STUDY
NOTES on previous study
Misguided Religiosity (Luke
Is this
not just the most amazing story of a life that you have ever heard? It is such a joy to carefully study the life
of Jesus! I sometimes wonder why we are
so easily entertained by stories of adventure based on little or no truth,
especially when we can study the life and teachings of the one who created us!
Jesus’
approach to teaching is clearly changing as the story progresses. He is walking resolutely toward
The
passage previous to this week’s reading had to do with being full of
light. Obviously, Luke wants us to see
that the Pharisees and scribes were full of self inflicted darkness. Jesus (apparently intentionally) did not
participate in the elaborate and exaggerated cleansing ritual preceding His
meal. In response to their obvious
disapproval, Jesus made the observation that outside cleansing has nothing to
do with the state of one’s heart. Inside
cleansing does indeed work its way to the outside, but outside cleansing does
not necessarily work its way inside.
Jesus mentions “almsgiving” as an expression of true devotion to
God. When one gives from what is on the
inside, it expresses itself in genuine devotion of that which is visible (on
the outside).
Jesus now
begins a series of woe pronouncements on the Pharisees. The first has to do with their exaggerated
interest in the minute details of the Law, while completely ignoring the most
important things in God’s purposes.
Before we get too upset with the Pharisees, surely we see ourselves in
this “woe.” It is simply human nature to
focus on the small things which we can control, and ignore the larger things
which we cannot do without supernatural intervention. In other words, it is easy to insist on
certain behaviors for an hour on Sunday morning and ignore the teachings of God
to submit ourselves to Him fully and completely everyday. While the small things in the Law are not to
be ignored, the major concerns of God must first be addressed. What are those? Here Jesus identifies them as justice and
love. Are these our first and major
concerns? How often do the Scriptures
affirm God’s concern for justice and love?
The answer is, over and over and over again. This is the constant message of the
prophets. It is the clear message of the
life of Jesus. He is perpetually meeting
the needs of the social outcasts and sharing the love of God to all. Is this who we
are?
The
second “woe” is for the Pharisee’s desire for self-glory. This really is an expression of the sinful
nature of humanity. We want glory
instead of giving glory to the only One who merits it – God. Instead of being points of glorious light for
God, leading people to Him, the Pharisees had become that which actually made
people unclean! That is quite an
indictment! The idea that the Pharisees
were like unmarked graves (which would make one unclean) would have been an incredible
insult. Instead of doing what they claimed to want to do – honor the glory and
holy nature of God – they did the very opposite. Rather than leading people to God, they
became that which made those seeking God unfit for His presence!
Here we
must take a moment and reflect on our own attitudes. Satan is very good at deceiving us. He can take that which looks good, sounds
good, makes us feel good, and even seems to be directed toward God, and turn it
into a self-serving, God defying act of self glory. From my years in working with churches, one
of the cardinal sins was failing to “give honor where honor was due.” If someone did something in ministry, and was
not duly recognized, there was the potential for a major problem. Too often, we are like the Pharisees, who did
good for all the wrong reasons. Doing good is not a
virtue within itself – it is doing good solely for God’s glory with no
expectation of personal attention that is truly virtuous. It is not wrong to be recognized for doing
good, but when we are religious for the glory and attention, we receive rather
than fulfilling God’s purposes for our lives, we are
in serious trouble.
In one of
the more humorous passages (at least for me) in Luke, a lawyer (read, “expert in the Law” or scribe) at the table said, “Hey, wait
a minute, Jesus. Do you realize you are
insulting us as well?” OF COURSE
HE WAS! The experts in the Law were
guilty of the same things! I sometimes
wonder if the lawyer was expecting Jesus to say, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Of course I was only talking to the
Pharisees.” The truth is (at least for
me), I have been capable of saying the same stupid thing – “Hey, Jesus, take it
easy. Don’t you know that I love knowing
biblical trivia and winning every argument about the tiny elements of
truth? Don’t you know I love receiving
honor for the good things I do? Don’t
you know you are hurting my feelings?”
Jesus would say, not to insult us, but to expose our evil hearts and to
offer us healing, “Woe to you as well.”
Will we hear His voice?
The
lawyers were condemned for making the Law a burden, and not even being willing
to help with the burden they had created.
What a terrible thing – to make the law of God a burden! God’s law has always been a
expression of His love. It is always
offered with the promise of bringing life to its fullest expression! Yet, the experts of the Law made it a
burden! It is so important that we
understand the danger of reinterpreting God’s gift and making it unbearable. Worse yet, many times we like the scribes are
unwilling to help those we have stricken with our overbearing judgments. Is our understanding of God’s will compatible
with His concern for justice and love?
Jesus
then accuses the scribes of building tombs for the prophets, which in and of
itself could be a way of honoring them.
