What Jesus Wouldn’t Tolerate – Part 2
Luke 11:37-54 (39-42)
June 9, 2019
Last time we met we really just started introducing this concept
That Jesus was not just this man of blanket tolerance.
He would not have bought the slogan of our culture which says that “Tolerance is our greatest virtue”
In fact, as we saw last time, there was one group of people
That Jesus would not tolerate at all.
It was the FALSE RELIGIOUS LEADERS of Israel.
We even learned that exposing them was a big reason as to why He came.
Zechariah 11:8 “Then I annihilated the three shepherds in one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also was weary of me.”
Ezekiel 34:10 “’Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”‘”
• We saw that God had had enough, and that Christ was coming to deal with the
false shepherds who had ravaged and mutilated God’s flock.
And that opposition is clearly seen in the story of Luke 11.
• Jesus was invited to eat lunch with a Pharisee and Jesus went on the offensive.
• Jesus entered the house and purposely walked right past the basin which was used for ceremonial washing.
And trust me, it’s not because Jesus didn’t know the custom of the day.
THIS WAS INTENTIONAL.
What is more, the Pharisee said nothing.
• Scripture only reveals that “he was surprised”
But that was enough to cause Jesus to go on the offensive and attack.
He had no patience for these people.
He had no tolerance for these people.
They had misrepresented God and were mutilating His flock.
He came to fight.
And I just like to make sure that you see this reality in Jesus
So that you don’t buy into the common thought of the culture
That we aren’t supposed to oppose anything.
WE MOST CERTAINLY ARE.
We oppose false doctrine and false teachers.
Certainly you know that this is at the very center of Protestant thought.
You know why we are called “Protestant”
We are Protest-ant
And it centered around those 5 SOLAS which we have talked about.
• We protest anything that takes away from the sufficient of Scripture.
• We protest anything that supplants grace as sole motive of salvation.
• We protest anything that adds to faith as the sole requirement for justification.
• We protest anything that cheapens the exclusivity of Christ as the only Savior.
• We protest anything that detracts from God alone receiving the glory.
Those are hard and rigid lines that we draw.
We just don’t tolerate false teachers or false doctrine
Because it leads men into sin and ultimately eternal judgment.
Well, Jesus didn’t tolerate them either.
And this morning He’ll begin to spell out why.
We find here 7 explanations from Jesus as to why He was against these Pharisees.
These are 7 reasons why Jesus would not tolerate the false religious leaders of Israel.
#1 THEIR GREEDY HEARTS
Luke 11:39-41
As you already know, we have the setting here which was
Jesus entering a Pharisee’s house and not washing His hands.
You should also know that this is not the first time a similar incident has occurred.
TURN TO: Matthew 15
(READ 1-2)
• A similar incident, though Jesus not eating at a Pharisee’s house
• And this time it was His disciples who broke the tradition
(This further indicates that what Jesus did in Luke 11, He did intentionally.)
But there Jesus’ disciples broke the protocol of the Jews.
As you will see, it was an issue of defilement.
• The Jews taught that you could be defiled if something unclean was on your
hands.
• (It was just one of those many meticulous rules of the Pharisees)
Of course Jesus responds there by dressing down the Pharisees
For valuing their traditions over the word of God.
But later Jesus returns to the issue with His disciples.
(READ 10-11)
• Jesus wanted the disciples to know the simple truth that “It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
Well that seems straightforward enough.
However, the disciples were so steeped in their religious tradition
That they didn’t understand.
(READ 15-20)
So you understand the tension.
• You have a Pharisee who gave no regard for the condition of his heart calling people defiled because they might have accidentally digested some dirt.
• And you have Jesus exposing the nonsense of that theology by revealing it is sin on the inside, not dirt on the outside that makes a man defiled.
Well, we come to Luke 11 and we see that
JESUS HAS BROUGHT UP THE SUBJECT AGAIN.
He purposely didn’t wash His hands.
He is ready to confront again.
And when He reads the surprise of the Pharisee Jesus fires His first shot.
(39) “But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.”
I’m pretty sure everyone here understands the analogy.
• You are far more worried about the sanitation of the inside of your coffee cup than you are about the outside of it.
• You might drink from a cup that was dirty on the outside, but you’re not drinking from one that is dirty on the inside.
So you understand Jesus’ point about what true defilement is.
