LOJ #128: the Unhappy Meal: Pt 1

LOJ #128: ‘The UnHappy Meal: Pt 1’

Andover Baptist Church-December 11th, 2011

Opening

A. Text Luke 11:37-54 for today is and our sermon is titled ‘The

UnHappy Mea: Pt. 1’

B. Scripture NET:

“11:37 As He spoke, a Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him, so He went in and took His place at the table. 11:38 The Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus did not first wash His hands before the meal. 11:39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 11:40 You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well? 11:41 But give from your heart to those in need, and then everything will be clean for you.”

C. Children’s Sermon(SLIDE)

1. Go buy a happy meal

2. 'I got a Happy Meal here anyone want it?' The only

catch is you have to take a bite of it

3. Give it to the first one that (Timmy?)

4. Kids don’t know that there is dirt on the burger, sticks

for the fries and the toy has been smashed with a

hammer

5. Why don't you want it now? It looks good from the

outside, doesn't it?

6. So your telling me if it looks okay on the outside, but

it's bad on the inside you won't eat it?

7. That's the way some people try to act for Jesus

8. They look okay on the outside, they seem to love God,

but inside they hide all this bad stuff and they don't

live for Him

9. Do you think that makes Jesus happy? What do you

think He would say to that?

10. It doesn't really matter if you look like you love Jesus,

if on the inside you don't really

D. Introduction

1. I’m going to warn you, it’s going to be another year

before this sermon ends

a. For the next two weeks we will be looking at

Christmas

b. We will finish what we started today on the very

first day of 2012 (Lord willing)

c. You will then honestly be able to say ‘My pastor

once preached a sermon so long it started in

2011 and ended in 2012’

2. (SLIDE) We used to have this saying posted on our

refrigerator at home, that says 'Christ is the head of this

house, the unseen guest at every meal, the silent listener

to ever conversation' (I know because Tiffany used to

remind me all the time)

3. After this week I’m going to have to cross one of the

words

4. Because today we see Jesus at a meal and He’s not

simply a silent listener (in reality He never is silent)

5. Before we dig into this text let me tell you briefly of

the context

a. Jesus has just warned about rejecting Him and

His message of light just in the prior verses of 29-

b. And shortly after, or during the time Jesus was

preaching about this a Pharisees invites Jesus

over to his pad for some dinner

c. Religious leaders likely thought that they were

immune to Jesus' words about the wicked

generation

d. Had they honestly thought that I doubt He would

have gotten an invite

e. In this Pharisee’s mind surely all that Jesus was

saying was directed at others and not them

f. And it is safe to assume he was expecting to be a

very happy meal with some of his friends and this

interesting and popular rabbi

g. But Jesus is going to show them in our text today

that they are not going to get off the hook

h. In fact before this meal is over this Pharisee, his

guests and you and I will have to chew on Jesus'

bitter words about hypocrisy, heartless legalism,

and pride with a garnish against false teaching

i. Like dining on the courses on a meal, Jesus is

systematically describe the religious leaders

failures, ones that we too need to constantly be

checking for within our own selves as well

6. In fact maybe you think that Jesus will let you off the

hook today, but in reality this message of Jesus' is as

much for you today as it was the Pharisees 2000 years

ago

7. (ding a bell) The dinner bell has rang, let’s take our seat

at the table shall we

Sermon

READ: Luke 11:37-41 (Scripture slide)

A. 'a Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him'

1. Jews usually had two meals on weekdays, a light meal

in mid-morning and a main meal in the afternoon

2. A light snack may have been eaten before work as well

3. The mid-morning meal took place after prayers in the

synagogue

4. Likely the early morning or midday meal

5. Now we know from vs. 45, later on, that this is not a

private affair as there is a least two experts in the law

there (says ‘one of the experts’)

6. Someone might say, ‘Knowing how the religious leaders

felt about Jesus, why would He go to one of their homes

for a meal?’

