Pastor Scott Andrews | September 14, 2025
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Luke 11:37-44
I realize that not everyone has shared an email address with the church, so you perhaps did not receive the email I sent this week regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk. And I suspect by now you’ve heard more than you want to hear – I get it. But, if you’ve been around here for a while, you know that, despite some accusations to the contrary, I do not typically make political statements. My job, my calling is to teach the Scripture and be faithful as it relates to biblical morality and convictions. Unfortunately, many of those biblical and moral convictions have become political. It is not my intent, as a pastor, to state political positions, but to fiercely defend biblical truth, without apology.
And for that reason, among others, I sent an email lamenting the assassination of a committed believer, an ardent follower of Jesus Christ. Yes, his organization, Turning Point USA, was also politically motivated and active. But I agreed with Charlie’s moral positions and deeply appreciated his faithfully proclaiming and defending the Gospel of Jesus. Few, if any, had a greater impact for good and for Christ on his generation. He was well-informed, articulate, engaging – inviting open dialogue and debate. My purpose was and is simply to encourage us to pray for his family, for his wife, Erika, and his two children. To encourage us to pray that God would raise up similar bold and faithful voices. Not arrogant, but faithful. That God would encourage us to stand firmly, gently and biblically for the gospel and biblical convictions. To not give in to the whims of culture. To stand up and be counted. This truly can be a turning point, not only for the US, but for the church of Jesus Christ – I pray that it is.
You see, whether we like it or not, there is a sense in which the church of Jesus Christ is in trouble, abandoning biblical truth for cultural relevance and acceptance. Further, there are bad people in the world, but also in the church. There are bad leaders in the church. Over and over, through the New Testament, we are warned about evil people, false teachers, imposters, wolves infiltrating the people of God. In Acts 20, the Apostle Paul called the Ephesian elders together and said, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
We must be on our guard. The world, and unfortunately the church, is full of liars, false teachers, false shepherds, wolves who would fleece the sheep, deceivers, spiritual abusers. Those who would destroy the word of God and devour the people of God for their own benefit. You see, that’s the problem – they are in it for themselves. Jude calls them hidden reefs, clouds without water, trees without fruit, waves of the sea, wandering stars. Peter calls them springs without water, mists driven by the storm, daring, self-willed, revilers. Paul’s list is too long, but my favorite is just plain, dogs.
The fact is, Paul warned us repeatedly. There are bad guys among the people of God, and they seek to devour. And many times, they’re hard to spot, because they’re in the church. They look good; they come in forms that look godly, spiritual, righteous. Many times, they are the leaders, pastors, elders, teachers – the guys we’re supposed to follow.
And many times, they are the ones fleecing the flock, spiritually abusing the people of God. Let me give you a definition of spiritual abuse: when I begin to use the Bible or I begin to use my authority to get you to do what I want you to do. It has nothing to do with what God wants. I’m just using God, I’m just using the Bible to get people to do what I want, to meet some need I have – be it fame or fortune. The church is full of those kinds of people.
How do you know who the bad guys are? Who do you trust? And if you’re thinking about this at all, one of the questions you should be asking is this: what about you, Scott – how do we know we can trust you? What about Alliance, what about the other pastors, what about the elders? Many of you don’t know us – you see us on Sunday, that’s all. How do you know? The good news is, we’re not left to wonder who the bad guys, specifically bad leaders, might be. We’re given descriptions repeatedly – this is what to look for. But, before we get to the epistles of Paul and Peter and John, let’s start with Jesus in Luke 11 – read it with me Luke 11:37-44.
Wow, Jesus takes the gloves off. This is how you know who the bad guys are. He gives us principles of poor spiritual leadership. Let me emphasize, we are talking about spiritual leadership, to include the church. There may be some principles that work just fine in the workforce, but they have no place in the church of Jesus Christ. We’re going to spend some time on them over the week or two. Let me give you the outline as we begin:
- Poor Spiritual Leaders Focus on the Outside (39-41)
- Poor Spiritual Leaders Major on the Minors and Ignore the Majors (42)
- Poor Spiritual Leaders Are Self-Focused (43)
- Poor Spiritual Leaders Are Dead and Dangerous (44)
But, let’s begin by looking at the very interesting setting in verses 37-38. Luke’s wording indicates Jesus has just finished responding to the Pharisees’ accusation of being satanically inspired, and just finished responding to the crowd’s desire for more signs, and a Pharisee asked to have lunch with Jesus. What – that’s interesting. He apparently wanted more discussion or he was looking for more ammo with which to accuse Jesus.
