Read Luke 11:37-53

JESUS CRITICISES THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS
This ceremonial washing was done not for health reasons but as a symbol of washing away any contamination from touching anything unclean. Not only did the Pharisees make a public show of their washing, but they also commanded everyone else to follow a practice originally intended for the Levitical priests.
The Pharisees loved to think of themselves as “clean,” but their stinginess toward God and the poor proved that they were not as clean as they thought. How do you use the resources that God has intrusted to you? Are you generous in meeting the needs around you? Your generosity reveals much about the purity of your heart.
It is easy to rationalize not helping others because you have already given to the church, but a person who follows Jesus should share with needy neighbors. While tithing is important to the life of the church, our compassion must not stop there. Where you can help, you should help.
The Old Testament laws said a person who touched a grave was unclean. Jesus accused the Pharisees of making others unclean by their spiritual rottenness. Like unmarked graves hidden in a field, the Pharisees corrupted everyone who came in contact with them.
The Pharisees’ demands were details they added to God’s law. To the commandment, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy,” for example, they added instructions regarding how far a person could walk on the Sabbath, which kind of knots could be tied, and how much weight could be carried. Healing a person was considered unlawful work on the Sabbath, although rescuing a trapped animal was permitted. No wonder Jesus condemned their additions to the law.
God’s prophets have been persecuted and murdered throughout history. But this generation was rejecting more than a human prophet – they were rejecting God Himself. Jesus, God incarnate, was directly giving them God’s message.