"Never So Insulted!"

Scripture Passage

Luke 11:14-12:34

Scripture Focus

“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.” (Luke 11:45 NLT)

Observation

I take some kind of strange pleasure in Luke 11:45. Jesus has just rebuked the Pharisees sharply, criticizing their fastidious observance of ceremonial ritual, their hyper-meticulous tithing, and their pretentious religious displays all as utterly hypocritical. In response, an expert in religious law speaks up—not to defend the Pharisees, but to protect himself and those like him.

“Teacher,” said an expert in religious law, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.” (Luke 11:45 NLT)

Remarkably, Jesus not only stands His ground, He uses the opportunity to advance the charge! In essence, Jesus says, “You guys, too—you’re not only hypocrites, you’re murderers! Your ancestors killed every prophet God sent over the years!”

Way to win friends and influence people, Jesus.

It’d almost be a funny scene—except that the very next thing Jesus does is warn “ordinary people” (like you and me, right—at least that’s what I consider myself. I’m no Pharisee, am I? No “expert in religious law”…)

…the very next thing Jesus does is warn ordinary people to “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1 NLT). Jesus suggests that I can be just as guilty of double-living as any Pharisee ever thought about being…that I can be good at the religious stuff, tithe to the penny, and put on a spiritual fashion show with the best of ‘em. But when I do that—especially when I do so while neglecting the weightier matters of “justice and the love of God” (Luke 11:42 NLT)—I risk losing everything that matters most. “Yes, a person is a fool,” Jesus says, “to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God” (Luke 12:21 NLT).

“Jesus,” I say to myself, “when you say these things, you insult me, too.”

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