RTW 2024

“What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”

Luke 11:52

“Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that.”

Luke 12:4

“No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.”
Luke 11:33

• It was common practice in antiquity for a dinner to become an occasion for moral instruction. 
• Pharisees: About 6,000 at that time. They were teachers in the synagogues. They considered their interpretive tradition to be almost as authoritative as Scripture. “The Pharisees, the party of the synagogue, were a legalistic and separatist group who strictly kept the law of Moses and the unwritten “tradition of the elders.” Although they were comparatively few in number, the Pharisees enjoyed the support of the people and influenced popular opinion, if not national policy. They were the only party to survive the destruction of the temple in AD 70 and were the spiritual progenitors of modern Judaism. The Sadducees were a Jewish party that represented the wealthy and sophisticated classes. They were more politically minded than the Pharisees and denied the resurrection, angels and spirits. They were located largely in Jerusalem and made the temple and its Administration their primary interest. Though they too were a relatively small group, in Jesus' day they exerted powerful political and religious influence.” Archaeological Study Bible pg. 1563
• The Pharisees saw themselves as guides and heirs of interpretive tradition for the Jewish people. They disliked that Jesus taught on his own authority with interpretations that did not match their own strongly held interpretations. 
• Experts in the law were scribes (teachers of the law), most of whom were Pharisees, Jewish scholars of the day. They were professionally trained. They were members of the Sanhedrin. They studied, interpreted, and taught written and oral law. The majority of them belonged to the Pharisees. Some Pharisees were legal experts and vice versa, but they were not identical groups. 

Jesus told the Pharisees they had reason to fear:

• Clean the cup: Jews believed they became ceremonially unclean during the normal circumstances of daily life, so they cleansed themselves by pouring water over their hands. The Aramic word for cleanse is similar to that for “give in charity,” which could have been a play on words.
• Unmarked graves: A person who stepped on a grave became ceremonially unclean, so graves were whitewashed to make them more easily visible, especially at night. Pharisees believed that even their shadow touching a corpse would make them impure. At least if they were clearly “whitewashed” people would know and see their impurity and be warned of it. Also alludes to Ezekiel 13:1-12 and 22:28–whitewash covered over a wall’s weakness and concealed corruption. 
• Heap on heavy burdens with no help to carry it.
• Rejected true knowledge, then hindered others from finding true knowledge–a very serious accusation since these groups were supposed to be the highest gatekeepers and expounders of the law. 

Jesus tried to ease the fears of the disciples and others:

• Don’t be afraid of those who can hurt you physically, but have no power over your soul.
• Don’t be afraid. God knows the number of hairs on your head and watches over you.
• Don’t be afraid. God cares for even the most menial things. (Sparrows were one of the cheapest items sold for poor people’s food in the market place and were the cheapest of all birds.) 
• Don’t be afraid when you have to defend yourself, the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say.
• Don't worry about accumulating things in this life, instead share with others.
• Don’t worry about your life, food, or clothes–God will provide.

Be concerned about legalistic beliefs and behaviors. Instead, take care of your heart and trust God to take care of you.