23 “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. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” (Matthew 23:23–24 (ESV)
In the context of Matthew 23:13-36, Jesus heralded seven woes against the scribes and the Pharisees. Luke 11:37-54 records an earlier lamentation of six woes. Rather than an oracle from a prophet of God, these woes are an oracle from the God of the prophets; Jesus Christ.
Jesus returned to the recurring phrase found in the first two woes but absent in the third. He now focused on the biblical instruction of tithing. A tithe (ἀποδεκατοῦτε; apodekatoute) literally is to give a tenth. It primarily means to give a tenth of one’s income. The first ten percent of one’s crops, or corresponding income, was to be the tithe. The believer would trust the Lord in living on the remaining 90%.
“According to Deuteronomy (Deut. 12:2–7, 17–19; 14:22–29), the centralization of worship meant that the tithe was taken annually at the sanctuary and shared by priests and Levites. Corn, wine, oil, and flocks were tithed. Every third year, the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows were given the whole tithe in charity (Deut. 26:12). According to Numbers 18:21–32, every tithe in Israel was given to the Levites in return for their priestly service,” states biblical scholar Walter A. Elwell in the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.
“The prophet Malachi (Mal 3:8–10), who scathingly declared the withholding of tithes to be “robbing God,” promised full barns and vats, opened windows of heaven, outpoured blessing and deliverance from locusts, in return for faithful tithing. In the early tithe feasts, thanksgiving for God’s gifts would seem appropriate (cf. Gen. 28:22), though not emphasized. Maintenance of the service of God remained the chief purpose of tithing, along with a wide charity.”
The scribes and the Pharisees focused on the minors while ignoring the major principle and importance of tithing. They placed great value on tithing three small garden herbs: mint, dill and cumin. However, they ignored weightier matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness towards God and their fellow man. They adhered to the letter of the Law while ignoring its spirit.
This applies today in the concern over social justice. There is no doubt the church must be concerned about social issues, but never at the expense of biblical truth. The problem with the scribes and the Pharisees was they were concerned about biblical truth but neglected social justice. This delicate balance must be maintained.
“The Social Gospel movement, which arose in America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries under the inspiration of theological liberalism, downplayed sin and reduced Christianity to feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and other acts of social justice. There was a justifiable backlash against this movement in the churches and an exodus of people who affirmed the essential truths of the Christian faith. Unfortunately, some theological conservatives were so afraid of falling prey to the Social Gospel that works of charity ranked at the bottom of their priority list, if they were done at all,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“Those who neglected acts of social welfare for fear of looking like liberals were guilty of throwing out the baby with the bath water. Though the parallels between this historical example and today’s passage are inexact, Matthew 23:23–24 warns us that it is possible to become focused on one set of God’s demands at the expense of another. The scribes and Pharisees tried to obey God’s law scrupulously; they tithed their herbs even though the Torah did not specifically require the giving of such (Deut. 14:22–23). However, their obedience did not include the weightier, and more difficult, matters of the Law. It is easy to count out a tenth of one’s cumin seeds, but it is much harder to help needy people in a substantial way. Sacrifice of time and leisure might be required to show mercy to the one who is downtrodden. Faithfulness may mean the loss of one’s job or reputation as the result of bearing witness to Christ.”
It is wise to remember Micah 6:8: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 
One Reply to “”