Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 11:47-54)

Kaluluoy kamo! Nagapahimo kamo sang mga lulubngan sang mga propeta nga ginpamatay sang inyo mga katigulangan.

Gani nagapamatuod kamo kag nagakomporme man sang ila mga ginhimo. Kay sila ang nagpamatay sang mga propeta kag kamo ang nagapahimo sang ila mga lulubngan.

Amo gani nga suno sa kaalam sang Dios nagsiling siya, 'Magapadala ako sa ila sang mga propeta kag mga apostoles; ang iban sang akon ipadala pagapatyon nila, kag ang iban hingabuton nila.'

Gani kamo nga mga tawo sa karon pagasilutan man sang Dios tungod sang ila pagpamatay sang mga propeta sang una, halin pa sang pagtuga sang kalibutan--halin kay Abel hasta kay Zacarias nga ginpatay sa tunga sang altar kag sang Templo. Huo, nagasiling ako sa inyo, kamo nga mga tawo sa karon silutan gid tungod sang ila mga ginhimo.

"Kaluluoy kamo nga mga manunudlo sang Kasuguan! Kay ginatago ninyo ang yabi sa pag-intiendi sang kamatuoran. Indi lang nga wala kamo nagasunod sa kamatuoran, kundi ginabalabagan pa ninyo ang iban nga gusto magsunod."

Pagkatapos nga naghalin si Jesus sa balay, ang mga manunudlo sang Kasuguan kag ang mga Pariseo nagsugod na nga magdumot gid sa iya. Sige ang ila pamangkot sa iya parte sa nagkalain-lain nga mga butang sa pagdakop-dakop sa iya mga pulong.

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Meditation: 

Do you believe God's word and obey it? God sent his prophets to open the ears of his people to hear and understand God's word and intention for their lives. God's wisdom is personified in the voice of the prophets, a voice that usually brought rejection and martyrdom because they spoke for God rather than for human approval and favor. Jesus chastised many of the religious leaders of his day for being double-minded and for demanding from others standards which they refused to satisfy. They professed admiration for the prophets by building their tombs while at the same time they opposed their message and closed their ears to the word of God. 

What does Jesus mean when he says they have taken away the key of knowledge? The religious lawyers and scribes held the "office of the keys" since they were the official interpreters of the scriptures. Unfortunately their interpretation of the scriptures became so distorted and difficult to understand that others were "shut off" to the scriptures. They not only shut themselves to heaven; they also hindered others from understanding God's word. Through pride and envy, they rejected not only the prophets of old, but God's final prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the "key of David" (see Isaiah 22:22; Revelations 3:7) who opens heaven to those who accept him as Lord and Savior. He is the "Wisdom of God" and source of everlasting life. Only the humble of heart – those who thirst for God and acknowledge his word as true – can truly understand this wisdom. [See Psalm 119:99ff: "I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation."] God is ever ready to speak his word to us and to give us true wisdom and understanding. Do you hunger for the wisdom which comes from above? 

"Lord Jesus, may your word take root in my heart and transform all my thoughts and actions. Give me wisdom and understanding that I may know your will for my life and have the courage to live according to it."

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 11:42-46)

"Kaluluoy kamo nga mga Pariseo! Ginahatag ninyo ang inyo ikanapulo bisan halin pa sa inyo mga panakot, pero ginapatumbayaan ninyo ang paghimo sang matarong sa inyo isigkatawo kag ang paghigugma sa Dios. Dapat ginhimo ninyo ini nga wala ginapatumbayai ang paghatag sang inyo ikanapulo.

"Kaluluoy kamo nga mga Pariseo! Kay kon yara kamo sa mga simbahan, gusto gid ninyo magpungko sa mga pulungkuan nga para sa mga dungganon. Kag sa mga lugar nga madamo sang tawo, gusto gid ninyo nga magtahod sila sa inyo.

Kaluluoy kamo! Pareho kamo sang lulubngan nga wala sang tanda kag ginatapakan lang sang mga tawo nga wala kahibalo nga lulubngan gali yadto." Gani ang buot silingon sini nga bersikulo, ang mga Pariseo pareho sang mga lulubngan nga nagapahigko sa mga tawo. Ginalatnan nila ang mga tawo sang ila ginahimo nga malain.

Nagsiling ang isa ka manunudlo sang Kasuguan, "Manunudlo, sa imo panghambal ginainsultuhan mo man kami."

Nagsabat si Jesus, "Kamo nga mga manunudlo sang Kasuguan, kaluluoy man kamo! Kay ginapabug-atan ninyo ang mga tawo sa madamo nga mga pagsulundan nga ginadugang ninyo sa Kasuguan, pero kamo mismo wala gani nagatuman.

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Meditation:

Why does Jesus single out the teachers and lawyers for some rather strong words of rebuke? The word woe can also be translated as alas. It is as much an expression of sorrowful pity as it is of anger. Why did Jesus lament and issue such a stern rebuke? Jesus was angry with the religious leaders because they failed to listen to God's word and they misled the people they were supposed to guide in the ways of God. The scribes devoted their lives to the study of the Law of Moses and regarded themselves as legal experts in it. They divided the ten commandments and precepts into thousands of tiny rules and regulations. They were so exacting in their interpretations and in trying to live them out, that they had little time for anything else. By the time they finished compiling their interpretations it took no less than fifty volumes to contain them! In their misguided zeal, they required unnecessary and burdensome rules which obscured the more important matters of religion, such as love of God and love of neighbor. They were leading people to Pharisaism rather than to God. 

Jesus used the example of tithing to show how far they had missed the mark. God had commanded a tithe of the first fruits of one's labor as an expression of thanksgiving and honor for his providential care for his people (Deuteronomy 14:22; Leviticus 27:30). The scribes, however, went to extreme lengths to tithe on insignificant things (such as tiny plants) with great mathematical accuracy. They were very attentive to minute matters of little importance, but they neglected to care for the needy and the weak. Jesus admonished them because their hearts were not right. They were filled with pride and contempt for others. They put unnecessary burdens on others while neglecting to show charity, especially to the weak and the poor. They meticulously went through the correct motions of conventional religion while forgetting the realities. 

Why does Jesus also compare them with "unmarked graves"? According to Numbers 19:16, contact with a grave made a person ritually unclean for seven days.  Jesus turns the table on the Pharisees by declaring that those who come into contact with them and listen to their self-made instruction are likewise defiled by their false doctrine. They infect others with wrong ideas of God and of his intentions. Since the Pharisees are "unmarked", other people do not recognize the decay within and do not realize the danger of spiritual contamination. The Pharisees must have taken Jesus' accusation as a double insult: They are not only spiritually unclean themselves because they reject the word of God, but they also contaminate others with their dangerous "leaven" as well (see Luke 12:1). 

What was the point of Jesus' lesson? The essence of God's commandments is love – love of the supreme good – God himself and love of our neighbor who is made in the image and likeness of God. God is love (1 John 4:8) and everything he does flows from his love for us. God's love is unconditional and is wholly directed towards the good of others. True love both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given us" (Romans 5:5). Do you help your neighbors carry their burdens? God gives each of us sufficient grace for each day to love as he loves and to lift the burdens of others that they, too, may experience the grace and love of Jesus Christ. 

"Lord Jesus, inflame my heart with your love that I may always pursue what matters most – love of you my God and love of my neighbor whom you made in your image and likeness. Give me wisdom and courage to always show kindness, mercy, and justice to all whom I meet."