When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.” Luke 11:37-42
“Two things stand out about the Pharisees and for these two things Jesus condemned them.
The concentrated on externals. So long as the externals of religion were carried out that was all that mattered. Their hearts might be black as hell, they might be utterly lacking in charity, even in justice; but so long as they went through the correct motions at the correct time they considered themselves good in the eyes of God.
A man may be regular in his church attendance; he may be a diligent student of his Bible; he may be a generous giver to the church; but if in his heart there are thoughts of pride and of contempt, if he has no charity in his dealings with his fellow men in the life of the everyday, if he is unjust to his subordinates or dishonest to his employer, he is not a Christian man. No man is a Christian when he meticulously observes the conventions of religion and forgets the realities.
They concentrated on details. Compared with love and kindness, justice, and generosity, the washing of hands and the giving of tithes with mathematical accuracy were unimportant details… How often church courts and church people get lost in totally unimportant details of church government and administration, and even argue and fight about them, and forget the great realities of the Christian life.”
William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke (TDSBS; Philadelphia; Westminster Press, 1975) 156-157.
This convicted me. Perhaps you felt the sting too? Luke, almost certainly, could relate to this as he included it in his Gospel. Think about it. He was a doctor and among the most highly educated in the ancient world. He was paid to discern clues by looking at a person’s externals and likely a master of details.
I recount that Paul was the Pharisee of Pharisees so likely guilty of hyper-vigilant focus on externals and details. Then in Christ, he did not abandon his keen attention to detail and concern for appearances which might cause others to stumble, he merely urged us to focus on the internal and to live for the big picture.
What’s my point? As a Pauline scholar I can recall many times when my gaze has been too fixed on externals and details. Even recently, I have been guilty of this. We who are in Christian ministry must not overlook everyday realities, no matter how important our work is. God forgive me. God forgive us.
Thankfully Luke maps the pathway to grace for us. If we are lacking in charity, there’s good news. If we are “generous to the poor” everything will be clean for us. What’s that mean? We must not talk our game like the Pharisees. Live out love and kindness, justice, and generosity and everything will be all good.