THE TITHE AND FAR BEYOND
Kimberly Lawrence
Today's Scripture: “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.” Matthew 23:23, ESV
Theme: Jesus didn’t lower the standard; He supported, explained, and deepened it.
CALLING THEM OUT
In our Scripture today, we hear Jesus rebuking the scribes and Pharisees. While they, a respected bunch of temple leaders, were meticulous in outward religious observances, they often missed the heart and purpose of God’s Law.
In this example, they were tithing on their small garden herbs…giving 10% of their tiniest crops…to fulfil the tithe laws (Leviticus 27:30). Jesus’ issue was not with their obedience; it was with their neglect of bigger matters. While they were following one set of “rules,” they may have failed to treat the poor and oppressed fairly, show compassion and forgiveness to others, or demonstrate faithfulness to God and His purposes. A little further in the passage, Jesus emphasized the point by saying, “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:24, NIV).
ME AND MY TEMPER
As a Christian, I aim to embody the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). I usually feel I get all the way to the end of the list, feeling pretty good about myself, before the wheels fall off. Love (check), joy (check), peace (check), forbearance (check), kindness (check), goodness (check), faithfulness (check), gentleness (check), and self-control (uh-oh). There is always one that gets me! My friends and family will tell you that my temper is not reflective of my small stature and is big enough to get me into some precarious circumstances. As I consider the Fruit I’m called to bear, I like to elevate the things I do well and gloss over those that put my flesh to the test. I serve, I give, I pray…and I lose my mind when someone beeps at me, cuts me off in traffic, or gives me a door ding. While it’s tempting to set my own standard of acceptable behavior, I suspect Jesus would consider this the very same hypocrisy he chastised in the scribes and Pharisees.
True obedience to God isn’t about obsessing over trivial religious details while ignoring significant matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness. I don’t get to choose which Fruit I’m going to bear, and when, based on my circumstance. God desires compassion and integrity in our hearts and actions, not just precision in ritual. I must assess my intentions, thoughts and behaviors by making God’s will the measuring stick instead of my own.
THAT’S JUST ME…TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
Our world promotes a “That’s just who I am” mindset. This mentality is often disguised as a legitimate excuse to behave in self-centered ways, implying it’s impossible to change. This claim has been used to validate all manner of selfish, rude, crude, stingy, lazy, stubborn, impatient, and brash behavior…sometimes by yours truly! Rather than inventing our own standard to validate our conduct, and refusing to change, let’s consider who God is and emulate those characteristics instead.
Make It Personal: Would you acknowledge there are areas of your life requiring an honest assessment today? Do you check all the technical boxes - Sunday worship, prayer time, serving, even tithing - but miss the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness? Pray with me that God will open our hearts to see past the trivial, to the eternal.
Pray: God, thank You for being a loving and faithful God. Thank You for sending Your Son to teach us how to be faithful in all things…including those that don’t come easily to us. Forgive me when I’ve been willing to overlook my bad behavior or tried to justify it. Reveal the ways You are calling me to be better and think bigger. I want to reflect the heart of Christ and pray You’ll give me the desire, discernment, and humility to make these changes. Amen.
Read: Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 5:17-20; 1 Samuel 15:22
Weekly Memory Verse: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8, ESV