The Gospel of Luke 11:37-41 When God Says...I Say, AMEN!

When God Says …

“And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto 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.” (Luke 11:37-41 KJV).

In our contemporary lingo, the Lord said to the host Pharisee affront, “I know you Pharisees buff the surface of your cups and plates so they sparkle in the sun, but I also know your insides are maggoty with greed and secret evil. Stupid Pharisees! Didn’t the One who made the outside also make the inside? Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands.” (Luke 11:39-41 MSG).

In the preceding verses, the Lord Jesus warned the risk that what we may assume as light in us can actually be darkness. Here, He also warned them who invited Him over for a meal that they should take a look inside themselves. They spend a great deal of time, energy, and worry over being clean outside. While being clean outside was good, the bigger issue is, what's in the inside? Are their hearts clean? Knowing them and their values, the Lord Jesus challenged them to do something that would reveal just who they really are, in and outside. He speaks of their greed. While they may be religious and seem righteous on the outside, He knew that greed was consuming them on the inside.

In our present age, the Lord's challenge still stands - we ought to take a look on the inside. And the monster on the inside for a lot of us today is still the same: greed. No religious nor worldly philosophy can cleanse this spiritual ill. Only the supply of God's grace in Christ Jesus can make everyone, who believe in Him, clean and sanctified inside out. Yes, we’re once unclean. But now in Christ by faith, Scriptures declare: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV).

And I say, AMEN!

Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries

When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.

Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
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Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.