And what I say to you I say to all!

Luke 11:42-46

Jesus said, "I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but manage to find loopholes for getting around basic matters of justice and God's love. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. 43 "You're hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You love sitting at the head table at church dinners, love preening yourselves in the radiance of public flattery. 44 Frauds! You're just like unmarked graves: People walk over that nice, grassy surface, never suspecting the rot and corruption that is six feet under." 45 One of the religion scholars spoke up: "Teacher, do you realize that in saying these things you're insulting us too?" 46 He said, "Yes, and I can be even more explicit. You're hopeless, you religion scholars! You load people down with rules and regulations, nearly breaking their backs, but never lift even a finger to help.

Food for thought!

There is something curious about Jesus: when he speaks to some, he speaks to all. What Jesus speaks to some people is relevant to all peoples. Why so? Because, 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. (Heb 4:12-13)

This is what is happening in today’s Gospel Reading. Jesus is addressing the Pharisees, but as he does so, one of the scribes that is, the religious scholars, jumps in with a personal confession: "Teacher, do you realize that in saying these things you're insulting us too?" It means that as Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, the scribes were getting the message as addressed to them too.

It means that we really cannot hide from Jesus and his word. It means that it is wrong to imagine that what Jesus teaches applies to others and not to us; that it is the others that must change their lives and not ourselves.Yes, like the religion teacher, we do well to admit like he did, “you have insulted us, too, in what you just said.” When Jesus speaks to some, he speaks to all.

When Jesus speaks to you, he speaks to me. When he speaks to me, he speaks to you (indeed, this is why my personal meditations are our meditations); when he speaks to women, he speaks to men; when he speaks to men he speaks to women; when he speaks to sinners he speaks to me. When Jesus speaks to Pharisees and to scribes, when he speaks to the people of yesterday and of long ago, he speaks to me and to you and to us all, people of today. To him be praise and honour and glory, both now and forever. Amen.

"And what I say to you I say to all." (Mark 13:37)