Why do we call ourselves Christians? Are we Christians only in name? Or do we really follow the ways and teachings of Christ? Sometimes we come across people who call themselves Christians, but they follow their own version or understanding of Christianity. Such people have laws, rules and regulations which have been formulated to suit their purposes and convenience. Could we have become like such people?
In today’s Gospel, we come across the scribes and Pharisees who essentially were good people trying to follow God’s laws. Their problem was they were following God’s laws according to what they think was right, not according to the actual teachings, rules and regulations that God had given them from the beginning. God’s laws can be summarised into love God and love neighbour, and as Jesus taught and showed in many ways, one’s neighbour is not restricted only to one’s friends or acquaintances, but also others, including one’s enemies. In today’s Gospel, we see how the Pharisees were so engrossed in maintaining and obeserving their numerous traditions and practices, that they put aside the commandment of God. This is why Jesus admonished them when He said: “This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me.”
We too could fall into the same trap, if we start treating our own rules and regulations as more important than God’s commandments. We could be like the scribes and Pharisees, when we begin to pick and choose only those laws and regulations that suit us or benefit us or are convenient to us, instead of observing them entirely, in the form of loving God and loving neighbour completely. Are we still stubbornly clinging on to our own ways, or are we willing to change and follow Jesus’ ways?