GIVING LOVE FIRST PLACE IN ALL THINGS

There's nothing like religion or politics to start a very heated argument.  Truth goes out the window and the Ego takes centre stage.  It's ironic that Just when we are looking for guidance, Commandments, Obligation and Rules start competing for our attention and dedication.  Before you know it, there are regulations for everything.  Laws spring up like wild mint till, with the exception of breathing, the 'book' has to be consulted about every human activity, and the question asked, "Yes, but are they following the law?"
In this weeks Gospel, the Pharisees try to seduce Jesus into this labyrinth, and He reminds them that the interior reality of Love, its inner spaciousness, is the true guide.  Then Jesus asks them a question and it is a question with teeth.  
Origins determine people in terms of power and influence.  So who does Jesus think He is?He tells them that The Messiah is greater than David and is not just tending one household.  The law does not test the Messiah, the Messiah tests the Law.  They will not weigh Jesus in a balance, He will weigh them.

Jesus is concerned with the inner state of the acting person.  Mindless compliance with rules and regulations are a garment to be worn on the outside. This person will not put a stumbling block before a blind person because it says so in Leviticus 9,14. Choosing not to take advantage of anyone who is weak or vulnerable comes rather from being in touch with the inner configuration of divine and human love.  We move among the forest of laws knowing their ultimate purpose.  So we know when to heed them, when to modify them and when to dismiss them.  You might, in complete disobedience to the Sabbath Laws, even heal a cripple on the sabbath. (Matthew 12, 1-13)

A hard working man feels guilty that he is not spending enough time with his three year old son.  So he sets himself to play Building blocks with him and the boy asks, " Daddy why are you angry with me?"  An elderly mother is taken into care after a stroke and her daughter is painstakingly attentive to her every need. One day, the old lady asks, "Why are you doing all this?"  Her daughter lists a list of reasons and her mother says, "Rubbish!" When questioned, her mother replies, "We don't need all those, we love each other, that's enough, right?"