Christian Support and Advice

Luke 11:37-39 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, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised. 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…”

One of the things I love about Jesus is that when he was on Earth, he never seemed to take the easy way out of any situation. Here was the Son of God, who was probably tired from traveling and speaking to the crowds. If anybody was entitled to a quiet, peaceful meal with no hassles, it was Jesus. Perhaps it was tempting for Jesus to ignore the insinuation of the Pharisee that he should have washed his hands before the meal. After all, the Pharisee had invited Jesus over for dinner, wasn’t that gracious of him? Couldn’t Jesus cut him a little slack for his generosity? Yet Jesus uses the moment to teach those around him a thing or two about hypocrisy.

Jesus knew he was in a group of Pharisees, and he could not pass up the opportunity to tell them of their sin. The Pharisees were ‘experts’ in the law, but they were only good at performing the functions of the law, without observing the principles behind the commands. Jesus, who knew their hearts, said that they were full of greed and wickedness. They needed to be told of the error of their ways, and only Jesus had the authority to do it. After Jesus rebuked his host, another Pharisee spoke up, saying that Jesus was insulting them with what he was saying. But, Jesus knew that his own road though this life was not the easy one. He knew that by scolding the Pharisees, he was bringing his own death closer and closer. Yet, he chose to do what was right in His Father’s eyes: To give everyone the opportunity to come to Him for the faith that could save them.

Jesus also knew that you and I would (someday) come across this passage in our Bibles. He had to be a troublemaker not only for the sake of the people in his day, but also for us. The things that Jesus said at this meal still ring true with me today. I need to have a proper heart-attitude while still doing what God asks of me. God doesn’t just want obedience from me; He wants me to know that His goodness is the reason behind my service, and He wants me to understand that goodness as much as I possibly can, and be a reflection of it to my world. Because Jesus refused to take the easy way out, I know Him a little better. Thank you Lord!

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