Breaking the Word

After he had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you. (Lk 11:37-41)

Jesus denounces the Pharisees while having a meal with them. Often Luke does this way: controversies with or reprimands of Pharisees are regularly set by Luke within the context of Jesus' eating with Pharisees (see Luke 5:29-39; 7:36-50; 14:1-24). So Jesus has not rejected the Pharisees and his table fellowship only goes to show that he is in relationship with them. They are his friends too. But they are criticized for what they do.

Jesus was a guest in the house of a Pharisee. But he did not follow the traditions. He was not just following the traditions of religious practices. It was all about attitudes. The Pharisee saw Jesus as law giver. But Jesus looked at God as a creator. If one has an attitude of God as law-giver then they see only rules and regulations. If the attitude is that of a creator God then it is all inclusive: both inside and out side of everything.

Why did Jesus say ‘give alms’?  Here is a plain allusion to the law of Moses, by which it was provided that certain portions of the increase of their land should be given to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow; and, when that was done, what was reserved for their own use was clean to them, and they could in faith pray for a blessing upon it, Deut. 26:12-15. Then we can with comfort enjoy the gifts of God's bounty ourselves when we send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared.

 While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.  (Lk 11:29-32)

People long for a sign. In a materialistic society people ask for guarantee. Before buying a thing or a product people want to know whether the material will last ofr a time or whether that thing is worth the cost etc. In a religious context a sign is asked for. This is to know the significance of the person or the action or its meaning an relevance.

Son of man will be like Jonah to this generation. What was Jonah like, to the Ninivites?  Jonah was a run-away prophet. He was a cast-away prophet. He was a swallowed up prophet. He was a grumbling prophet and so on. With all these he was always falling back to God. Whatever might have been the negative situation bu the prophet was a man of God (he fell back to God and gave primacy to God in his own way)

Jesus is like the prophet in the sense of giving centrality to God and primacy to God. The Ninivites realized that they could not go away from God. They have to return to God by all means. There is only way and that is conversion to God. Jesus also peaches the same lesson to the people. In this sens of preaching he like prophet Jonah. He is a sign like Jonah.