Luke 11:29-5429And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 30For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. 31The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 32The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 33No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. 34The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 35Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. 37And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. 38And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. 39And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. 40Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? 41But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. 42But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 43Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. 44Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. 45Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. 46And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. 47Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. 49Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: 50That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 51From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 52Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. 53And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: 54Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him. (Luke 11:29‑54)
You remember the story of Jonah, whose name in the New Testament is written Jonas. He was a prophet who lived long before the Lord Jesus was on earth, but the pele Jesus talked to knew how Jonah was sent by God to an eastern city to warn the people their city would be destroyed because of their awful sins.
The king and people of the city bieved the words of Jonah, and soowed greatly for their sins, so God did not then destroy their city.
Jesus told the people who stood about Him that they were not wise as those who heard Jonah: they were listening to a far greater Prophet than Jonah, yet they did not believe His words of judgment to come, and were not sorry for their sins.
Then Jesus spoke of King Solomon, who had lived in that land and was still highly honored by the people for his wisdom. Jesus reminded them of the queen who came a long, hard journey from the south to see Solomon because she had heard of his wisdom.
Yet, when the Son of God, by whom Solomon was given his wisdom, came to that same land, and they could hear His wonderful words so easily, many did not want to listen. It was because they were not sorry for their sins, as the people of the wicked city were.
The Lord Jesus was greater than any prophet or king, and the people would have believed Him if they had not let their hearts be hard from sins.
One man invited Jesus to a meal at his home, but he seemed one looking to find fault with Him. Jesus went to his home and sat down to the table without first washing His hands.
The man thought that was a great sin, for he and others were very careful about washing, and had many ways of just how it should be done. Jesus did not mean that it is wrong to wash soiled hands, but He knew how careful these men were of their laws of clean hands and dishes, while they were careless of the pride and sins in their hearts, which made them unclean for God. He took this way to show them their wrong. He said they “made clean the outside of the cup and platter,” but within was “wickedness.”
They made laws for the people, which they did not keep: they were proud of having a high seat in the synagogue, and to have the people greet or bow to them in the marketplace, yet they did not believe God’s words.
The laws to this nation were for all to give a portion of their crops or herds or wealth for the work of the temple and the men there. This nation was called a tithe. Jesus said these men were very careful to weigh or measure a tithe of such small things as mint, or other herbs they had, but did not consider the great things of God’s love or His judgment of sins (Lev. 27:3030And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord. (Leviticus 27:30)).
Jesus knew the men’s hearts and how wrong they were doing and spoke plainly to show them. There is a lesson for us also to think of no matter how well we wash our hands and faces, God sees into our hearts and knows if we believe His words.
ML 06/17/1945