The scribes and Pharisees were often described in negative or not so good ways throughout the Gospels. Often we hear Jesus mocking them, or scolding them, or telling them of their hypocrisy by showing them how wrong they were in their behaviour and conduct. But actually, the scribes and Pharisees were not entirely bad people or wicked people. They were misguided or extreme in their behaviour and conduct, but from time to time, we do hear of some scribes and Pharisees who were not that bad after all. So, in a nutshell, what was their problem?
The problem with the scribes and the Pharisees is that they were interpreting the Law according to their own terms. They thought that by following the letter of the Law to the minute detail, things would be ok. But what they failed to realise is that there is more to the Law than just the letter. In today's Gospel, Jesus further emphasised the need to follow the Law not so much according to the letter, but according to the Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus reminded them: "What I want is mercy, not sacrifice." The scribes and Pharisees excelled in making sacrifices and making others do the same, but they failed in showing mercy.
What about us? Are we following God's laws just for the sake of being in His good books? Have we become like the scribes and Pharisees, focusing so much on following the Law so rigidly, that we have lost or misunderstood its meaning? May we learn to be loving and merciful, just as God is loving and merciful to all of us.
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