Monday of Week 21 – 2 Thes 1:1-15,11-12; Ps 96:1-5; Matthew 23:13-22
harisaic piety – not entirely about clinging to God’s law and being merciful to those who trespass against them. It’s more about getting around God’s law. Searching for various ways to strategies to make the letter of the law appear fulfilled, but not keeping its complete meaning. Just as in this claim – that the validity of an oath depends on what you swear it by. If you didn’t realise this and believed the one who made the oath, then you were fooled and taken in . . .
Don’t be afraid when they accuse you of being an unmerciful Pharisee because you want to abide by God’s law. Even when this doesn’t always turn out well for you. Rather, be fearful of beginning to look for excuses that for one reason or another God’s law does not apply. Or that you begin accusing those who notice this duplicity of a lack of mercy. Because Jesus does not condemn sinners, who, today, though knowing God’s law and believing it to be right, even so fall. It is to those who disregard this law by making excuses and consider themselves unblemished that He says, “alas to you”.