The Pharisees’ spies tried to entrap him, the Sadducees tried to refute him, but Jesus silenced them all. No one spoke but a lone scribe, a Bible scholar, saying, “Teacher, you have spoken well” (20:39). It’s heard as a compliment but given what Luke reveals about the murderous intentions of both the Pharisees and Sadducees, it’s hard not to question the man’s motives. Did he genuinely mean it? Perhaps. Or was the man’s compliment a kind of way to express his authority as a scribe, a compliment couched in self-regard? While we do not know for certain, I don’t think it is a coincidence that Jesus’ warning in our passage today is of this man and his kind. And what a warning it was!
Tag Archives: Pharisees
Getting the Inside Right
In contrast, Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:29-30), not because living the Christian life is easy but because we live it under grace not law.[12] The grace of God in Christ Jesus informs the entirety of the Christian life, and only by grace can we get the inside right. True life comes not from moral reform or religious zeal but through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through faith in Christ, we are justified as righteous and filled with the Holy Spirit, that he may cleanse us from the inside out, that we may shine with the radiance of his righteousness. Amen.
