The disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" He said in reply, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."-Matt 15:12-14
Friends, God is good all the time!
“We must always choose the most perfect. Two good works present themselves to be done, one in favor of a person we love, the other in favor of a person who has done us some harm. Well, we must give preference to the latter.” - Saint John Vianney. The disciples of Jesus were shocked when they noticed the response Jesus gave to a group of Pharisees and Scribes, who had come to complain about the behavior of His disciples. The disciples could hardly believe Jesus' attitude toward the system and the men the system had produced and protected as incomparably religious.
However, if Jesus were to comment on John Vianney in the gospels, what would His comment be? I do believe that He would say, “There is an enlightened guide, one who sees clearly, follow his lead.” The reason is clear. Jesus intimates to the disciples, “It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one” (Matt 15:11). Vianney’s words above is enlightening and wise to live by when contrasted with that of the Pharisees and the Scribes. Is not the human person the center of any system?
To Jesus, most of the Pharisees and Scribes were nothing but blind guides, who would be "uprooted" by the Father. Jesus is an enlightened and transformational leader. His ministry and teaching contrasted what the Pharisee and the Scribes offered to the people. Therefore, He was the authority that could challenge the Pharisees and the Scribes and call them to proper conduct. But Jesus also challenges His disciples to avoid following and perpetuating blind systems. "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you” (Matt 20: 25-26).
A system that fails to consider the weak and the strong, the least and the greatest, the young and the old alike is a blind system, whether it is a religious, political, or economic in nature. Wherever systems perpetuate blindness, Christians are called upon to bring the light of Christ. The Christian attitudes must be transformational in nature whether we speak or act.
Prayer blessings: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. Amen.