According To Luke: Making All The Right Enemies

 According To Luke: Making All The Right Enemies 

Opening Illustration:

Recently I heard a story told of a man who was celebrating his 100th birthday. The local news station sent out a reporter to cover the man’s birthday party. The reporter asked the man what he was most proud of over his life that marked a century of being on planet earth. “Well”, said the man, “I don’t have an enemy in the world.” “What a beautiful and inspirational thought”, said the reporter. The old man responded, “yep, I’ve outlived every last one of them.”

Oh friends, make no mistake, in life you will make enemies. It’s the truth, you will absolutely, with 100% certainty, make enemies especially if you are a leader, especially if you are in a decision making position of authority. 10 years ago I became the pastor here at Eastern Shore Baptist Church. I was a green and partly naive young pastor who loved Jesus and loved people. When I entered into this position I think that I truly believed that I could make everyone happy. If we could all agree that we loved Jesus and that we wanted people to receive the Gospel, we could all be happy. Boy was I wrong. I was wrong to think that I could do something that God Himself never did. You can’t make everyone happy. You see, someone will pray for a sunny day while someone else will pray for rain. Someone is going to be unhappy. I came to realize that when decisions had to be made, especially tough decisions, that someone was going to be unhappy. Sometimes when we make choices, decisions, difficult choices, we can even make enemies. You can make enemies at school or work. 

We grow up being taught that Jesus was loved by everyone. He was loved by children, adults, rich, poor, healthy and sick. We were brought up thinking that everyone was a Jesus fan. As we mature in our faith we begin to realize that is not exactly true. Sure, some people loved Jesus and followed Him. However, Jesus made a lot of enemies. Jesus was hated. To be a follower of Jesus meant that you were to be hated, reviled, even persecuted. 

Matthew 5:11-12 ESV

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

It is not much better today. If you are a Christ follower living in the pubic square, you are opening yourself up to ridicule and malice. If you dare practice your faith in the workplace you will be seen as a nut, a crazy person. 

Look no further than Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Judge Barrett, a committed and faithful wife. She is a mother to 7 children, 2 of which are Haitian. She has risen in the ranks of the law profession for more than 20 years. She is also a practicing Christian. After her nomination Barrett was labeled as a nut who was like the Terminator committed to returning society back to middle ages. Because she believes that her husband is the head of the home as prescribed by the Bible, news outlets called her a handmaid in favor of a patriarchal society. As stated earlier, she adopted 2 children Haiti. A white woman who brought two children of color into her home and dared called them her own children. She loves them. She cares for them. She kisses them and showers them with her praise. Portions of the media have now labeled her a white colonialist, someone who has a white savior complex, and wait for it…a racist. 

Two weeks ago I predicted that Judge Barrett would have her life pulled a part from every angle. I predicted that because of her faith that the media would speak lies about her, call her names, try to embarrass her, and even ruin her family. I recently read a report where left leaning news outlets were trying to discredit Judge Barrett’s adoption as false and making claims that she and her husband stole their children in the secret of night from their true Haitian family. 

Friends, this is an extreme case but if you think that this sort of thing will never come your way if you live boldly for Christ, you are fooling yourself. I will say this, some enemies are worthy making. That’s right, some enemies are worth making. In order to have peace and acceptance with this world means trading our faith and turning our backs on Jesus, then you can keep this world. If making friends with this world means leaving my faith in the dust, then I don’t want to be friends with this world. Know this, advancing the faith will make both friends and foes. Judge Barrett had people come to her aid. She did not stand alone. Neither will we. We will have people stand with us in our pursuit of living the Christian life. We will make friends but our enemies will be ever present. 

Advancing The Faith Will Make Both Friends and Foes!

Context and Background”

Before we read today’s Scripture, I want to provide for you some background. Luke 20 is a chapter of conflict. There are three groups of people that are mentioned in this chapter. Two of these groups Jesus had direct dealings. He is questioned first by the Pharisees about taxes. Their question was a trap set to discredit Jesus in the eyes of the people. The trap was also set to make Jesus an enemy of the state. Jesus navigates the question smartly and moves on to the next group. This group is the Sadducees. This group does not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They felt that when you died, there was nothing. They tried to trap Jesus with a question about marriage in the afterlife. Jesus again navigates their question successfully. Finally, these groups have had it with Jesus. They both decide to stop trying to trap Jesus because He continues to make them look foolish. As the chapter closes, Jesus gives another warning against a different group. This is a group of people that He has had dealings with before, the scribes. He warns the people against the scribes. He makes some cutting remarks about these men and turns the people against them. So, in one chapter, Jesus is successful in making every religious sect in Jerusalem angry with Him. Again, some enemies are worth making. If compromising our faith means happiness with this world, then keep this world. I’d rather have Jesus. So, let’s read this morning from Luke 20:45-47. Im reading this morning from the English Standard Version. 

