“When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to earth with him; so He went in and reclined at the table.” (Luke 11:37 NIV)
This entire interaction between Jesus and the Pharisee in his home catches my attention. For fifteen verses, Jesus sat at the Pharisee’s supper table and read his mail. Jesus pointed out the heart issues: things were hidden to the world but laid bare before the Son of God. Why weren’t the Pharisees convicted? Repentant? Confessing and converted?
Alarmingly, Jesus employed the word ‘woe’ no less than six times. He addressed very specific Kingdom infractions: greed, wickedness, injustice, lack of love, pompousness, oppression of their people and murderous thoughts. He essentially said the Pharisees hindered the Kingdom instead of helping the cause.
Midway through His diatribe, an expert of the law interrupted: “Teacher when You say these things You insult us also.” (Luke 11:45 NIV) We can tell by this reaction that the conviction of God was falling on deaf ears. The Son of God had been telling His primary representatives on earth what was unacceptable in their service and instead of receiving it as an accurate and merciful correction, they were offended and obstinate. They got their feelings hurt. Never mind the fact that the Pharisees were continually insulting and misrepresenting God. Their love of the law far-eclipsed their love for the Law Giver. And they perpetuated this deviation among their congregations.
The conviction of God is not an insult, but a gracious invitation to change. It’s the Almighty allowing His people an opportunity to identify their offense and alter their course. God sends conviction along with the grace we’ll require when we recognize our sin. He knows how it hurts to acknowledge our failure.
The Pharisees; though seated in the presence of the Son of Heaven, refused to accept the accuracy of Jesus’ spiritual audit that evening. By the end of His monologue, they are sullen and silent. Jesus left and then they leveled up on their hateful agenda.
“When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and teachers began to oppose Him fiercely and besiege Him with questions, waiting to catch Him in something He might say.” (Luke 11:53 NIV)
Friend, we face the same choice when Jesus begins to read our mail. We can respond rightly to conviction: confess and receive grace and strength to live differently. Or we can resist the correction and deny culpability. Resistance almost always sends us further in to our sin and farther from the only relationship that can restore us entirely.
Conviction is not an insult but a gesture of grace extended by a loving God. He alerts human hearts to our sin condition for relationship’s sake. Don’t respond as a Pharisee; insulted and offended. Respond as a man or woman being snatched out of deadly waters. God convicts because He loves us far too much to send us to hell unwarned.
Commit now to cooperate the next time the conviction of God comes upon You. Realize conviction is for your benefit and respond with gratitude instead of adamancy. Understand that Jesus speaks with purest motives; He seeks to save us from our worst selves.
“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away form sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT)
“Those who I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” (Revelation 3:19 NIV)
Lord, help us respond rightly in the squeeze of Your conviction. Let us see conviction as an act of love and grace: truth spoken even when we least want to hear it. May we be compelled to move closer to You when You point out our shortcomings, convinced of Your authority and accuracy far above our own. We want to cooperate with Your love and longing for our full restoration. Amen.