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    Luke 11:37-54
    ​Lesson 132

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson: 
     
    The Instruction Ministry.
    Dining with Jesus.
    The Pharisees and scribes denounced.
    Criticisms and a warning.     ​
    Study Tip:
     
    Don't forget to read the Margin Notes in blue and to click on the links.  

    The Gospel According to St. Luke

    The King James Bible    ​

    Luke 11:37-54
    Hypocrisy

    37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.

    ​38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.

    39 And 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.

    40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

    41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

    42 But 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.

    43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

    44 Woe 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.

    45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.

    46 And 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.

    47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

    48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.

    49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay 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 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.

    52 Woe 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.

    53 And 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:

    ​54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "A certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him." (11:37) - "A Pharisee asked Jesus to dine with him."
     
    "Sat down to meat." (11:37) - "Sat down to eat."
     
    "Washed before dinner." (11:38) - Washing was for ceremonial, not hygienic reasons.  The Pharisees cleaned their hands to wash away their sins.  This was a common practice among priests, but the Scriptures did not require people to follow this ritual.  
     
    "Full of ravening." (11:39) - Means "Full of greed."
     
    "Did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?" (11:40) -"Didn't God who made the outside make the inside as well?"
     
    "Ye tithe mint and rue." (11:42) - The Pharisees were careful to tithe, even things of insignificant value.  But they ignored the more important things.  
     
    "Pass over judgment." (11:42) - "Neglect justice."
     
    "Ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues." (11:43) - "You love the important seats in the synagogues."  See also Matthew 23:6-7 and Mark 12:38-39.
     
    "Ye are as graves which appear not." (11:44) - "You are like unmarked graves."  Jews defiled themselves if they touched a grave (Numbers 19:16), even accidentally.  So they marked them by painting them white.  Here, Jesus is accusing the Pharisees of being like unmarked graves that defile their unsuspecting followers.  
     
    "Lawyers." (11:45) - "Scribes."
     
    "Thou reproachest us also." (11:45) - "You insult us too."
     
    "Lade men with burdens." (11:46) - The Pharisees and scribes laid more and more "laws" on the people to the point where no one could comply with them all.  Yet, they always found loopholes for themselves.  These man-made rules created a man-made religion and disqualified the scribes and Pharisees as religious leaders.  Jesus told this to a crowd of followers in Matthew 23:1-4.  Here He tells the scribes and Pharisees' to their face.
     
    "Ye build the sepulchres of the prophets." (11:47) - "You build burial vaults for the prophets."  These burial vaults honored the very prophets their forefathers persecuted and killed.
     
    "Ye allow the deeds of your fathers." (11:48) - "You agree with your forefathers." 
     
    "From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias." (11:51) - From the killing of Abel (the first murder victim) to the killing of Zacharias (the last Old Testament murder victim).
     
    "Zacharias." (11:51) - Also called Zechariah.  Zacharias was a  man of God and Old Testament prophet who was martyred by a mob of (supposedly) godly people who stoned him to death.   You can learn more by reading 2 Chronicles 24:20-22. 
     
    "The key of knowledge." (11:52) - Because of their false interpretations, the Pharisees and scribes obscured the truth of the Scriptures and made it harder to find. 
     
    "Abel." (11:51) - A shepherd and the second son of Adam and Eve (Genesis 4:2).  With great faith, he honored God by offering Him "the firstlings of his flock" (Genesis 4:4) as an atoning sacrifice.  This pleased God, which made his older brother Cain jealous.  In a rage, Cain killed Abel, making him history's first murder victim (Genesis 4:8).  Jesus refers to "the blood of Abel" in Luke 11:51 and calls Abel "righteous" in Matthew 23:35.  You can read more about Abel in Genesis 4:1-17.  
    "Urge him vehemently." (11:53) - "Oppose him furiously."
     
    "Seeking to catch something out of his mouth." (11:54) - The Pharisees repeatedly tried to catch Jesus in a verbal trap (Mark 12:13). ​
    Jesus also criticized and warned us about false religious leaders in Matthew 23:1-36; Mark 12:38-40 and Luke 20:45-47.


                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Luke 11:37-54
    Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders
     
    37 As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table.

    38 His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.

    39 Then the Lord said to him, "You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy-full of greed and wickedness!

    40 Fools! Didn't God make the inside as well as the outside?

    41 So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.
     
    42 "What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
     
    43 "What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces.

    44 Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on."
     
    45 "Teacher," said an expert in religious law, "you have insulted us, too, in what you just said."
     
    46 "Yes," said Jesus, "what sorrow also awaits you experts in religious law! For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden.

    47 What sorrow awaits you! For you build monuments for the prophets your own ancestors killed long ago.

    48 But in fact, you stand as witnesses who agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in their crime by building the monuments!

    49 This is what God in his wisdom said about you: 'I will send prophets and apostles to them, but they will kill some and persecute the others.'
     
    50 "As a result, this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all God's prophets from the creation of the world-

    51 from the murder of Abel to the murder of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, it will certainly be charged against this generation.
     
    52 "What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don't enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering."
     
    53 As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions.

    ​54 They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.

    ​This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's question:
     
    1. Why did Jesus criticize the Pharisees and scribes? (11:42-52)




    Every Saint Has a Past; Every Sinner Has a Future.
    Answer: (Do you agree?)
     
    1. Jesus criticized the Pharisees and the scribes because they; 1) "washed their outsides but not their insides, 2) remembered to tithe but forgot justice, 3) loved praise and attention, 4) made burdensome religious demands, 5) would not accept the truth about Jesus, and 6) prevented others from believing the truth as well.  They went wrong by focusing on outward appearances and ignoring the inner condition of their hearts." 

    ​(    The "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream Illinois; page 1990)     
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible".  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
    © 2020 evolke