Pharisees Scribes and Lawyers
A Pharisee asked Jesus to dine with him. And as he sat down to meat, a conversation ensued. The subjects Jesus discussed were addressed to the Pharisees scribes and lawyers present.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Scribes for:
Cleaning the outside only, Lk 11:38-41. The Pharisee marveled that Jesus had not washed before eating. He wasn’t concerned about Jesus’s hygiene. He was accusing Jesus of not keeping the law. Washing often and washing dishes and tables was a tradition of the elders, Mk 7:3-4.
Using the dishes as an example, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for cleansing their outward appearance and not their inward wickedness. He said their inward part is full of ravening (raven is to devour greedily) and wickedness.
He called the Pharisees fools and said he “that made that which is without made that which is within also”. In other words, God can see more than your outward appearance and he knows what’s on the inside. Mk 7:21-23 tells us what’s on the inside, and it’s not good.
You have to do what’s right on the inside. And when you do, the outside gets clean also. In this case, Jesus told the Pharisees to give alms of such things as they had. They wouldn’t, of course, because they were greedy. Therefore, no amount of cleaning up the outside was going to take care of their inside problem with covetousness, Lk 16:14-15, for example.
Can you imagine the scene here? The Pharisee had invited Jesus to dine with him and Jesus blasted the hypocrite guests.
Tithing herbs only, Lk 11:42
A Pharisee who tried to justify himself in Lk 18:12 gave tithes. And tithing is in the law. But there are greater matters in the law than tithing. The love of God is the greatest commandment, Matt 22:35-38. And to do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice, Prov 21:3. So, Jesus said, “these ought ye to have done”. They had passed over these and left them undone, while tithing mint and rue. They were careful with the minor things and careless with the major, Matt 23:24.
Loving the uppermost seats, Lk 11:43
In the uppermost seats, they could be seen by all the rest of the people in the synagogue. They looked important and acted “holier than thou”. In their arrogance, they also liked to be called, “Rabbi”, Matt 23:7. Yet, they were only good at citing their tradition. They were horrible at applying the truth of the law. They weren’t really masters.
Being like unmarked graves, Lk 11:44
Men walk over an unmarked grave completely unaware that there is a dead body under their feet. Likewise, men see the Pharisees and don’t realize that underneath all that showy appearance are dead men’s bones, Matt 23:27-28.
Jesus rebuked Lawyers for:
Lading men with grievous burdens, Lk 11:45-46
A lawyer overheard what Jesus was saying about the Pharisees, and said, “Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also”. And with that, Jesus began to rebuke them, as well.
Jesus accused the lawyers of imposing heavy and burdensome laws on the people. Yet, they exempted themselves from the laws they imposed. That’s hypocrisy. God’s laws, by contrast, are not grievous, 1 Jn 5:3.
Building the prophets’ sepulchers, Lk 11:47-51
Jesus held the lawyers complicit in the murder of the prophets whom their fathers killed because the lawyers were the ones who built their sepulchers. The lawyers used the occasion of making splendid tombs to convince the people that they wouldn’t have done what their fathers did. It was easy to feign honor to the prophets, now that they were dead. In fact, they didn’t give a flip about these dead men. The greatest prophet ever was sitting among them and they would soon be plotting to kill him.
See Matt 23:34 and 2 Chr 36:15-16 as cross references to v.49. For example, the Lord told Jeremiah that they would persecute him, Jer 1:17-19, and they did, Jer 38:4-13. Zechariah the son of Jehoiada was killed in 2 Chr 24:19-21. And Jesus said that the blood of all the prophets would be required of this generation.
Taking away the key of knowledge, Lk 11:52
To have knowledge, they would have had to fear God, Prov 1:7. And this they did not do. Instead of believing and keeping God’s law, they laid it aside and instituted the commandments of men. They rejected the commandment of God and made it of none effect through their own tradition, Mk 7:7-13. By establishing their own righteousness, Rom 10:3, they condemned themselves and hindered others.
Conclusion: Lk 11:53-54, after such scathing rebukes, the Pharisees scribes and lawyers began to urge him vehemently and to provoke him to speak of many things. They were looking for something they could use to accuse him. In all of their attempts, they failed. He never gave the Pharisees scribes and lawyers one thing in this meeting that they could use against him.
To study the previous lesson, see Hear and Keep the Word.