Sunday, June 12, 2005
MATTHEW 23:13-22
Today's gospel is part of a prolonged condemnation of Pharisaic attitudes and behavior. One of the main reasons why Jesus denounced the Pharisees was because of their insistence that religion was no more than the fulfillment of laws governing external behavior.
The Pharisees made the law an oppressive burden. To Jesus' mind, however, the law was meant to benefit human beings, to serve their genuine interests. The Pharisaic attitude led to legalism, hypocrisy, and for the people, suffering. Jesus' attitude, however, excused people from the law when its observance would not serve human needs, and insisted on its observance when it served those needs. The law, in other words, was made for man, not man for the law.
The role given by God to law was compassionate service. Jesus quotes Hosea the prophet who puts in God's mouth the words: "what I want is mercy not sacrifice." And he says that all the law and the prophets can be summed up in a single statement, "Love God with your whole being, love your neighbor as yourself."
The Pharisees however forgot, or preferred to ignore, the original purpose of the law. They made themselves slaves of the law because, I suppose, it gave them a sense of security. Humans very often fear the responsibility of being free. It's easier to let others make the decisions, or simply to rely on the letter of the law.
In their enslavement of themselves to the law the Pharisees also found a political value. They could demand that others enslave themselves to the law. But only they had the right to interpret it. The law therefore became a tool for political and economic oppression.
Jesus wanted to liberate everyone from the law—from all law. He could not, of course, abandon the law. It was the attitude toward the law that had to be changed. The law had to be dethroned, knocked down from its pedestal. The law which had been man's master had to be made his servant. The human person must take responsibility for his servant, the law, and he must use the law to serve the needs of humankind. This is quite different from lawlessness or licentiousness or permissiveness. The law stands and its prescriptions are still there for men and women to obey. But always for the good of the men and women who are to obey them
The Pharisees made the law an oppressive burden. To Jesus' mind, however, the law was meant to benefit human beings, to serve their genuine interests. The Pharisaic attitude led to legalism, hypocrisy, and for the people, suffering. Jesus' attitude, however, excused people from the law when its observance would not serve human needs, and insisted on its observance when it served those needs. The law, in other words, was made for man, not man for the law.
The role given by God to law was compassionate service. Jesus quotes Hosea the prophet who puts in God's mouth the words: "what I want is mercy not sacrifice." And he says that all the law and the prophets can be summed up in a single statement, "Love God with your whole being, love your neighbor as yourself."
The Pharisees however forgot, or preferred to ignore, the original purpose of the law. They made themselves slaves of the law because, I suppose, it gave them a sense of security. Humans very often fear the responsibility of being free. It's easier to let others make the decisions, or simply to rely on the letter of the law.
In their enslavement of themselves to the law the Pharisees also found a political value. They could demand that others enslave themselves to the law. But only they had the right to interpret it. The law therefore became a tool for political and economic oppression.
Jesus wanted to liberate everyone from the law—from all law. He could not, of course, abandon the law. It was the attitude toward the law that had to be changed. The law had to be dethroned, knocked down from its pedestal. The law which had been man's master had to be made his servant. The human person must take responsibility for his servant, the law, and he must use the law to serve the needs of humankind. This is quite different from lawlessness or licentiousness or permissiveness. The law stands and its prescriptions are still there for men and women to obey. But always for the good of the men and women who are to obey them
# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 5:23 PM 
