Reflections
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August 22, 2011, 10:23pm
MATTHEW 23:23-26
Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the
weightier things of the law: Judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these
you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who
strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse
the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and
self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so
that the outside also may be clean.”
Reflection
Woe to you, you hypocrites. The gospels tell us that Jesus has a
soft heart for sinners and outcasts. He blesses and cures the sick. But
Jesus does not seem to have a heart for hypocrites. He calls them names
and even sounds like cursing them.
Why is this so? The scribes and Pharisees, whom Jesus calls
hypocrites, think so highly of themselves and see themselves as so holy
that they do not feel the need for God’s mercy.
They love only
themselves and fail to see God’s love. They boast before the Lord and
are blind to their own failings.
God’s grace is received by the lowly and the truthful. The humble see God and his mercy. But the hypocrites see only themselves.
An old man taught me once that water will flow only to lower ground. So will God’s grace!
Do a lowly chore at home or in your office.
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