Mint & Cumin
Matthew 23:23-26 "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. (24) You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. (25) "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. (26) Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
Jesus had much to say about the teachers of the Law and the sect of the Pharisees. He called them hypocrites. It was not because they did wrong by giving a tenth of all they possessed, down to the smallest herb from their gardens, but because they had no love for God or people in their hearts.
No mercy. No justice. No faithfulness. They loved to be strict because they could afford to be extravagant in their shows of holiness without fear of competition from the ordinary person. They had perverted God’s perfect Law—the Law that Jesus did NOT come to do away with, but to cleanse it from the “leaven of the Pharisees,” who had made it impossible for everyday people to come to God.
But the ordinary person was the very one Jesus reached out to—the sick person He knew needed a doctor—the poor person who could not afford the cure for the sickness of the soul. Very few would stoop down to help such people for fear of becoming ceremonially unclean. Jesus demonstrated such compassion and commanded His followers to do the same.
The Pharisee (separated one) believed himself righteous because he kept God’s law—that was indeed a form of righteousness that God expected. But the poor sinner needing mercy and forgiveness was more likely to receive justification from God than the Pharisees because he humbled himself before God and confessed his sin.
There is such a thing as being right, and then there is such a thing as being “dead right.” This is just a reminder that while we discern the sin of others (rightly), let us not forget to keep humble before God.
We must guard our hearts so that we do not become hardened by all we see. We must not be complacent or cold to our calling. We must not consider ourselves superior to those “sinners” out “there.” Our job is to be salt and light, the arms of Christ extended to the World - to work while there is still daylight because the night comes when no one can work.
Pastora Cate Covert