Some of the greatest disputes throughout history are a simple matter of conflicting interpretations of the same text. Today, for example, Muslims dispute whether the Koran advocates the kind of terrorism that makes headlines or asks them to live peaceably with other "People of the Book," including Christians and Jews.
In this Sunday's Gospel (Matthew 22:35-46), one of the Pharisees asks Jesus which commandment is the greatest. He adroitly navigates this test, avoiding any chance of giving offense because he gives first place to God: love God with all your being (see Deuteronomy 6:5). And then he quickly joins love of God to love of neighbor (see Leviticus 19:18). Jesus sees in the interpretation of the Pharisees that what is called love of God can sometimes be a screen to get away from the difficult task of loving a neighbor.
Allow Jesus' words to challenge you today, as they challenged the Pharisees to re-evaluate how they interpreted scripture. The very way we interpret scripture has to be rooted in our love of God and neighbor. Love of God (whom we cannot see) can never be a legitimate excuse for killing, hating, or fearing another person whom we can see. Nor can we be willfully blind to the needs of others.
As if to drive home his challenge, Jesus then asks the scholars and Pharisees a question about the Messiah, the savior whom they were waiting for. Quoting one of the Psalms, Jesus asks them: If the Messiah is to be a son of David, how can King David also call the Messiah "Lord"?
Jesus knows scripture inside out. There is no test or trick to trip him up. Let us pray that we can hear his challenge and understand God's Word correctly, and then have the courage to act upon it.
Rev. Jerome Wolbert ofm is a Franciscan priest who serves in Pennsylvania.
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