(Part 2 of 2)
“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”-Luke 11:42
Throughout Luke 11, Jesus continues to pull back the curtain on those whose hearts are becoming religious. Not only are religious people more concerned with how they look than how they live; vs. 42 shows us that they are also known for giving what is expected rather than what is needed.
Are we really reflecting Christ if we are diligent to bring in our tithe each week, but do nothing to help a neighbor in need? Jesus was known to chastise their religious tendencies by pointing out how they would be quick to pull one of their ox out of a well if it fell in on a sabbath day, yet healing an individual in need on the sabbath messes up their religion.
He also pointed out in vs. 43 that religious people are more concerned about being noticed than drawing attention to God:
“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces.”
However, one of the most telling things Jesus said about the religious is that they are good at removing headstones:
“Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.”
Rather than deal with the dead/sinful parts of their lives, religious folks will simply remove the headstones (outward evidence) so that no one will realize what is decomposing beneath the surface. They are unwilling to face their own faults and become defensive and insulted by those who attempt to speak truth into their lives.
““Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.”-Luke 11:45
Instead, they heap unbearable demands on others to deflect from their own unwillingness to address the unrighteous behavior in their own lives.
“Yes,” said Jesus, “what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.”-Luke 11:46
Their greatest fear is that those they lead will grow beyond them spiritually and soon recognize their shortcomings. So they intentionally make serving God about following rules rather than developing a relationship with Him.
“What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”-Luke 11:52
Ultimately, religious people are not convicted by Jesus’ teaching and life; they are provoked and frustrated by it:
“As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions.”-Luke 11:53
You might be drifting towards religion is you are attempting to marginalize the importance of following the teachings of Christ. Because having a relationship with Jesus is greater than being religious.
Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church
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