SUMMARY
At a meal with Pharisees and Jewish legal experts, JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity More harshly denounces them for their greed, hypocrisy, and violence.
ANALYSIS
These are some of Jesus’ most stinging words in the Gospel of LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul More. Upon people generally known for their commitment to live in faithful accord with the law of MosesProphet who led Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land and received the law at Sinai More, Jesus unleashes a stream of indictments concerning false and hypocritical piety. What Jesus says goes beyond calling Pharisees and scribes misguided; he assaults their character and motives. At the root of his criticisms is the claim that they have failed in their ability to provide authentic spiritual leadership. The hypocrisy, greed, and desire for acclaim that Jesus sees on display in their lives make them dangerous people. Pharisees purport to promote purity, but they actually serve as a source of impurity that others cannot easily recognize, just as an unmarked grave gives no warning to people who might accidentally defile themselves by walking over it. Scribes are guilty of violence against prophets that God sends. Jesus pronounces them culpable for everything from the Old Testament’s first murder (AbelThe second son of Adam and Eve who was murdered by Cain. More, in Genesis 4:8) to its last one (Zechariah, in 2 Chronicles 24:20-21). (In some orderings of the books of the Jewish Scriptures, 2 Chronicles came last.)
It is important to note that Jesus is here criticizing specific people whom he believes have misunderstood the nature and function of the law of Moses. He is not critical of the law; nor does he proclaim the law and its rituals as obsolete. He is not critical of Judaism; nor does he condemn all Jews or their desires to live in obedience to God’s law. His point is that these particular people who have assumed responsibility for aspects of Judaism’s religious life have misunderstood what God intends for humanity and are adhering to the law in the wrong way. Their guise of holiness ensnares others.
