February 6b roubled Lord

Luke 11:42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”
 
THE next few lessons will be the “Woe Lessons”. The Bible quotes many prophets, as well as Jesus, using “woe” to express great distress and sorrow for God’s people. The prophets and the Savior are deeply distressed to know God’s judgment is sure to come to those who have forgotten God’s law, justice, love and salvation.
    You can see God’s distressful warnings of his eternal judgments: Revelation 8:13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” When a word is said in this sequence of three, its meaning is certain. Read then Revelation 9-11, and know God’s three sure, terrifying judgments on the earth. Indeed, “woe” is God’s urgent reminder to wake up! Repent and be saved. Thus, we are to understand Jesus’ “Woe Lessons” as God’s gracious, loving warnings from our Lord, who is distressed over mankind’s sins. His purpose is to keep us from eternal distress.
    Jesus first speaks his troubled heart to the Pharisees regarding their “tithe”, the giving of ten per cent of their possessions to God. The Lord God did not issue a law requiring a tithe of any grown food such as these small herbs. But remember that the Pharisees invented all forms of meticulous, oppressive rules, so they could easily condemn the Jews.
    Jesus, though, judged their lack of love for the Jews. They were to teach and protect God’s true laws. Instead, they “ministered” guilt and oppression. God had established his commandments to form a right, loving and holy relationship between himself and his people. The law was also created to direct proper love, grace, forgiveness and mercy toward one another. The Pharisees had a wonderful opportunity to minister in these godly ways. They could have chosen to love God and love others as themselves in the Lord God’s benevolent care. But they loved their self-established rule above all.
    We must always be alert to the rules by which we live and the rules we establish for others. They must be formed as God’s laws, not meant to subject people to fear and guilt, but to guide them into true, loving relationships. Laws must prosper peace. Laws are to uplift and direct people to right living. Good law brings good order to our lives.
    Jesus is the loving God, who spoke, “Woe.” to the Pharisees because he loved them, even where they were. But he told them, taught them, rebuked them, encouraged them in order to move them into him! His troubled heart longed for these men of good intentions to see their errors, confess their sins, repent with renewed minds toward God. He wanted the Pharisees to live into his love.
 
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray my heart is humble to receive your urgent message. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.