Luke 11:37 Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in and sat at the table. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner. 39 The Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. 40 You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you. 42 But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and God’s love. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”
45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”
46 He said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves won’t even lift one finger to help carry those burdens. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; and some of them they will kill and persecute, 50 that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.’ Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you lawyers! For you took away the key of knowledge. You didn’t enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in, you hindered.”
53 As he said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly angry, and to draw many things out of him; 54 lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch him in something he might say, that they might accuse him.
Christ was invited to dinner by a Pharisee and took the opportunity to repeatedly insult his host who complained, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us…”
The Pharisees loved to outwardly honor the prophets while at the same time ignoring, changing, or softening the thundering message that the prophets taught.
Everyone loves a good reformation until some rash soul takes a notion to actually reform something. The sons of the prophets much prefer it when their prophets are deceased…If the prophets of the Bible were to appear on the scene in our day they would be lectured on winsomeness and shipped off for a Dale Carnegie re-education. The court prophets of Evangelicalism would write long-winded think pieces against such ‘troublers of Israel.’ 1 Kings 18:17
(Brandon Meeks, americanreformer.org, 8/2/22)
The Pharisees were legalists. What is legalism? Many mistakenly believe that legalists are overly concerned with the keeping of God’s Law. Actually, like the Pharisees and lawyers here, legalists are overly concerned with policing others to keep their version of the law. They are experts at adding unnecessary requirements to God’s Law and, at the same time, creating loopholes and devising man-made workarounds so that they can avoid following God’s Law, while keeping up appearances.
The Law, based on the character of the Creator, is God’s good gift to mankind. Remember Christ said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17
Notice above, the Pharisees made up strict laws about tithing mint in an attempt to avoid doing the justice and mercy that the Law of God required. They demanded external conformity to their man-made traditions, cleaning the outside of the cup to look good, but Jesus saw through their ruse. The polish on the outside of the cup couldn’t hide the internal corruption; your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. In his Gospel, Matthew made it clear that they used tithing mint as an excuse to avoid following the Fifth Commandment to honor their fathers and mothers.
Christ answered them, “Why do you also violate the commandment of God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever shall say to his father or his mother, “What you would have profited from me is a gift to God,” 6 will be free from honoring his father or his mother.’
Matthew 15:3-6
The Law clearly demands that parents are to be honored and cared for even in their old age. Of course that can get quite costly in both time and treasure. As a workaround the Pharisees reasoned that they could get around caring for their parents so long as they donated money to the temple. Tithing to the temple, a public action, outwardly looks great and garnered them the praise of men. However, they were not following God’s Law: the Law that was intended for human joy and thriving; the beauty of experiencing fulfilling family relationships, the security of caring for the family, the love of being valued and belonging, and the stability of passing this tradition, founded in God’s Word, on to the next generations. Instead, they refused to care for their elderly and infirm parents, an action, which, because it was private, few saw or realized.
In order to neglect justice and mercy, they made up false laws, or elevated laws that they agreed with, to the exclusion of laws that they found troubling, actually rewriting the Ten Commandments to their liking. To satisfy their selfish desires, they devised laws which allowed them to hoard their time and treasure. Thus far we have seen Christ confront the lawyers and doctors for replacing God’s Laws concerning the Sabbath, divorce, honoring parents, and loving their neighbor with their own man-made laws.
The ruling of the Pharisees was that nothing could be done, even to alleviate sickness. The tragedy was that the Pharisees actually led those they advised to breach one of the great commandments. Under the guise of religious faithfulness, they encouraged disobedience to the law!
(Sinclair Ferguson, Let’s Study Mark, Banner of Truth)
This same legalistic attempt to create loopholes and workarounds to God’s Law is alive and well in the Church today. For example, as Pastor George Sayour points out:
Seeing the letter of the law in Scripture, then looking for ways to do what one wants to do is, Pharisaical legalism. It is legalistic to look for workarounds, loopholes, and wiggle room to do mission. No amount of law or guidance will prevent a legalist from pursuing these things…It is Pharisaical legalism to put women in the role of Deacon with the only difference being that hands were not laid on her and from that, reason that she is not a Ordained Deacon… It is Pharisaical legalism to host a Transvestite Celebration on property that is owned by the church through a ministry run by church leadership/members but say it was separate from the Church because the building it was held in was “decommissioned” and the organization that runs the ministry is separate from the Church….It is Pharisaical legalism to say “I don’t say Gay Christian” but then write “Gay, Pastor.”
