47Woe to you! for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. 48So you are witnesses and consent to the deeds of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, `I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,' 50that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechari'ah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of this generation. 52Woe to you lawyers! for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering." 53As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard, and to provoke him to speak of many things, 54lying in wait for him, to catch at something he might say.
This seems to be about speaking truth to power. Jesus is scathing of those who misuse power or even worse, use their power to move people away from God. Jesus warns about outward action hiding inward hardness of heart. He offers the specific examples of the prophets Amos and Zechariah, both good men persecuted and ignored for evangelising and now this generation of Jewish leaders will add Jesus himself to their persecution record. If Jesus was scathing of this behaviur, how much more scathing would he be of today’s behaviour. How much do i know yet choose to ignore Like so many of the readings in the Goispel, this one encourages me to identify God’s path for me and then it calls for a life that honours that path.
ReplyDeleteYour reflection on Luke 11:47-54 captures the essence of Jesus' criticism of those in power who misuse their influence to lead people away from God. Jesus condemns the religious leaders for their hypocrisy—honoring the prophets outwardly while their hearts remain hard and resistant to the very messages those prophets carried. This reflects a broader critique that resonates throughout the Gospels: the danger of external righteousness without internal transformation.
DeleteYou make a powerful connection to the present day, noting that Jesus' harsh critique of the religious leaders for ignoring or persecuting the prophets could be extended to today's misuse of power or selective ignorance. It challenges us not to fall into the same trap of knowing God's path but choosing to ignore it because it’s inconvenient or challenging.
Your reflection, especially in the context of "speaking truth to power," highlights the courage required to stand up for what is right, even in the face of opposition. The example of Amos and Zechariah reminds us that being true to God's call often comes with suffering and rejection, just as Jesus himself faced.
I appreciate how you conclude with a personal reflection: identifying God's path and living a life that honors that calling. It echoes the call to integrity—not just knowing God's truth but living it fully. As you point out, this reading isn't just a warning but an invitation to align our lives more closely with God's will, even when it requires us to confront uncomfortable truths about ourselves or the world.
It’s a strong reminder that living a life of faith means consistently reevaluating whether our actions align with the deeper transformation God calls us to. This reflection seems to be a profound examination of both the societal and personal dimensions of living out faith with integrity.