Spoken at SGBC
6-29-97
Luke 97
11:37-54
Un-Marked Tombs
(Hypocrisy, False Teachers, Hidden Keys)
In Luke eleven, verses fourteen through twenty six, we find the Pharisees accusing Christ of being in league with the Devil. Then in verses twenty seven through thirty six our Lord speaks of the coming judgement and calls His listeners to self examination. To those who think they are in possession of truth He counsels, ". . . watch out that the light in you may not be darkness. (Luke 11:35 NASB) That is, make certain that what you think is truth squares with what the Bible says is truth. In the passage we deal with today Jesus reveals that the "Light" in the hearts and souls of the Jewish leaders was in reality the, "Blackest Darkness." Follow with me as I read this large passage. Luke 11:37-54 NASB.
Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table. {38} And when the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal. {39} But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. {40} "You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? {41} "But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you. {42} "But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. {43} "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the front seats in the synagogues, and the respectful greetings in the market places. {44} "Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it." {45} And one of the lawyers said to Him in reply, "Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too." {46} But He said, "Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. {47} "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. {48} "Consequently, you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. {49} "For this reason also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, {50} in order that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, {51} from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.' {52} "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered." {53} And when He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, {54} plotting against Him, to catch Him in something He might say."
The lessons contained in these words are numerous. One of those lessons is this; Christianity is a religion of the heart not of outward performance. It is true that when the heart is changed one's outward behavior begins to conform to Biblical standards. However, the inward change must come first or all outward change is a sham and a show. This fact is revealed in the first few verses of our text.
(Luke 11:37-54 NASB) Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table. {38} And when the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first CEREMONIALLY WASHED before the meal.
Both the Pharisee and Christ had been in a large crowd. No doubt they had been touched by many people. It is almost certain that some of these people were ceremonially unclean in one way or the other. Thus the Pharisees and Jesus would be unclean as well. In light of this probable uncleanness the Pharisees washed their hands, by immersing them up to the elbow before eating. Sometimes when they had been in a crowd and had reason to think they had been defiled in a more serious way they would immerse themselves entirely in water for cleansing, (John Gill). At any rate, they would never think of eating without washing their hands. Surely Jesus had just witnessed the host and his other guests wash, but He declined. The Pharisee was shocked.
Christ did this on purpose, of course. Now that He had their attention Jesus began to speak of things that really mattered. He began to point out the condition of the soul of his host and of his other guests as well. The following words are Christ's answer to the Pharisee's secret objection.
"{39} But the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but INSIDE of you, you are full of ROBBERY AND WICKEDNESS. (The outside of the cup refers to the outer body, the skin. These men were careful to keep that part of them clean. Inside however they were full of wickedness. Jesus continues . . .){40} "You foolish (stupid) ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?"
The Jews, as a whole, were blind to God's truth. For even though the Old Testament taught that one is accepted by God on the basis of faith their entire religious focus was on the outside of the person. Jesus asks the question, "Does not the same God who made the outside also make the inside, the heart, or soul?. Does He not demand the purification of the heart just as He does the body? The answer is yes, God has made both and demands the devotion of both. But you can't have one without the other. Fact is, outward conformity to God's law is of no value without the inward devotion of the heart. This truth is borne out by King David in Psalm fifty one.
(Psalms 51:16-19 NASB) For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, (The sacrifice of beast, money or time.) otherwise I would give it; Thou art not pleased with burnt offering. {17} The sacrifices of God (That is, the sacrifices God delights in.) are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. (Both phrases, "a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart," speak of being humble before God instead of proud. A look at the context in which these verses are found will reveal that repentance toward God for forgiveness of sins is in view. This always involves a broken and contrite heart whether it is a sinner coming to faith for salvation or a Christian seeking forgiveness for daily sins.) {18} By Thy favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. (Here David prays for his own restoration to fellowship with God which included forgiveness of sin.) {19} Then Thou wilt delight in righteous sacrifices, In burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then young bulls will be offered on Thine altar."
What we see here is that religion is worthless if it does not proceed from a broken and contrite heart that has fled to God by faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins. Once the heart is right THEN the practice of religion is pleasing to God but not until then. Outward conformity to the law of God is of no value without the inward devotion of the heart. In the next statement Jesus turns the Pharisees attentions toward the condition of their heart.
