Thoughts for the Day

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practised without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

For centuries householders in England paid a tithe to the Church. Either a part of their income, or produce, would go to the parish priest. He was also given Glebe land to grow food or to pasture animals, though by the time a Rector (in many cases) had taken his share there wasn't much left for the poor priest who did the actual work.

I was reminded about tithes, when one of my parishes was forced to "buy back glebe land" which had been given to the Diocese in return for the priest receiving a regular stipend. The parish needed the land to build a car park to stop them having to park along a very busy road. It did feel galling though to by back our own land, particularly as there were people in the parish who remember ceding the land to the Diocese.

Jesus' criticisms to the Pharisees and Scribes concern the fact that they pay meticulous attention to observing the smallest laws like a tithe on mint, or dill, or cumin, but hypocritically neglect the more important aspects of the law, for example the pursuit of justice and equality for all people, mercy to the distressed, or faith in God as the basis of all truth. He calls them 'blind guides' and gives a humorous example, accusing them of straining out a gnat from water, but not noticing they have swallowed a camel.

We too need to be careful to make sure our outward appearance and actions match our proper inward thoughts and intentions.

Lord God Almighty,
Your Son our Lord
accused the Jewish leaders
of hypocrisy.
Help us to make sure that
our inner and outer actions
reflect our faith and belief in You,
and in Your desire for us
to obey Your laws
and to seek mercy and justice for all.
Amen