7. Why? He had an important message for them

B. Jesus 'took His place at the table'

1. The most honored of guests (like traveling sages and

rabbis) would be seated first

2. Not only would they be allowed to sit first but they

would be given the most prominent places at the

reclining table

3. Being that Jesus was a well-known rabbi an popularit is

highly likely that He was given the seat of honor next to

the host

C. 'The Pharisee was astonished'

1. Obviously they were watching Jesus like a hawk

2. And things appear to be going good until Jesus doesn't

wash His hands

3. In prior sermons we have seen the Pharisees get upset

with Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands,

Mark 7:2 (NET)“And they saw that some of Jesus’ disciples ate their bread with unclean hands, that is, unwashed.”

4. But now their own Rabbi has been caught with dry

hands!

5. The word used here is one that deals with ‘marvel, to be

wondered out’

6. This Pharisee could not get his mind around the fact that

Jesus did not ritually purify His hands before He ate

7. And in his heart this turned into silent criticism (at least

for the moment)

a. He likely was questioning Jesus’ religious

observance

b. He likely was mentally disgusted at Jesus’

apparent lack of respect for the rabbinical laws

c. He likely was thinking about what a poor guest

Jesus was for Jewish etiquette stated that a guest

should conform in everything to the host, even if

unpleasant

d. And likely he was insulted and regretting that he

had invited such an undesirable person to

breakfast for Pharisees were not to eat with such

a perverse person

8. Little did he know that Jesus heard every unmouthed

word

D. What is so appalling in the fact that ‘Jesus did not first wash

His hands'

1. The first thing everyone would do was wash their hands,

before a meal

2. al ne’tilat-yadayim: a ritual and accompanying prayer

for the eating of a meal (literally it is the ‘Raising the

hands for bread’

3. This was not done for cleansing the hands of germs, but

for ritual purity

3. They would sit in chairs and water would be brought to

them to wash with

4. The most honored guest would be offered the water first

(see the apparent problem yet?)

5. (optional) Show the Jewish way of washing the hands

a. Take a pitcher and a bowl

b. Take the right hand and pour the water three

times over the left hand

c. Repeat with the other hand

6. Now this washing of hands was seen by the Pharisees as

required before eating and it was written in the Oral

Torah as such

7. It is described in the OT, but you do not find it

mandated anywhere in Scripture

Genesis 18:4 (NET)“Let a little water be brought so that you may all wash your feet and rest under the tree.”

Judges 19:21 (NET)“So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal.”

8. After washing their hands they would go recline at the

table (Jesus simply skipped the hand washing and went

to the table)

9. Why did Jesus no do it? This was a legalistic,

Pharasitical rule not found in the OT and Jesus wouldn't

observe it even in the house of a Pharisee who would be

offended by it

10. For it was not they who had a right to be offended, but

God for their internal uncleanness

E. Jesus responds: 'Now you Pharisees clean outside of the cup

and plate'

1. As I said earlier it appears as Jesus responded to the

Pharisees thoughts

2. Jesus knew that the Pharisees obsessed about the

smallest matter of the law and even made laws up to

make themselves even more obsessed

3. For example they even added a rules saying that you

couldn't touch anything that a Gentile touched!

4. They made rules and worried about coming in contact

with even a dead insect

5. They had a strange obsession for washing things

a. This includes, as Jesus points out, the washing of

cups and plates

b. In the Mishnah (oral traditions written down)

they had 30 chapters on just how to wash pots

and pans

c. One Sadducee quipped that they would wash the

sun if they could

d. Where did all these laws supposedly stem from?

Taking two verses way out of context

Leviticus 11:33 (NET)“As for any clay vessel they fall into, everything in it will become unclean and you must break it.”

Leviticus 15:12 (NET)“A clay vessel which the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed in water.”

6. Jesus actually touches on an active debate among the

Pharisees of the day when He talks about ‘inside’

‘outside’ of the cups and plates

a. It was between two Jewish schools of thought

b. The school of Shammai (the majority of

Pharisees in Jesus' day held to) said that the

outside of a cup could be clean even if the inside

was not

c..The other rabbinical school, that of Hillel said

that the inside must be cleansed first before the

outside could be seen as clean

d. Jesus sides with the school of Hillel, but only to

prove a deeper spiritual truth: They were

focusing on the wrong things

F. Jesus tells it straight: ‘but inside you are full of greed and

wickedness.’

