Matthew 23:23,24
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
Jesus reminds me of an auditor who comes in annually and gives a reality check. He says that they are doing fine on some fringe areas, but have missed the big parts. It’s as if they didn’t even see them. The priesthood at the time seems to have grown to become this.
They are legalistic as they are focused on their actions and missing the spirit of it. They are satisfied and feel justified by them. It’s as if for generations they have believed and acted this way. It reminds me of a ship at sea that is off a few degrees. In reality they were off by much. With the passage of time they are far off the mark.
This is a big deal. The priests were to be the guides to the people in the matters of God. The bible speaks of these as receiving stricter judgment (James 3:1). What’s happening is that they are leading others down the wrong paths. This is huge. This is why Jesus is rough on them.
The real application is when this message applies to us. Are we off in some areas? Possibly. What’s important is that we are doing well in the big areas. Jesus points them out, justice, mercy and faithfulness. The first two have to do with our relationship with others. The third one can also have to do with others. Faithfulness primarily has to do with our relationship with God. Are we faithful to Him.
At the base of being faithful to God is having faith in Him. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” These are foundational aspects of faith. It took me years to understand the second part. It’s wonderful to believe that faith in Him brings such blessing. That is my reality. He is so rich.
Now that we have faith in Him, let’s look at faithfulness. Being a faithful servant is to consistently do what He says. To be obedient all the time. To be faithful in the New Testament is to be a loving person. Jesus boiled the Law down into two commandments, to love God and others. That’s is so good. It’s paramount to be loving. That’s great of Him to simplify it like that. I Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.”
The Holy Spirit guides us and convicts us of sin. This is amazing. He also lives in us comforts us. Jesus stressed the importance of Him going away. He could only be at one place at a time. But not the Spirit. He’s omnipresent. He’s in the heart of every one who asks. He gives nudges and opens and closes doors. He will bring to our attention what we are to do. He will aide us in our obedience. He highlights areas in which He wants to work. He gives us the power to obey. He also gives us desire to do thees things.
This is good news. Many who are part of a religion find themselves working hard. They aren’t aware of the gracious and merciful God. They don’t know how great it is to have a relationship with Him and to have His power aiding us. These are big matters. Many aren’t aware that Jesus paid the price. We believe it and allow Him to adopt us into His family and follow His way of grace.
Help us to share that good news. Give us the boldness and the words. Thank You, Lord.