Scripture:

Luke 20:45-47 ESV

45 And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 47 who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

What Do We Learn About Jesus?

Boldness vs. 45

Luke 20:45 ESV

45 And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples…

Point:

Admittedly, much of the persecution we face in America today doesn’t result in imprisonment, torture, or execution. Instead, it results in intimidation, ridicule, and loss of rights or freedoms. You might be surprised to learn that initially, this is also the kind of persecution the early church faced. We find the first persecution of the church recorded in Acts 4. One important lesson we learn is that all persecution, whether great or small, results from a clash of authorities, a clash of kingdoms. As prophesied in Psalm 2, God has placed His King, Jesus, on the throne, and the nations rage against God’s King. Because we are subjects of King Jesus, we can get caught up in the nations’ rage against God’s king.

The question we must face is, “How will we respond when persecution comes?” We will cower under the world’s authorities? Will we retreat and keep silent? Or, will we stand in the name and authority of King Jesus and speak the gospel with boldness, no matter the cost?

Point:

When I read Luke 20:45 I am immediately struck by the boldness of Christ. This will be one of the last times that He stands toe to toe with the powerful religious community. I love how Luke records this exchange. Jesus, surrounded by all the people and in view of His disciples, speaks out against the scribes. Now in just a minute, we will learn why He speaks out against them. 

Who were the scribes anyway? The Greek word grammateus translated scribe means writer. The scribes were the ones who drew up legal documents. They also copied the Old Testament Scripture. They also devoted themselves to the study of the law, and the determination of its applications on daily life. They also studied the Scripture with respect to doctrinal and historical matters. 

Scripture tells us that most of the scribes were opposed to Jesus and hated Him. The scribes were in a large part responsible for the death of Christ. 

Matthew 16:21 ESV

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

The scribes were so against Jesus that even after His death, they continued to persecute Jesus’ disciples. They were also involved in the martyrdom of Stephen. They were directly responsible for bringing Christ to trail and eventually His crucifixion. 

You would think that these facts might give Jesus pause. Maybe He should be a little less critical of them. Maybe Jesus should not speak out so publicly against the scribes. No. Jesus was bold in His stance against those who tried to derail, disrupt, and disqualify His ministry. Jesus’ commitment was to God, not to the scribes. 

Brothers and sisters, we too need to be bold. We need to speak out in Christ’s name against evil in this world. We need to speak out against injustice. We need to speak out against groups that foster violence, wickedness, greed, and racism. We need to speak out against sexual immorality, heterosexual promiscuity, homosexuality and all other lifestyles that enslave people in sin. In the Bible I see Jesus eating with and speaking to sinners. He ate with thieves, spoke to prostitutes, saved the adulterous, touched the diseased, and freed the possessed. Yes, Jesus gave all these people His time, His attention, His care, His compassion, and His love. Jesus did not give them His toleration. He did not leave them in their sin and He was not afraid to tell them the truth of their wickedness. Did He love them? Did He speak to them in a loving way? Absolutely. However, He conveyed time and time again that if they were going to follow Him, if they were going to be His disciples, they were to leave their sin and transgressions behind. 

Our culture has removed the boldness of Jesus. Our culture loves Jesus’ compassion but they hate His truth. They want heaven without purity. They want forgiveness without atonement. They want justification without repentance. Our culture wants to use the image of Christ while tearing down everything He stood for. 

There are groups devoted to racism that seek the blessing of Christ forgetting that all people are welcome in His family. Their are groups dedicated to sexual immorality who want Jesus’ tolerance forgetting that Jesus died to set the sexually immoral free from their unnatural urges. 

Jesus is bold. His message of repentance is not a quiet one delivered to a select few. If Jesus is bold, then we are also called to be bold for Him. 

Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

What Do We Learn About Jesus?

Boldness vs. 45

What Do We Learn About The Scribes?

Boastful and Big Headed vs. 45-46

45 And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes…

Point:

Throughout Scripture we are told about the consequences of pride. Proverbs 16:18-19 tells us that “pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” Satan was cast out of heaven because of pride (Isaiah 14:12-15). He had the selfish audacity to attempt to replace God Himself as the rightful ruler of the universe. But Satan will be cast down to hell in the final judgment of God. For those who rise up in defiance against God, there is nothing ahead but disaster (Isaiah 14:22).