1. They focused on the laws on the outward physical

cleanliness, but neglected the laws that dealt with their

moral center

2. Things on the outside were not how they were on the

inside

3. Their bodies were clean, but inside their soul was rotten

and filthy to the core

4. Jesus tells them that they are full to the brim with greed

a. Literally their hearts are full of ‘plunder’

b. They were robbers of God and man

c. Because they are more concerned with the wealth

of the world than the things of God that equate to

riches in the next

d. Could this not be an indictment of our societies

way of celebrating the celebration of Christ’s

birth? It has become a time to consume and

receive instead of praising the One Who came to

pay for our sins!

5. Jesus tells them they are full to the brim with

wickedness

a. Literally they are filled with ‘evil purposes and

desires’

b. From the heart flows the fruit of life, and they are

wicked

6. Jesus is offended because the Pharisee's have placed the

washing of hands above the inward cleanliness and

righteousness

7. These men who should have been symbols of integrity

were extortionists and wicked!

8. You see to Jesus what made a person really unclean was

not from outside of them (i.e. dirty hands) but what

was inside of them, who they were, their relationship

with God and men

G. Jesus calls them for what they are: ‘You fools!'

1. A fool is one who is senseless and fails to respond to

God

2. Jesus calls such people who place externals over

internals 'fools'

3. If you value how you look outwardly over who you are

inwardly, Jesus has two words for you as well, ‘You

fool’

4. We need to make sure that we don’t major in the minors

and minor in the majors

a. First problem I got into in the ministry

b. Preaching a sermon, and a guy ran a kid out of

church basically over wearing a hat

c. That kid didn’t know Christ and he never came

back (Thank God, he came to know Christ later)

d. What’s more important a hat or the Gospel?

4. Jesus is concerned with true purity, not perceived purity

5. These Pharisees on the other hand were focused on

external things instead of being internally focused

6. The cups and platters on the table were clean but the

owner wasn't, Jesus used what was available for an

object lesson

7. Hand washing had become more important than loving

the Lord and people!

8. What good is it to have a bowl that glistens like the sun

on the outside but is full of e coli on the inside? It's just

as foolish for someone to appear right with God over

being right with God!

H. Jesus challenges ‘But give from your heart to those in need,

and then everything will be clean for you.”

1. If your right with God your right with people

2. ‘I don’t understand James, how can giving to those in

need mean they are clean? Isn’t that works?’

a. Jesus isn’t meaning that the actual act of giving

to those in need makes one clean

b. What it means is that these Pharisees no longer

worship money as their true god

c. They would realize that money is a gift from God

and they would gladly serve Him by helping

those in need

d. If they did this it would mean they have chosen

to follow Jesus!

e. Remember the rich young ruler that Jesus told to

sell all his possession, give them to the poor and

follow Him? Did he do it/? No he went away sad

because he had great wealth! The man actually

preferred his money over being a disciple of

Jesus’!

f. Like many people today, that man’s god was his

pocketbook!

g. Giving to those in need shows that self is not

ones focus

Matthew 5:7 (NET)“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NET)“Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.”

3. Lottie Moon Christmas fund

4. false piety = true fool

5. If this is you, listen to what God says people like you

and the Pharisees in Isaiah 1:10-17

Isaiah 1:10–17 (NET)“1:10 Listen to the Lord’s word, you leaders of Sodom! Pay attention to our God’s rebuke, people of Gomorrah! 1:11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am stuffed with burnt sacrifices of rams and the fat from steers. The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats I do not want. 1:12 When you enter my presence, do you actually think I want this – animals trampling on my courtyards? 1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless offerings; I consider your incense detestable! You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations, but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! 1:14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies; they are a burden that I am tired of carrying. 1:15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I look the other way; when you offer your many prayers, I do not listen, because your hands are covered with blood. 1:16 Wash! Cleanse yourselves! Remove your sinful deeds from my sight. Stop sinning! 1:17 Learn to do what is right! Promote justice! Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! Take up the cause of the orphan! Defend the rights of the widow!”

Application (slide)

A. If the inside is clean the outside will follow

B. The Pharisees looked good on the outside, but Jesus knows

what they look like on the inside (their inner being)...on the