We’ve talked a lot about Pharisees recently. There were four major religious sects in Israel at the time. The Sadducees were the wealthy, priestly aristocracy, owning the high priesthood and were in charge of the Temple. Many were on the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling body. The Essenes were the ascetic monastic order – separating themselves, forming isolated communities, in Qumran, for example. The Zealots were just as they sound – revolutionaries willing to take up arms to fight for Judaism – at this time against Roman occupation.
The Pharisees originated in the intertestamental period, likely in the second century BC, in opposition to the reign of the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes. The derivation of the name Pharisee is unknown, but most agree it carries the connotation of separated ones. They saw themselves as aloof (bleeding Pharisees) and superior to everyone else, although they came largely from the middle class as laymen. They considered themselves experts in the Mosaic Law and had an entire system of traditions that were handed down. It’s estimated they were the largest of the four groups – some suggest about 6,000 of them at the time of Jesus, and although oppressive, they were enormously popular with the people which gave them significant influence, unmatched in their zeal for the Mosaic Law. Many served on the Jewish Sanhedrin, and they, along with the Sadducees eventually, were ardent opponents of Jesus.
So, it’s interesting this Pharisee would invite Jesus to lunch. Why would he do that? But, it’s also interesting to note there are 7 meals recorded with Jesus in Luke, and 3 of them are with Pharisees – chapters 7, 11 and 14. Which communicates something to us – perhaps we should be willing to socialize with all kinds of people for the purpose of sharing truth. Now, it was apparently at the Pharisee’s house, because we read Jesus went in and reclined at the table. Remember, this was the eating position – reclined at the table resting on your elbow with feet stretched out behind you.
But it was a Pharisee’s house, and Jesus did the faux pas of all faux pas! He reclined at the table without washing his hands. Now, this was not like asking your eight-year-old – did you wash your hands before you came to the table? No – this didn’t have anything to do with physical cleanliness, so kids, it will not do to answer your mother, no, and Jesus didn’t either.
Notice, the Pharisee was surprised when Jesus had not first ceremoniously washed before the meal. Lots to say about this. First, the Pharisee could see that Jesus had not washed, because the wash basin would be right there for everyone to see. You didn’t go into the bathroom or the kitchen – nope – you did it for all to see because you had to make a big show of it. We’ll get to this in a moment, but the Pharisees were all about show – they wanted everyone to see just how spiritually fastidious, how holy they were.
Notice secondly, this washing was ceremonial. Again, this didn’t have anything to do with being physically clean, but ceremonially clean. What does that mean? You have to wash off any pollution you may have picked up outside by touching a sinner or even worse, a Gentile. In fact, later, there was even in the Mishnah rules about how the ceremonial washing was to take place:
“The hands are susceptible to uncleanness, and they are rendered clean up to the wrist. Thus if a man had poured first water up to the wrist and the second water beyond the wrist, and the water flowed back to the hand, the hand becomes clean; but if he poured both the first water and the second beyond the wrists, and the water flowed back to the hand, the hand remains unclean.”
And the instructions go on and on – what does that mean? I don’t know. But it was tradition passed on by the elders that must be obeyed in order to be ceremonially clean, further, holy. This was the significant problem with the Pharisees – they had an entire body of tradition that must be observed to be accepted by God – tradition that is not found in Scripture. But, they made the tradition as important as the Bible. To which Jesus takes them to task.
You see, you have to ask the question at this point – did Jesus plop down and forget to wash up – or did He do it on purpose? Jesus was always in the face of those who would make traditions of men binding on people – overbearing on people – that weren’t found in Scripture. In fact, He says to the Pharisees in His denunciation of them in Matthew, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel over land and sea seeking to make a proselyte, a disciple, and when he becomes one, all you do is make him a child of hell. (Matthew 23:15) You cannot elevate tradition – we all have them – but elevate tradition to biblical authority.
Yes, it is true that several of us are leaving on a Reformation Tour and I have the Protestant Reformation on my mind – so I cannot help but make a comparison to the Roman Catholic Church that has through the years made their onerous traditions not found in the Bible on par with the Bible – that is, carrying the same authority as the Bible, which Jesus condemns – the unbiblical traditions of men. You cannot make your extra-biblical or even anti-biblical traditions authoritative, inspired and required. Everyone thought the Pharisees were right and holy because they were Pharisees, and Jesus says no. Here and other places He says traditions made by men are unnecessary burdens and carry no authority. Jesus condemns them. (Sabbath, offerings, washings) We must be careful to make sure any traditions we require are in fact biblical.
Well, Jesus apparently read the Pharisee’s mind – like He read the Pharisee Simon’s mind back chapter 7. Remember, this woman, a sinner, came into the dinner and wiped Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair. Simon thought to himself, if Jesus were a prophet, He would know what kind of woman this was. Jesus knew Simon’s thoughts and called him out. You would think by now the Pharisees would have sent around a memo that said, be careful what you think around Jesus – He can read your mind. But no, because this Pharisee was surprised the Jesus didn’t wash up before dinner. To be clear, the Law of Moses said nothing about washing before dinner.
