Word@Work Luke305 - Luke 20:45-47
Published: Thu, 03/03/11
Word@Work from BeaconLight
HYPOCRITICAL TEACHERS
Luke 20:45-47 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, "Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the market-places and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." (NIV)
The 'teachers of the law' were the scribes. Originally they were all Levites (priests) who transcribed the Old Testament text from one generation to another, but by Jesus' day they were devout educated men who became religious teachers and behaved like religious lawyers, always ready to accuse people who disobeyed the commandments. Yet, at the same time, they pretended that they were perfect. They enjoyed an honoured place in the society and the synagogues; but Jesus had some very hard words for them.
He gave a public warning that these men were dangerous. His descriptions of them showed them up in an increasingly bad light. They dressed in expensive clothes, behaved in a vain and arrogant manner, demanding to be seen as VIPs in church and at civic receptions. They were also money-grabbers; under the guise of getting more offerings for God's work, like the tax collectors they also got money for themselves ... and the easiest targets were widows. Christ's condemnation was strong, "Such men will be punished most severely"!
They fell to the most basic temptations: vanity, pride and greed. John puts it like this, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever." (1 John 2:15-17). It is an age-old set of spiritual problems which can engulf any believer, church or mission unless our eyes are fixed on Jesus Christ. If you have fallen in any of these areas, repent! And if you think you have not fallen, 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" Hypocrisy (acting a part in a play) is easy to get into and difficult to escape; but in Christ we can!
Prayer: Holy and righteous Father. Thank You for the careful observation of all I think, do and say. I know that nothing can escape Your notice. Please help me to live each day seeking to please Jesus and to rely on His help. May I not be brought under Your condemnation by teaching what I cannot practise or trying to lead further than where I have gone. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
The 'teachers of the law' were the scribes. Originally they were all Levites (priests) who transcribed the Old Testament text from one generation to another, but by Jesus' day they were devout educated men who became religious teachers and behaved like religious lawyers, always ready to accuse people who disobeyed the commandments. Yet, at the same time, they pretended that they were perfect. They enjoyed an honoured place in the society and the synagogues; but Jesus had some very hard words for them.
He gave a public warning that these men were dangerous. His descriptions of them showed them up in an increasingly bad light. They dressed in expensive clothes, behaved in a vain and arrogant manner, demanding to be seen as VIPs in church and at civic receptions. They were also money-grabbers; under the guise of getting more offerings for God's work, like the tax collectors they also got money for themselves ... and the easiest targets were widows. Christ's condemnation was strong, "Such men will be punished most severely"!
They fell to the most basic temptations: vanity, pride and greed. John puts it like this, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever." (1 John 2:15-17). It is an age-old set of spiritual problems which can engulf any believer, church or mission unless our eyes are fixed on Jesus Christ. If you have fallen in any of these areas, repent! And if you think you have not fallen, 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" Hypocrisy (acting a part in a play) is easy to get into and difficult to escape; but in Christ we can!
Prayer: Holy and righteous Father. Thank You for the careful observation of all I think, do and say. I know that nothing can escape Your notice. Please help me to live each day seeking to please Jesus and to rely on His help. May I not be brought under Your condemnation by teaching what I cannot practise or trying to lead further than where I have gone. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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