Lecturing the Lecturers

 

The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”  Luke 11:38-44 (ESV) Jesus seemed to know what buttons He needed to push in order to get the Pharisees to question Him and think about their lives. Rules do not ensure healthy relationships, yet, healthy relationships require rules. If we teach people rules apart from the context of healthy relationships, they will always have the appearances of relationships, while lacking the substance of relationships. Jesus was lecturing the lecturers. He called those who consider themselves wise, fools. He rightfully accused them of being hypocrites. Nobody can fix what is broken without first acknowledging the fact that something is broken, and then, know what must be done to fix the problem. Jesus tells us what the problem is and that He is the only solution. For now, the choice remains ours.

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