hypocrisy and wickedness within. Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build
tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. You say: Had we lived in the time of
our ancestors, we would not have joined them in the blood of prophets. So, you yourselves confess to
be the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. And now, finish off what your ancestors began!
Reflection:
Again Jesus continues His tirade against the teachers of the Law and
Pharisees. They are not bad people. Actually their zeal for the Law of the Lord is burning
and strong. All they want is for all Israel to worship God the way He is meant to be
worshipped. Sadly, their zeal blinded them to what is most important. It calcified their
religious sensibilities. And so, they focused on the external following of the Law rather
than its spirit that is based on love and compassion. And so it becomes oppressive and
anti-people. Only the rich and privilege few, of which the teachers of the Law and the
Pharisees belong can follow it to the letter. And in time, they create new legislations
that made it impossible for ordinary people to follow. In time, this created a class of
spiritual elites who are out of touch with the plight of the ordinary people. They are
supposed to make God close to people. But what they did is to make God so remote that
only they have access to God.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2021