Pride has kept many people from accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. Admitting sin and acknowledging that in our own strength we can do nothing to inherit eternal life is a constant stumbling block for prideful people. We are not to boast about ourselves; if we want to boast, then we are to proclaim the glories of God. What we say about ourselves means nothing in God’s work. It is what God says about us that makes the difference (2 Corinthians 10:18).

Why is pride so sinful? Pride is giving ourselves the credit for something that God has accomplished. Pride is taking the glory that belongs to God alone and keeping it for ourselves. Pride is essentially self-worship. Anything we accomplish in this world would not have been possible were it not for God enabling and sustaining us. “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (I Corinthians 4:7). That is why we give God the glory—He alone deserves it.

James 4:6 ESV

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

What Do We Learn About The Scribes?

Boastful and Big Headed vs. 45-46

Burglars vs. 47

Luke 20:47 ESV

47 who devour widows' houses

Point:

Who devour widow’s houses? What in the world does that mean? 

There are any number of ways to take the life savings and/or money for daily living from the old, the gullible, or those who are zealous without knowledge. Con artists, crooks, shysters, sharpies, cheats, etc. make their living by fleecing people. The tactics they use are illegal.

These scribes were Old Testament scholars and they also knew how to apply the law to every day life. Theses scribes would convince the elderly and the widowed to give them money for services. They would over charge them for these services and pocket the rest for themselves. So deceitful were these men that people were literally losing their homes while they lived in riches and wealth. 

Point:

A practical example of this took place back in the 1980’s and early 1990. You all remember the couple Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. The Bakers built and multi million dollar empire from money given to their network. Jim Baker would promise the poor people who watched his television programming that if they sent him their money that God would in turn give them back 5-10 times what they were giving. People who did not have the money to give mortgaged their homes, sold cars, removed investments and pulled out retirement savings to give to his “ministry”. Eventually the Baker’s ministry fell a part and those who had given to them lost everything, never to recoup their losses. 

We have seen this story repeated over and over again. It is nothing new. People who know God’s Word, twisting it to cheat people out of their wealth. It is evil and wrong. We must beware of false teachers who are greedy and cheat people out of their money. 

Point:

Thankfully we have protective measures in our church that prevent such behavior. We have a finance committee made up of prominent, trust worthy members who meet monthly to track the expenses of our church. We have a church treasurer to safe guard our tithes, gifts, and offerings. We have a financial secretary who is committed to processing the gifts that come into the church. Those gifts are placed in a guarded bank. Your gifts are not known to anyone on this staff. I do not have any idea what anyone gives. Nor does anyone else on this staff. I do not want to know because I believe it prevents favoritism in the body of Christ. On top of that, our church is annually audited to make sure that our financial operations are up to date and held to an honest standard. When you give, you can give with confidence knowing that your offering is being used for Kingdom work. 

Not the scribes. They were bilking unsuspecting people out of their money. Jesus says that there will be a harsh penalty for such behavior. 

Proverbs 10:2 ESV

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.

What Do We Learn About The Scribes?

Boastful and Big Headed vs. 45-46

Burglars vs. 47

Bogus Behaviorvs. 47

47 and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Point:

In essence, “hypocrisy” refers to the act of claiming to believe something but acting in a different manner. The word is derived from the Greek term for “actor”—literally, “one who wears a mask”—in other words, someone who pretends to be what he is not.

The scribes were mask wearers. They wanted to be heard. They wanted everyone to hear how smart they were. 

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He had many run-ins with the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees. These men were well versed in the Scriptures and zealous about following every letter of the Law. However, in adhering to the letter of the Law, they actively sought loopholes that allowed them to violate the spirit of the Law. Also, they displayed a lack of compassion toward their fellow man and were often overly demonstrative of their so-called spirituality in order to garner praise. Jesus denounced their behavior in no uncertain terms, pointing out that “justice, mercy, and faithfulness” are more important than pursuing a perfection based on faulty standards. Jesus made it clear that the problem was not with the Law but the way in which the Pharisees implemented it . Today, the word pharisee has become synonymous with hypocrite.

It must be noted that hypocrisy is not the same as taking a stand against sin. For example, it is not hypocrisy to teach that drunkenness is a sin, unless the one teaching against drunkenness gets drunk every weekend—that would be hypocrisy.

As children of God, we are called to strive for holiness. We are to “hate what is evil” and “cling to what is good”. We should never imply an acceptance of sin, especially in our own lives. All we do should be consistent with what we believe and who we are in Christ. Play-acting is meant for the stage, not for real life.

I John 4:20 ESV

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

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