{Luke 11:41} "But give that which is within (The heart) as charity,(love) and then all things are clean for you. What does this mean?
Jesus is saying, "make the inside of the cup, your heart, clean and then you will be clean inside and out. The purity of one's heart or soul is shown by its love of God and one's fellow man. When love flows from the inside toward God and man then both the inside and the outside are clean. This love of God and man is the fruit of salvation. That is not the case with these Pharisees. Jesus continues. {42} "But WOE to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, (You do the outward things.) and yet disregard justice and the love of God; (Your heart is not right) but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others."
They were very careful about outward obedience to the extent they gave one tenth of the herbs they grew to the support of the Temple. But there was a major problem, they had no love for God or justice for their fellow man. Justice has to do with the proper treatment of your neighbor which translates into love. The love of God has to do with JOYFULLY keeping His word because it is the desire of your heart to do so! These leaders of the Jews loved no one but themselves and the praise of people. To love God and your neighbor with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is the fulfilment of the law, and it is proof of salvation. However, to have an outward performance that is not motivated by a heart filled with love for God is to have nothing. These men had nothing but empty religion. Pride is what motivated them to act like they loved God's law.
Jesus continues. {43} "WOE to you Pharisees! (This word, "Woe," is a denunciation of the Pharisees hypocrisy. It accuses them of great sin and promises grave consequences.) For (or because) you love the front seats in the synagogues, and the respectful greetings in the market places. (In other words, you are filled with pride and motivated by your love of human praise.) {44} "WOE to you! For you are like concealed tombs, (Un-marked graves.) and the people who walk over them are unaware of it."
Thus they are ceremonially defiled and don't even know it. This statement is based on Numbers 19:16. 'Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days." Because of this possibility of defilement by touching an unmarked grave the Jews developed a custom. Just before the arrival of large caravans of people traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover, graves were whitewashed. This was done, not for beautification, but to make the graves clearly visible, so that no one would defile himself by walking over a grave and therefore be unfit for worship. But at times, graves were inadvertently left unwashed, unmarked and passers by would be defiled. What Jesus is saying in our text is that: just as a person would become defiled by touching an unmarked grave so all who hear and adhere to the teaching of the Pharisees also become spiritually defiled. The Pharisees were like unmarked graves who defiled everyone they pretended to help. Hear Jesus speak of them in Matthew's Gospel.
(Matthew 15:7-9 NASB) {7} "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, {8} 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. {9} 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN." Truly the light in these men was not light at all but the blackest darkness. What a wonderful proof of the truth of Romans 3:13 NASB. Speaking of the children of darkness Paul declares, "THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING," "THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS";
By now Jesus has insulted His host by calling him a fake, a hypocrite and an unmarked grave defiling everyone he comes in contact with. But there were other Jewish officials present, what of them? Lets read on.
{45} And one of the lawyers said to Him in reply, "Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too."(The lawyers were the scripture experts who were also members of the party of the Pharisees. These men interpreted the scriptures for the people and so understood Jesus to be speaking of them as well. They were correct as Jesus now reveals.) {46} But He said, "WOE to you lawyers as well! (The word "woe" emphasizes their great sin and promises grave consequences.) For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. (That is, they teach the keeping of the law as the way men are accepted by God. This is of course impossible to do. As if that were not burden enough they add their own laws or traditions burdening the people with requirements not even found in Scripture. They, however, ignore their own teaching. They do not live under the same burden.) {47} "WOE to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, (That is they rebuild, white wash, mark for identification and maintain the graves of the prophets.) and it was your fathers who killed them. {48} "Consequently, you are witnesses and APPROVE the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. {49} "For this reason also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them (To the people of Israel both Old and New Testament.) prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, (Jesus and the Apostles are among those who were persecuted and murdered by the Jews.) {50} in order that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be CHARGED AGAINST THIS GENERATION, {51} from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be CHARGED AGAINST THIS GENERATION.'
