“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If
anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but whoever swears by the gold
of the temple is bound by the oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the
gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears
by the altar, it means nothing; but whoever swears by the gift on the altar is
bound by the oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar
that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by
it and everything on the altar. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by
it and by the One who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by
God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.
“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. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a
camel!�
Now, the old school Jewish temples, altars, and sacrificing
gifts upon them aren’t really what
I’m talking about here…that kind of thing has fallen out of fashion in today’s
world. But (you knew there was a “but� coming) a couple millenia after those
blind guides, the heart –or lack thereof– behind their actions is still alive and
kicking…and found in all of us.
I’m told in the scriptures that our bodies are the temples
in which God dwells; how many times have I deemed the gold inside the temple as
more valuable than the temple itself? Back in the day, the temple couldn’t do
much for the Pharisees; it just sat there, big and holy and filling their
consciences with guilt. The gold however! Man you can use that! Gold is something you
can wield; it can be a means to an end, or simply an end in itself. And for me,
well let’s just say I want that Midas’ touch. A few problems arise, however…
(1) Because we have been made in God’s Image, our lives have an inherent value
that cannot be added to or detracted from. (2) Because it is grace and not
anything we can do that saves us, we can boast only in the Lord, not anything
we have done. (3) Because the Father gives freely to all with no regard to our
own biased standards, we can only stake a claim in what we have done: namely, our sins. A person –in the entire physical,
spiritual, temple sense– is valuable solely and entirely because God created
them uniquely and loves them specifically. But again: how many times have I
deemed what a person can or cannot do (the gold) as more valuable than the
inherently valued and loved created being (the temple) itself? Isn’t it the
temple that makes the gold sacred?
Likewise, is it not the greater characteristics of God –and
the greater qualities I am called to exemplify as a member of His chosen
people– that direct me to be diligent in smaller matters such as tithing ten
percent? Diligence in smaller matters only makes sense in the context of
practicing the more important matters : what is buying flowers for your wife if
you neglect your vows of fidelity? By this very example, I truly am unfaithful
to my Bridegroom. I daily neglect to show others even the faintest shadow of
the mercy He shows me, and by continuing to take part in and accept the
comfortable consumer style of western living, I continue to promote the
injustice caused by corporate greed and political corruption. I, who have been
shown a way of life above that which I have sold myself out to. I, who have
been given the grace of salvation through Jesus Christ and His cross. I, who
claim to follow the Suffering Servant, the Slaughtered Lamb, the Prince of
Peace. The important matters of the Law were justice, mercy, and faithfulness. In Jesus, the law was fulfilled — and “His
law is love and His gospel is peace.�
Woe to me, a
hypocrite!
Until next time,
Your friend the Pharisee
