And one of the lawyers answering, saith to him: Master, in saying these things, thou reproachest us also.
αποκριθεις δε τις των νομικων λεγει αυτω διδασκαλε ταυτα λεγων και ημας υβριζεις
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 10 commentaries
The legalist places himself in a position to face criticism without caution. In contrast to the Pharisees, the lawyers held a different role. While the Pharisees were seen as ascetic and socially distant, the lawyers were scribes and educators who interpreted the Law for those seeking understanding.
Commandments often pose a challenge for individuals; however, they can yield great benefits for those who are prudent. They inspire individuals to pursue honorable actions and engage in virtuous endeavors. Conversely, those who swiftly embrace wrongdoing and reject guidance dive deeper into sin, growing even more defiant against the very principles that should lead them to greater mindfulness. This mindset is epitomized by those among the Jews whom we refer to as legalists. The Savior called out the Pharisees for straying from the true path and for engaging in wrongful conduct. He reproached them for their showy displays, hypocrisy, their eagerness for public recognition, and their aspirations to assume the most prominent places in the synagogues.
He described them as “whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” On hearing this, a group of unscrupulous lawyers felt offended, prompting one of them to rise and counter the Lord's words, claiming: “Teacher, in saying this, You reproach us also.” Oh, the depth of their ignorance! Such blindness regarding essential truths! These individuals bring condemnation upon themselves; indeed, the weight of truth reveals that they share the same shortcomings as the Pharisees, standing in solidarity with them and complicit in their wrongful actions if they perceive the Lord's words as directed at them. Tell me, what causes your anger? When the Pharisees are admonished, you claim that it pertains to you. You indeed acknowledge your own conduct. Clearly, you are aware of such a character within yourself. However, if you deem it a rebuke and yet refuse to alter your ways, you burden yourselves with guilt. If you detest being reproached, demonstrate that you rise above the faults for which you are accused, or rather, do not see correction as a slight against you. Consider that medical practitioners discuss the causes of ailments with their patients, using potent remedies to address their afflictions, yet no one grows angry at them, nor do they view their words as an affront. Yet, you exhibit a fragile tolerance for correction, resisting any awareness of the passions that harm your heart. It would be far more beneficial to embrace correction and seek rescue from your weaknesses and healing from the afflictions of the soul. It would be more apt to say, “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise.” However, the legalists do not think along these lines; instead, they challenge the wisdom meant for their benefit by referring to it as a rebuke.
The Saviour chastised the Pharisees for straying from the true path and engaging in misguided practices. A group of unscrupulous lawyers was offended by this, and one of them stood up to challenge the Saviour's remarks. He stated: Teacher, by saying this, you offend us too (Luke 11:45). In their response, they condemned themselves out of their own mouths. The force of truth revealed that they were equally guilty as the Pharisees in their thoughts and actions. If they believed that Christ spoke against others, they were complicit in their wrongdoing.
The Lord admonished the pride and self-importance of the Jews who continually vie for the highest positions at gatherings. This rebuke is similarly aimed at the scholars of the law, likened to concealed graves—deceptive in appearance and alluring outwardly, yet filled with corruption within. Many educators embody this, imposing expectations on others that they fail to uphold themselves, resembling tombs, as noted in scripture: Their throat is an open sepulcher (Psalm 5:10).
He understood that Christ was addressing everyone who sins in the same manner.
The pointed criticisms aimed at the entire group silenced those who were culpable and prompted an observer from the legalist camp to comment: Teacher, when you address us in this manner, we too find offense. In challenging the lifestyle practices of the Pharisees, you are also challenging us, their instructors, who see ourselves as inheritors of the prophetic tradition.
Upon hearing this, a lawyer—not evidently affiliated with the Pharisees—who took Jesus' statements to heart, addressed Him, "Teacher, Your words are offensive to us as well." This lawyer believed he was undeserving of such criticism and assumed that Christ would consequently extend His approval to him and his associates amidst those whom He deemed in need of correction at the feast.
Following the events that transpired, it became clear to everyone that there was a complete disconnect between the leadership of the Jewish people and Christ. Since the Pharisees and scribes were resolutely intent on eliminating Him, a stance of leniency was no longer feasible as it had been in the past. It was essential to openly condemn them before the people, and the Savior accomplished this in His final and powerful rebuke. As He stood amidst the usual throng of followers, which included many scribes and Pharisees, He directed His words specifically towards the latter, proclaiming denunciations that could only penetrate the heart of one with a dead conscience.
‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!’ He began, and then, with a voice like rolling thunder, He proclaimed severe accusations against them. Despite being guardians of the Mosaic law, their lives blatantly contradicted its teachings; they imposed harsh and burdensome requirements on others without offering any aid; they sought honor from others, performing acts for appearances, while their lives were mired in vice and exploitation; they aimed to win converts to their faith, only to make them twice as unworthy; they cleaned the outside of their vessels while being filled with corruption and unrighteousness within; they were blind guides, meticulously straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel; their hypocrisy resembled ornate tombs, beautifully adorned on the outside but filled with decay within. ‘So you also appear to men righteous on the outside, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.’
A legal expert, adept and knowledgeable in the law, approached Jesus. While these lawyers may not have been aligned with any particular sect, their principles and way of living echoed those of the Pharisees. This commonality is evident in the Gospels, where we frequently see them collaborating with the Pharisees in opposing Christ. The scribe mentioned likely did not identify with the Pharisees as a group, yet he sensed that the Lord's words struck at his moral shortcomings. This realization brought him discomfort, leading him to express that the Lord's admonishment of the Pharisees also seemed to insult scribes and lawyers like him. Thus, a guilty conscience feels the sting of a truthful message, even when it is not aimed directly at them.
A certain legal expert, who listened to the teachings of the Lord, felt insulted. He was part of a group that, through their study of the law, appeared morally superior and more righteous than the Pharisees denounced by the Savior. The lawyer addressed Jesus Christ, saying, "Teacher, your words are bothersome to us. Yet, it is the legal experts who weigh down people with trivial and arbitrary human decrees—these deceitful heirs who embellish the deeds of their forebears, constructing monuments to the prophets who were once slain, while sharing the same mindset as those murderers. These are the very individuals who have taken the key of knowledge, seemingly to tighten the lock on the door of salvation even further, and they face the strict judgment of God's righteousness.
The woes declared to the Pharisees extend to all false teachers: Woe to you also, legal experts, for you impose burdens on individuals that are unbearable, yet you do not lift a finger to help carry those burdens. Woe to you, for you build the tombs of the prophets while your ancestors persecuted them. You will bear witness, just as your forefathers did, that they persecuted the prophets, and yet you construct their memorials. For this reason, the wisdom of God declares, 'I will send prophets and apostles to them, whom they will kill and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world may be avenged from this generation—from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the altar and the temple.' Woe to you, O teachers of the law, for you have taken the key of knowledge; you yourselves have not entered, and you hinder those who wish to enter."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 13 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS