"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others."(Matthew 23:23)
Jesus is certainly not holding back in Matthew 23. A repetition of calling the leaders of his time hypocrites! That name can sting because it calls you out for saying one thing while doing another. Giving lip service but no heart service. Doing the flashy things, but not the things that actually matter.
It isn't hard to get caught up in the small things while ignoring the bigger picture. The smaller things tend to be easier and don't demand much of us. The bigger picture is harder to grapple with and can often feel overwhelming.
While Jesus lets them have it for ignoring the bigger picture, justice, mercy and faith, I do like that he says those little things shouldn't be ignored either. They just need to know their place in the grand scheme of things.
So what would attending to those weightier matters involve. First and foremost risk on our part, to seek justice might mean taking a very unpopular stand. To give mercy might mean someone getting away with something that might have also been punished. To work on faith takes time.
Are we ready to take that bold step while still doing small things that also have some importance.
Blessings,
Ed
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment