Lent Week 1: Friday
Oh, no! Not the Scribes and Pharisees!
Why did the Lord Jesus preface his teaching in the reading today with a reference to the scribes and Pharisees? Did he hate them? Did he regard them as paragons of evil? I don’t think so. In fact, the Lord Jesus surely loved them as much as he loved all others. He did not abhor scribes and Pharisees; but he was cautious of them and the bad example they showed to people.
Leaders of the Jews, the scribes as legal experts and the Pharisees as bastions of tradition, these men tended to favor the legalism, outward show, and hypocrisy. And so, the Lord warns his disciples to supersede the witnessing of these men and live according a different and higher standard of commitment to God.
He begins by saying that though the law teaches murder as sin, one must nevertheless forego with anger against a brother or sister, since this oftentimes lead to murderous intent. To defame another person is to consign oneself to hell because that act leads to severance of relationship of love, respect, and compassion.
The scribes and Pharisees obey the Law of Moses; they live by compliance. God, however, has another motive, not compliance but conversion. The first reading clearly illustrates the desire of his heart. He opens to sinners the path of return to his will, to his way, to his love. Surprisingly, Ezekiel says that the Lord does not desire the death or destruction of wicked people. He desires for them to live and he rejoices when they choose right path.
We belong to a religion that has commandments and rules. Do we think that mere observance of these obligations is enough to bring joy to God’s heart? It is but right to obey the regulations of our religious life since this brings discipline and order in the faith community. But more important is the heart goes beyond rules and reaches out to God and neighbor with a readiness to a change of direction, a change of heart, a change of life.
Lord, in this time of Lent, will you please guide me slowly to the path of conversion that will bring me closer to you. Amen.
