WOE TO YOU / LUKE 11:42

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Luke 11:42

But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Beyond the Checklist: Real Faith, Love, and Justice

It is easy to turn faith into a checklist. We check off attending services, reading a daily devotion, and giving our financial offerings. We cross the T’s and dot the I’s of religious tradition, feeling a sense of spiritual security.

But in Luke 11:42, Jesus shatters this superficial security with a piercing warning:

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”

Confronting the Religion of Convenience

To understand the weight of this statement, we can look at the parallel passage in Matthew 23:13, where Christ directly confronts and condemns the sins of the religious leaders. The Pharisees were meticulously religious. They didn’t just tithe their income; they went into their gardens and counted out every tenth leaf of mint, rue, and herb to ensure they met the letter of the law.

Yet, Jesus exposes a glaring, hollow core in their faith. They were obsessed with external perfection while completely abandoning the heart of God: real love and justice.

Notice carefully what Jesus is not saying. He is not criticizing the practice of tithing. He doesn’t tell them to stop giving their ten percent. Instead, He says they should have done that in addition to practicing justice and love.

God doesn’t want us to choose between obedience in the small things and obedience in the heavy things. He desires a faith where our external actions are a natural overflow of our internal devotion.

The Danger of the Modern Checklist

The same trap catches many of us today. It is far easier to write a check, follow a rule, or post a verse on social media than it is to stand up for the oppressed, forgive an enemy, or love someone who is difficult to love.

When we isolate our religious habits from the way we treat people, our faith becomes a performance. Jesus reminds us that God is not impressed by the precision of our rituals if our hearts are cold toward the needs of the world. True compliance with God’s law means letting His love compel us toward justice for others.

Living “Both/And” Faith

Christ calls us to a “both/and” kind of life:

• Keep honoring God with your resources, your time, and your traditions.
• But do not forget the weightier matters. Let your life be defined by a relentless pursuit of justice and a deep, authentic love for God and your neighbor.

Let us step away from the safety of the checklist and step into the radical, transforming love of Jesus.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Forgive us for the times we have reduced our faith to a set of rules and checklists. Forgive us for prioritizing our own comfort and spiritual performance over the justice and love that Your heart breaks for.

Open our eyes to see the people around us the way You see them. Soften our hearts so that our worship is not just found in words or rituals, but in lives poured out for the vulnerable, the hurting, and the forgotten. Help us to hold fast to Your truth without ever letting go of Your grace. May our love for You be proven by the justice and mercy we extend to the world.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

