Are we truly all-in for God? Or are we going through the motions and acting religious for appearances?
Are we truly following what Jesus desires? Or have we gotten off track from what Jesus instructs us?
These are the questions Jesus posed in his incisive rant in Matthew 23, during which he criticized the Pharisees on a number of points. The particular verse I'm referring to is Matthew 23:23 (NIV), the fourth of the seven Woes in this chapter:
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
To be very rigorous in tithing, the Pharisees even gave a tenth of their little herb garden used for household cooking, bringing clumps of mint as sacrifice. But Jesus accuses them of forgetting the main things: justice, mercy, faithfulness. Loving God, loving neighbor. Eliminating judgy rants and adopting merciful attitudes.
Mapping this to today's religious culture, it's possible for us to focus on religion and morals rather than loving others and doing good works. We might sit in the pew and worship, we might tithe well to our church, but we might also be haughty, harsh, unkind, and judgmental toward those we deem to be sinners - just like the Pharisees.
Jesus beckons us into something better, focused on justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Biblical justice means caring for and advocating for the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the foreigner in our midst - in other words, the outcasts. Mercy involves kindness, readiness to forgive, and compassion for those in need. Faithfulness starts with our utter reliance upon and trust in God, bringing us into steadfast relationship, then extending to acting loving and steadfast in our human relationships.
Jesus urges the Pharisees to continue their commitment to tithing but to expand their vision into something bigger and more important. Likewise, Jesus isn't telling us today to stop attending church or to pause our giving, but he is urging us to return to the big picture. Love God, love neighbor sums up all the Law and the prophets, according to Jesus. You can hardly go wrong by putting your focus there in your seven-day practical faith.
Ideally our seven-day practical faith is informed by the Holy Spirit. I offer a mini-book called "Seven Ways the Holy Spirit Speaks to Us" to help us hear the Spirit's voice. You can receive it by visiting CecilTaylorMinistries.com and registering through the pop-up window.
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