INSIDE DEFILEMENT IS WORSE THAN OUTSIDE DEFILEMENT.
And Jesus said that is the problem with the Pharisees.
They have an enormous amount of hypocrisy.
On the outside, they are clean and religious and disciplined
And well-mannered, and really look the part.
The problem is the inside.
On the inside Jesus (who sees the heart)
Said that they were “full of robbery and wickedness”
“robbery” is the word HARPAGES (har-pa-gay)
It means “plunder” or “pillage” or “booty”
“wickedness” is PONERIA (pon-ay-ree-a)
It means “evil” or “depravity” or “malice”
Jesus looked at this Pharisee who appeared to be a model citizen
And said, he was totally corrupt on the inside.
His whole objective was to get money
And he was totally unscrupulous as to how he would do it.
And Jesus squares off with the Pharisees here regarding their greed.
Not the only time…
Luke 16:14 “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money…”
Luke 20:45-47 “And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
That certainly speaks volumes to their corruption.
• They would walk through the synagogue as the most godly among men and foreclose on a widow’s house that afternoon.
• They would pray the most beautiful and eloquent prayer but it was only so they could earn the seat of honor at the table.
Even in that passage we looked at a moment ago in Matthew 15
• When Jesus told them that they had a problem of making void the word of God
for the sake of their tradition, we read one specific.
The Law clearly states that a child is to honor his father and mother.
(This would have included financial help in their old age)
And yet Jesus noted:
Matthew 15:5-6 “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
You understand that.
• Someone in their church needs to help out their parents who are in need,
• But the Pharisee says. “You should give it to the synagogue instead”.
Well of course they did, because they had access to those funds.
You get the picture.
They hid their greed behind a cloak of piety and religious ceremony.
Or another:
Matthew 23:16-17 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ “You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?”
Well that should certainly tell you something about their mentality.
• You could break a vow if you just vowed it against the temple.
• But if you vowed it against the gold of the temple, you had to keep it.
Not hard to tell what they valued was it?
Clearly they were hypocrites.
Clearly they loved money.
Clearly they were defiled on the inside.
But that is NOT ALL that Jesus confronts about them.
He also confronts them because
In their greed they greatly misrepresent God.
Notice what Jesus says next:
(40) “You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?”
See, by the way they acted and by the way they taught,
They were sending a message to all of Israel.
The message?
GOD ONLY CARES ABOUT THE OUTSIDE
Certainly Jesus was angry at the way
They exploited His sheep for their own financial game,
But equally disturbing is that they misrepresent God.
Equally disturbing is their distortion of the gospel.
• They make it seem as though God is superficial.
• They make it seem as though God only cares about appearances.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Last Sunday night (in our Psalms 40 study) we talked about this and even went on a sort of a jet tour through the prophets of the Old Testament.
What you discover is that the Old Testament prophets
Were extremely singular in their mission.
It’s almost like they were all preaching the same message.
What was their universal message?
The external doesn’t mean anything if it is not accompanied by the heart.
Micah 6:6-8 “With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”
Jeremiah 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”
That message resonates throughout the Old Testament.
Every time God raised up a prophet to speak they addressed the issue of Israel making their religion only external.
And yet the Pharisees had done exactly the same thing.
The message of their lives told people that the inside doesn’t matter.
And Jesus calls that foolish!
“You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?”
That is to say, “Can’t you see that God cares about the inside?”
1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
And then Jesus even offers the necessary correction:
(41) “But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
“Give that which is within”?
• He is talking about the things that you love in your heart.
• For the Pharisees that was money.
Jesus is telling them to give away their money
(since it was the idol of their heart)
And then they can experience true cleanliness.
• Get rid of your idols…
• Get rid of your greed…
• Give your money away and then you’ll be clean.
It’s the same truth Jesus gave to the Rich Young Ruler
Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
It’s the same principle.
Throw away your idols if you want to be clean.
But this was a message that the Pharisees
DID NOT ACCEPT, PRACTICE, OR PREACH.
Their message clearly taught the people that
God didn’t care about the inside,
Only that you maintained a good religious appearance.
AND JESUS WOULDN’T TOLERATE IT
And can I tell you something?
HE STILL DOESN’T.
Scripture is saturated with the reality that
Our Lord does not tolerate those
Who use the position of spiritual leader for financial gain.
