Six Woes

My NIV Study Bible labels Luke 11:37-54 as "Six Woes." Luke 11:46 states:

Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

The Pharisees were the audience, and in addition to constantly telling themselves how good and holy they were, they pointed out the shortcomings of others. Jesus was clearly telling these Pharisees they were wrong on both counts. We've already read where the Pharisees were intent on killing Jesus (Matthew 12:14, all the way back on October 5th), and here, Jesus adds more reasons for their hatred.

But he wasn't just talking to the Pharisees. A leader without a follower is just another person, and Jesus was telling the people that the Pharisees were empty suits, full of words and devoid of action. The Pharisees were a group that pointed out shortcomings as opposed to helping educate, edify and spiritually grow the people. They weren't teachers as much as enforcers, and Jesus' message of a new way wouldn't just diminish their power, but eliminate it totally. In the end, the Pharisees weren't scared of Jesus' teaching as much as his ability to make them obsolete.

Our obligation today is two-fold. First, we need to be on our guard that we don't fall under the sway of people like this, people that are preaching a false message that is not Christ-centered. Second, and more important in my mind, is that WE need to be sure we're not "load[ing] people down with burdens they can hardly carry." Our job as Christians is to help those who need help, and to instruct those who need instruction. In the business world, it's not hard to tell people what to do, but it's pretty useless by itself. The trick is making sure the resources are available to get the job done, and our job as Christians isn't just to tell people "Believe!", but provide them with the understanding of what that means and the instruction on how to live it.

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Jesus summed it all up in Luke 11:52:

“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

Stinging words, and words we need to spend our lives making sure aren't said to us when we meet the Lord.

Scott