Jesus attends a formal dinner and asked why he didn’t do the ritual washing beforehand

Jesus’ answer provokes fierce opposition (53, 54)

1. The Pharisees were cleaning the outside not the inside (39-41)
They looked good on the outside but inside they were full of greed

2. The Pharisees focussed on small details of the law, neglecting the main issue – God’s love and justice (42)
They were obsessed with tithing small crops like spices but were neglecting the justice and love of God

3. The Pharisees valued their public status over being spiritually alive (43-44)
They loved to be acknowledged and given seats of honour

4. The scribes placed heavy burdens on people did not help them (46)
The Law was meant to be a delight

5. The scribes had outward respect for the OT prophets but they weren’t listening to their message (47-51)
Jesus points out their hypocrisy that they might honour the prophets but were not listening to their words

6. The scribes had lost the way to know God themselves and were preventing others from knowing (52)

This was all about outward, public, rule keeping but not about getting a heart that loves God

We need to

 Get cleaned up from the inside

 Not get lost in the detail and neglect the big truths about God’s love and justice

 Be defined by how God sees you in Christ, not what other people think of you

 Help each other to really delight in God’s word and not find it a burden

 Make sure we don’t worship the Bible but at the same time ignore God’s word

 Find the key to knowledge (Christ) and unlock the door for ourselves and others