Tithing from the Spice Rack
Jesus continues to let His holier-than-host and the rest of the religious police have it with both barrels. What was most likely an ambush of the Rabbi/Carpenter quickly did a 180. Suddenly He was the one hunting the hunted.
Jesus pounds the proud crowd with six quick charges of "woe." The first three in these verses are directed at the Pharisees. The next three are for the legal experts.
Each time, He uses the exclamation "woe." According to Ellis, it is the idea of grieving by giving someone up for judgment. Elsewhere, "woe" is called a state of intense hardship or distress. It is the idea of disaster and means "how greatly one will suffer" or "what terrible pain will come to someone." These first three charges could well be paraphrased, "You Pharisees are a disaster!"
In v42, Jesus points out that the Pharisees are such religious neatniks that they actually calculate their tithe from their spice rack. Imagine the time they took to do this! Counting out every tiny seed. Measuring out the mint. Curiously, Christ commends them for doing this, but condemns them for what they're not doing. Where's the justice for others? Where's the love of God? They had gotten so hung up on the minutia that they missed the main thing of loving God and loving people.
"You Pharisees are such a disaster!"
Jesus whacks them with another "woe" in v43. This time He pounds them about where they sit at church and how they are greeted at the mall. The Pharisees prized the poll positions at the synagogues. First of all, they were in control of the synagogues throughout the country. They ran the show. And because they were in control, they gave themselves the seats of honor.
The Greek word is a compound term which literally means "the first seat." According to Plummer, it was actually the name of the semi-circular bench in the front of the synagogue that faced the congregation. It was the luxury box. Not just anyone could sit there. And the Pharisees loved it. Jesus condemned them for being more concerned about their position at church than the condition of their hearts.
Christ nailed them for how they loved to be greeted in the marketplace. This wasn't just being recognized (oh, they would have loved that part too!). To greet a member of the religious elite in public triggered an elaborate ceremony. These guys loved to be fawned over. And if it involved a ceremony, even better. They only thing they loved more than ceremony was their own self-righteousness.
"You Pharisees are such a disaster!"
Jesus wails away with the third woe in v44. He tells them that they are like an cemetery with headstones. Jews would defile themselves when coming in contact with the dead. Jesus told the Pharisees that they were so rotten and dead on the inside that they were actually making people unclean by being around them. Their self-righteousness was actually having a profoundly negative effect on the community. Unlike Jesus whose righteousness is imputed to those who He saves, the Pharisees' obsession with the externals had a corrosive impact on those around them.
"You Pharisees are such a disaster!"
Let us continually guard ourselves against such disastrous religious pride. Let us be consumed with loving God and people. Let us not worry about being seen but remember that Christ died for everyone we see. Let us always remember that we have no righteousness apart from our sinless Savior.
Created almost 1 year ago
