The Pharisees are an interesting lot. When we observe their behaviour, we could in some ways begin to feel empathy for them, as they have so many minute details, laws and instructions that need to be observed and followed. It is stifling for them, but because of years of conditioned living, it became extremely difficult for them to break out of their mindset. Certainly not a great way to live life, when you have been living in such an environment for years.
However, having so many rules and regulations is no excuse to ignore the true essence of God's laws. To put it simply, 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 observing their numerous traditions and practices, that they put aside the commandment of God. We too could fall into the same trap, if we start treating rules and regulations as more important than God's commandments. This is not to say that we can forget about rules and regulations and do whatever we like. But the idea of having rules and regulations is to serve God and build God's Kingdom, with love, mercy and compassion; not to use such rules and regulations to build our own kingdom and lord it over others. The question is: whose kingdom are we ultimately building?
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