The commandments bring life, order and communication with God. It is important work. However, the traditions making the law more difficult creates barriers and voids the benefits of keeping the law. Past consequences of commandment disobedience (i.e. 70 years of slavery for violations of the Sabbath) motivated religious leaders to set boundaries (fences) around the law with the intent of protecting the law. These fences made the law grievous and difficult to obey. Over time these fences became a favored source of authority, as people were required to continually consult religious leaders regarding every-day life. Jesus corrects the practice of the leadership and further expounds on the “weightier matters” of the law. Jesus said, “These things ye ought to have done” and “not avoid the weightier matters…”
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64: Jesus Rebukes The Pharisees, Scribes, and Lawyers
Luke 11:37-54
A Pharisee invited Jesus to come to his house to eat. Jesus entered and sat down to the food spread before him. The host was surprised that Jesus began to eat without washing before dinner.
Perceiving his thoughts, Jesus said to him:
“Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God. These ought ye to have done, and not leave the other undone. Woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.”
Then a lawyer who was present said to Jesus:
“Thus saying thou reproachest us also.”
Jesus replied:
“Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! For ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe unto you! For ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchers. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute’ – that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple. Verily I say unto you, ‘It shall be required of this generation.’
Woe unto you, lawyers! For ye have taken away the key of knowledge. Ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.”