Look at the qualifications of an overseer.
1 Timothy 3:3 “not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.”
What is more, at the end of that letter Paul warns Timothy of the dangers of loving money.
1 Timothy 6:10-11 “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”
There’s just no place for a spiritual leader who loves money.
Paul gave the qualifications of an elder to Titus:
Titus 1:7 “For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,”
And even Peter reminded elders of the requirement of the Lord
1 Peter 5:1-2 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;”
You can see that the mandate is clear.
You don’t get to use the office of spiritual leader
As a means of gaining worldly wealth.
We clearly see that corruption in our day.
• Particularly in the Charismatic movement and the proponents of the prosperity
gospel we see pastors worth millions.
But don’t assume it’s just there.
Any pastor (rich or poor) who harbors a love for money
Is being addressed here by Jesus.
Love of money is a characteristic of a false prophet.
2 Peter 2:12-16 “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”
It is false prophets who follow the way of Balaam and love the wealth of the world.
And Jesus did not tolerate them.
• You could not be a shepherd of His sheep if your goal was to use His sheep to satisfy your own greedy desires.
This not only exploits the flock, but it also portrays God as superficial.
That God is only concerned about outward appearances.
But nothing could be farther from the truth.
So you see one reason why Jesus wouldn’t tolerate this Pharisee.
• He exploited the poor and in his hypocrisy he made God look superficial.
He had a greedy heart.
Jesus wouldn’t tolerate it.
#2 THEIR SUPERFICIAL RELIGION
Luke 11:42
This of course follows right in line with the issue He just addressed;
Namely that their religion totally misses the point.
With the Pharisees it was all about the externals.
And Jesus uses very strong language as He confronts them.
“Woe to you” OUI in the Greek.
It is to pronounce the most severe
And unspeakable judgment on a person.
And we ask:
What did they do that could provoke such a strong rebuke from Jesus?
“For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”
Most of you are probably familiar with the concept of the “tithe”,
But if you’re not…
The word “tithe” meant “tenth”.
And what it really was in the Old Testament was a sort of income tax on the children of Israel.
(That’s a bad way to describe it, but it will help you understand it)
• It was not a free will offering
• It was not a thank offering
• It was not a sin offering
It was a command that you bring a tenth of your produce
And a tenth of your income and you give it to the priest.
That is how the priest survived and some of it was given for the care of the poor.
It was a national Jewish command.
The debate today continues regarding the place of the tithe in the New Testament church.
Some hold to it, some do not.
The facts are, it is not commanded anywhere in the New Testament.
• The New Testament instead commands sacrificial giving.
• The reality there being that for some 10% may not be enough and for others it
may be too much.
Others have argued that while it is NOT COMMANDED, it IS COMMENDED like in the passage we see here where Jesus says, “these are the things you should have done”
On a personal note, my family does tithe.
1) So as not to be an offense to those who hold to tithing
2) I was raised to do it and I think I would offend my conscience if I did not.
But, if you’re looking for a great command on giving look to 2 Cor. 9.
2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
The simple command would be:
• Give
• Give generously
• Give sacrificially
• Give in faith
• Give joyfully
But mostly, just understand that tithing was a big part of Jewish culture.
Well here you have the Pharisees really putting on a show.
They “pay tithe of mint and rune and every kind of garden herb”
The idea being that they would take the harvest of even the smallest seed or leaf and meticulously count out 1 out of every 10 to bring to God.
It was quite the display and must have been impressive to people
To see the Pharisees even unwilling to overlook the smallest seed
As they gave to God.
IT WOULD HAVE LOOKED IMPRESSIVE, BUT NOT TO JESUS.
He knew it was all for show.
How?
Because He could see their hearts.
“and yet disregard justice and the love of God”
There’s nothing wrong with being meticulous in giving.
(though certainly if you do it for show there is a problem)
But where giving falls flat is when you do it without loving God.
Amos 5:21-24 “I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. “But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
This epitomized the Pharisee.
It was all external.
Jesus said to them:
John 5:42 “but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.
And in all honesty, there could not be a bigger problem than that.
The great and foremost commandment in the Bible is clear.
Matthew 22:36-37 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’”
If you miss that one, you’ve really missed it all.
And that was a problem of the Pharisees.
It was a problem Jesus wouldn’t tolerate.
He did not tolerate this supposed spiritual leader
Walking around in meticulous practice of religion
While Jesus knew full well that this man had no love for God.
And He calls them on it (more than once)
Matthew 6:2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
Matthew 6:5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
Matthew 6:16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
AND AGAIN, not only was it a personal sin,
But because they were the spiritual leaders of Israel,
It also made them guilty of grossly misrepresenting God.
Through their actions they taught people that
God was pleased so long as you gave your money,
It didn’t really matter if you loved Him or not.
In essence they portrayed God to be no different than a pagan idol.
Some sort of PROSTITUTE DEITY
That can be bought or appeased if the price is right.
That’s not God at all.
And yet that’s what the Pharisees were spreading.
Luke 12:1 “Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
The simple fact is that Jesus just doesn’t tolerate it.
• He is not ok with religion that is merely locked up in rituals and ordinances and traditions but is void of any real love for God.
• He is not ok with what may appear to be a well-oiled machine or a talent filled stage or a booming budget if there is no real love for God.
• He is not ok with a well sung song or a large monetary donation or a skilled sermon if there is no real love for God.
That is all a sham and Jesus didn’t tolerate it.
Hence pronouncing “Woe” here on the Pharisees for being in that boat.
And again we can appeal to the New Testament to see that just like a love of money is not acceptable in a religious leader, neither is hypocrisy.
Back to that list of qualifications for an elder or overseer:
Titus 1:8 “but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,”
“devout” there is HAGIOS
It is defined as “undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing every moral obligation, pure, holy, pious”
It simply isn’t acceptable to the Lord
For a spiritual leader to lead a double life.
You have to be genuine, you have to be pure.
In 1 Timothy Paul says:
1 Timothy 3:2 “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,”
Paul there says “above reproach”
• That certainly doesn’t mean free from accusation since even Satan continually accuses the brethren.
• It means free from credible accusation. Or above the need to be reproved.
Even when a leader messes up, he is humble and repentant.
But hypocrisy can’t be there.
Jesus doesn’t tolerate it among spiritual leaders.
Jude wrote about false leaders:
Jude 12-13 “These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”
Everything is a depiction of phoniness and deception and hypocrisy.
• “hidden reefs” is the word for a sunken log. It is undetected danger just below the surface of the water. And that is them.
• “clouds without water” they are liars. They bring no helpful rain.
• “autumn trees without fruit” like the fig tree Jesus cursed, they look the part, but offer nothing genuine.
• “wandering stars” they offer guidance, but in reality are of no use for navigation.
And you will also notice that Jude says that the Lord has
“reserved” the “black darkness” for them “forever”.
He doesn’t tolerate it.
Peter wrote:
2 Peter 2:17-19 “These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”
You get similar language:
“springs without water” they offer the reality of refreshing water, but they don’t deliver.
“promising freedom while the themselves are slave of corruption”
That’s the problem with men like this.
• They are so religious on the outside.
• They appear to have it all together.
• Everyone thinks they are legitimate.
• But they are missing “justice and the love of God”
They are unredeemed and unconcerned about it
And thus they help no one.
They are like the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day
• Who never stood in the presence of the Lord,
• And therefore don’t have a message from God,
• But who still pretend as though they do.
The LORD said:
Jeremiah 23:32 “Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD.
You get the point.
• All they do is deceive the flock
• All they do is lead the flock astray
• The suck the flock in and fool them with their outward displays of religion,
• But they never teach the flock to love God.
All they do is pull the people away after themselves.
When Paul spoke to the Ephesian elders, he said:
Acts 20:28-30 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
And that is the problem.
• They do what they do outwardly to steal the flock from the Lord.
• But since they don’t love the Lord, they don’t teach their people to love Him either.
And again, JESUS WON’T TOLERATE IT.
He is clearly against these Pharisees.
So Jesus goes to this man’s house and picks a fight
Because this Pharisee has already been offensive to Jesus.
1. He is offensive because of his Greedy Heart
2. He is offensive because of his Superficial Religion.
And you and I must note that
These are things that Jesus will not tolerate.
AND WE MUST NOT EITHER.
• Not in our own lives.
• Not in the lives of others.
There are 5 more things we’ll see there that Jesus wouldn’t tolerate,
And we’ll get to them next time.
