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.
"Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.
"Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it."
One of the experts in the law answered him, "Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also."
Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
"Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.' Therefore, this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.
"Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering."
When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say.
sometimes i am really confused about the gospel. it says here that if we are generous for the poor, "all will be clean for us." what does that really mean? what about those who care for the poor without acknowledging Christ as Lord?
i am especially confused because i grew up in a church that did not value ministry to the poor, and so i wonder - is there such thing as a gospel without this deep value of serving the poor? are we overemphasizing the role that this should play or has the importance of our service to the poor been evil-ly suppressed by Satan through the sin of Pharisees of the past and present ("unmarked graves that people walk over without realizing it")?
pre-college, well really pre-'before i read irresistible revolution', i really saw my desire to help underserved populations as something separate from my relationship with Christ. but after reading this book, after growing in the past two+ years, i think that realizing that our God is a God who loves everyone, hungers for justice has really taught me to be faithful to God and to trust in His plan and His love. for me, it has been a crucial part of understanding and appreciating and wanting the Gospel in my life. is that something that everyone feels though?
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