Engaging Scripture: Luke - Woes on the Pharisees and Experts of the Law ~ Christine Malkemes
Dear Sister Disciple,
Although the Pharisees and the experts of the law should have been the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. The truth is, as we read this passage, is that they turned a blind eye to the truth.
Reading Plan: Luke 11:37-53
The Word
Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside also?… When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose Him fiercely and to besiege Him with questions, waiting to catch Him in something he might say.
— Luke 11:39-40 & 53-54
Contemplative Reflection
Jesus wasn’t politically correct.
He spoke the truth to the religious leaders: a truth they didn’t want to hear. He could see into their hearts and understand their motives. They could do or say nothing to impress Him. He saw through their piety and pride.
The games they played could not trip Him up. On the contrary, they fiercely opposed Him and besieged Him with questions. They could not dispute His answers. So, in turn, that made them even angrier. Angry enough to kill.
Jesus knew, first hand, the measure of their heart.
The Lord knows us intimately. There is nothing we can do to impress Him, and He will always tell us the truth about the nature of our soul. Some, even today, will get angry and oppose Jesus, and others will turn to repent and be saved.
Jesus is still not politically correct, and that’s a good thing.
Christine Malkemes is a wife, mother, minister, and retired Army Officer. Her passion is to see women find intimacy in their relationship with the Lord. She will tell you the most powerful prayer she ever sent to heaven was “Lord, You must become more and me less!” She is on a journey to the heart of God. Will you join her.
