Gnat and Camel

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082625.cfm

I’m certain that I am not the only one with this wish, but Man, would I love to hear Jesus deliver some of the teaching in the Gospel. His tone and demeaner must have been something to witness. I can almost imagine the Apostles trying to recapture it for their audiences, but certainly not like the Master Himself. Sometimes the words and imagery alone give us some keen insight into the Lord’s approach. I think today’s Gospel is one of those instances.

Jesus is in the middle of several ‘woe to you’ statements. It is interesting to know that the Greek word for ‘woe’ primarily means ‘grief’, not condemnation. So the Lord is grieving over their behavior. This is a mindset that we should have when we see those in the world around us seemingly going awry. We don’t grieve what we don’t love. So Jesus’ tone with them must also reflect that He is attempting to love them back to right relationship with God. By the way, this worked. We have a tendency to think that Jesus was rejected wholesale by the Jews, but He was not. The earliest Christian communities (thousands converted in a day) were almost all Jews.

What Jesus is expressing grief over is that they have become so enamored with the rules, that the rules have become their God. They have put things in an incorrect order. They are worried about tithing on spices (this is an example of literally worrying about the smallest possible thing) but they are not showing the love of God to others, and so people do not see God in ANY of their actions. Jesus uses a very effective and creative hyperbole: you strain out the gnat but swallow the camel. I wonder if He got laughs from some of the bystanders on that one (Good one, Jesus!!). But His point is clear: don’t get so enamored with the details that you forget the larger things: judgement, mercy, fidelity.

In his book entitled “The Utter Relief of Holiness”, John Eldredge asks if Christians should always drive the speed limit. In most circumstances, yes, of course, but there might be times when something greater is at stake. When my son was two, he had a terrible burn from scalding hot coffee while we were camping. The nearest hospital was 15-20 miles away. He was in incredible pain, and I can tell you that it didn’t matter what the speed limit sign said that day, I was getting him to the hospital as quickly and safely as I could. Any dad would do the same, and every police officer would understand (I think). Jesus himself broke many rules in his ministry, most notably healing and picking grain on the Sabbath. "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath", He said.

Was Jesus saying, abolish the Sabbath? No. But don't forget to note its purpose and don't allow that to lead you away from greater things: judgement, mercy, fidelity. If you encounter someone who desperately needs help on your way to Mass, don't use Mass as an excuse to ignore them and pass them by.

All of this is not to say: thumb your nose at the rules. It is to say: keep your eyes on Christ. In your volunteering, in your prayer, in your devotions, in your committees, in your families, in Sunday Mass. Don’t allow yourself to separate these blessed things, these honorable activities from the one who makes them blessed.