Daily Reflections- July 18, 2012

INTELLECTUAL PRIDE

 

In the synoptic gospels, we hear how Jesus is publicly ridiculed by people who are known to be authorities of the law. We know that when those people questioned Him, it was really done with malice. They meant to humiliate Him as the question was thrown while He was preaching before a group of Jews in the temple. It was pretty clear that those intellectuals thought ill of Him. And the one most obvious reason for all these is He was teaching people even if He had no clear and valid credentials: “What right have you to do these things? Who gave you such right?” (Matthew 21:23).

In His whole public ministry, we see how Jesus has been consistently rejected by those who were supposed to be learned and intelligent, just as He has consistently been accepted by the lowly and the marginalized lot. Hence, His prayer, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and the clever, and have revealed them to babes” (Matthew 11:25). But we have to be careful in understanding what exactly Jesus wants us to learn from these words. He is not against intelligence per se. He doesn’t want us to wallow in ignorance. What He is against is intellectual pride.

The Scribes, Pharisees and elders have made known in today’s Gospel the cause of their hostility towards Jesus. They had years of studies to back themselves up. They are teachers of the law as they have followers who listen and follow them. Unfortunately, such knowledge had led them to look down on Jesus. They saw themselves as the only ones who have the right and authority to preach.

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:27) supports the theme of today’s Gospel: “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.” Fr. Sandy V. Enhaynes

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: How do you treat people who are below you intellectually?

 

Lord Jesus, grant me the humility to accept that I do not know everything, that I can also learn from the less educated ones, even the people with handicaps.