The Key to Heaven - A Reflection on Luke 11:47-54
Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”
When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile toward him and to cross-examine him about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
Jesus continues to lash out at the scribes and Pharisees in today’s reading. I would like us to reflect on just one of the statements that he made because it might have a few lessons to teach us today. He said, “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” This was a terrible indictment upon the people who were responsible for getting people to heaven, that not only had they shut themselves to heaven, they were hindering others from it as well. How?
First, who were the lawyers? Frequently referred to as “scribes”, these people were first of all jurists, whose business was three-fold. First, to study and interpret the law. This is the law of Moses, not judicial law. Second, to instruct others in matters of the law. Third, to decide questions of the law. So, essentially they were scholars, teachers, and advisers rolled into one. They were essentially the official interpreters of Scripture, and had the final say on everything.
However, over the years, their interpretation of Scripture had become so distorted and difficult to understand, they themselves seemed to have lost the plot completely. I mean, just consider the things that Jesus taught. Even the common man understood what he said. But these scholars, who should have got it right away, could not understand anything he said! Their thinking had become so convoluted, they couldn’t understand simple truths any longer. We might be making the same mistake today, complicating things that are essentially very simple to understand.
Our faith is simple. Living it is simple. But ask the average Christian to explain why they believe what they believe, and they will simply flounder, unable to state their beliefs correctly, or clearly. And this is simply because they haven’t understood it correctly or clearly. I see evidence of this in the Schools of Discipleship we run. We currently have about 1,000 students in seven Schools, and the introductory sessions are always revealing. Every answer I receive is “complex”. If’s like I ask somebody what 2 plus 2 equals and I am given a lesson in differential calculus!
I don’t like to plug anything in these reflections, but please consider joining the next batch of Schools. I really want you to discover how simple everything is. For a sampler, consider the key of knowledge that Jesus was talking about today. Want it? One, accept we are sinners. I am pretty sure we can all admit to this. Two, understand the wages of sin is death. Which means that because of our sins we deserve death. Three, believe that instead of us paying the price, Jesus paid it. Four, repent and be baptized. Five, love him who loves us so much, and know that he will finish what he started. It really is that simple!
That’s the key to heaven.
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