Jesus knew his death will be masterminded by the Pharisees who appeared to be good in all that they said and did but in reality, were full of evil plans. In all the antagonistic reactions of the Pharisees towards Jesus, they hoped to portray that they were only trying to preserve the teachings handed down to them by the prophets but in truth they were just threatened by the person of Jesus. Jesus was very much aware of their pretence and plans; and this was why he warned the crowd of this pretentious lifestyle of the Pharisees which is like a leaven that can grow into other sins. The Pharisees could only kill his body but not his soul. Likewise, Jesus is telling us not to fear the evil intent of others who may pretend to be good but actually mean evil for us. “The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God and no torment will ever touch them” (Ws 3:1). Our preoccupation should be the salvation of our souls and not the fear of persecution.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may our reverence and fear for God exceed the fear of man. Amen.