Which brings us the first thing poor spiritual leaders do – they focus on the externals. The Lord said, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but inside, you are full of robbery and wickedness.” The cup and platter are metaphors for what they are and what they do – cleaning up the outside. In another place, He said, you’re like whitewashed tombs – clean on the outside, but full of dead men’s bones on the inside. Scathing.
The point is the same. The Pharisees were great at focusing on cleaning up the outside, while leaving the inside unchanged, in fact, evil. The truth is you cannot make the outside look clean and shiny without an inward change by the gospel. The inner person needs recreation – to be made new. It’s what we talked about a few weeks ago – outward reformation without inward transformation is fruitless and ultimately meaningless. It leads to nowhere – it leads to hell – that’s what Jesus said in Matthew 23.
You see, while the Pharisees made the outside look holy, on the inside, they were filled with robbery and wickedness. That stings. Robbery speaks of plundering or pillaging – that is, seizing something by force. Here the idea is the Pharisees plundered people’s souls or their possessions. They plundered their souls with their false teaching. Wickedness is just what it says – it speaks of evil, depravity, badness. These were the religious Pharisees and Jesus calls them out – you’ve got people fooled – they see you as holy, but the opposite is true. And Jesus follows it up – did not the One who made, that is God, the outside also make the inside? In other words, shouldn’t you be just as concerned with the inside as the outside, since God made both. Of course. In fact, if you clean up the outside without inward repentance and change, it won’t work. It’s a sham, it’s a mask, it’s a show.
I want you to think about that with me. The Pharisees were viewed by all as holy, religious, even spiritual people. By what could be seen, they looked good. But by what mattered – that is, by what is in here, which should inform the outside, they were rotten to the core. Which means, here it is, it is possible to look good and not be good. And by good, I mean be redeemed, transformed. It’s possible to look good and not be good. You can do all kinds of good things for all to see, which we’ll talk about in moment, and still be dead on the inside. Which means, it might be time for introspection – has the gospel changed your heart, or have you simply adopted good, Christian-looking actions that not only deceive others, but deceive you?
So, verse 41, without going into all the syntax, I think Jesus is saying, make sure your works of charity or love spring from the inside. That will prove that you are fully clean. If they are simply outward acts of seeming righteousness, even love, without corresponding heart – they are no good, you’re still unclean. But when it springs from within, you know you are clean. One of my commentators, Philip Ryken, had a summary statement of each of these four challenges – let me give them to you as we make our way through. For this point, Ryken said, “I am a hypocrite when I am more concerned with outward appearances than inward godliness.”
Which brings us to the next three characteristics in the next three verses – all beginning with the word, woe. The word could be seen as an expression of grief or judgment – or the grief that comes from judgment. It could be translated, alas. Verse 42, woe to you Pharisees. For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; these things you should have done without neglecting the others. Yes, don’t miss it: tithing for the purpose of caring for the Levitical priests and for the poor should be done. But the Pharisees had elevated tithing to an artform – an outward appearance of religiosity. Which is why Jesus said in Matthew 6, when you give, don’t left hand know what your right hand is doing.
His words are getting stronger as He goes, and we’re getting to the real heart of the matter. The Pharisees were concerned with keeping laws they could keep that made them look spiritual, but they could care less about the spirit of the law, especially the laws that dealt with treatment of people. They magnified the insignificant, because they could do those things, but minimized the essentials. They minimized love of God and justice…to people.
The Mosaic law required a tithe. In fact, the law required a tenth for the priesthood, a tenth for worship ceremonies and national festivals, and a tenth every third year to support Levites, orphans and widows. In other words, the Old Testament required a 23.33% annual tithe – not just a tenth – aren’t you glad we’re under the New Testament principle of sacrificial giving rather than the Old Testament tithe? Now, the tithe was required of produce – farm crops, grains, olive oil, wine, fruits and vegetables. Nothing is really said about herbs that you might grow in a little garden or in the kitchen window – most agree that while there was nothing wrong with tithing herbs, it probably went further than the law required.
But not for the Pharisees. They grew herbs, like mint and rue – had to look that up, it’s a strong, bitter herb grown around the Mediterranean and used sparingly. In Matthew, to these Jesus adds dill and cummin. The point is, being religiously observant Pharisees, they counted the seeds and counted the leaves – nine for me, one for God, nine for me, one for God – no doubt making a big show of it – look how spiritual I am, I give even a tenth of even my seeds to God. They gloried in their self-righteous observance to the letter of the law – the minutiae of the law.
