We must keep the Pharisees out of our government

On Thursday, September 5, I drove from Plymouth to South Bend for a scheduled checkup with my rheumatologist. I took Highway 31 and continued driving through Michigan after reaching South Bend. At the corner of Michigan and Sample, I turned right and drove to the South Bend Clinic. When I first started driving on Michigan, when I moved to Plymouth in 2005, it was a one-way street heading north. Now it is two-way with bike lanes. The traffic light at the corner of Chippawa and Michigan has been replaced by a roundabout. Most of the traffic lights have flashing yellow arrows.

All the changes that have been made in Michigan have made it easier for me to travel to South Bend. I no longer have to wait for the light to change in Chippawa when there are no cars in sight. The flashing yellow arrows make it much easier to make left turns. When I turn right on Sample, I take the left lane until I have to turn left at South Bend Clinic. I drive home doing the same thing. In my experience, the people responsible for our country’s roads have been working to improve the quality of driving over the last 20 years.

Unfortunately, not all new rules, regulations, and ways of doing things are improvements. In fact, it may be the opposite. I have a theory that many government laws, rules, and regulations are passed to solve isolated problems. The laws, rules, or regulations are passed to solve an isolated problem and often have unnoticed consequences for society at large. Ultimately, the new regulations do more harm than good and leave us all sad. Fortunately, the changes on my trip did not fall into that category.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus had an enmity with the Pharisees. The entire chapter of Matthew 23 is devoted to condemning them, as well as condemning the scribes. In part, he says, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore, whatever they teach you, do it, but do not do it according to their works, for what they teach (the oral law) they do not practice. They bind together heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. They do all their works to be seen by others, and they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. They do all their works to be seen by others, for they make their phylacteries wide and their fringes long (Matthew 23:2-5).”

I have this image of pharisaical government bureaucrats toiling away in their offices to create new, insufferable rules and regulations and then dump them on the shoulders of the general public. There are times in life when it seems almost impossible to get anything done because of all the hoops you have to jump through to get permission to operate.

Fortunately, my trip to South Bend was not hindered by the Pharisees. I had a smooth, trouble-free journey, made more pleasant by a restricted road, a roundabout, and a few flashing yellow arrows. God bless all who made my trip easier. Let’s keep the Pharisees out of government.

Father Dave Hogsett is a retired United Methodist pastor. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].