Text: Luke 11: 37-54
Jesus Christ called the Pharisees the “unmarked graves” (v.44) . A t the time, it was believed that if anyone touched or came into contact with the grave, he would be ceremonially defiled. That is why graves were white-washed for them to be easily visible. So, Jesus accused the Pharisees of their spiritual rottenness, of defiling unsuspecting people who would come into contact with them (Pharisees). Today, many false pastors, acting out the label of unmarked graves, are prevalent in society. Many unsuspecting people are being ruined by these “unmarked graves”, pretending to be shepherding God’s people.
The Lawyers of the time also made it harder for people to worship God by adding hurdles to God’s law (v.46). For example, to the commandment of keeping Sabbath day (Exod. 20:8), they added to it a distance a person should walk on Sabbath, how many kilograms a person should carry, healing a person was forbidden, yet helping an animal from a trap or danger was allowed. These additional laws, Jesus condemned.
Today, we have people who focus others to themselves. They claim to be the ones to pray for people to be “healed” and “delivered”, they are misusing the anointing oil, which is biblical, but now imparting more faith into it than in God, the Master Healer. Some give, or even sell, “holy water”, handkerchiefs and food as healing spiritual icons. Consequently, some people feel they cannot pray for themselves; therefore, they move from “one man of God” to “another” and to “another”, searching for blessings. Such false pastors have made salvation very dramatic and complicated. Many of their followers have lost the assurance of salvation. Those who make people fail to worship God in His simplicity are unmarked graves. Know that you are saved by faith and you are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith, and in Christ you are a new creation, the old has gone the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:15).
Meditate on verse 52. What is God teaching you in this verse? How are you are going to respond to it?
Heavenly Father, I pray for many who are being misled by wrong teachings by false pastors. I pray that You redeem them. I also pray for all errant or false pastors to repent and not to hinder those seeking to enter Your Kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ I have prayed. Amen.