The problem is, they inverted priorities and reduced matters like justice as well as loving God. Think about it – justice would be directed toward others, you know, loving your neighbor, and loving God was what both the OT and Jesus said was the greatest commandment. So, instead of focusing and the first and second greatest commandments, they focused on the lesser laws, like counting seeds. Do you see what was going on here? The Pharisees were inequitable, unethical, unfair, unjust, unmerciful, unforgiving, unkind, greedy and abusive – they didn’t care about people – they wouldn’t touch Gentiles or look at women – but they counted seeds. As one said, they were scrupulous to an extreme about small matters of the ceremonial law, yet they utterly disregarded the first principles of love of neighbor and love of God.
They did not defend the weak, protect the poor, welcome strangers, help widows, adopt orphans or do any of the other things the Bible calls justice, but they counted seeds, paid their tithes, and kept the Sabbath. Wow, they were so spiritual, so self-righteous. To open your wallet without opening your heart is hypocrisy.
Now notice, Jesus says you should have done the little things – yes, that’s fine, pay your tithes – but without ignoring the big things. Let’s bring that home, shall we? In the church today, led by its leaders, people might never miss church – the leaders rant about that – if the doors are open, they’re there. They might never miss reading their Bibles. They might never miss praying before a meal. Important things? You bet. But when it comes to justice and mercy– caring for people – and doing all that you do because you love God – is that possible? In fact, I would say: many in the church today, like Pharisees, have a general disdain for people outside the church. My brothers and sisters, we must not do that. Philip Ryken says of this woe, “I am a hypocrite when I am more concerned about my little rules than about the big things that matter more to God.”
Verse 43, the third woe – woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. The better a man’s reputation, the better his seat of honor and recognition. Whenever there was a gathering of people, at a banquet or the synagogue, they wanted to be seated in the most prominent seats, before everyone, to be noticed. At a banquet, the most prominent place was right next to the host. In the synagogue, at the front was a raised platform from which the services were conducted. Behind the speakers, facing the congregation, would be the honored seats – to be seen and honored by all. Sounds to me like some churches I’ve been to where the pastors’ seats are placed on the platforms facing the congregations on chairs that look like thrones. They looked good, having the place of honor, preeminence.
They also wanted to be greeted respectfully in the market places – in public. There were certain ways you were supposed to greet these guys, which demonstrated your great respect and honor. It wasn’t enough to nod at them, so say hi. No, there were certain protocols that must be observed which highlighted their honor and superiority. The more elaborate the greeting, the better. For them, it was not enough to be greeted as an acquaintance or even a friend – but as a gentleman, a scholar, an elder, a philanthropist, a doctor of theology, etc. As we have seen, the Pharisees were more concerned with outward appearances then inward godliness. Philip Ryken says of this woe, “I am a hypocrite when I crave for people to recognize my spiritual accomplishments.”
In Matthew 6, Jesus highlighted more of their public displays. They fasted, but when they did so, they contorted their faces so everyone would know they were fasting. They prayed…on the street corners, so everyone would see them. They gave…sounding the trumpet before they did, so all would be impressed. Fasting, praying, giving were all good things – but they did them just to be noticed by men. And Jesus said, they have their reward.
We can actually have the same attitude in the church if we’re not careful. For example, if we want people to know what we are doing for the Lord. If we’re seeking the praise and recognition of people rather than having a heart to serve God, because He is most worthy.
Which leads to the last verse and the last woe – and perhaps the most damning. Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs and the people who walk over them are unaware of it. Now remember, to touch a dead body was to become unclean. In Numbers 19, we read if you touch a grave, you know, like walked over it, you were unclean. So, once a year, they would whitewash a tomb to make sure everyone saw it. (cemetery)
Don’t miss it – Jesus says to the Pharisees – you are like concealed tombs. You are full of dead men’s bones. There is deadness about you. But that’s not all. Not only are you dead, you are dangerous. People are blinded by your supposed veneer of piety. As they come near you and your deadness, they become unclean by following your teaching, and they don’t even know it. Philip Ryken said of this final woe, “I am a hypocrite when I am spiritually dead inside, and no one knows, maybe not even myself.”
Everything about false spiritual leaders is external, arrogant, self-serving, self-exalting, and dead. Everything is for show, to impress people, so everyone will know just how spiritual they are. In closing, let me ask – how can you trust a spiritual leader? How can you trust a pastor? How can you trust this pastor? Jesus gives some glaring signs to look for in our evaluation of those in leadership. False spiritual leaders focus on the outside. False teachers major on the minors. False teachers are self-focused, making everything about them. They want recognition. And the sad truth is, false teachers are dead, and they are dangerous. Last thing I’ll say – if you discern that in anyone of us, run for the door.