A Cycle –30th Sunday in Ordinary Time 26
Mt. 22:34-40
It is amazing how little we pay attention to the words and actions of the Pharisees. It seems we are so intent on discovering God’s message for us and the words and actions of Jesus. Yet, what God is revealing to us is contained in every word and every action of every figure in the scriptures. Today, I would like you to focus on something other than the obvious message in this week and last week’s gospel.
What God desires for us is revealed in the words of God creating us in His image and likeness. We were created for intimacy with God, talking and talk with God each day. He gave us His creation to subdue and multiply. Adam and Eve had one command, and they failed to obey it because they failed to trust the goodness of God. We know how their sin cost us immortality. It also ushered sin into the world. It ushered in pain, turmoil, betrayal, greed, malice, envy, and chaos into the world. The Old Testament shows us how evil and depraved humans became and how God covered the earth with water and only Noah and his daughters survived. God called Noah “righteous.” The scriptures do not tell us what he did to be called righteous, but we know his trust in god’s word was key.
The scriptures move from Noah to Abraham, and the story of Gods’ call to Abraham. And his absolute trust in God. God called Abraham his “intimate friend.’ It should be noted there were no laws given to Abraham, just a command to go to a land I will show you. Trust in God again should be noted because Abraham heard God say He will be their God and they will be His people. Responses to God seemed to be spontaneous offerings out of gratitude or a need for guidance. We know about Sissac, Jacob and ultimately the Exodus with the call of Moses. Why is this history critical for us to understand? Because there was no law, God’s plan remained for us to desire intimacy with Him.
Because we are described as a stiff neck people, inclined to satisfy our desires God reinforced the covenant He made with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Moses was given the laws in the form of commandments and laws governing every aspect of living in a community with believers and non-believers. Which brings us back to the Pharisees and how we should see in their words and actions how our dependance on the law can prevent us from intimacy with God.
Today’s gospel begins with the Pharisees concerned because Jesus silenced the Sadducee’s attempt to trip Him up. Now the Pharisees are concerned because He is making a mockery of the law. He healed on the Sabbath. He allowed His disciples to eat gran without washing their hands according to the ritual law. He has called them whitewashed tombs and tells them their hearts ar far from God. He challenges everything they depend upon to define holiness and to remain the spiritual guise of the chosen people. Surely, this scholar can trip Jesus up, “what is the greatest commandment.” A simple question based on all the laws choose one that is most critical for us to follow. In one way that is what we do by defining our sins as mortal and venial. John in his epistle wrote “. all unrighteousness is sin but there is a sin that is deadly” (1 Jn.5”17). What we ignore is the fact that all unrighteousness is sin,
We have never been encouraged to focus on loving God with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul Deu. (65). Those words were spoken to Moses by God and thy sum up all the reason for the laws. The laws were given to Moses to define the Israelites as unified people guided by a unified purpose and different than any other people. But obedience to the laws and rituals became an obstacle to loving God. How can we love God when our approach to God is fear based on a law that has convicted us and condemns us? Like Adam we doubt God’s goodness? We will never be able to love God until we have an interaction with God that frees us from the guilt of our sins which cling to us like polluted rags. We need a prodigal son moment with God. It should happen here as we worship and receive Jesus into our hearts.
But it seems to be impossible and the only hope we have is to stand before Jesus and believe He has all we need to change our lack of trust into belief. We need a woman at the well moment where we ask Jesus to give us that living water He promises would change our hearts. In chapter six of John’s gospel, Jesus describes that water as the Spirit which He promises to send us. Come Holy Spirit Come.
