Luke 11:42-46

Romans 2:1-11

Psalm 62:2-3, 6-7, 9

Luke 11:42-46

The Lord said:

“Woe to you Pharisees!

You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,

but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.

These you should have done, without overlooking the others.

Woe to you Pharisees!

You love the seat of honor in synagogues

and greetings in marketplaces.  

Woe to you!

You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,

“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”

And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!

You impose on people burdens hard to carry,

but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, enlighten my heart to know how I am responding to your gracious love. I hear the warning your Son gave to the Pharisees and the Scholars of the Law. Help me to know if I have unknowingly fallen into hypocrisy and sinful ways. May I help your people attain salvation!

Encountering the Word of God

1. Woe to you Pharisees! In the Gospel, Jesus is dining at an unnamed Pharisee’s home. The Pharisee was shocked that Jesus did not follow the prescribed washings before meals. And Jesus used the opportunity to warn the Pharisees about how they were living. The Pharisees mistakenly thought that holiness was a question of meticulous fulfillment of the law of Moses and separation from the impurity of the Gentiles. They built up an entire tradition of practices aimed at living the law perfectly. In the case of washing hands before meals, it was a way of extending the priestly rituals of washing before offering a sacrifice to every meal. Holiness, then, was seen as something exterior rather than interior. The Pharisees gave meticulous attention to lesser commandments like paying their taxes, but neglected the virtue of justice and the first commandment to love God above all things. In fact, their fulfillment of hundreds of human traditions puffed them up in pride, rather than walking humbly before God. They sought the praise of men and not the glory of God. Instead of teaching the people to walk humbly, they corrupted those they taught. The scholars of the law were not exempt from this warning. They too built up wearisome burdens for the people in their teachings and traditions instead of bringing the people to the heart of the law – love for God and neighbor.

2. To Those who Judge Others: One of the main traits of the Pharisees was their tendency to judge others. Paul addresses this in his Letter to the Romans. He speaks to Jewish persons who pass judgment on Gentile sinners. “Evidently, some, inflated with a sense of moral superiority, felt justified in playing the judge and condemning the non-Jewish world for its wickedness” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 22). Yes, pagan practices were abominations and worthy to be condemned. However, Paul criticizes his debate partner here for holding others to a standard that they themselves struggle to attain. Paul then charges his fellow Jews with the same sins committed in the pagan world (Romans 2:1). Paul is making a parallel here: just as the pagan Gentiles are inexcusably culpable for sinning against God’s revelation in creation, so the Jews are culpable for sinning against God’s revelation in the Torah (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 22). According to Paul, the Jews have fallen into hypocrisy – like the Pharisees and scholars of the law in the Gospel – and infidelity and presumption. They have a prideful overconfidence that they, as members of God’s people, will escape the judgment of God. “It seems that some Jews regarded their ethnic ties to the patriarchs, along with the privilege of being counted among God’s people, as an insurance policy against the fiery day of judgment. It was a false confidence that every Israelite was guaranteed mercy, no matter what” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 23).

3. Judgment according to Works: Paul argues that we will be judged not by our ethnicity, but by our works. “This is the belief that God will hold every person accountable for his or her actions, public or private, and assign each person a corresponding destiny. One will either receive eternal life at the final judgment, or face the wrath and fury of the God who punishes evil” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 24). This teaching that we will be judged on our works is not opposed to Paul’s later teaching in the letter that we are initially justified not by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, Chapter Two concludes with a teaching on the necessity for both Gentiles and Jews to observe the law. While the Jews have the revealed law of God written in the Torah, the Gentiles have the natural law of God written in their hearts. The Gentiles also have a conscience which bears witness to what is good and evil. What Paul teaches is that we are initially justified by grace, and this grace of justification is not dependent on our works. It is an unmerited gift of God given to us through Jesus and the Spirit. However, the gift is an empowering gift that enables the Christian to perform works that result from God’s operative power in the believer. The works the believer does in union with Christ have a salvific value. And that is why we, as believers, need to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12) (see Barber, Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment, 157-159).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to hear with fresh ears your warnings against hypocrisy. I pray that I may see myself as your Father sees me, as I truly am. Guide me in my thinking so that I can know my faults, failings, and imperfections. Purify my intentions as I serve others in love.

Living the Word of God: Am I acting like the Pharisees? Am I a hypocrite who thinks that I am better than those around me? Do I see how a deeper filial trust can help me overcome the sin and temptation of hypocrisy?