Anchor My Faith

Wrong Focus

Scripture: Matthew 12:23-24; Luke 11:42

In the previous lesson the sixth woe was covered which pertained to the misuse of vows. In this lesson we will continue our coverage of the nine woes gathered together in the harmonization process.

^{Mt 12:23} “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, ^{Lk 11:42} and rue and every herb, ^{Mt 23:23} and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness ^{Lk 11:42} and the love of God. ^{Mt 23:23} These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”

We come to the seventh of nine woes in this section in which Jesus points out the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. Related to this woe is the tithe, which was required by the Mosaic law. The tithe was a tenth of all that one produced for the ongoing wok of the Lord through the Levites and priests. This is laid out in Leviticus 27:30, 32 ESV: 30 “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. 32 And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord.”

These Pharisees were so careful to follow this requirement that they paid the tithe even from their smallest garden crops; crops like mint, dill, cumin, rue and every herb. Jesus did not say they were wrong in doing this, but their hypocrisy was being so careful in doing this at the neglect of things that were more important; “weightier matters of the law” such as justice, mercy, faithfulness, and the love of God. These things they should do in relationship to the people God called them to serve, but “without neglecting the others.”

Jesus then draws a contrast between the tithe they were so careful in giving and the weightier matters of the law that they were neglecting. Jesus identifies the first with a gnat (a very small winged insect like a fruit fly) and the second with a camel (the largest land animal in Palestine). To satisfy requirements like that found in Leviticus 11:23 ESV: “But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you” they would strain their wine to remove even the smallest unclean insect that could contaminate it. The camel was also considered unclean to them as shown in Leviticus 11:4 ESV: “Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.”

With one of his most memorable statements, Jesus says, “You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” This is clearly a hyperbole (an intended overstatement to make a point). They showed great care in removing a small unclean object (the tithe they were keeping) but allowed the large unclean object (the weightier matters of the law) to remain and be consumed. The Pharisees had become lost in the minute details, while neglecting the law’s overarching intent.

Conclusion

If Jesus were to evaluate your life would he find little things you were spending too much time on at the expense of more important things? Do you find it more important to spend time checking out Facebook to see what your friends are saying when you should be spending time listening to what God is saying to you? Are we not also somewhat hypocritical?