Do you ever get mad at someone and all of your pent up frustration comes pouring out? We can’t really know if it was like that for Jesus but in this passage he calls out the Pharisees for focusing too much on minor, seemingly trivial things while neglecting areas of faith that truly matter. Fr. Michael ties this theme into some major events happening in the Church today.
Luke 11:42-46
The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”