Calling Out The Hypocrites

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisee, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.  Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”  Matthew 23:23-24

This was the fifth woe (great misery) that Jesus pronounced on the religious leaders because they were so “picky” and dogmatic, that is, they had a “my way or the highway” attitude about small, insignificant stuff, and ignored more important matters such as “the law, judgment, mercy, and faith”.  In other words, they had their priorities all out of whack.  Jesus gave the example of how careful they were to give ten per cent of herbs they grew, but they likely weren’t as careful to tithe on their salaries.  However, the tithe was not Jesus’ main concern; it was their lax attitude toward how they were carrying out their duties as servants of the people and of the LORD and the example they were setting before the people.  Did anyone say “politicians”?

The religious leaders were not impartial in the way they carried out the law.  In earlier times in Israel, God had rebuked the priests for being partial in the law (Malachi 2:9).  Our civil laws are not always enforced impartially either.  Those with wealth, power, and/or prestige sometimes escape judgment by the courts while others who are poor and not politically connected sometimes suffer unjust punishment.  I thought about that young man who, if memory serves me correctly, caused the death of some people, but was not found guilty because he was a spoiled, rich kid whose wealth had caused him to not know right from wrong.  There have also been many cases where a poor and many times African American man received a sentence above that which would have been appropriate.  There are others who were falsely accused and who were incarcerated for a crime that they did not commit.  However, at this time, it seems that many people are rioting and looting with impunity.  So, yes, our justice system could stand a lot of improvement.

God had spoken in times past instructing His people against oppression of others (Exodus 22:21; Leviticus 25:14; Deuteronomy 24:14).  The religious leaders were conscientious about impressing the public in following the law using the small matter of tithing herbs, but they were not so concerned about applying the law to themselves when it came to things that would impact them.  Jesus had pointed out their hypocrisy.  They definitely had the “do as I say, not as I do” mantra.  They let some people go unpunished for crimes, yet “threw the book” at others.  What about mercy?  They expected mercy, but didn’t deliver it to the common people.  What about faith?  Did they have a deep abiding faith in God, repenting of their sins, and trusting in Christ, setting an example of humility and peace with God before the people, or were they smugly trusting in their self-righteous works?  Their tithe was meaningless because they gave out of a sense of duty, and gave of the least valuable thing that they owned.

What does the Lord require of His people?  Micah 6:8 answers that question: “God 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.”  These so-called experts in the law must have missed that one, but as they say, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse”.  Jesus didn’t rebuke their obedience in tithing even though it was miniscule; it was the more difficult matters of the heart that they chose to avoid that brought them under condemnation.  He made a statement to them, an analogy which if pictured in one’s mind’s eye would be quite amusing if the subject matter was not so serious.  Jesus told them that they strained at a gnat, a tiny, extremely annoying (am I right?) flying insect, and swallowed a camel, a huge beast of burden!

I can picture them coughing and choking and making a big deal of this little gnat, which represented the less important tasks and then swallowing this big camel as though it was nothing.  However, judgment, mercy, and faith were the strength and might of the law.  How could these religious leaders be so blind to that which is so obvious and logical to believers?  The answer is also obvious and logical–they didn’t believe.  Just think how different their lives could have been had they believed Jesus, repented of their sins, and embraced Him as Lord and Savior.