Thirty-first Sunday Year A

In today’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus thoroughly warns against the scribes and Pharisees. Who were the scribes and Pharisees? Initially, the Pharisees wanted to strengthen their faith in the Jewish people. The intention was undoubtedly godly, but the means they used were evil. The Pharisees were strict about keeping all the old customs down to the last letter. But in doing so, they gradually lost sight of their meaning and goal of faith in God. Still, clinging to forms alone cannot restore faith because faith is much more than the sum of all kinds of pious actions.

During the time of Christ the Lord, the Pharisees represented the leaders of orthodox Jews. Because of their precise knowledge of the Law, they were honored by the people and considered its spokespersons. And yet, the Lord Jesus did not speak so harshly against anyone as he did against the Pharisees. He calls them the blind leaders of the blind because they no longer saw the core of God’s message but cared above all about their leadership position among the people, often by hypocritical means. But the worst thing was that the knowledge of the Law did not lead them to deep humility before God, but on the contrary, to pride in their knowledge. Instead of gratefully thanking God, they admired themselves. They paraded themselves before the people with their professional fulfillment of the details of the Law. The Lord Jesus told them that they cling to small things, and the very essence of faith escapes them. They considered themselves more pious than others and, therefore, personified the right to judge, rebuke, and criticize others. Yes – pride, ambition, hard heart inside, but outwardly a pretense of righteousness. They faked it so well that they believed it themselves.

That’s how the Pharisees were during the time of Christ the Lord. But why are we discussing it so extensively today, at the beginning of the 3rd millennium? Because pharisaism threatens both us and today’s church. pharisaism remains a problem even for today’s preachers of God’s word, that is, for priests. One wise old priest summed it up precisely: “What about sinners – it’s okay with them, I can help and convert them. But with the so-called “righteous” it’s bad. I’m powerless there because they’d rather convert me.” And we can ask: How does a person become such a “righteous” person, such a contemporary Pharisee? It begins with a person basing his righteousness on the careful observance of non-essentials, customs, and orders. And self-confidence gradually grows from this: How pious I am! And from this, arrogance grows: Look, so-and-so is not as consistent as I am in keeping holy actions! And a new Pharisee has already been born, who rebukes others and admires himself. The Pharisee seems to want to appropriate God only for himself: What the Pharisee wants, he proclaims as God’s will. The personal interests of the Pharisees are passed off as the interests of God.

And now let each of us put our hand on our heart: And what in me, in you, in him – ​​in each of us? And we will find that a little or a prominent Pharisee is in each of us. It is not so easy for us to stop seeking our glory from men but to seek it from God. It is not so easy to stop being ambitious but to be humble. And now, we have come to the correct word that expresses the opposite pole of Pharisaic: humility and modesty. Humility is the proper knowledge of my wretchedness before the majesty and greatness of God. Humility is getting rid of the false illusion that I must always and in everything be correct in order not to lose face in front of people. Humility will protect me from the hypocritical concern of what people will say or if I will jeopardize my good reputation.

And how does the Lord Jesus guide us, so we don’t fall into Pharisaic? As the most critical task, he does not impose on us to follow religious regulations and prohibitions but to follow him, Christ. We should build on something other than the quantity of pious acts and prayers but their quality. A small example for comparison: A beautifully cut diamond is much more valuable than a wagon load of black coal – and both are carbon in their chemical essence. It depends on our love – that is the measure of our purity and quality. There is one sure mark that not the zeal of the Pharisees, but the zeal of love, is at our work. That sign is the joy that shines through our efforts in the form of kind and warm humor, far from the eternal worry of the Pharisee. So, let’s ask the Lord to give us a sense of humor and absolute joy, which we can share with everyone around us.