Quiet Frog

My mother often said a Tamil proverb: nu-la-lum then va-yaal ke-dum, meaning “even a frog is destroyed by its mouth.” Snakes can’t hear as well as they can sense vibrations. In rice fields, snakes slither by if the frogs don’t crock but remain silent. But the moment a frog crocks, the snake will pick up the vibration and kill it for food. This reflects Prov 17:28.

Sadly, one of the interpreters (nomikos)* didn’t learn this lesson. Hearing Jesus’s ouai statements to the Pharisees, he said,

“Teacher, you are infuriating (ibrizo) us by these words.” (Luke 11:45)

This word – ibrizo – referred to anything noisy and out of control, like braying and running horses, rapidly rushing waters, mob/riots shouting, or anything said against someone to rouse that person’s response or to infuriate that person. That law interpreter felt like Jesus was starting a verbal fight with him. Jesus didn’t back down.

“Ouai, you load the people with loads too heavy to carry, but you do not lift a finger to help them carry that load.”

“Ouai, you build monuments for prophets whom your parents killed. By building the monuments, you testify to your parents’ works that they killed the prophets, and you (in remorse) build them monuments.” God’s wisdom says that he sent those prophets and apostles – some of whom were persecuted and killed so that their blood will earnestly search for an answer – from the beginning of the foundation of the world until this generation, from the blood of Abel until Zechariah who was killed between the alter of sacrifice and his house. Yes, this generation will be sought for an answer.”

“Ouai, you take away the key of knowledge and hinder others from entering it.”

Just as Jesus had three ouai-s against the Pharisees, he had three against the law interpreters. All three centers on their teaching of the Old Testament." (Luke 11:45–53)

The Hebrews referred to the OT as TaNaK. They divided them into Torah (“the law” – the first five books of the OT), Navi’im (“the Prophets” – Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets), and Katuvim (“the writings” – Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehamiah, and 1 & 2 Chronicles). Each ouai addressed one of these divisions.

The “burden” referred to the rules and regulations based on the Torah (Ta) that they demanded the people keep, but they didn’t. Peter called them a “yoke neither we nor our ancestors could carry” (Acts 15:10).

The “monuments” referred to how frequently they quoted the prophets (Na) and didn’t follow their teachings. (The Lord included some from the Torah, Abel, whose blood was shed because of disbelief.) These interpreters of the law boldly proclaim the prophets and the law but kill them by their actions.

The “key” to the knowledge referred to other instructions written (K) that they didn’t explain to the people, such as the Psalms that spoke of the coming of the Messiah and Jesus being Messiah. Because of that, they hindered the people from coming to Jesus.

The law interpreters could have used God’s word to bring people to repentance. Instead, their teachings were all just talks or barks without conviction or bite. They didn’t show the people by their lives what they knew to be true. That made Jesus sad.

**

*Older priests who could no longer do the demanding duties in the temple became interpreters of the law (nomikos) who, like the Pharisees, explained the OT to ordinary people.