Jesus Denounces The Pharisees
As Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee asked him to breakfast with him, and Jesus went in and took his place at table. The Pharisee noticed, to his astonishment, that Jesus omitted the ceremonial washing before breakfast. But the Master said to him:
“You Pharisees do, it is true, clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside you yourselves are filled with greed and wickedness. Fools! did not the maker of the outside make the inside too? Only give away what is in them in charity, and at once you have the whole clean. But alas for you Pharisees! You pay tithes on mint, rue, and herbs of all kinds, and pass over justice and love to God. These last you ought to have put into practice without neglecting the first. Alas for you Pharisees! You delight to have the front seat in the Synagogues, and to be greeted in the markets with respect. Alas for you! You are like unsuspected graves, over which men walk unawares.” Here one of the Students of the Law interrupted him by saying:
“Teacher, when you say this, you are insulting us also.”
But Jesus went on:
“Alas for you, too, you Students of the Law! You load men with loads that are too heavy to carry; but do not, yourselves, touch them with one of your fingers. Alas for you! You build the monuments of the Prophets whom your ancestors killed. You are actually witnesses to your ancestors’ acts and show your approval of them, because, while they killed the Prophets, you build tombs for them. That is why the Wisdom of God said— ‘I will send to them Prophets and Apostles, some of whom they will persecute and kill, in order that the “blood” of all the prophets “that has been spilt” since the creation of the world may be exacted from this generation —from the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the altar and the House of God.’ Yes, I tell you, it will be exacted from this generation. Alas for you Students of the Law! You have taken away the key of the door of knowledge. You have not gone in yourselves and you have hindered those who try to go in.”
—Luke.
Too much rest is rust.
—Walter Scott.