“Woe to you… the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to
besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say.”
(Luke 11:37; 53-54),
Jesus came to proclaim and inaugurate the kingdom of
God. His was a ministry that called people to come under God’s authority. He
described people as “lost sheep”…wandering without a clear
direction or destination.
There was another group of people – the religious
leaders (the High Priest, Pharisees, Sadducees, the expert in the Mosaic Law,
etc).
They were busy – extremely busy – putting on a
religious performance devoid of any genuine substance.
While the exterior looked good, everything else was
rotten to the core.
These people exercised some authority; they enjoyed
a lot of privileges; they craved people’s attention.
On the surface the religious system functioned
smoothly. Their manufactured religion, based on human achievement and
competition, was devoid of any spirit inspired understanding and practice. It
was all a well put on show.
God doesn’t need actors.
He delights in those who worship Him in Spirit and
in truth (John 4:24).
Jesus’ call to true religion set Him on a collision
course with the “big wigs in Jerusalem”.
The Scripture under our consideration mentions six
“woes” pronounced by Jesus during a “dinner discussion” (Luke 11:37-54).
Jesus’ woes are, actually, an expression of God’s
grace…He graciously cares for His creation. The expected response to the woes
would have been “a contrite spirit” –
leading to repentance. There was still time to repent.
But as Jesus reached Jerusalem, the time of grace had
run out – Jesus wept over the city – and over the whole generation (Luke
19:41).
The time for repentance is today (Hebrews 3:15).