On Sunday, February 14, 2021, Pope Francis addressed the people at the Vatican who gathered in St. Peter’s Square to hear his weekly Sunday message. This particular week, Pope Francis chose the theme of Jesus, the “great transgressor.” Look at part of what the Pope said:
“The first transgression is that of the leper: despite the prescriptions of the Law, he comes out of his isolation and goes to Jesus … The second transgression is that of Jesus: even though the Law prohibited touching lepers, He is moved, extends His hand and touches him, to heal him. Someone would have said: He sinned. He did something the law prohibits. He is a transgressor. It is true: He is a transgressor. He does not limit Himself to words, but touches him. To touch with love means to establish a relationship, to enter into communion, to become involved in the life of another person even to the point of sharing their wounds. With that gesture, Jesus reveals that God, who is not indifferent, does not keep himself at a ‘safe distance.’ Rather, he draws near out of compassion and touches our life to heal it with tenderness. It is God’s style: closeness, compassion and tenderness. God’s transgression. He is a great transgressor in this sense … Let us learn to be ‘transgressors’ like these two: like the leper and like Jesus.” [1]
No. Jesus was not a transgressor. This accusation is similar to when the scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus of transgressing the Sabbath. Healing and restoring lives are considered acts of mercy that are in harmony with God’s Law. Saving a life, even that of an unclean person, is not an attempt to spread a disease, but to cure it. Today, many doctors and nurses have to treat people who have many of these infections.
To use the example of the leper to characterize Christ as a transgressor is a blatant misrepresentation of our Saviour. The leper was not a transgressor either because he was looking for Jesus, the Divine Physician, to heal him. For the leper to wander carelessly without cause would have violated the Mosaic Law, but he was crying out to Jesus for healing. Saving, healing, restoring and redeeming is what the plan of salvation is all about. This is in harmony with God’s Law and the gospel. Neither Christ nor the leper committed transgression. In fact, Jesus told the leper to fulfill the Mosaic Law when He commanded:
“And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” Luke 5:14.
Here Jesus is telling the leper to fulfill the Mosaic law on purification. Our Lord was not a transgressor as the Pope claims. This is the same typical, liberal higher criticism of the word of God. The message is that God’s word doesn’t matter. We can disregard it whenever we want. We don’t have to worry about the specific teachings of the Bible. Since Jesus transgressed the word, we can too.
It is Pope Francis who is a transgressor of the Law of God and the Gospel of Christ. It is the Pope who is causing the world to embrace grave theological errors. He is leading the world towards spiritualism with his universal Masonic brotherhood (Fratelli Tutti) that promotes the false ecumenical notion that truth does not matter and people do not need the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must also reject his pantheistic climate agenda and his green Sunday laws (Laudato Si’) that are rooted in Eastern pagan philosophies and worship to Mother Earth. These teachings do not have any valid biblical basis.
This is truly a sad day when those who claim to represent Christ characterize Him with the same transgression of which they themselves are guilty. Truly, Pope Francis continues to fulfill Bible prophecy when it says:
“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws.” Daniel 7:25.
Sources
[1] http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2021/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20210214.html
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