Jesus Offers Salvation - But the Pharisees Put Power over God's Law.
What will you do to overcome the Pharisees of today?
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ brought a mission of salvation to the people in Roman occupied Judea. He healed the sick, cured the blind and raised the dead. More importantly he called for people to turn from sin and healed their souls. He pointed them to the Kingdom of God (HIS Kingdom) and helped them lead more righteous lives. But he did not do it in a way that was approved of by the local ruling class. For this, they persecuted him and had him killed by their Roman overlords.
The Pharisees Seek to Oppress the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Jesus was often challenged by the Pharisees, the religious rulers of the day. They would constantly follow him and challenge him, seeking information they could use to destroy him. They demanded Signs. They question him about divorce, paying taxes to Rome and commandments. They sent spies disguised as righteous followers to catch him in some scandal. When Jesus and His Disciples eat on the Sabbath, they question him. When Jesus heals on the Sabbath, they call him out.
But Jesus always overcame and humbled them and their schemes, until the time appointed by God for his Passion. He stopped the stoning of an adulterous woman, and bade her “Sin no more”. He pointed out the Pharisees were too blind to see the signs of the times. Jesus taught the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Jesus constantly called out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who served their own complex systems and power first. The Pharisees always put themselves before serving God and bringing the people to God.
Holy Thursday - Jesus Washes the Feet of the Apostles
As the appointed time for the death and resurrection approached, Jesus called his Apostles to him for a Passover Supper. The Last Supper. At the Last Supper Jesus instituted the sacrament of communion in Him where he offered up HIS body and HIS Blood in forgiveness for our sins. This was to be God’s (Jesus) ultimate last humble act on Earth as he worked to redeem us for Sin. But before this, he sought to teach another lesson to the Apostles - about their need for humility and service.
This lesson of humility and service came in the form of Jesus washing the feet of the apostles. Simon Peter, the rock on which Jesus would build His Church, protested. He said it was improper. But Jesus pointed out that unless he washed their feet, they could not have an inheritance with Jesus. He then pointed out that if Jesus could wash their feet as Teacher and Master, then they too must be humble too and wash one another’s feet figuratively as they served after Jesus was gone.
The Modern Day Paths We Must Follow
Today, everywhere in the world, sin abounds. People harden their hearts and call themselves righteous or state that they know what is right and can determine it for themselves. Some leaders cower and hide instead of helping to form society for the Common Good that allows people to lead just and moral lives, . They do so mainly to protect their own power. Other leaders work to interfere with those seeking to turn people from sin. These leaders are often elected officials, community figures or even clergy. They have built up a power base for themselves and will not have it challenged. Meanwhile the people continue to fall into error.
The question for us today is will we, as Christians, seek to serve our fellow man to help them find the path of Christ? Or will we back off and submit to the leaders who emulate the Pharisees. While the people perish from their sin and ignorance of their sin —and the leaders tolerate or ignore it— will we stand up for the WAY, the TUTH and the LIFE? Will we humble ourselves to serve others and wash their feet. Will we take the attacks and overcome the efforts to subvert efforts to lead people away from sin and toward Christ? Will we follow the examples of millennia of Christians who sacrificed themselves for the good of others - people like St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Stephen the (first) Martyr? Will we follow Christ’s own example he set when he washed the feet of his Apostles and when he offered himself to redeem us for our sins?
The world is in trouble now in so many ways. Much remains to be done to save souls as they seek the ways of the world rather than the Way of Christ.
What path will you take to save souls?