DAILY HOMILIES #rules

From Jesus’ response, we learn two important points. One, Jesus is God; He is the long-awaited bridegroom. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Two, God wants us to worship Him in spirit and truth instead of merely observing rules (Cf. John 4:23). There is a difference between worshipping God and following the commandments. This is the difference between the new wineskins and the old wineskins.

There is an extent to which our worship of God becomes reduced to the mere observation of rules. This was the problem of the Pharisees. It is like building a mansion and employing a housekeeper. One day, you travel to a distant place and instruct your housekeeper: “Do not let anyone enter this house.” A rule the housekeeper was determined to keep. Upon your return, your housekeeper would not allow you to enter your house because of your instruction.

There is an extent to which our worship of God becomes reduced to the mere observation of rules. This was the problem of the Pharisees.