Reflection:
Matthew 7:15-20

We are reaching the final recommendations of the Sermon on the Mount. The worst struggles of the community of faithful in the early Church perhaps did not come from the persecutions of the emperors or the opposition from the Jewish leadership, but from divisions within. Not everyone who claimed themselves as followers of Christ, preached the true Gospel of Jesus. We see the references to such false preachers both in the Act of the Apostles and also in the Letters of St. Paul. Perhaps, the presence and teachings of such leaders prompted Matthew to address the issue of false prophets in the community, through the words of Jesus.
Therefore, the warning is clear: the disciples would experience problems not only from outside, but even from within the community, from people who had come to join them. They have to learn to discern what is the true gospel. How to differentiate the true Gospel from the false message and falls messengers? Refer back to the beginnings of the sermon on Mount: The Beatitude.
Jesus had already spelt out the ways to blessedness; these are the non-negotiable requirements of honesty and truth, integrity, openness to forgiveness and rejection of violence, the need to pray, and to move away from temptations of accumulating material wealth. But all of these are converged in the rule of love. Any teaching and any act that is against love of God and love of one another, is not from God.
Reflecting on this Gospel, we shouldn’t be wasting time to look around for the false prophets and point our fingers at others. By doing so, we would be falling to the sin of judging others. Rather, the Gospel wants us to look into ourselves today. We claim to be followers of Jesus, but if our actions, behaviour, lifestyle are not conforming to the values of the Gospel, we give a false witness and we turn out to be the false prophets. Being faithful Christians, we are invited to bear good fruits of love, patience, compassion, forgiveness and empathy.
Discernment would be difficult, but it is indispensable. Mistakes would be made. Jesus offers as a criterion for discernment of the fruits of various actions of people. Action, not words, would count. But even actions can be difficult to discern. Actions can express varied motivations. Jesus had dwelt at length on the dangers associated with the pious practices of almsgiving, fasting and praying.
There would be no simple answers for travellers who choose the hard and narrow road to life.

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