This might be offensive.
Good.
Luke 11
45 One of the experts in religious law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too.” 46 But Jesus replied, “Woe to you experts in religious law as well!
I envision this poor teacher to be a David French type who was expecting that Jesus would tone down his message and be nice. But Jesus opens guns on them directly, “oh yes, in case you were concerned that I wasn’t getting close enough, woe to you experts in religious law!”
Jesus wasn’t just being offensive; He was preaching to the sin of the sinners in His presence. Pharisees and teachers were respected because of their piety. I wonder if they were a bit of a protected class – that all of their piety, wisdom and sensitivity gave them a status that was unassailable. Jesus sent missiles directly at them and exposed their empty explanations.
They needed a Savior, too. But they didn’t know they needed a savior. They were healthy in mind and body. They were students of the Law. They were careful to obey and keep the covenant and the commands. They were so good at honoring God that they didn’t need to know God. Religion wasn’t about a walk with God, it was about a show for God.
So that religion became a wall between them and God. And it needed to come down. As long as they had their robes of self-righteousness, they would never have salvation.
Jesus called their bluff. “Your ancestors killed the prophets [and as their sons, you’re just like them!]”
Vv. 53-54 – They doubled down, getting even more hostile, trying to trap Him. We can’t have a teacher who refutes our righteousness.
Preaching like Jesus doesn’t mean total success and acceptance! I hear people try to build from Jesus’ example, “Jesus was the greatest teacher ever! He told stories!” Sure, He did, and He also spoke very directly. And He did preach and even told stories that were offensive.
If we’re going to try to replicate Jesus, we need to love people enough to tell them the truth. And the hardest ones to reach are the self-righteous who have some power. Middle-class church goers who believe in a “nice” Christianity are today’s Pharisees. They love to promote social justice but refuse to talk about abortion. They raise awareness about human trafficking but won’t get victory over pornography. They like to talk about the environment, but they won’t defend the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman, lest someone’s feelings get hurt.
They are plenty righteous and intend to show how nice and kind their righteousness is. But they will not get to the dirt of the sin in their own lives or acknowledge the sin in the lives of those around them.