Week of September 29

It is not the giving of the belt around your waist to the poor that comes first; instead, it is what binds your heart to the Father’s that is key. I’ll explain this in a bit, but we see in our focal passage today a clear word about our spiritual health. If our “eye” (spiritual vision) is open to God’s Word/Jesus’ teaching, then our whole body (person) will be healthy (good). It does us well to have the Great Physician give us a spiritual wellness check-up today.

Jesus challenges the spiritual sickness of a Pharisee in Luke 11. Pharisees are mentioned here in Luke’s Gospel for the first time as Jesus confronts some of them for being well-versed in the knowledge of both the written law and the oral tradition that they attached to it but being lousy with its application. We use the term “Pharisaical” to indicate hypocrisy (see 11:42). We need to keep in mind that our context in this chapter is keeping one’s eyes “good” as well (11:34). 

Jesus was pointing out the moral blindness of some Pharisees in this focal passage. This sect was one of three in Jewish life and it emerged about 2 centuries before Christ (cf. also Sadducees and Essenes). Unlike the Sadducees, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection, the existence of angels and demons, predestination and free will, and the validity of both the written and oral law (NAC). We might say that they were so heavenly minded that they were of no earthly (practical) good. Let me explain how we may become Pharisaical ourselves.

Jesus was criticized for not practicing “ceremonial” washing before He dined with a perfectionistic Pharisee. You may relax a bit because the context refers to a religious washing, and not a hygienic directive. The Old Testament does not mention this cleansing anywhere, so the critique came from Jesus’ neglect of the oral tradition of this sect (see 11:38). They showed meticulous care, for example, about washing the outside of cups but they failed miserably with giving a cup of water to a thirsty woman. Their entire concern was focused on external actions rather than on the spiritual vitality, or health, of their hearts. Pharisaism today concerns itself with being seen at church rather than “being the church” as a witness. What’s the remedy?

Jesus tells the hypocritical religious professor that the “one who made” both, meaning God, expects His followers to clean both the outside and the inside. God is the ultimate authority in cleanliness, and it is by His standard that Jesus would judge the character of this Pharisee and of all humanity, including us. Jesus bears down upon the issue when He focuses on a correct attitude toward and use of possessions. To be cleansed of greed would require this man’s heart to be made new by God’s grace, and he then would follow by becoming generous with the poor (11:41; 20:47, greed of Pharisees; 19:8, generosity and alms-giving).

I opened the devotional with a curious statement. Let me clarify it now. I was approached by a man one day who obviously had physical needs. His physical appearance spoke volumes about his station in life. Nevertheless, he surprised me by not asking for money; instead, he only requested that I give him a belt to hold up his pants. In that split second, I thought to myself how God had blessed me by giving me the clothes that I was wearing. I recalled my former spiritual state of need by looking through that man’s present physical circumstances. I immediately took off my belt and gave it to him. I did not hand him the gift out of my own goodness—Jesus gave out of His goodness.

Here is the point: Jesus’ instruction about sincere goodness is that there should be no disconnect between our changed hearts and our hands. Jesus cleanses the insides of our cup (lives) so that He may feed and clothe the world.

1. A popular TV commercial asks, “What’s in your wallet?” to incite a desire for us to acquire a certain credit card for its rewards. Jesus asks us today, “What’s in your heart?” to instill within us a giving spirit, not greedy one, so that we may expend ourselves for the benefit of others. What’s in your heart?

2. “Cup washing” will always be the subtle temptation that church leaders face. This ceremonialism is evident whenever we emphasize attendance in church rather than attending to the hearts that should worship there. Or, whenever we stress giving offerings rather than encouraging the offering of our lives as daily sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2). Seek to develop whole believers—inside and out. 

3. For Families: This passage reminds our families to give God our whole lives, inside and out, and to ask God every day to make us clean. A good habit to instill in the lives of our children is to kneel before bedtime and review the day.

Ask God if there was something we did—some action we took, or word we said, or attitude we displayed—that was not pleasing to Him. Did we treat God well? And other people? Did we show respect and helpfulness?

And then we turn it around. We ask God, was there something He wanted us to do or say or be, and we ignored Him? In both cases, we ask God’s forgiveness. We ask Him to wash us clean, like a dirty cup, and make us like new inside and out. If our children learn to stay close to God and pay attention each day, they will be used to further His kingdom in powerful ways.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock