November 4, 2010 – Catechism 577-582

Jesus tells us that those who teach His ways will be great in Heaven.  Those that do not will be called least.  I think this looks again at the authority a person has to teach and how teachings that disagree with each other, in certain cases, cannot coexist under God’s law. 

This describes the relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees and other scribes.  They had such an arrogance about them, thinking that they knew exactly what all the laws meant and thought they were doing a perfect job of following them.  They could not see who they were struggling with and who they were arguing against.  And it is obvious they were over matched in the very simple ways Jesus reduces their arguments and tricks.  “Let him without sin cast the first stone”, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and God what is God’s.”  They would spin these questions and hypotheticals and think they had Jesus cornered, and with a simple line or two or a parable completely turn things around. 

Do we ever find ourselves arguing with God about things going on in our lives.  Have we ever been refuted by something very simple that we couldn’t see because we were so sure we were right or so determined to do things our way.  Let us take a lesson from the Pharisees and understand that arguing with God is never going to get the result we desire.