Thoughts for the Day

One of the lawyers answered Jesus, ‘Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us too.’ And he said, ‘Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute”, so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.’

When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile towards him and to cross-examine him about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Today's reading is the second part of a verbal attack by Jesus. He has been invited to dine with a Pharisee at his house and doesn't follow the ceremonial law of washing his hands before the meal. The way to wash involved pouring water onto the finger-tips and allowing it to run down to the wrists, and then fresh water from wrists to finger tips. Not to do this was considered a sin. The comments made led Jesus to attack the Pharisees for their concern with external things and their lack of concern for spiritual things and for justice. It's at this point that a lawyer or scribe speaks up. "Teacher," he says, "when you say these things, you insult us too."

Jesus' answer is to accuse these experts in the law of placing impossible burdens on the people. For it was they who laid thousands of ceremonial laws down to ensure that the Law of Moses wasn't broken, and it was these that the Pharisees tried to follow. If it was forbidden to work on the Sabbath then it was the scribes who worked out what this actually meant. It was they who came up with laws like forbidding people to tie knots (though not a woman's girdle!), considering it was work. Their interpretation of scripture shut people off from God.

However, today there are still those who make demands on others that they cannot keep themselves, and who interpret God's will as one of judgement, instead of a God who loves His people and who offers them forgiveness when repentance is made.

Lord Jesus Christ,
we dislike the impossible rules
invented by the scribes
and upheld by the Pharisees
that were placed on the people,
in an attempt to keep the Law of Moses.
You taught them that the spirit of the law
was important but often they refused to listen.
You also taught us the primary commandment:
to love God and to love one another,
but often we choose to go our own way.
Forgive our waywardness and
help us to make a fresh start this day.
Amen.