The Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus why his disciples hadn’t followed the elders' tradition and ate a meal with unclean hands. What may seem like an innocent question is not as innocent as we think. The Pharisees and scribes wanted to accuse Jesus himself of not observing the Jewish cleansing rituals.
Jesus, in his response, speaks
to a much deeper level of faith and spirituality. Jesus calls them hypocrites and reprimands them with the words from the prophet Isaiah, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” (Is 29:13). The Pharisees and scribes did not care for the disciples; they did not care if they observed the law or not. They observed their mistakes and used them as
accusations against Jesus and the disciples.
We are similar to the Pharisees and the scribes. How often have we said, “Why is that person receiving Holy Communion in the hands?” or, “That child was too loud at church. The mother should have sat outside with her.” or, “Did you see what she wore? It was inappropriate for church?”. We often look carefully at others and judge them for their errors. Of course, we should correct each
other, but not criticise.
Jesus invites us to recognise why we observe others. Do we care for them or want to accuse them of something? Jesus invites us to purify ourselves. He invites us to love God and our neighbour. How do you live out this commandment of God in your life?
Reflections by Morongoa Selepe
