Reading
7 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”
6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
Meditation
The Pharisees and scribes who gather around Jesus come from Jerusalem, which is about ninety miles from Galilee. If they had gone on such a long journey to hear Jesus' teachings it would have been laudable, but their purpose is only to oppose him. Hence the dispute over the purification of the disciples, with which they want to accuse Jesus of not abiding by the Mosaic law.
Although the law provided for ablutions, the "ancient" tradition (v. 5) of the Pharisees built an elaborate ceremonial on the precept of the Scriptures. Thus had arisen a body of extra-biblical laws and interpretations which had supplanted the Scriptures as the highest religious authority in Judaism.
The Pharisees followed the traditions of men because their teachings required a mechanical application, which didn't take into account the much more demanding purity of heart. They were concerned with the body but not with the spirit; in fact, they were not limited to ablutions but purified even the dishes. With their superficial traditions, they exalt themselves and cultivate self-seeking.
Korbàn (v. 11) is a Hebrew term meaning "offered to God", referring to sacrifices in money or other goods. Those who consecrated the offering to God could continue to make personal use of it, but not pass it on to others, not even in the extreme case of assistance to needy parents. Jesus condemns selfishness cloaked in religious piety, expressed in the instrumental use of this practice, also in violation of the fourth commandment of the law. Jesus puts at the center the only true tradition that does not pass, that of the Scriptures, which recommend filial love: "Honor your father with all your heart and do not forget your mother's pangs. Remember that they generated you: what will you give them in exchange for what they gave you? " (Sirach 7:27-28).
Patristic testimonies, conciliar decrees, liturgical rubrics, and articles of canon law are a wealth for the Church, but they often become a leaden "cloak" that suffocates the life of the Christians, limiting the exposure to the breeze and dew of the Spirit. The "doctors of the law", the pastors of the church, first of all, must consider every tradition at the service of the gospel and never be in contradiction with the commandment of charity.
If we look to Jesus as the supreme legislator, the one in whom the law became flesh, we will certainly not be wrong in our actions. Indeed, Moses wrote about him (Jn 5:46); he who is larger than the Temple (Mt 12,6) and of the perimeter traced by our idea of religion.
Prayer
Purify, Lord, our heart, so that we can serve you in freedom of spirit, as instruments of your charity. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
