Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Yes my Friends, more words from the greatest teacher, psychologist and philosopher ever; our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He certainly had a way with words; either made it so simple that any fool could understand, or so complicated that even the learned scribes and Pharisees couldn’t comprehend His statements. And Jesus certainly knew how to get inside your head, as he does here with His favourite targets, those same scribes and Pharisees. Chap.23 of Matthew is devoted entirely to denouncing them. Jesus was surely courageous, some may say foolhardy, to go around publicly admonishing and rebuking the ones who set Jewish standards and basically ran the show. But I just admire how He gets on their case: ‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.’ The Jewish elite was big on outward acts to prove their righteousness, but their private lives were not always in line with the law. Here, Jesus admonishes them for doing the little things, like paying tithes of their produce, which was in accordance with the law, but neglecting the bigger, more important aspects of the law, like justice, mercy and faith. He’d already rebuked them by saying; ‘But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.’ (Mat.23:13) He’s accusing them of putting stumbling blocks in the path of sinners who wanted to repent and be converted. In Jesus’ eyes, the leaders of the Jewish religion were so hypocritical, that He called them out on every chance He got. They figured they were so righteous and despised others who weren’t like them. This brings up His parable of the two men who went into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a publican. ‘The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’ (Luke 18:11-14) Yes Friends, that’s how it was then, and sadly, it’s still that way today, two thousand years later. Many of us feel we’re so good and righteous because of the little things we do around the church or the community, or the outward rites and ceremonies we adhere to, which makes us feel we’re better than the ordinary man in the street. But yuh know what my brethren, deep down we’re just like, or even worse than the tax collector in Jesus’ story; worthless sinners all, only saved by the grace of God. Yes we do small, easy things, but the heavier, more important matters we gloss over; things like justice, mercy, faith and LOVE. We don’t really practice them in our every day lives, just pay lip service to them. Technically speaking, Jesus didn’t have a problem with the Pharisees concern to be obedient even in minor things, but that interest should not outweigh more important matters like LOVE and justice. And as Samuel asked Saul, when he made excuses for disobeying God, using the spoils of war to burn sacrifices unto Him, instead of completely destroying it, as he’d been commanded; ‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.’ (1 Sam.15:22-23)Yes people, regardless of how good our deeds and/or our intentions, if we disobey God to do them, then He’s not pleased. He requires complete obedience from us. Just do as he says, not what we think He wants. Here’s another good example of God’s displeasure, this with the Israelites disobedience in Hosea’s time: ‘For I desired mercy, and not sacrifices; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.’ (Hos.6:6) Micah echoed that same sentiment. ‘Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic.6:6,8) So it wasn’t something new to the scribes and Pharisees. They knew the law better than the ordinary people, but in their self-righteousness and hypocrisy just refused to obey it. Oh Friends, let’s try not to be numbered amongst the many who are doing the same thing now. Please, let’s not give Jesus the chance to admonish and chasten us as hypocrites. And the only way to do that is to tithe, as well as prosper in acts of justice, mercy, faith and LOVE, while walking humbly and obediently before the Most High God Jehovah. Much LOVE!..the three tenets of righteousness..obedience..obedience..obedience…
Yes my Friends, more words from the greatest teacher, psychologist and philosopher ever; our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He certainly had a way with words; either made it so simple that any fool could understand, or so complicated that even the learned scribes and Pharisees couldn’t comprehend His statements. And Jesus certainly knew how to get inside your head, as he does here with His favourite targets, those same scribes and Pharisees. Chap.23 of Matthew is devoted entirely to denouncing them. Jesus was surely courageous, some may say foolhardy, to go around publicly admonishing and rebuking the ones who set Jewish standards and basically ran the show. But I just admire how He gets on their case: ‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.’ The Jewish elite was big on outward acts to prove their righteousness, but their private lives were not always in line with the law. Here, Jesus admonishes them for doing the little things, like paying tithes of their produce, which was in accordance with the law, but neglecting the bigger, more important aspects of the law, like justice, mercy and faith. He’d already rebuked them by saying; ‘But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.’ (Mat.23:13) He’s accusing them of putting stumbling blocks in the path of sinners who wanted to repent and be converted. In Jesus’ eyes, the leaders of the Jewish religion were so hypocritical, that He called them out on every chance He got. They figured they were so righteous and despised others who weren’t like them. This brings up His parable of the two men who went into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a publican. ‘The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’ (Luke 18:11-14) Yes Friends, that’s how it was then, and sadly, it’s still that way today, two thousand years later. Many of us feel we’re so good and righteous because of the little things we do around the church or the community, or the outward rites and ceremonies we adhere to, which makes us feel we’re better than the ordinary man in the street. But yuh know what my brethren, deep down we’re just like, or even worse than the tax collector in Jesus’ story; worthless sinners all, only saved by the grace of God. Yes we do small, easy things, but the heavier, more important matters we gloss over; things like justice, mercy, faith and LOVE. We don’t really practice them in our every day lives, just pay lip service to them. Technically speaking, Jesus didn’t have a problem with the Pharisees concern to be obedient even in minor things, but that interest should not outweigh more important matters like LOVE and justice. And as Samuel asked Saul, when he made excuses for disobeying God, using the spoils of war to burn sacrifices unto Him, instead of completely destroying it, as he’d been commanded; ‘Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.’ (1 Sam.15:22-23)Yes people, regardless of how good our deeds and/or our intentions, if we disobey God to do them, then He’s not pleased. He requires complete obedience from us. Just do as he says, not what we think He wants. Here’s another good example of God’s displeasure, this with the Israelites disobedience in Hosea’s time: ‘For I desired mercy, and not sacrifices; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.’ (Hos.6:6) Micah echoed that same sentiment. ‘Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic.6:6,8) So it wasn’t something new to the scribes and Pharisees. They knew the law better than the ordinary people, but in their self-righteousness and hypocrisy just refused to obey it. Oh Friends, let’s try not to be numbered amongst the many who are doing the same thing now. Please, let’s not give Jesus the chance to admonish and chasten us as hypocrites. And the only way to do that is to tithe, as well as prosper in acts of justice, mercy, faith and LOVE, while walking humbly and obediently before the Most High God Jehovah. Much LOVE!..the three tenets of righteousness..obedience..obedience..obedience…
SCRIP-BITS 