Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
(Hebrews 7:1-3.15-17; Mark 3:1-6)
A retired police officer recounts his first days in the service. As a learning exercise, his partner, a
veteran, was going to watch him stop and lecture a driver for a minor
infraction. When the police officer approached the driver, however, the veteran
interrupted the process. He apologized to the driver and allowed him to leave.
He then explained to the young policeman that it was not time to reproach the driver
because his son was in the car. He
continued that since no one wants to be embarrassed before his children, the
man might have reacted irresponsibly. The young officer thanked the veteran for
the lesson on the subtleties of good policing. This story may help us
understand the drama in the gospel today.
Jesus' question of whether it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather
than to do evil contains a lesson for the Pharisees. It is the Sabbath, and Jesus is about to do a
good deed for a person in considerable need.
On the other hand, the Pharisees are about to do evil in plotting Jesus’
demise. Unfortunately, the Pharisees,
unlike the young policeman in our story, cannot see Jesus’ point. There zealotry for religious dominance has clouded
their judgment.
As the Pharisees, our judgment is often compromised by the force of our
egos. We do what is wrong thinking that
we are doing something good. We might
pray to the Holy Spirit for discernment. Also, conferring with a wise friend
may help us avoid this pitfall. We, who
listen to the word of God daily, should take care not to act like the Pharisees
of this gospel passage.
