Thoughts for the Day

‘But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We have looked at the Blessings mentioned by Jesus in the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Mount earlier this year, and now we start to look at the seven Woes. He starts by denouncing the Scribes and the Pharisees. Broadly speaking the Scribes knew the law, kept accounts and drew up contracts, while the Pharisees were responsible for upholding and teaching the Law of Moses. In the past such men would carry a key as a symbol of knowledge - a key will open a locked door, so these men were teachers of the Law, giving access to God's kingdom. However, by the time of Jesus the Pharisees were placing crippling restrictions of their own on the people. Jesus also accused them of failing to obey the laws they had created, and along with the Scribes of seeking to impress the people by their appearance. They were some of Jesus' most vociferous critics and their rejection of the Messiah, the Son of God, meant they were also rejecting his Blessings.

Jesus' words remind us to be aware that we are all responsible for helping others access knowledge about God and His kingdom. If reading these Thoughts for Day is opening your eyes and helping you on your faith journey, perhaps you can encourage others to receive them. Let me know! Alternatively, can you find other ways of helping children, teenagers, friends or relatives to learn more about their faith? This is not just the responsibility of the clergy!

Heavenly Father,
help us to realise that we all have
a responsibility to learn more about You
and about Your plans for us and our world.
Help us also to realise that we all have
a responsibility to pass this knowledge
on to those around us in any way we can.
Amen.