Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
Cultural differences would not seem to make any difference in the sacred texts of the Bible. There are many who would make the argument that the Scriptures were written for all people regardless of their culture. They would be right.
However, cultural differences do make a difference in the way we read the Scriptures. In today's Gospel, for instance, St. Matthew writes that the scribes were saying something "to themselves." It follows this by saying that Jesus knew what they were thinking. For those of us who were raised in the Western culture, this pair of details would not mean as much to us as it would to the audience of the Middle East for whom the Scriptures were originally written. Theirs is not an introspective culture such as that of the West. As a people, Middle Easterners don't hide what they are thinking or look for guidance from within. They, in the parlance of our day, usually let it all hang out. So whenever we read in the Scriptures that a character or characters are thinking something to themselves, it is usually a clue that what they are thinking is not all that wholesome and good.
On the other hand, Middle Easterners also believe that only God knows what is really going on in a person's heart. So whenever the Gospel tells us that Jesus knows that someone is thinking, it is a clearly a sign that the author categorizes Jesus as aligned with the divine.
As the story of Jesus opens, the scribes and Pharisees are reticent to object out loud because they can see what effect Jesus is having upon the crowd. As the story progresses, they begin by looking for allies. Once they find each other, they band together to trip Jesus up and eventually to crucify him.
"Love the Lord your God with all your mind," Jesus says later in the Gospel. Thoughts can and sometimes are sinful, especially when they are thoughts that judge or plot evil.