City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh.

The Word

³⁷ While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. ³⁸ The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. ³⁹ And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

–Luke 11:37-44 ESV

There is a generation rising that considers themselves to be pure in their own eyes, yet they are morally filthy, unwashed, and unclean.

–Proverbs 30:12 TPT

Aisha’s Analysis

In today’s verses, Jesus is invited to dinner by a Pharisee. Astonishingly, Jesus agrees. This is quite encouraging because it shows us that Jesus wants to reach everyone: sinners, tax collectors, zealots, and even Pharisees. This is astonishing because of how we see Jesus confronting their hypocrisy in scripture. 

In this instance, the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus didn’t follow their customary ceremonial hand washing tradition. It is worth noting this ritual was not actually part of the law of Moses issued by God, but a self-imposed rule of the Pharisees. 

Jesus is quick to call out the shortcomings of emphasizing public acts of piety over inward transformation. What Jesus is essentially saying in these verses is the obsessive, compulsive, and meticulous rituals of the Pharisees masked their gross neglect of their inner lives. 

He likens this to drinking from a cup that is clean on the outside, but the inside is filthy. Or like walking on an unmarked grave which would contaminate others unknowingly (touching a grave makes one unclean under Mosaic law). 

Jesus sheds light on this not to shame the Pharisee but to call attention to the danger of neglecting one’s inner life. Indeed, it is only by yielding to and receiving the saving grace of Jesus, that we can truly be transformed from the inside out.

Application

What is your priority in life: how you appear to others or the condition of your inner life? Carve out some time in your day to reflect on this and recite these verses to the Lord earnestly from your heart: 

‘God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way— the path that brings me back to you.’

–Psalms 139:23-24 TPT

Prayer

Father God, I don’t want my own heart to deceive me from anything You might be trying to show me. I want to deal with the things that could be infecting my heart–bitterness, anger, offense, rebellion, fear, disappointment, _______ [insert any heart issues you might be dealing with personally]. Lord, I want to live my life according to Your love and justice. In Jesus’ name, amen.