Religious blindness- then and now

“But (1) woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, play actors, that (2) you close the realm of the heavens to the sight of all people. For you neither enter yourselves nor do you allow those entering to enter. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, play actors, that (3) you travel across sea and land to make a single convert, and when he becomes a convert, you make him twice as much a child of the rubbish tip [Greek gehenna] as yourselves. Woe to you, (4) blind guides, saying, ‘He who would swear an oath by the sanctuary, it’s nothing, but he who would swear an oath by the gold of the sanctuary, he’s indebted.’ (4) Foolish and blind, because which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold holy? Again, ‘He who would swear an oath by the altar, it’s nothing, but he who would swear an oath by the gift that is on it, he’s indebted.’ (4) Blind, because which is greater, the gift or the altar that has made the gift holy? So whoever swears an oath by the altar is swearing an oath by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears an oath by the sanctuary is swearing an oath by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears an oath by heaven is swearing an oath by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.” Matthew 23: 13-22

The attacks in Manchester and at Westminster and Borough Market in London have forced us all to pay attention to the power – power for harm - of religion. Any religious conviction which leads to random murder needs to be thought through. There are senior holy men who are teaching and training young people to kill others. Apparently this is partly for the sake of pleasing their God and partly with an eye on rather suspect benefits for the suicidal killers in the heavenly realms. What do you think about this sort of thing?
.	‘Pride is the mask of one’s own thoughts.’ (Anon.)
Will you come with me to Jerusalem and the final few days before Jesus was crucified there – and rose again? See bold above. This man, who, instead of killing others, died to give them eternal life, had some fascinating things to say to the religious people of AD 30. These were the “scribes and Pharisees”. The word “scribes” means “writers”, presumably because they were literate and articulate and others weren’t. The “Pharisees” were members of the leading religious and political party there. The amazing thing is that Jesus forewarned these two groups, in the hearing of the general public, about the woe – the sorrow – which was ahead for them. (1) Jesus foresaw “woe” (tragedy even) for them because they were “play actors”, hypocrites. Their religion was pretence. Something was dreadfully wrong.
.	‘A man is never so proud as when striking an attitude of humility.’ (C S Lewis, academic, 1898-1963)
(2) Jesus said that they were hiding, concealing the realm of the heavens from the sight of all the people. They neither entered themselves nor did they allow those who were entering finally to enter.Can it be that some religious people deep down know what is truly good - but keep it from others? And turn away from that good themselves? Why would they do that? (3) They were very active in “making converts” – they went everywhere to do that. But Jesus said that the converts were converted to become doubly like them. Their converts, Jesus said, became “children of gehenna”. Gehenna meant the Valley of Hinnom, just outside Jerusalem where, in AD 30, all the rubbish and offal was burnt or rotted. Religious converts becoming doubly children of Gehenna? Today, even that is tragically familiar to us in Britain. (4) Jesus said that they were “sightless guides”, “foolish people”, “personally blind”. Jesus backed this with two factual examples about swearing oaths. Even today in Jersey’s Royal Court, statements under oath are relied upon. These learned leaders made oaths very tricky. Some oaths – those sworn on the sanctuary or on the altar, were not oaths at all. Others, sworn on the gold or on the gifts were valid. Through these legal decisions some could escape their obligations. And gold and gifts were more important than their own sacred places. Do you think these well-educated religious and political leaders of Jesus’ day deserved the “woes”, the sorrows which Jesus predicted would be the outcome of their foolish blindness, and guidance of others? This was only a day or so before Jesus showed what was truly good. He went to the death of the cross so as to forgive even his enemies – and rose again.

Sinner Syvret

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