對愛護你的人，你還要證據來証明他存在，証明他愛你嗎？經師和法利塞人偏偏這樣做了。耶穌基督正是天父派遣來對人類表達愛意的標記，經師和法利塞人竟然要求耶穌基督顯示一個徵兆，真是忘恩負義，難怪耶穌嚴厲批評他們「邪惡淫亂」。不是因為他們擁有過多知識，也不是因為他們作惡多端，荒淫無度。而是因為他們以怨報德。
首先必須澄清「淫亂」指甚麼。天主以婚姻比喻自己與以色列人的關係，所以拜偶像，無信或者背教，信奉其他神祗，與通姦無異。因此，耶穌在這裡所指的是經師和法利塞人的無信。
耶穌心惡痛絕的，就是他們所擁有的知識，並沒有感動他們的心，使他們更熱愛天主。反而利用他們的知識圖利和保護自己，並且質疑耶穌的福音！我們有沒有犯類似的毛病，依恃自己的神學知識，指摘他人的錯謬呢？或者炫耀自己的虔誠，鄙視他人沒有遵守禮規呢？這樣做，我們便把愛德拋諸腦後了！
聖經不反對知識，亞當和厄娃受罰亦不是因為他們知道了善惡。因為「知善惡」是一件好事，否則天主不會創造「知善惡樹」，設陷阱讓人類墮落！亞當和厄娃受罰，在於他們想自己變成天主，想取代天主。（魔鬼也有同樣的毛病！）經師和法利塞人的知識是有關天主的知識，應該是愈多愈好。所以他們的錯不在於擁有過多知識。雖然耶穌曾批評他們貪財，巧取豪奪寡婦的家產，亦不致於「淫亂無信」吧！
父啊！不要讓我們陷於追求知識和虛榮的誘惑。亞孟。
The Temptation of Knowledge and Vanity (Matthew 12:38-42)
Do you need proof for the existence or evidence of love of somebody who loves you? The Scribes and Pharisees had just demanded it. Jesus Christ is the sign the Father sent to express His love. How ungrateful the Scribes and Pharisees were demanding Jesus Christ to show them a sign! No wonder Jesus harshly criticized them as "evil and adulterous". Not that they possessed too much knowledge, nor that they had done a lot of evil or had led a lustful life, but rather it was because they repaid beneficence with evil.
First of all, let me clarify what "adulterous" meant. God made use of marriage to symbolize His relation with the Israelites. Therefore worshipping idols, being faithless, apostasy or serving other deities is no different from adultery. Thus, by adulterous, Jesus meant the faithlessness of the Scribes and Pharisees.
What infuriated Jesus was that their possession of knowledge did not mould their hearts to love God more. On the contrary, they made use of their knowledge to protect themselves and challenge the gospel of Jesus! Do we make similar mistakes, finding faults with others with our theological knowledge? Or do we show off our piety and despise others for not following the rubrics? If we do, we have thrown charity out of the windows!
The Bible does not object to knowledge. Adam and Eve were punished not because of their knowledge of good and evil. Knowing good and evil is a good thing. Otherwise, God would not have created the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, trapping mankind to fall! Adam and Eve were punished because they wanted to become God, to replace God. (Satan has the same problem!) The knowledge the Scribes and Pharisees possessed was about God. The more should be the better! Therefore, their fault lied not in the possession of excessive knowledge. Although Jesus had criticized them of making use of their legal knowledge to cheat widows of their property, that did not amount to "adulterously faithless"!
Father! Lead us not into the temptation of seeking knowledge and vanity. Amen.
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