Friday, November 18, 2011

Gospel of Matthew, chapter 15:14

A blind man, attempting to lead another blind man on a journey, would fall into every ditch that is in the way, and bring his follower along with him. So it is, Jesus tells us in today’s scripture, with religious teachers who are spiritually blind: they lead their naïve followers, who adhere to their false teachings, into error.

God respects our freedom, and often permits one man to lead many to ruin. A politician, like Hitler, is allowed to sweep multitudes to ruin; a religious leader, like Jim Jones, can get his followers to commit mass suicide. Those who are deluded by these fanatics are not compelled to follow them even if they claim they were intimidated by them. They are free in choosing such leaders, and they are answerable for being led to ruin.

Many teachers in the body of Christ today are no different than the Scribes and Pharisees who Jesus condemned for substituting their own traditions for the commandments of the Lord (Matthew 15:1-20).
Like the Scribes and Pharisees, false teachers exhibit greediness; and they crave the praises of those they are supposed to serve. Their churches have become citadels of human achievement and grandeur, and they want their subscribers to contribute to their “projects” while ignoring the word of God, and their obligation to help the poor and the widows who cannot afford a home.

Jesus is the example of the good teacher. He never built a church; He celebrated the first mass in the ‘upper room’ surrounded by His followers; one of whom betrayed Him; another denied Him three times; and the rest ran away into hiding. Yet, He never relented in His mission to witness to the truth, in season and out of season, and in the end gave His life for our sins. Is it any wonder then that He cautions us to avoid false teachers: “Don’t worry about them! They are blind leaders of the blind.” (Matthew 15:14).

“Don’t worry about them!” This is to say, leave them alone; ignore them for they are obsessed only with themselves and their own importance. When Jesus preaches, He teaches us to humble ourselves; to be cleansed of the wickedness of our own hearts in order to enter into His kingdom.

Fr. Hugh Duffy