Luke 11:37-44
Surface Deep
Let me direct you to three things as we begin.
1. Since \\#Luke 11:14\\, Jesus has been correcting the incorrect.
Some of what Jesus had corrected was opinion, some statements,
some actions, but so far Jesus had not addressed any of the
leaders of Israel. That is about to change.
Beginning at our text tonight, Jesus will be correcting the
leaders.
a. Pharisees - \\#11:39, 42, 43, 44\\
b. Lawyers - \\#11:45, 46, 52\\
c. scribes - \\#11:53\\
2. Notice something else about to change, Jesus’ tone. While Jesus
often correct the ignorant with patience and kindness, He was
not nearly as tolerant of those who should have known better,
such as leaders.
a. Notice what Jesus called them.
Luke 11:40 Ye fools….
b. Notice also the WOE He pronounced against them.
a. Six times, Jesus pronounces woe!
\\#42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 52\\
b. "Woe" is a term used to announce coming judgment.
3. And last, notice there is one generation that doesn’t get
away with anything, the one living when Jesus comes.
a. In \\#50, 51\\ told that generation that they would have to
pay for all of the blood of slain prophets of God from the
"foundation of the world."
b. Why them? Because they were the generation living when
God came.
c. Jesus only comes three times but when He comes, He offers
things like forgiveness, new life, and salvation.
d. If you reject Him, you reject them and the only thing left is
judgment.
Jesus began His corrections by speaking to the Pharisees.
I. Jesus corrected the Pharisee’s shallowness.
A. \\#37\\ A Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him, and Jesus
did not wash His hands before He sat to eat.
1. Jesus likely did not wash His hands to make an
opportunity to correct these leaders.
2. There is nothing in the Old Testament that says eating
without washing your hands is a sin, but it was written
in the traditions of the Jews.
3. \\#38\\ The Pharisee was astonished that Jesus had not
washed.
a. There is nothing in the text that says more than one
Pharisee was there nor is there anything in the text
that says they said anything, but I believe they
were and they did.
b. So Jesus shared some things with them over which God
was astonished!
B. \\#39-44\\ Jesus mentioned four signs of the Pharisee’s
shallowness.
1. \\#39-40\\ God was astonished that the religious leaders
were concerned with the outward appearances but not the
inward sins.
Luke 11:39 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?
a. What happened at the dinner was a perfect
illustration.
(1) The Pharisees were concerned with Jesus’ hands,
but Jesus was concerned with their hearts.
(2) Outside versus inside.
b. Jesus compared the Pharisee’s cleanness to washing
the outside of the cup but not the inside and to
painting the outside of a sepulchre but leaving the
bones of the dead inside.
c. That is not very clean at all!
d. Anyone would know that to be clean, you must clean
the inside.
e. That is not to say that the outside is not important
because it is!
(1) Jesus never said to clean up the outside was
wrong.
(a) In fact, what He said leads me to believe
it is right.
Luke 11:40 …did not he that made that which is
without make that which is within also?
(b) The same God made both the inside and the
outside so if God wants one clean, it
seems logical He would want the other one
clean too.
(2) People tend to gravitate toward one wrong or the
other.
(a) Some, like the Pharisees, want to clean the
outside and leave the inside dirty.
(b) Others want to clean the inside and say the
outside is not important.
(3) I believe what God would tell us is to clean
both the inside and the outside!
f. But if you are only going to half-way clean up your
life, then by all means clean up the inside for it
is the more important of the two.
g. However, don’t confuse Jesus’ command to clean the
inside with the notion that it is wrong to also
clean the outside.
2. \\#41-42\\ God was astonished that the religious leaders
thought their giving could fix anything.
Luke 11:41 But rather give alms of such things
as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean
unto you.
a. It was as if the Pharisees thought when they did
something good for the poor, that made all of their
uncleans clean!
b. An alms is when you give money or food or clothes
to help the poor.
c. Jesus then took them to task concerning the tithe.
Luke 11:42 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.
d. Notice they made sure they tithed off the herbs they
grew in their garden (mint, rue, and all herbs).
(1) I don’t know much about growing food but I am
under the impression that herbs do not grow
on trees or big bushes, but smaller shrubbery,
on sprigs.
(2) Friend, you are serious when you tithe off the
sprigs on your herbs.
(3) But they neglected having a heart that walked
right with God and loved Him.
(4) This is still concern about what you can see
being done but no concern over the internal
values.
e. By the way, Jesus did not say tithing from the
sprigs was excessive!
(1) He actually said they were right for doing so.
(2) Whatever increase God gives to us we ought to
give a tithe to Him.
(3) But again, there are more important things to
get right in the kingdom of God than tithing
off the sprigs.
3. \\#43\\ God was astonished that the religious leaders
were preoccupied with being recognized.
Luke 11:43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love
the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and
greetings in the markets.
a. They wanted the best seats and the most proper (and
flattering) greetings in public.
b. It is hard not to say it. They were just plain
pompous.
c. Titles are not bad.
(1) They show respect and recognize accomplishments.
(2) But demand to be recognized by a title might
show shallowness and is not necessarily a good
thing.
4. \\#44\\ God was astonished that the religious leaders
were so blind to their condition.
Luke 11:44 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.
a. Of all the rebukes Jesus gave, this one is the worst.
b. These religious leaders did not see themselves as
they were.
(1) Jesus said they "graves which appear not."
(2) A grave is where the dead abide.
(3) The Pharisees’ Union had a membership made up of
dead bones, but it did not appear that way to
them!
(4) They thought they were holy, righteous, and
going God a service.
c. Not only were the Pharisees not aware of their
condition, neither were those that listened to them.
Luke 11:44 …and the men that walk over them are
not aware of them.
(1) People were coming to them thinking they were
being taught truth, but they were not.
(2) They were being taught how to be shallow!
(3) But neither parties could see themselves for
what they were.
C. Let’s step away from this verse for a moment and make some
observations about what all of these rebukes were pointing
toward.
1. They were pointing toward the shallowness of the
Pharisees.
2. What is shallowness?
a. It is the inability to see beyond the surface.
b. Let me give a few quick thoughts about shallowness.
(1) Shallowness is culture related.
(a) Every culture defines its own shallowness.
i. Few people today care what they are
called or where they sit.
ii. But our culture is very concerned
about tattoos, nudity, cutting holes
in your body, wearing or not wearing
a certain type of clothing.
iii. Every culture has superficial loves
that if you get pulled into them,
you will be living a life of
appearances instead of godly values.
(b) Every culture teaches shallowness by peer
pressure, entertainment, and advertising.
(c) If shallowness is encouraged or even
allowed by Christian parents, the
likelihood is great that you will create a
shallow child.
(2) Shallowness is a damning sin.
(a) It is very hard for shallow people to
sacrifice the eternal for the internal or
the temporal for eternity.
(b) Jesus made it clear that the Pharisees were
not heaven bound when He called them
"graves."
(c) You cannot surrender to Christ if you live
for what you can see.
(3) Shallowness is God’s people damns others.
(a) My first two statements apply to the saved
or the lost, but how much more deadly is
for those who are supposed to be
Christian leaders to be shallow!
(b) One of the reasons God gives qualifications
for those who will lead the church is to
keep people like the Pharisees from being
placed into those positions.
(c) You might like the feel-good, filled with
fluffy stuff preaching, but shallow
preaching produces shallow followers which
damns souls. It is dangerous.
A large part of what has killed the effectiveness of today’s church
is we are shallow, only surface deep. We look at decisions and not
a change in life, numbers and not souls, offerings and not
conversions. While it should not be, the church has followed the
world’s priorities. God help us to never settle for the superficial.
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