Jackhammers for Jesus

One of this week's readings includes a conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees:

Luke 16:16 “The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped."

This reminds me of the way that modern day Pharisees try to convince me that I can't be Christian. They use Jesus as a battling ram, as if they can "rescue" me by force, pushing me into the kingdom through the repetition of their claims. They apply the pneumatic hammer of scripture.

In this passage Jesus tells us that something new happened when John came. He points out that as Messiah, his mission was to fulfill the law; to make it complete. As he said on the cross "It is finished/culminated/consumated."  And so I pat myself on the back, and think about making up a bunch of tee shirts reading "Jackhammers for Jesus" to pass out to the gaggle of Pharisees who swarm near, waving their favorite, most damning passages of scripture.

But then verse 17 urges me to patience and mercy for these same people who drive me nearly mad with their death-grip on cudgels of law despite all the instruction to the contrary offered in the gospels and  epistles. In 17 Jesus reminds me that it is no easy thing for those raised under the law, those who define themselves by it, to let it pass away.

And that is sad. And worthy of compassion.