Is it fair to punish the Jews of Christ's time for the blood that had been unrighteously shed by their ancestors since the founding of the world? William Hendriksen answers the question; "The biblical answer is that human responsibility increases with the years. Every new generation that fails to take to heart the lessons of the preceding generation is adding to is own guilt and, therefore, also to the severity of its punishment. See Dan. 5:17-22. End Quote. Hendriksen is right. For each generation has been blessed with more light and privilege than the one that has gone before it. Each generation has the opportunity to learn from and avoid the sins of their fathers. The Jews of Christ's day, just like the people of our day, refused to avoid the sins of their fathers, therefore, they are guilty of the same crimes and more.
Jesus continues His pronouncement of woes. {52} "WOE to you lawyers! For you have TAKEN AWAY THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE; you did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."
What a shocking accusation! These men, entrusted with God's truth, had buried it so far under the traditions of men and skewed interpretations that the Gospel could not be seen by those they taught! Therefore, they had locked up the way to God! They had stolen and buried the Gospel, the Good news that Christ is the Savior of those who do not work but rest from all their labors in Him. They had taken away the "Key of Knowledge!" Jesus puts it a little differently in Matthew 23:1-15 NASB. {13} "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you, "SHUT OFF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN FROM MEN;" for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. {14} "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, even while for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you shall receive greater condemnation. {15} "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, (Woe to all the teachers of works based religion in all ages.) because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; (We might add those men in white shirts on bicycles, people on foot with brief cases, and many around the world on the air waves of radio and television who do all things possible to gain their converts.) and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." In other words, your converts are twice as lost and ignorant of truth as you are!
In one place Jesus says the false teacher, "Shuts off the kingdom of heaven from men." In the other Christ declares that the false teacher has, "Taken away the Key of Knowledge so that none can enter in." What can this Key be but the pure knowledge of the Gospel of Grace as opposed to works? The Key is nothing more or less than the truth of God's word unpolluted by traditions, additions or the deletions of men. The Gospel according the Prophets, Jesus and the Apostles, that is the Key. It is the Key of the Kingdom given to Peter. The Key is the Gospel! This is what the Jews obscured and kept back from the people. It is that which all false religions keep back, obscure and hide from their followers. For it is by and through the Gospel that sinners find Jesus the Savior of all who come to Him by faith!
Jesus is the one who saves the ungodly in the midst of their ungodliness. He saves those who have nothing to offer but sin and rebellion. The Gospel is not, "Get to work and live." The Gospel is, "Stop working and Rest." The invitation is set forth by Christ Himself in Matthew 11:28-30 NASB. "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you REST. (Rest from trying to earn your salvation. Rest from the burden of sin and guilt you carry.) {29} "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; (As opposed to the proud, harsh, unloving Pharisees and Lawyers of the Jews.) and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. {30} "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."
Unlike the Jewish Leaders who constantly increased the burdens on the backs of the people saying, "You must do this and that and this also before God will be happy with you," Jesus says, "My yoke is easy, My load or burden is light." Why is Christ's burden light? It is because He kept the whole law FOR US. It is because He paid the penalty of sin FOR US. It is because He endured the wrath of God FOR US. It is because He entered the grave FOR US. It is because He rose from the dead FOR US. It is because He is seated at the right hand of God interceding with Him FOR US! This is why, "His yoke is easy and His burden is light." It is because all the work has been done for us by Jesus. All that is left to do is to REST in what He has done. Believing is resting for salvation in the person and work of Jesus Christ the Lord, the only Begotten Son of the Living God.
When one rests his whole soul, life and eternity on the Person and work of Jesus he will be saved from the wrath to come. Jesus says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. {29} "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. {30} "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 NASB) By the grace of God I pray that you will bring your sin and guilt to Christ for there you will find forgiveness and salvation.
As we go to our homes let us remember the following. Our concern as a Christian Church and as Christians individually is not to attack and reform all the non-Christian religions of the world. Things like Judaism, Mormonism, Catholicism, the Jehovah Witnesses and the many other works based religions that call themselves Christian but are not. Our concern must be to maintain the purity of what we believe and teach so that we are never guilty of keeping men and women out of the Kingdom or of hiding from them the Key of Knowledge, the Gospel. The Gospel is a message of salvation by faith in Christ alone by faith alone. God will take care of the false teachers. Let us make certain we care properly for the Gospel. With this our hands are full.