Gospel: Luke 7:31-35

 

Today’s Gospel presents a last criticism of Jesus against the religious authority of his time.

 

Thousands were looking for Jesus. This phrase allows to have a glimpse of the enormous popularity of Jesus and the desire of the people to encounter God. It makes us also see the abandonment in which people found themselves. “They are like sheep without a shepherd,” said Jesus on another occasion.

 

Mark had already spoken of the yeast of the Pharisees and of the Herodians and had suggested that it was a question of the mentality, or of the dominant ideology of that time, which expected a glorious and powerful Messiah. In this text Luke identifies the yeast of the Pharisees with hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is an attitude which turns up side down or overturns the values. It hides the truth. In this case, hypocrisy was like the apparent cover of the extreme fidelity to the word of God. Jesus wants the contrary. He wants coherence.

 

Instead of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees which hides the truth, the disciples should be sincere. They should not be afraid of truth. Jesus invites them to share with the others the teachings which they learn from Him. The disciples cannot keep these to themselves, but they should spread them. 

 

They should be afraid that fear of suffering may lead them to hide or to deny the truth  will lead them to offend God; because he who separates himself from God will be lost forever.