Luke 11:37-54

We have arrived at the final section of Luke 11, where Jesus addresses corrupt Pharisees and lawyers. This passage aptly falls after Election Day in the U.S., where a lot of people are anxious about the leaders of our community. This blog is not intended to comment on specific leaders, rather my intention is to give you a guideline for godly leaders. Open your Bibles to Luke 11:37-54 and carefully read through the story. This is a larger chunk of text than I normally analyze, but I want to avoid taking Jesus out of His original context. All 17 verses are a part of a single narrative. For a deeper understanding of this passage, open your copy of Take Every Passage to Prayer, Volume 2- The Gospels by Charles Wagner to pages 222-223.

In Galilee, Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, cast out a demon, and lectured to the crowds on miracles and spirituality. This growing crowd started to attract important religious and political figures in the city, and a group of Jewish leaders invited Jesus to have a meal together. This is a special opportunity for Jesus’ ministry, as this dinner would have featured the city’s VIP guest list and those who were extremely wealthy. Specifically, the Pharisees are united under a common belief that one must remain completely unstained by the world, rejecting most of society and communally isolating themselves. These leaders, however, do not have pure intentions in inviting Jesus to dinner. At the house, Jesus did not ‘wash-up’ before dinner. The text is unclear as to whether this could have been a ritual cleansing before meals, or if Jesus might have been visibly soiled from his day of preaching. One of the Pharisees pipes up, intending to trick Jesus, complaining that Jesus arrived for dinner without first washing Himself. Jesus uses this comment to deliver a pointed message at this opportune dinner.

Wagner’s commentary identifies the 6 failures of the Pharisees that Jesus presents, which can be found at the citation listed above. In these criticisms, Jesus prescribes a command to remedy the failure. Some of these commands are suppressed and implied, such as command 3 and 6. These criticisms are not just meant for the Pharisees, but for those who have positions of power in His community. Even broader, the commands can be organized into a list of actions that describe an effective Christian politician, priest, or police officer. 

Criticism 1: You Pharisees are concerned about how you present yourself, but your heart is corrupt.
Command 1: Be generous to the poor.

Criticism 2: You Pharisees neglect justice for those who need it most.
Command 2: Love others in the way you love God.

Criticism 3: You Pharisees are narcissistic.
Command 3: Remember your mortality and how it unites you with others.

Criticism 4: You Pharisees are legalistic.
Command 4: Help others with their burdens.

Criticism 5: You Pharisees have rejected Me through your injustice to My people.
Command 5: Confess and repent.

Criticism 6: You Pharisees have distorted the Gospel.
Command 6: Prioritize honesty and truth.

This group of leaders, who are mutually bonded through vain-glory, injustice, and mistruth, are being called to a new form of governing. Instead of narcissism, shown through their behavior in the marketplaces, they are called to selflessness. Instead of injustice, like they displayed in murdering the Old Testament prophets, they are called to reconciliation. Instead of mistruth, revealed through their rejection of the Gospel, they are called to repentance. On the other hand, we can use this passage as a guideline for Christian leadership. A godly leader is one who prioritizes community, relentlessly pursues justice, loves her neighbor as herself, serves the needy, confesses when she’s wrong, and boldly speaks the truth. Let us pray for the leaders of our community, and for the leadership we display in our own lives.

Father, today we learned the signs of a godly leader in our community. Leaders reflect you in their actions, representing your love, justice, and mercy to the people they serve. Whether our leadership looks like participation in the classroom, running a household, managing employees, starting a business, or presiding over a country, we invite the Holy Spirit into our leadership, so that we might glorify you. Lord, we pray for the leaders and representatives of our world, that you would inspire and equip them to show love, justice, and mercy to their constituents. Let truth ring through the ears of our politicians, deafening them to corruption and greed. In your Son’s name we pray, Amen.