Straight Talk or Safe Talk?

Luke 11:37-39 NIV
[37] When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. [38] But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. [39] Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.


Jesus is such a straight talker. There is no beating around the bush, whatever needs to be said is said with no possibility of being misunderstood. This Pharisee had been listening to Jesus along with the crowd which had gathered. There must have been some interest in what Jesus had been saying, and so this prominent man invited Jesus to come and eat with him. Presumably he wanted to hear more from Jesus and to ask questions.

However things went wrong right from the beginning. It was customary to wash your hands before eating, not just for cleanliness, but as a ritual. After all they ate with their (right) hand just as you do in many countries today.

It would not seem to be an unusual comment for the man to make. After all when I eat with the Santal tribal people in India I do just the same. The host brings round a jug of water and a basin and he, or more usually she, pours the water over your right hand, catching it in the basin. It is a matter of hygiene, but there is also a ritual element in it.

So why do we find this interchange with Jesus. At face value Jesus is being rude. However there is a deeper issue at stake here. Jesus had been speaking earlier about the need for true inner cleanliness rather than ritual cleanliness, and He clearly wanted to continue this debate. Why do I say this?

This was not going to be a private conversation. Also present were “teachers of the law.” These are the guardians of the ‘purity’ of the Word of God, largely the Pentateuch. It was clearly a setup.

Luke 11:45-46,52-54 NIV
[45] One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” [

Here is where Jesus’ straight talking comes to the fore. There follows a series of ‘woes’ against all these religious leaders.

46] Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. [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.

In our society you might expect this to be the time for a graceful exit, or for an apologia regarding these teachings. I can almost here the guest of honour re-explaining the issues so that the words are softened, with comments like “you know that we are really on the same side, and I was just ensuring that people maintained a pure lifestyle”, or some other softer comment. But not Jesus!

Jesus knows what is at stake here and doesn't mince his words. Woe to you. Woe to you. Woe to you. And so on.

There is no compromise here. We would try to maintain our relationship with these leaders. Jesus speaks the truth uncompromisingly, fully knowing the results that would inevitably follow. And follow they did.

Once Jesus had left they started plotting His death.

John 8:12 NIV
[12] When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Mark 8:34-38 NIV
[34] Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [35] For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. [36] What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? [37] Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? [38] If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.” 

Where does that leave us? We compromise so easily. Often we use an excuse such as maintaining a relationship. But is that really the case? Could it be that we are not propared to suffer the cost of speaking up for Jesus in a forthright way? Everyone has to answer this for themself, but I hope I will be found faithful when I am put to the test. What about you?