Luke 21:1-4
Outward Appearances
October 27, 2010
Set the stage:
To fully understand what is being taught in v.1-4 of chapter 21 we must remember what we learned in Chapter 20. So let’s do a bit of a review of sorts to reacclimate ourselves with what Jesus is teaching in Chapter 20…
v. 1-8 The religious leaders believed they were the conduit to God. They rested that belief on their knowledge of God’s appointment of Aaron as the 1st High Priest and the law that was given through Moses. From all outward appearances these men were God’s chosen and authorized representatives.
So who was this man Jesus? By what authority does He teach what He teaches? We have the authority based on tradition and the Law, which came from God, who does He think He is?
I believe that this thought was also prevalent with the disciples as well as we see in Luke 9:46 when they were arguing and fighting over who would have the most position and power in the ‘new kingdom’. This is the same attitude that had snared the religious leaders.
Jesus discredits the religious leaders and the disciples for their lust for this earthly power, position and prestige in what He teaches. He is focused on letting the people know the source of ALL things and that is God.
v.9-18 – Here Jesus uses a story/parable to illustrate the principle He had just taught in v.1-8. The owner = God; the workers = God’s originally appointed men; servants = prophets; son = Jesus; vineyard = nation of Israel’s spiritual protection, leadership.
v.19-26 – with their attempt to discredit Jesus by His lack of authority failing, the religious leaders scheme to trap Jesus with His words. They send in spies disguised as true believers to ask Jesus a specific question.
The plan was that NO matter how Jesus answered the question He would lose, if He answered DON’T pay your taxes to Caesar then they would report Him to Rome, but if He said that Caesar deserved tribute then they could get Him for blasphemy.
Jesus amazes them with His answer, once again casting off the focus on outward appearances and focuses on a relationship with God. With this answer the people are drawn to Jesus even more. This infuriates the religious leadership.
v. 27-47 – they seek to discredit Jesus but fail now the Sadducees try to humiliate Him with the absurdity [in their eyes] of His teaching. They pose a scenario that is based on the Leverite law of marriage within the Jewish community and based on the Law of Moses… but they take the scenario out to a ludicrous end.
Their question of who’s wife this woman would be reveals their lack of understanding about the afterlife and the things of God. Jesus rebukes them for their lack of understanding and tells them that the things of the afterlife are not like things here in this world.
Once again Jesus foils their plans for striking at the flaw of their argument. They are focused on the outward appearances and Jesus is focused on God and a relationship with Him. A relationship with God changes your heart and perspective…
Jesus then turns to the people and plainly states what He has been teaching the entire chapter. That is that the religious leaders are frauds who focus on the outward appearance but neglect the intimate and inward relationship with God. They say one thing but live totally different. Their hearts are not set to serving God but only to serving themselves. God had assigned them the task of protecting, nurturing and growing the nation spiritually and they had decided that it was all about themselves! Jesus was telling these people that these men had failed God in their duties and that God was going to remove them from their position… this happens by 70AD as the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel cease to exist as Rome scatters them to the corners of the world.
So as we look back at chapter 20 Jesus was put to the test 3 times by the religious leaders, each time foiling their attempt to discredit Him, humbling them in front of the people. Two times in chapter 20 Jesus tells of what God’s chosen protectors and leaders had become!
Jesus does this ONCE with a story of a vineyard and He ends the chapter revealing that the religious leaders whom God had established thru Aaron and the Law of Moses… to whom God had entrusted the care of His chosen people. Jesus reveals that they were FRAUDS and that they had abandoned God’s calling for selfish desires. They looked the part and played the part on the outside, but inside they were cold and lifeless and NOT what God desired.
When we look at chapter 21:1-4 we can see that Jesus is illustrating what He has been teaching… Jesus takes the every day action of the offering at the Temple and paints a picture of what He means…
The offering at the Temple was collected by the religious leaders by the people coming by the offering ‘bin’ and dropping or throwing their coins into a large metal container. When they did this it would make a noise, and the more the offering the louder the sound. In this way those around could hear how much someone was giving in their offerings to God.
Jesus looked and saw the rich who were throwing in their money, and Jesus implies here that the rich gave out of their abundance which indicates no sacrifice or no true offering. They gave what they were comfortable in giving. In many instances this giving was merely to gain favor with the religious leaders and to gain status as a ‘big giver’ in the eyes of others. In other words, their gift was NOT an offering, but it was an act to inflate themselves in the eyes of others. They were all about the outward appearance to those around them…
Back in v.47 of the previous chapter Jesus mentioned how the religious leaders would devour the widow’s houses for their own good and prosperity. Here in these verses Jesus uses the widow as an example again. This time as one who brings a true offering… one who brings a true sacrifice of giving to the Lord. She came and gave out of love, not out of abundance. This woman knew others would NOT see her giving as a sacrifice because it was so small, but God saw it and God saw the heart by which it was given.
I am sure the religious leaders took notice of those who could rattle the bin with much money, but paid little attention to those who brought what the widow brought… to them it was all about outward appearances, but Jesus lifts this widow up because of her heart and the sacrifice she had chosen to make for God. It was not about outward appearances to her, but it was about love for her God.
This reveals the environment that Jesus had spoken about in chapter 20 and the implication here is very evident. Those who gave MUCH (in amount)… those who made the most ‘noise’ in the giving of their offering were looked upon by the religious community as more holy and faithful than those who did not make as much noise. Those who gave little were ignored or even worse they were ‘devoured’ by the religious leaders of the day.
Jesus teaches us here that the outward appearances are NOT what God looks at… they are NOT what God focuses upon… God sees the heart and the attitude behind the heart! Outward appearances can be deceiving and God knows this… Jesus knew this and called religious leaders for what they were… FRAUDS!
So what can we learn from these 4 verses:
Outward appearances can be deceiving and God sees past the outer shell of our lives…
When giving to God, it is the attitude of the heart that is most important, it is not about how much you have given but it is all about the spirit in which it is given…
Giving = sacrifice! Offerings from abundance are ok, but true giving is reflected in an attitude of sacrifice. Giving = love of God/willingness to sacrifice for God.
This principle applies also to service and giving of our time and talent as well. There are so many believers today in the church who are willing to open up their pocketbook and give, but they hold back from giving of themselves… their time and talent to God. What is important to God is that we give TOTALLY and COMPLETELY of ourselves to Him because of our love for Him.
Are you giving today? Are you focused on the outward appearances of your Christian walk? Or are you making sure that the inward most parts of your walk in Christ and with God are in line and in order! Let’s not be so caught up in the outward appearance that we miss out on God’s leading and guiding in our lives!
