# Seeking God, finding God: The danger of legalism
*2009-01-24*

> Bill Young reflects on how Jesus was rejected by the religious authorities of his time for prioritizing compassion and inclusion over burdensome laws.

## The rejection of the Son of Man

Today we are reading from a pamphlet called 'Seeking God, Finding God: Meditations, Activities, and Prayers.' Our topic is the reality that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. It is a poignant truth that Jesus was rejected by religion. We must understand that Jesus was a good Jew who understood and taught the words of the prophets, yet he was rejected by the authorities within his own faith. He spoke of this rejection as one of his greatest sufferings.

## Tradition versus burden

Jesus never rejected the teachings of his tradition. Instead, he challenged the laws that imposed unbearable burdens on the people, excluding those who simply could not observe them. Jesus broke down these barriers by forgiving the woman caught in adultery, calling a tax collector to be a disciple, accepting women among his followers, and eating with the Gentiles. It was this very inclusion of others that led to his exclusion by his own people.

## The purpose of the law

Jesus spent his ministry telling people they were not sinners simply because they were unable to live up to the many laws and burdens that had been imposed upon them. As Moses makes clear in the first reading, the law is supposed to lead us to life. When the practice of the law is no longer life-giving, it is the practice that needs to change, not the people.

## Examining our own rules

We must ask ourselves: what laws have become so important to us that we would be willing to hurt or exclude people unable to observe them? If we do this, we run the risk of rejecting Jesus. I encourage you to ask yourself if you are merely a rule-keeper and whether the rules you observe are life-giving. Do they lead you to a deeper life? Today, I invite you to practice compassion with someone who may not be as good as you are at keeping the rules.

*We must ensure our religious practices lead us toward compassion and a deeper life rather than becoming barriers that exclude others.*