Lue 11:33-54

Asking Jesus for proof over and over is like hiding the candles that are being offered and complaining that it’s dark. 

There was already a metaphor in Jewish culture about the eye being the window of the soul where the light of truth illuminates the room/soul. It referred to a person’s ability to recognize truth and apply it. 

Clean vs unclean was not about hygiene then. It was about religious purity. Ritual washing symbolically took away sin and made something holy. It started with the high priest washing before sacrifice and had turned into everyone washing five times a day. Jesus jumps on their surprise about not participating in this ritual washing to point to the need for God to make us clean/holy on the inside instead of worrying about what we put in our mouths being clean. 

Jesus is shining a spotlight on the heart vs the actions. When God has your heart he has your actions. Obligatory actions are empty and meaningless. Modifying our behavior does not affect the heart. 

Woe was not an angry hostile rebuke. It is a concerned plea to watch out. 

We love to pronounce “Woes” on people and society; to decry moral decay. We think we are being like the prophets and Jesus. We are almost never infusing it with heartbreak and concern. We also aim it out to the unbelievers when Jesus aimed them at the most religious. 

Litmus test: When the “other side” is mentioned, if you find yourself smiling that someone else agrees with your dislike then your “woes” are not in the heart of Jesus. 

1st woe: the religious leaders became obsessed with the letter of the law and were completely unconcerned with the hurting and suffering of image bearers. 

As soon as social justice is mentioned we close our ears as if it is part of a particular party. 

2nd woe: self righteousness and pride

Litmus test: if you find yourself thinking “how dare they do that to me,” you think you deserve more glory than you do. 

3rd woe: you are making people farther from God just by being in contact with you. You are harming people’s faith. 

4th woe: they look around for people breaking the Sabbath and found loopholes for themselves. 

5th woe: the outward show of honor, without living by what they said is like killing them all over again. The prophet’s message was disregarded. 

6th woe: SUMMARY OF THE WOES. You are missing the heart of God and hindering others from finding Him also.