Courage from Jesus

When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
“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.
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.
“Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”
One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”
Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.
“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say.

Luke 11.37-53

I am reading through the gospels, and at Luke 11 I read alongside my cup of orange juice, and when I finished I reflected on how I felt amazed by the guts and gumption of Jesus who accepts the invitation of the Pharisees to dine. Jesus sits with them and insults them to their faces (in their view). He was pointing out their greedy hearts and ways of life. While he speaks truth, but I am struck by the courage Jesus had to face them and say the things that need to be said, but nobody else would dare to say. 

It is something to be said of our Lord, who not only cared for the children and the sick, but he cared for the souls of the spiritually dead and greedy hearts of those who solely followed laws and hardened their hearts. There was no room for compassion in their hearts, which Jesus sees, and he feels it.  He spent time with them on purpose. The Pharisees will, of course, accuse Jesus of all sorts of things, not wanting to look at themselves in an introspective manner at and how they need to change.

Does that feel familiar as we do not want to look at ourselves closely to see what we need to change? 

Could we sometimes act like a Pharisee? Indeed, we all do. We all need to take time of quiet reflection to gaze into our hearts. What is there? Bitterness? Envy? Selfishness? Greed? Snuff it out by recognizing it and choosing to go the other way.

Do we have courage to face ourselves and speak truth we need to hear? Let go of the things that hold us back from light and goodness. It is all too easy to become slaves to things, but Jesus is trying to always get us to let go of those chains to the world and the things bereft of truth and beauty. You will not be able to see any of the world as it was meant to be - as blessing and beauty, until the chains come undone.

Freedom for joyful obedience. All these things shall be added to us we shed them that bind us, to look clearly on the kingdom of God.

Do we dare to see the kingdom of God here and now? Jesus tells us (he told those in the 1st century) that the kingdom of God was at hand. They would see it before they died. Meaning, New Creation was to begin with Jesus's death and resurrection, so now the kingdom is here...