Commentary on the Gospel of
Missing the Forest for the Trees
I once read an anecdote about a family. It was the time Dr. Benjamin Spoke’s book Baby and Child Care was the ultimate word on child care. Like many mothers of that time, this first-time mother in the story also had her copy of the book. One day, her new-born baby was crying relentlessly. The baby had slept well and was fed well on waking. Why does it cry again? The mother turned to the book to find out. And the baby went on crying. All along, the grandmother was watching the scene. Finally losing patience, the grandmother shouted at the mother: “For heaven’s sake, drop the book and pick up the child!”
The Pharisees in today’s gospel are like the first-time mother in the story. Their heads are totally buried in the Law that they fail to look up at the disciples and see their human need. By focusing on the minutiae, they missed the larger picture.
