In these chapters, we see Jesus going after the Pharisees. The Pharisees were like a political party, a group of religious people who insisted on ritual cleanliness, separation from sinners, and rigorous observation of the smallest details of the law. On top of this, they came up with all kinds of other rules that they added to the Law of Moses, fences to keep people as far from sin as possible.
One of the most striking things about Jesus is that he saved his greatest anger and antagonism for this group of religious people. In Luke 11, he tells them that great sorrow awaits them. Why?
- They are more focused on how they look on the outside than their hearts on the inside (11.39)
- The are more focused on little details than on the larger things like justice and the love of God (11.42)
- They are hungry to be shown honor and respect from people they consider to be less than them (11.43)
- They hide their corruption beneath religious masks (11.44)
- They love to give others impossible standards to live up to (11.46)
- They revere prophets, but won’t do what they say (11.47)
- They make the kingdom of God inaccessible (11.52)
I once heard Mark Batterson say that he has a mantra: “Thou shalt offend Pharisees.” Jesus definitely had no problem with offending them, because they had exchanged a relationship with God for a religion that they controlled.
How easy it is for us to exchange relationship for religion! We do just enough so that we can feel better than people who are “beneath us”. We focus more on rituals than on real righteousness. We clean ourselves on the outside, but don’t take care of the corruption on the inside. Religion keeps us in control.
We are like Pharisees. And Jesus calls us to repent of our religion. Repent of religion, and embrace relationship with the God you can’t control.
Lord, forgive me for trying to control my own life. And forgive me for trying to control you. I so often am more focused on my outside than my inside. In your mercy, change me from the inside out. Amen
I feel like being legalistic like a Pharisee is hard to get away from even though that's not who I want to be since I feel like I was often told to do the right things growing up in the church.
ReplyDeleteI like the part where Jesus tells us to have the lamp eyes to have a radiant life.
I was wondering what the significance of the transfiguration with Moses and Elijah was.
I agree, growing up in church is a double-edged sword. It can be a great gift but sometimes it numbs us to the real thing. I think the thing is moving from doing the right things to wanting the right things. Phariseeism is what happens when actions don't match our hearts.
ReplyDeleteI think the transfiguration's primary purpose is to remind us that Jesus is more than just a teacher or a prophet. This is one of those instances where the veil is pulled back and his glory is revealed. I think that it also may be what Jesus is talking about in v.27: "some standing here right now will not die before the see the Kingdom of God." That's my take.