The Scribes and Pharisees made religion all about observing thousands upon thousands of rules and regulations. Jesus scolds the Scribes and Pharisees in today’s gospel for making religion an intolerable burden and warns against following their example. He wants our faith to lift us up not weigh us down. He wants it to give us joy, not be a burden. The commandments that Jesus challenges us to live by are love of God with our whole being and love of neighbor. These commandments may not always be easy, yet if we follow the example of Jesus we will not be led astray.