Luke 11: 47-54
Jesus Spares No Words
47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.
52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.
We've been listening to Jesus describing what he saw in the religious leaders of his day with truth as his weapon. No one likes such blunt confrontation, and the tendency is to trap, oppose, and ultimately eliminate the accuser. Such was the climate Jesus faced, but it did not stop him.
The verses of Luke 11 could describe the situation today as leaders back off from confrontation and allow ease and laxity to creep in. Not only leaders, but ourselves as well. Jesus warns us to clean the inside of the cup, our cup, first, before criticizing others. (cf. Mt 23: 26). Let's begin today to hear Jesus speaking to us, not just to scribes and pharisees who lived 2,000 years ago!
Bro. Rene
No comments:
Post a Comment