Be careful who you invite for dinner! The Pharisee was being hospitable, inviting Jesus for dinner. Little did he know what he was letting himself in for.
Jesus did not wash before the meal. Now this is not a matter of hygiene, nor was it a matter of the Law. Rather it was a matter of traditions added by the Pharisees. God is free to choose whether or not He follows our man-made customs. Whatever branch of the church we are in there will be a number of customs we have that may be perfectly harmless, and often beneficial, but God is under no obligation to them and it is His church, not ours.
We have a terrible habit of becoming focused on our own customs and traditions and ignoring what really matters. In this case Jesus draws attention to the fact that what really counts is the condition of a man's heart. Is what is on the inside that determines the fruit our lives will produce. We do not do bad things because the laws are wrong, but because we are wrong. Jesus then tells them to give generously to the poor. Why does He suddenly introduce this? Probably because greed and lack of concern for the poor was a key sin for them.
Jesus then expands on the sin of the Pharisees. They were so pernickety about little things, but neglected what was really important, namely justice and love for God.
The Pharisees sought honour for themselves, instead for others.
They were unmarked graves. Now this is a very stinging indictment of them. If someone walked over an unmarked grave they would become unclean (Num 19:16). The Pharisees saw themselves as guardians of the Law, true examples of Godliness. In reality, if people came into contact with them they would become defiled.
An expert in the Law intervened, only to receive a bunch of similar criticisms. Far from helping people keep the Law they kept people from God. They put burdens on people, and made it harder for them to enter the kingdom.
Naturally the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were non too pleased, and looked for a way to trap Him.
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