Luke 11:47-51

Luke 11:47-51 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.' Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

By building elaborate tombs to the prophets, the people were unintentionally commemorating what their forefathers had done to the prophets, killed them. Jesus tells the teachers of the Law that their forefathers were so wicked that they killed and persecuted the messengers of God. God saw this evil rebellion beginning with the slaying of Abel. He sent other messengers with his Word, knowing they would also mistreat them. By allowing the Jewish people to perpetuate their evil deeds of killing and mistreating his prophets, God allowed them to validate their wickedness and rebellious ways, opening themselves up for his righteous judgment. Now, Jesus is warning the teachers of the Law that by rejecting him and his words, they are not just rejecting a messenger of God, they are rejecting the Messiah, the Son of God, and because of that all the deeds of their wicked forefathers will be placed on their generation, for they have rejected someone greater than all the prophets put together.

The decision to hear the words of God is a decision all of mankind must make. Jesus said, those who have ears, let them hear. Christ came to save, to redeem, but if those who have ears refuse to hear, refuse to heed the words of God, their plight is hopeless, and they will face God's judgment. The question for the Jewish people was whether Christ is Lord or just another man? Is He THE WORD or is He just a wise person clamoring for a leadership role? The Jewish leaders considered him a mere man, one they could oppose and get away with it, as they did the prophets of God. They rejected his miracles, his acts of goodness. To them, He was a crazy man, one who claimed to be the Son of God. However, Jesus claimed He fully represented God, He was God, He was in the line of the prophets and the patriarchs of old, and He alone came to fulfill their words and to establish the kingdom of God. Jesus says, Woe to you because you have ears but fail to recognize the spoken voice of God. As with the prophets of old, you gather to kill God's messenger, not to heed his voice. When Jesus confronted their wicked hearts that directly, they banded together to oppose and to kill him. They had ears but would not hear the WORD of God.

Today, the Lord is crying out, "Those who have ears, let them hear what the Word of God has to say, for today is the day of salvation, the day of the Lord's favor." The Jewish leaders rejected THE CHRIST, placed him on the cross, and the woes Jesus referred to fell upon their heads. The Bible says, God will not always struggle with mankind; there will be a day when his call will end. People have been killing the righteous from the time of Abel. Abel's sacrifice was accepted by God; he did right in the eyes of the Lord. When they killed Jesus, they killed the Son, the perfect one, the creator of all things. Before that they just killed the messengers of God, but when they killed Jesus, they killed God's blessed Son. However, when they killed Jesus, they could not sign his death warrant, for He rose again. He became the "new life" for all who would put their faith in him. The devil overplayed his hand at the cross: the wicked were thwarted there as Christ arose and gave life to whosoever will. We who believe are those, the inheritors of Jesus' glorious life. No more woes, but for us, yea and amen. Today, rejoice in the grace and mercy of your Lord.