from Dining with Jesus
When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
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? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.
“Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”
One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”
Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore, this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.
“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
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 11:37-54
Jesus had been teaching. The crowds were increasing in size. It was in that context that a Pharisee invited Him to have a meal with him. As before, we see that Jesus, who knows people’s hearts, could have said to this man, “You’re not one of my followers. I’m not going to come dine with you.” Jesus went, however, and reclined at the table. But Jesus didn’t follow the usual customs.
I was told of an Asian culture where it is the groom’s father who pays for all the bride’s expenses, the bride’s dress and everything else. When I heard that story, I thought: why do we always have to go along with what their culture says? If they say, “Well, in our culture, it’s customary for the groom’s father to pay.” Why can’t we say, “Well, that’s interesting. I’m glad we’re not part of your culture.” We don’t do that. We have been trained to think, “When in Rome…”
Perhaps part of that goes back to a missional Christian impetus exemplified by the Apostle Paul who said, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). If the reason you’re doing it is in order to win people for Christ, keep it up. Keep your witness clear, and don’t let unimportant cultural differences get in the way.
But the fact is, for many of us, it’s really not about our witness. It’s really not about removing obstacles to people coming to faith in Jesus Christ. It’s really just about wanting to fit in. Even adults feel peer pressure. We want to fit in. We’re like sheep.
I was fascinated by a story I heard several years ago about an incident in Turkey, where one sheep went over a cliff and was followed by the entire flock. Hundreds of sheep were killed jumping off this cliff, simply because all the other sheep were doing it. Perhaps, like me, you are amazed. How could they be that stupid? And then we read the scriptures where God says, “You are my sheep.” Sadly, we’re a lot like that.
There is a tendency built into us to look around and follow the herd, or the flock, or whatever. Jesus did not follow the crowd! He always did what the Father told Him to do. And when He didn’t do what everybody else was doing before the meal – this ritual hand-washing, which was not commanded by God, it was the tradition of man – when Jesus didn’t do that, the Pharisee who had invited Him to eat was very surprised.
“Then the Lord said to him…” What was Jesus doing? Was Jesus just kind of a rude person from the country? Well, He did grow up in Nazareth, kind of a backward town, really not a very good place to come from. Was Jesus just not aware of the customs? No, Jesus was, even in this omission, teaching. He was creating a teachable moment. Because when this man was surprised at Jesus not following the ritual cleansing, Jesus said, “Now then…” See, He’s still teaching. “Now, then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside…,” and you expect Him to say, “You leave the dish dirty,” which would be an insult itself. But He makes the application even more pointed than that. “But inside you are full of greed and wickedness.”
Is it just me or is that kind of abrupt? If somebody said that today in our culture, many would think that they were not very spiritual. We are trained to believe it is only okay to correct others if you do it gently and privately. To say this to your host, with his guests right there where everybody can hear, that seems rude. But remember, Jesus knew the man’s heart. He knew that this man and his colleagues were leading others astray. He knew they would be the very ones who would demand Jesus’ death. So truth was more important than customs and more important than preserving the false dignity of a self-righteous hypocrite.
“You foolish people,” Jesus says. Nobody likes to be called foolish, particularly someone who prides himself on being a scholar. “You foolish people, did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?” In other words, “You’re going to answer to God. You’re so concerned about outward appearances, but you’re not taking care of the inside and you’re filthy inside.” That’s what Jesus says to this man. “But give what is inside to the poor.” He’s not saying give them the filth, He’s saying, “You have a problem with greed. If you want to get clean, give your wealth to the poor. Then everything will be clean for you.”
