Daily Bread 2011 - Luke 11

Daily Bread 2011 – Friday, March 18th, 2011 Luke 11
52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” 53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.

What Does This Mean?

The Pharisees and teachers of the Law were considered the religious experts in the day of interpreting the Old Testament Law. Yet, Jesus confronts two aspects where they had missed the mark completely. First, they did not apply the teachings to themselves. They were good at placing heavy burdens on others, while not being willing to carry it themselves.

Secondly, they looked at the letter of Law and completely missed the inner meaning which could only be apprehended by faith. They intellectualized the Law, without applying it to everyday life situations. And they also prevented others from understanding and obeying the true meaning of the Law.

Finally, the maker of the Law was before them and they completely missed Him too. The one the Law and the Prophets had spoken about was in their midst, and they were so spiritually blinded they did not see that the true purpose of the Law and the Prophets was to drive us to Christ! So while they were ready to catch Jesus in his error, they were already knee deep in their own.

What Does This Mean For Us?
One of the things Martin Luther did in the 16th century was to take the key of knowledge and give it to the people. In his day, the bible had gotten into the hands of the spiritual elite, and Luther fought to wrest into out of their control and into the hands of the people. In the same way, the religious leaders in his time were good at putting the burden of living up to the demands of the Scripture without giving them the key meet it them through the knowledge of Christ.

I hope as you continue to get a grasp of knowledge through your readings of the bible, that this will help you know the truth that will set you free. I think when you start reading the bible you will see that it leads you to life and its commands are not burdensome. You will see that as Jesus and His word take root in your life, you will bear fruit that lasts for eternity.

Jesus we thank you for Your precious Word, that it sets us free from the demands of the Law. Thank you that you came to show us the light way that leads to life abundant and not the way of heavy burden. Amen.

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