“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Matthew 23:23
What was the problem?
The Law required a tithe of agricultural produce.
The Pharisees counted the leaves of their herbs
And took a tenth of them to the Temple.
Faithfulness to the Law
Had been replaced by obsession.
Obsession leaves little time for important things.
Jesus said,
The weightier matter of the Law
Justice, mercy, faithfulness
Should not be neglected.
Proper relationships with each other
Proper reverence toward God
These are the foundational purposes of the Law
Keep these first.
Keep these most faithfully.
Keep these most fervently.
Do we ever focus on things that don’t have much eternal weight?
Do we believe God is most pleased with our attention to detail?
Have we missed the big picture?
Justice is distributed based on need.
Mercy is freely exercised to those in need.
Faithfulness to God includes being trustworthy, dependable, steadfast and dedicated.
The bottom line, the Pharisees dedicated their herbs to God but not themselves.
What about us?
These are the weightier matters.