so one of them tells Jesus that he’s insulting them too. When confronted, most of us respond by defending our words or by clarifying or apologizing. But Jesus does none of that here. He actually presses the point further. He essentially says, “Oh, you think I’m talking about you? Good! You’re right! I am talking about you!” And then he launches into three “woes” against them.
Impossible Demands
The first “woe” (v. 46) is because they impose impossible obligations on people and then offer them no help to carry them. Because most people were illiterate, these teachers had lots of authority. And instead of using it to serve and bless people, they used it to weigh them down.
These experts were creating standards for God’s people that were too rigorous to keep and not offering to help them. They liked to talk but not help.
Imagine walking up to an alcoholic and saying “drunkenness is a sin. Ok bye!” You’ve left them with a burden and no help
There’s something here for any who teach or lead in the church today. Really, this is for all believers since Jesus commands us to “make disciples…teaching them to obey all that I have commanded” Teachers in the church must not only pass along information, they must also help people. They show people what to do and support them in doing it through prayer and encouragement and counsel. But above all, they seek to live what they teach.
Hypocrisy over Tombs
The next “woe” (vv. 47-51) is about how they and people like them treat God’s messengers. For generations, Israel’s leaders rejected God’s prophets and killed many of them.
It’s one thing to perpetuate the sin of killing God’s messengers, but to then build tombs that memorialize those murdered by their ancestors is super hypocritical. It’s like they’re killing them all over again. Jesus calls them out for honoring those their fathers had murdered because they’re just as bloodthirsty as their ancestors.
Why were the deaths of these prophets charged to this generation? Because every prophet points to Jesus whom they reject.
They refused to listen to John and he was killed. Now they’re refusing to listen to Jesus and will soon have him killed as well. They’re pretending to care about the martyrs of their faith while they scheme to make new ones. Jesus sees right through their hypocrisy and calls them out for it.
A Missing Key
The third “woe” (v. 52) is an indictment against them for obstructing people from knowing God. The knowledge of God is embedded in the Torah, but God’s people need teachers to explain his word to them. So these “experts” are like doorkeepers, with access into the house of God’s word. But by rejecting Jesus, they reject the God they claim to know.
And, to make matters worse, their rejection of Jesus hinders others who’re seeking God. Jesus says the guides to knowing God have become hindrances to knowing God. The doorkeepers don’t have the key and they’re keeping others from finding it too.
Jesus is challenging the very professions of the Pharisees and lawyers. When seeking God’s glory is replaced with mans, it doesn’t matter how spiritual it looks, works and worship become sin and condemnation
The Spirit of the Pharisees Lives On
The Pharisees and lawyers were a relatively small slice of Jewish society. Why does such a relatively small group feature so prominently in the Gospels?
Because the spirit of the Pharisees lives on today. The Pharisees were convinced that our main problem is what’s outside of us, not what’s inside of us. But Jesus says our heart is the problem. Jesus’ religion is a heart religion. God’s goal in the gospel is to create a new people with new hearts, not to create exhausted people obsessed with maintaining and promoting the excellence of their image. The spirit of the Pharisees lives on in our obsession with looking good on the outside hoping that it’ll make us feel good on the inside.
How do you know if you have a Pharisaical spirit living in you? Consider these questions: Are you quick to enforce the rules and slow to show grace? Is your rule-keeping done out of love and worship or a desire to look good? Do you care more about rightness or righteousness? Do you labor to create an image of godliness while secret sin goes unaddressed in your life? Are you quick to point out flaws and mistakes? Are you known to have an encouraging or critical spirit? Do you demand exacting obedience from those under your authority? How do you respond when someone brings constructive criticism to you? Do you live in isolation, avoiding the accountability that true gospel community demands?
The spirit of the Pharisees has no power to change anyone’s life and only leaves burdened people feeling more burdened. But “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17), and “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn. 8:36).
Fierce Love
So how did the dinner party discussion end? You could probably cut the tension in the room with a knife. Verses 53-54 tell us. The divide between Jesus and the Pharisees is now deeper than ever. One commentator says that the animosity toward Jesus in these verses is as severe as it is anywhere in the Gospels.[4]
They were extremely hostile (“began to press him”), seeking to incriminate him (“to provoke him to speak about many things”), and plotting to trap him (“lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say”).
Jesus knew his words would come at a cost, but they needed to be said. And the response of the religious leaders reveals that the shadow of the cross has begun to fall over Jesus.
Jesus is Not a Wimp
Some may ask, “How could Jesus be so harsh? Why did he pick this fight? Isn’t Jesus gentle and lowly, meek and mild?”
Yes, he is those things, but he’s also no wimp. He never stands by while evil and hypocritical men undermine the truth. He doesn’t stroke men’s egos who’re actively working against all that he stands for. He doesn’t flatter men who’re damning themselves and others. He’s no coward. He fears God more than men, so he says what needs to be said when it needs to be said.
Jesus has been accused of being many things, but indifferent isn’t one of them. His hard words come out of his good heart. Because he loves the truth of God and the people of God, he hates anything that undermines the truth or hurts people. Indifference would’ve been a violation of his love-ethic, but Jesus is not indifferent.[5] a lack of love can sometimes look like indifference
Anyone who loves the truth and hates injustice will speak up when truth is compromised or injustice is happening. In our culture, “niceness” is a chief virtue. Now, we must be kind, but truth by definition is narrow and will offend. In our culture, tolerance is another virtue. Now, we must love our neighbors who disagree with us, but we must not tolerate blatant sin, especially in the church by those who claim the name of Christ.
An Invitation
Jesus said some really pointed things, but he did so because he loves the truth and he loves God’s people. He doesn’t want to see people get fleeced by these religious leaders. But he also spoke because he loves these Pharisees and lawyers. At the end of their discussion, Jesus’ opponents were actually in a great position. This moment was their opportunity to repent. As one writer says, “Jesus had stripped them naked; they had but to acknowledge it and walk free.”[6]
Jesus’ words were confrontational, but they were also an invitation. If the Pharisees and lawyers would own the error of their ways, they’d be forgiven and welcomed into God’s true family. Jesus held up a mirror to their lives to help them see, not to blind them.
But as verses 53-54 make clear, they didn’t want to see. They preferred their way over his. They wanted Jesus to wash with water to be clean, but they were the ones who needed washing. And not by water, but by the blood of the one they hated. We need to admit that we need cleansing and Jesus is the only one that can make us clean. Only he can change what’s inside (Ezekiel 36:26) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
We too, like them, have hearts that are cold and dark and hypocritical. We have pharisaical spirits that exalt ourselves, minimize our sin, and look down on others.
Our only hope is in this Jesus who, not only fiercely denounces hypocrisy, but also weeps over the city that will kill him (Lk. 19:41-42). Jesus died for our hypocrisy and longs for us to see it and turn from it. Do you see it? Do you see his fierce love in his hard words?
[1]James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Luke, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015), 353.
[2]Diane G. Chen, Luke: A New Covenant Commentary, New Covenant Commentary Series (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017), 173.
[3]Dale Ralph Davis, Luke 1-13: The Year of the Lord’s Favor, Focus on the Bible (Fearn, Ross-shire, UK: Christian Focus, 2021), 211.
[4]Edwards, 360.
[5]Ibid., 361.
[6]Davis, 213.