“Alas” and “Alas”are words which Jesus begins addressing first a Pharisee and secondly a lawyer. Actually both are protectors of the Law. These verses of Jesus, in Luke 11, begin seven lines earlier when He offers the image of a lamp and physical sight.

A lamp is meant to give light so other things may be seen. The lamp is the image of the human mind. Its real purpose is so the other persons and things may be seen and appreciated. The Pharisee welcomes Jesus into his house for dinner, but his darkness of mind prevents him from seeing Jesus clearly, but rather sees him through the darkness of legal adherence. He mis-sees Jesus except his seeing Jesus not washing his hands before dinner according to the Law of Moses.

Jesus gives him the “alas” by presenting him with what the Pharisee performs that is a proper sense of love from or for God, the real source of the Law.

Then the Lawyer gets his turn at an “alas”. These keepers-of-the Law also keep burdening the people and do not assist them, because these Lawyers, like the Pharisees need to be seen like lamps which are giving off light so as to be seen as assisting others to be seen by that Light of Jesus.

The whole thing comes down to two other important words for Jesus. What if the difference between impressing and expressing? Impressing is from the outside, the exterior, as the lamp’s just wanting to be seen. Impressing is hoping that the outside of the cup is acceptable, impressive and those who are easily impressed deal well with their own exteriorities.

Expressing flows from some depth of person and commitment. The expressor wishes to touch in the interior of others with the Light of Truth and Grace. Expressing is responsive to a truth or sense which flows up from the spirit and heart hoping to illumine something deeper within the spirit and soul and heart of the hearers. This takes courage while the other takes ungrateful pride.

Jesus is not alasing over these two groups as to condemn, but dramatically inviting them to see the Light and be freed from the darkness of legal reacting. Jesus confronts blind legal functioning. He is inviting constantly His hearers, to respond to the Light-Life of His teaching and way of expressing the interior of God Who is Love.