1. YOUR EYE IS THE LAMP OF YOUR BODY / LUKE 11:34
2. SEVEN OTHER SPIRITS … LIVE THERE / LUKE 11:26
3. WHO IS NOT WITH ME IS AGAINST ME / LUKE 11:23
4. DEMONS … THE KINGDOM OF GOD / LUKE 11:20
5. GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THOSE WHO ASK / LUKE 11:13
6. GIVE HIM A SNAKE / LUKE 11:11
7. ASK … SEEK … KNOCK / LUKE 11:9
8. OUR DAILY BREAD / LUKE 11:3
9. THE LORD’S PRAYER / LUKE 11:1-4
10. ONE THING IS NEEDED / LUKE 10:41-42
11. THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN / LUKE 10:30
12. LOVE THE LORD AND LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR / LUKE 10:27
13. THE WISE … LITTLE CHILDREN / LUKE 10:21
14. DO NOT REJOICE / LUKE 10:20
15. SNAKES AND SCORPIONS / LUKE 10:19
16. I SAW SATAN FALL / LUKE 10:18
17. HEAL THE SICK … THE KINGDOM OF GOD / LUKE 10:9
18. LAMBS AMONG WOLVES / LUKE 10:3
19. THE HARVEST IS PLENTIFUL
20. SENT THEM TWO BY TWO / LUKE 10:1
21. LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR OWN DEAD / LUKE 9:60
22. REBUKED THEM / LUKE 9:55-56
23. THE PEOPLE DID NOT WELCOME HIM / LUKE 9:52-53
24. UNBELIEVING GENERATION / LUKE 9:41
25. THE TRANSFIGURATION / LUKE 9:29
26. SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD / LUKE 9:27
27. ASHAMED OF ME / LUKE 9:26
28. WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE / LUKE 9:24
29. TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY / LUKE 9:23
30. WARNED THEM NOT TO TELL / LUKE 9:21
31. FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND / LUKE 9:12-17
32. HEROD THE TETRARCH / LUKE 9:7
33. PREACH THE KINGDOM … HEAL THE SICK / LUKE 9:2
34. AUTHORITY TO DRIVE OUT ALL DEMONS / LUKE 9:1
35. DON’T BE AFRAID JUST BELIEVE / LUKE 8:50
36. TOUCHED HIS CLOAK / LUKE 8:44
37. A DEMON-POSSESSED MAN / LUKE 8:27-33
38. MY MOTHER AND BROTHERS / LUKE 8:21
39. WHOEVER HAS WILL BE GIVEN MORE / LUKE 8:18
40. CHOKED BY LIFE’S WORRIES / LUKE 8:14
41. BELIEVE FOR A WHILE … FALL AWAY / LUKE 8:13
42. TAKES AWAY THE WORD / LUKE 8:12
43. PARABLE OF THE SOWER / LUKE 8:5
44. PARABLE / LUKE 8:4
45. HELPING TO SUPPORT THEM / LUKE 8:3
46. SHE LOVED MUCH / LUKE 7:47
47. WEEPING / LUKE 7:37-38
48. WISDOM IS PROVED RIGHT BY ALL HER CHILDREN / LUKE 7:35
49. GLUTTON AND A DRUNKARD / LUKE 7:34
50. JOHN / LUKE 7:28
51. A REED SWAYED / LUKE 7:24
52. HIS HEART WENT OUT TO HER / LUKE 7:13
53. SUCH GREAT FAITH / LUKE 7:9
54. DO NOT DO WHAT I SAY / LUKE 6:46
55. HIS HEART / LUKE 6:45
56. GIVE / LUKE 6:38
57. DO NOT JUDGE / LUKE 6:37
58. DO NOT STOP HIM FROM TAKING YOUR TUNIC / LUKE 6:29
59. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES / LUKE 6:27
60. WOE TO YOU WHEN ALL MEN SPEAK WELL / LUKE 6:26
61. WOE TO YOU WHO ARE RICH / LUKE 6:24
62. HOW THEIR FATHERS TREATED THE PROPHETS / LUKE 6:23
63. WHEN MEN HATE YOU / LUKE 6:22
64. YOU WHO WEEP / LUKE 6:21
65. BLESSED YOU WHO ARE POOR / LUKE 6:20
66. SERMON ON THE PLAIN / LUKE 6:17-19
67. SPENT THE NIGHT PRAYING / LUKE 6:12
68. JESUS AND THE SABBATH / LUKE 6:2-10
69. SABBATH / LUKE 6:1
70. ‘THE OLD IS BETTER’ / LUKE 5:39
71. NEW WINE INTO OLD WINESKINS / LUKE 5:37
72. IN THOSE DAYS THEY WILL FAST / LUKE 5:35
73. EAT AND DRINK WITH … ‘SINNERS’ / LUKE 5:30
74. SON OF MAN / LUKE 5:24
75. JESUS KNEW WHAT THEY WERE THINKING / LUKE 5:22
76. CARRYING A PARALYTIC / LUKE 5:18
77. THE POWER OF THE LORD WAS PRESENT / LUKE 5:17
78. PRAYERS OF JESUS / LUKE 5:16
79. YOU WILL CATCH MEN / LUKE 5:9-10
80. HEALED THEM / LUKE 4:40
81. AN EVIL SPIRIT / LUKE 4:33-35
82. HIS MESSAGE HAD AUTHORITY / LUKE 4:32
83. HE HAS ANOINTED ME / LUKE 4:18-19
84. THE SPIRIT ON ME / LUKE 4:18
85. SATAN’S USE OF SCRIPTURE / LUKE 4:10
86. THE DEVIL / LUKE 4:9
87. THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD / LUKE 4:5
88. DOES NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE / LUKE 4:4
89. JESUS FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT / LUKE 4:1-2
90. JESUS’ GENEALOGY / LUKE 3:23
91. HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDED ON HIM / LUKE 3:22
92. HE WILL BURN UP THE CHAFF / LUKE 3:17
93. BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / LUKE 3:16
94. FRUIT IN KEEPING WITH REPENTANCE / LUKE 3:8
95. CAESAR … PILATE … HEROD / LUKE 3:1-2
96. JESUS GREW IN WISDOM / LUKE 2:52
97. I HAD TO BE IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE / LUKE 2:49-51
98. THE CHILD GREW / LUKE 2:39-40
99. ANNA … WORHIPED / LUKE 2:36-38
100. A SWORD WILL PIERCE YOUR OWN SOUL / LUKE 2:33-35
101. RIGHTEOUS AND DEVOUT – WAITING FOR THE CONSOLATION / LUKE 2:25-32
102. A PAIR OF DOVES / LUKE 2:24
103. PRESENT HIM TO THE LORD / LUKE 2:22-23
104. THEY SPREAD THE WORD / LUKE 2:17-18
105. A SAVIOR … CHRIST THE LORD / LUKE 2:11
106. THE NATIONS YOUR INHERITANCE / PSALMS 2:8
107. A MANGER / LUKE 2:6-7
108. HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS / LUKE 1:68-75
109. GOD MY SAVIOR / LUKE 1:46-47
110. AS YOU HAVE SAID / LUKE 1:38
111. THE HOLY ONE / LUKE 1:34-35
112. HIS FATHER DAVID / LUKE 1:32-33
113. YOU WHO ARE HIGHLY FAVORED / LUKE 1:28
114. PLEDGED TO BE MARRIED / LUKE 1:26-27
115. SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH – THE FATHERS OF THEIR CLILDREN / LUKE 1:17
116. FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT – WINE FERMENTED DRINK / LUKE 1:15
117. DIVISION OF ABIJAH DESCENDANT OF AARON / LUKE 1:5
118. THEOPHILUS / LUKE 1:1-4
119. Crews N Away: Anchored in Grace

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Blessings, Margarita & Stace