Subscription Lists
Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
We arrive at verse 33 in Luke Chapter 11. If you light a lamp - do not hide it - nor cover it up - nor keep it secret - you let everyone see the light.
The light you allow to come in will enlighten you. It is possible to allow more and more of the light of Jesus to come into our hearts, or we can see just what we want to see. Some will only see what they want to see - hear what they want to hear - believe what they want to believe - and that is tragic.
A Pharisee invited Jesus for a meal - for tea - Jesus sat down without washing - they were horrified - Jesus did shock people at times. Pharisees were the legalistic puritans.
Jesus saw their reaction, "You are so concerned about cleaning the outside - but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” Imagine going to someone's house for tea and saying that - so rude!
What Jesus is saying - "God made your heart as well as your hands. Is your heart as clean as your hands?" Or is it just window dressing? Jesus is not interested in religious externals - rituals - how we do things. They pretended to be what they were not, and Jesus saw that. He was not impressed. He exposed it.
They tithed their mint and herbs, but neglected justice and love of God. You get the details right, but the main things wrong.
In verse 43Jesus challenges their motives - you like the chief seats - you like to be acknowledged and fussed over - but you are dead - and those who come in touch with you are not aware of that.
No wonder they crucified this man! Speak about how to lose friends and antagonise people. Jesus challenges everything that is religious, empty and meaningless.
Verse 45. One man is quite annoyed - "You insult us." Well, at least Jesus was getting through to someone.
Jesus answers, "Well what do you do? You have made so many laws and rules and regulations - no-one can keep them - not even yourselves. You built monuments to the prophets - for what they preached - but your fathers killed them. They hated the teachers when they were alive, and then when they were dead you build memorials to them. Why? Jesus knew what was going in the world. Jesus knew what thoughts they had in their hearts.
A dead prophet can no longer preach. A dead preacher can no longer challenge. They honoured the martyrs and at the same time added to their number. Those very men erected plaques to the prophets - and then, they crucified Christ.
Verse 52. Woe to you. God gave you a key and you threw it away. You wouldn't open the door yourself, and you made sure no-one else got the key. They were supposed to enlighten, but they had kept the people in ignorance. If God has given you something, never throw it away – never!
They were soon to throw away HIM - Jesus is the key - which opens the door.
Jesus is the key - to everything - in the church - in our nation - in the world. If only our leaders and politicians would recognise this, what a very different world we could have.
Pray for those who are in positions of leadership. God may give them the key and open their heart to Jesus Christ.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "Word from Scotland" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.