But they build the tombs in order to erase all memory of the prophetic
word! It is their way of “taking away
the key of knowledge.” Rather than
continuing the work of the prophets to expound on the nature of God’s wisdom
(expressed in His law), they used the key of knowledge (their own study and
preparation) to lock people out. What a
tragedy! Having the possibility to enter
into the riches of God’s wisdom, they not only refused to go in, but impeded
anyone who was seeking to enter.
We have
experienced the entire spectrum of Jesus’ emotions. With great joy He celebrated the simple
nature of the kingdom and the defeat of Satan.
Now, with obvious disapproval, He condemns the religious leaders for
impeding the work of God. The question
for us is, “Where do we fit in the story?”
How would Jesus look at our lives?
Jesus continues His warning in chapter twelve, calling all to beware of
the yeast of the Pharisees, He calls us to an
unambiguous allegiance to Him. All
hypocrisy will be uncovered. The yeast
of the Pharisees is clearly the idea that we can be one thing outwardly and
quite another on the inside. God’s
judgment will not allow anyone to escape such misguided thinking.
This
section in Luke 12 is not very politically correct. It calls us to fear. It tells us in very clear language that only
through acknowledging Jesus as Lord will we be saved. But these teachings need to be heard and
embraced. Rather than a threat, it is
the reassurance that we are called to live our lives to an audience of One. God is all that
matters. This is an incredibly freeing
thought. We are not subject to the whims
of our culture, or of our peers. We
should have no fear of humankind and what they might do to us. Why? Because the God who knows every sparrow and even the number of
hairs on your head will care for you.
He is the only one we need to fear.
And what of the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
What sin might that be? I would
hope by this time in our study the answer is fairly obvious. Denying the obvious presence of the Spirit of
God in the work of Jesus would keep one from accessing the only source of
salvation. The focus on God’s Holy
Spirit throughout Luke reminds us of God’s calling to us. It is not so much about believing in Jesus
alone, it is believing so that we might be lead by the
Holy Spirit to live to God’s glory.
Jesus is the perfect sacrifice.
Jesus is the perfect Son. But
ultimately, the story is of God and His pursuit of humankind. Jesus opens the door we could never open. Jesus frees us from the prison of sin and self-glory. He allows
the Holy Spirit to guide us to the life for which we were created. Apparently, those living during the life of
Jesus could speak a word against Him, but as long as they repented and submitted
themselves to the Holy Spirit, they could be forgiven even of the terrible sin
of speaking a word against Jesus. But
the warning of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a clear warning to us –
if we deny His work and His purpose, if we turn away from the presence of God
in us, as the Pharisees and scribes had clearly done, there is not hope.
And, if
we believe the Holy Spirit is living in us, what have we to fear? We are not to worry about what we will say if
brought before the rulers and authorities.
Why? Because
the Holy Spirit will lead us and teach us what to say. Is this teaching for us? We will see the fulfillment of this in
Acts. Peter and John boldly speak with
the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Stephen
speaks with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Paul and Barnabas speak with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And we are invited into the story. What does it mean to speak with the guidance
of the Spirit of God? We may never agree
to exactly how this happens. But for the
one who acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Messiah, and dedicates his/her life to
being an authentic disciple of Jesus, and submits his/her life to the guidance
of the Holy Spirit, there is no need for fear.
The
choice is clear, is it not? There is no
ambiguity here. Fear God, love
others. Diligently pursue Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit to rule in your
life. No fear.
In
What World Will You Live? (Luke 12:13-34)
After having read the study notes from
last week, answer the following questions:
1.
Why does Jesus’ teaching “tone” change as the story of His life
progresses?
2.
In what ways might we be guilty of the “woes” pronounced by Jesus
against the Pharisees and the experts of the Law?
3.
How and why should we fear God?
How should this fear impact our daily lives?
4.
What is the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
Read Luke 12:13-15
1.
About what was Jesus discussing when interrupted by the man’s question?
2.
What does the question itself reveal about the man asking it?
3.
Why do you think Jesus first responded with His question about being a
judge?
4.
Why does Jesus associate the man’s question with greed? What is greed?
Read
1.
Why did Jesus answer the man’s question about inheritance with a story
about a rich fool?
2.
What was wrong with the rich fool’s reasoning? What did he assume to be in his control that
was not?
3. What did this story have to do with the man’s
question about his inheritance?
4.
What assumptions do we sometimes make about “our things” that are not
true?
Read
1.
Do you think it is actually possible to not worry about anything? Why or why not?
2.
What causes us to worry?
3.
What is the solution to worry?
4.
Why do pagans worry about these things while a believer should not?
Read
1.
Why should we not fear?
2.
What is “the kingdom” that is promised and what relationship does it
have to fear?
3.
How do we make purses that will not wear out?
4.
Where is our heart (what do we really treasure)?