(George Sayour, irreverantreverand.org)
As Pastor Sayour points out, despite the fact that there are clear unambiguous teachings and commands in the Scripture designed for our thriving, legalists today, just like the legalists of old, wanting to be accepted and praised by the culture and praised by Church members, are willing to compromise with the spirit of this present age, and devise workarounds to God’s Law. He gives three examples.
First, God created humans as men and women, each in his image and yet each different, with unique gifts and responsibilities. As noted earlier, because woman conceive and bring the treasure of life into the world they are uniquely created to nurture, educate, and prepare the future generations of mankind.
Differences between men and women were God’s idea from the beginning. To ignore, minimize, or repudiate the differences between men and women is to reject our creational design and the God who designed it.
(Kevin DeYoung, Death to the Patriarchy? desiringgod.org.)
However, there are women who are unhappy or perhaps unfulfilled with their nature. They covet the responsibilities God uniquely designed for men. In keeping with the spirit of the age, pharisaical legalists within the Church have developed workarounds ignoring the clear teaching of Scripture and compromising with the culture placing women in the roles that God designed for men. 1 Timothy 2:12
Second, along the same lines, Pastor Sayour references a church that, rather than pointing out sin and the destruction that rebellion against God’s created order causes, both in individual lives and in the community, accommodates delusional men and women who are seeking to change their God given sex. This church allows these effeminate men pretending to be women, and women pretending to be men, to use their facilities to host plays and drag shows as they recruit others including children in the community to join with them in their debauchery. Again, the pharisaical legalists developed workarounds to the clear teaching of God’s Word allowing them to compromise with the culture. Deuteronomy 22:5
Third, Pastor Sayour calls out a pastor who insists on identifying himself as gay, homosexual, and same-sex-attracted despite the clear teaching of Scripture. Believers are to find their identity in Christ who came to forgive their sinful behaviors. Christians are never to find their identity in their sinful behaviors, whatever those sins might be: greed, gossip, murder, sexual immorality, deceit. In fact, many denominations are allowing for and celebrating the ordination of sodomite men, lesbian women, and transgenders of both sexes, despite the fact that Scripture warns: Do not be deceived… such people will not inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Jesus said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition.” Mark 7:9 Beware, the very same Pharisees that Jesus so frequently called out and challenged for their false and manipulative teaching are still among us in the church today.
Luke 12:1 Meanwhile, when a multitude of many thousands had gathered together, so much so that they trampled on each other, he began to tell his disciples first of all, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. What you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Jesus continues by warning his disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees: outwardly pretending to follow God’s Law while actually substituting man-made law in its place. It is like yeast. If dishonesty, deception, and insincerity are not dealt with, like yeast, these modern Pharisees will work throughout the entire church bringing destruction.
For example, with the recent revelation of a secret organization within one Christian denomination, steps were taken to bring an end to hypocrisy and bring healing:
Whereas, our denomination has been facing increasing amount of tension within its courts due to several factors, and Whereas, tensions are only increased when our trust in one another is damaged, and Whereas, trust has been damaged in previous years due to the revelation of secretive and exclusive political factions working amidst the courts to further their particular agenda, and Whereas, many are concerned that these efforts have included the manipulation of church courts, and Whereas, all the Elders have taken vows to strive “for the purity, peace, and unity of the church,”… Therefore, be it resolved that all Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders to not participate in secretive and exclusive political groups for the purpose of influencing or manipulating the church courts according to a particular agenda, but rather to engage in good faith with the brothers for the purity, peace, and unity of the church.
(PCA 2022 General Assembly, Overture 42)
By clearly exposing the yeast of secretive factions, they can now be dealt with in a responsible way. We would be wise to heed the instruction given by the great pastor Charles Spurgeon:
There is no member of my church, no officer of the church, and no man in the world to whom I am afraid to say before his face what I would say behind his back. Under God I owe my position in my own church to the absence of all policy, and the habit of saying what I mean. The plan of making things pleasant all round, is a perilous as well as a wicked one. If you say one thing to one man, and another to another, they will one day compare notes and find you out, and then you will be despised. The man of two faces will sooner or later be the object of contempt, and justly so.
(Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, Tyndale)
Luke 12:4 “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
6 “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two assaria come? Not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all counted. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.
We frequently get our priorities all mixed up. Going back to Pastor Sayour’s three examples, I’m sure that the churches that place women in the roles that God designed for men or ordain people that God has declared will not inherit his Kingdom, including those who insist on continuing to identify themselves by their sinful nature, do these things for the best of reasons. Perhaps they believe that by compromising with the spirit of the age they will attract more people to the Church. Perhaps they see themselves as being winsome and inviting. Perhaps, as is true in many nations around the world, they justify their compromise as a way to avoid persecution by both their governments and by powerful unbelievers in their community. (For more on this see my book, The Letter of James, Lulu.com, 2020) Whatever the reason, Christ demands that disciples get their priorities straightened out.
Who should believers fear?
Should you fear friends and neighbors that mock your faith? Should you fear being called a Christian? Should you fear being persecuted for your faith even to the point of death?
No. Those things, though bad, are just transitory. Instead we should fear [God] who… has power to cast into Gehenna. Gehenna is one of the words used in the Bible to describe hell. Gehenna was cursed by God because it was where the unfaithful Israelites sacrificed their children on altars to other gods.
Go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, Gehenna… and proclaim there the words that I will tell you… they have forsaken Me and made this an alien place, because they have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they, their fathers, nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocents 5 they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind, 6 therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that this place shall no more be called Tophet or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.
Jeremiah 19:2-6
Many in both the Church and in the world no longer believe that hell is real. In fact, you will frequently hear people say that Christ never spoke of hell but this is simply not true.
Christ is urging Christians to stop fearing unbelievers and stop compromising with the world like the Pharisees did. Instead get your priorities straight and fear God because God will cast those who reject him into that terrible place, Gehenna, also known as Hell, the Valley of Slaughter. On the other hand, remember, God cares for all of his creatures, even the sparrows, and, being made in God’s image, you are more valuable than the sparrows. God knows you inside and out, so honor him.
Luke 12:8 “I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God; 9 but he who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of God’s angels. 10 Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say.”
What does it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit?
To answer this question we must first understand the role of the Holy Spirit. Christ tells his disciples in John 6:8 that the Holy Spirit will come to convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. When people reject the Gospel offer of the Holy Spirit they are rejecting forgiveness.
Jumping way ahead in Luke’s story, in Acts 2, after Peter explained who Christ was to the people who had called for Christ’s crucifixion, the people… were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They accepted the Gospel offer and received the gift of the Spirit.
As in the parable of the sower that we read in Luke 8, when the Word of God goes out convicting the people of sin, righteousness, and judgment, we are faced with a choice, we can repent and accept the Good News of Christ’s death on our behalf, or we can harden our hearts and reject the Gospel. As Paul warns the Hebrews:
So, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion…
So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” Hebrews 3:7-11
Ancient Israel rejected the Spirit and as a result was told, “They shall never enter my rest.” Rejecting the call of the Spirit and hardening your heart against the gift of salvation has eternal consequences.
If you are worrying about blaspheming the Holy Spirit you need to know that one sure sign that you have not blasphemed the Holy Spirit is that you are worrying about blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Only a believer, an adopted child of God in God’s family, worries about offending God. As a child of God you have already answered the call of the Spirit. Now you must listen to the voice of the Spirit as he convicts you of sin and leads you to righteousness. Though you should be concerned about the coming judgment, those with hardened hearts are unconcerned about the things of God.
In contrast to those who reject the Holy Spirit and face judgment, the Holy Spirit will be with believers, so that when they are brought before the authorities and charged with sedition they can be assured that the Holy Spirit will be with them, teaching them how to defend themselves. They will boldly confess [Christ] before men.
When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say.”
Justifying faith is a saving grace wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and word of God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition, not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation.
(Westminster Larger Catechism, #72 What is justifying faith?)