Thoughts for the Day

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.’ ...

Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, ‘Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’ Then the disciples approached and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees took offence when they heard what you said?’ He answered, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

It is very difficult these days to know whether emails and texts are safe. Is a message that says "Mum, I've lost my phone and this is my new number", followed by "Can you send me some money to pay an urgent bill?" really from my loved one? Or is it a scam? When I received such a message I knew it was a scam because my children have never called me "Mum". But it has made me a little more suspicious so that I double check things now, and refuse all cold calls.

In today's reading from Matthew's Gospel Jesus is dealing with the false doctrines of the Pharisees who have become authorities on how to keep the Law of Moses. Unfortunately they were so zealous that they hedged it around with hundreds of other laws, which became absurd. For example, no spitting was allowed on the Sabbath, as it would disturb the dirt and one would be guilty of ploughing, and a woman could not look at her reflection, as she might see a grey hair and pluck it out, which would be considered work. The laws concerning cleanliness and eating were particularly tortuous. Jesus points out that our souls cannot be polluted by what we eat, only what comes from our heart can defile or corrupt a person.

If we find it difficult to know who to trust today, it was even harder for the average person in Palestine, when their spiritual leaders were demanding their total obedience to such laws. Jesus compares religious doctrine to a plant, but says if it's not planted by God it must be rooted out, for it could lead many to stray. In a second image he speaks of the Pharisees as being like the blind leading the blind. Those who follow their leadership will also go the way of the false leaders, for we are not forced to follow them and are sponsible for our own mistakes. This story leads us to look at outcomes again - as to whether such people produce good fruit or not - and to compare them to Jesus' cardinal law about loving God and and our neighbour.

Almighty God,
Your Son taught us to turn to You
when we are in doubt of any kind.
Send Your Holy Spirit to illuminate our way,
and give us wise leaders to guide us.
Your Son taught us about compassion and love,
so may we use these as the gold standards
when looking at the path ahead.
Amen.