Christian Art Today - The Pharisees went out and began to plot against Jesus

The Pharisees and the Herodians Conspire Against Jesus James Tissot (1836-1902) , 1890 © The Brooklyn Museum, New York

Gospel of 20th July 2019 - Matthew 12: 14-21

The Pharisees went out and began to plot against Jesus, discussing how to destroy him.

Jesus knew this and withdrew from the district. Many followed him and he cured them all, but warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah:

Here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, the favourite of my soul. I will endow him with my spirit, and he will proclaim the true faith to the nations. He will not brawl or shout, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break the crushed reed, nor put out the smouldering wick till he has led the truth to victory: in his name the nations will put their hope.

Reflection

The people when confronted with Jesus' teachings had a genuine dilemma: they had to either accept His teachings, or not. The Pharisees took it a step further, they didn't only not accept Jesus' teachings, but they began to plot against Him. That is the very first sentence in today's reading: The Pharisees went out and began to plot against Jesus. We all know what that led to in the end, the crucifixion of Christ.

Jesus must have been aware that His outspoken ministry would lead to upsetting people such as the Pharisees, but yet he continued preaching, being entirely focussed in a persistent way on revealing His Father's will for us. At the end of the day, the difference is simply: the Pharisees used scripture as a code of law, always looking at other people to see how well they observed these laws. For Jesus however, scripture was all about having a relationship with God where we constantly communicate with Him, heart to heart. A very different attitude altogether. To read on see: www.christianart.today/daily-gospel-reading/117