Judgement

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Matthew 23:23 KJV

The scribes were the teachers of the law. They prided themselves on their knowledge of the law of Moses. The Pharisees thought they kept the law to the letter. But Jesus accused them all of being hypocrites: masking the true state of their hearts and putting on a spiritual act.

God isn’t so much interested in tithing- giving a tenth of our income to the Lord- as weightier matters. These include justice. Justice isn’t just about punishing the evildoer but also about supporting the widow, the orphan, and the stranger in our midst.

No one deserves mercy. After all, mercy is undeserved kindness. But mercy is to define how we relate to others. If we’re unmerciful to others, how do we expect God will be merciful to us?

Faithfulness is about not giving up doing good. We often think about it in the context of marriage, which is “til death us do part”, not “until I no longer feel like it”. But we shouldn’t give up doing good to all, especially our physical and spiritual families.

“Almighty God, may we increasingly demonstrate justice, mercy and faithfulness in our lives, as well as to give of our wealth to You as cheerful givers. For Jesus’ sake, amen”

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