Tuesday, October 23, 2018

LUKE 16:14-18 WHITE-WASHED SEPULCHERS OR BLOOD-WASHED SAINTS


WHITE-WASHED SEPULCHERS
OR BLOOD-WASHED SAINTS
LUKE 16:14-18

Luke 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

Susie: In the last lesson we saw that money itself is amoral, neither good nor bad. The scripture says the LOVE of money is the problem (1 Timothy 6:10). Let’s look at our current verse in a new translation we enjoy found at https://biblehub.com:

Luke 16:14 (Berean Literal Bible) Now the Pharisees, being lovers of money, were listening to all these things, and they were ridiculing Him.

Susan: The Pharisees loved money, which means they did not give God the higher place He deserves. They were attempting to serve two masters. They were satisfied straddling the fence.

Susie: Obviously, that is a position that cannot be maintained. As Jesus taught in the previous lesson, it is impossible to completely serve two masters (Luke 16:13).

Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Susan: Jesus being all-knowing called the Pharisees out on their self-righteousness. Everything they did was to keep up outward appearances. It was not for the sake of God and His kingdom. Their good works were for their own elitist gain in the sight of the people.

Susie: Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees on numerous occasions. They made a big production of their giving to the poor rather than doing so quietly.

Matthew 6:2-4 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Susan: On the outside, the Pharisees looked well put together, more righteous than others; but on the inside their spirits were as black as coal.

Matthew 23:27-28 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Susie: The Pharisees made an outward show of following the minutia of the Law and the rabbis’ traditions (Matthew 23:23) but inwardly they did not follow the two greatest commandments: to love God and to love others (Matthew 22:36-40). However, God sees beyond the outside and looks within.

1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Susan: I am thankful the Lord does not judge me by my earth-suit but sees the righteousness of Christ covering me. I am humbled to have the awesome privilege to serve God in whatever way He chooses to use me.

Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

Susie: John the Baptist ushered in the preaching of the Gospel and was the first to present Jesus as the Messiah, the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29).

Susan: I love John’s name for Jesus: The Lamb of God. Twila Paris has a beautiful song about Him:


Susan: The Pharisees totally missed the point that Jesus fulfilled the Law. They were indeed lead heads or osmium heads (denser than lead). However, the people the Pharisees gave the label sinners—the tax collectors, the harlots, the Samaritans—were “pressing” into the Gospel. The common people clamored, jockeyed for position in a crowd, to be the nearest to Jesus and possibly even be able to touch Him. The picture is like people fighting their way into a colosseum to see the Beetles or Elvis. Oops, showing my age. Perhaps they crowd in to see Taylor Swift today.

Susie: While the self-righteous Pharisees missed the boat, the humble sinners were welcomed aboard.

Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

Susie: As I stated before, Jesus did not want them to think that the Gospel message of salvation by grace through faith did away with the Law. When we place our trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit writes God’s law on our hearts and enables us to obey Him out of love and not for outward show or in trying to earn His love. God loves us first. Then He enables us to love and obey Him.

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

Luke 16:18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.

Susie: As an example of the fact that the moral excellence of the Law had not passed away, Jesus taught on divorce. This was a law the Pharisees liked to bend, saying a man could divorce his wife for any reason.

Matthew 5:31-32 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Susan: Jesus came to give explanation, greater understanding, and application of the Law rather than to abolish it.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

Susie: The Pharisees were so busy trying to look good to others, that they missed the total point that the Law and Prophets pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. They were blinded by their own self-righteousness to the point that most of them missed the Redeemer, the truly Righteous One.

Susan: They were blinded by their own hypocrisy.

Ponder this and Apply it: God sees the motives behind our actions in a way that no human being can. We need to examine ourselves, perform a heart-check, periodically to be sure we are not just putting on a show for others but are serving God with all we have and all we are from a pure heart of love for Him.

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