TITHE - MATTHEW 23:23
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.KJV
This verse of scripture was recorded by the Apostle Matthew but spoken directly from the lips of Jesus. Anytime Jesus speaks or teaches on a subject we know the direct mind of God on that issue. Notice that Jesus starts by giving a warning, "Woe", to the scribes and Pharisees because of their religious practices that He is about to expose. The Lord openly refers to the religious leaders as hypocrites which means they were hypo- (below, beneath, under, less than, deficient) critics (a person who find faults with others, one who judges severely). The word is never used in a positive sense because it basically reveals the wickedness of the scribes and Pharisees. The reason the Lord Jesus dealt with them so sharply is because the religious leaders were suppose to tell the people about God and live a lifestyle that openly reveals God's Ways and personality. However, the scribes and Pharisees had adequate knowledge of God through the law and the prophets but refused to show the merciful and trusting side of God. They choose only to concentrate their efforts on the negative actions of others and their own minuscule details that have no positive influence on other people. For example: The Lord states they pay tithe of mint. Mint is used as a noun in this case to signify a sweet-smell fragrance. Jesus continued by using the words "and anise". Anise is used as a liquid for food and preserving food, like pickles. Jesus continued by using the words "and cummin" also. Cummin is a flowering plant with aromatic (fragrant smelling or spicy) seeds, used as a condiment (a seasoning for food). This means that the scribes and Pharisees were taking the extra time to portion off the first ten percent from all three of those elements individually. This shows that the scribes and Pharisees understood the law concerning “tithing” and they went to great measures to insure they gave God His proper due portion. The problem is that Jesus saw that they were very strict about giving God a tenth of their substance but very deficient on giving their fellowmen what was their due portion. Notice Jesus confirms the fact that “tithing” was a part of law because the statement "have omitted the weightier matters of the law" implies that “tithing” is covered under the law.-Refer to Deuteronomy 14:22,23 & Hebrews 7:4,5 The problem Jesus was referring to when He called them unjust critics (hypocrites) was the fact that they only did the parts of the law that they chose to honor. This sounds exactly like what happens today when people only listen to certain verses in the Holy Bible and willfully reject the scriptures they don't like. Sometimes this happens with “tithing” because some claim “tithing” is not for the New Testament but answer the question, “Is judgment, mercy and faith for the New Testament?” Certainly, the correct answer is yes! Jesus clearly states that judgment, mercy, and faith are all apart of the law but we still use those virtues of God today because they are apart of our Christian heritage. Not only are they contained within the law but they are the more weightier characteristics of the law because they are weightier characteristics of God. This means that first and foremost we should emphasize and practice walking in good (fair, right) judgment with our fellow man. Walking in divine judgment means using God's Word as your code of ethics and relying upon the answers presented in the Word of God as your solutions in life. We also are commanded to walk in love with others by showing mercy instead of judging other people when they lack knowledge or make a mistake. The biblical understanding of encouraging faith is simply the same message we proclaim today. The simple child like understanding that preaches God loves you and wants to help you if you will trust in His Way, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Heavenly Father speaking through Jesus always desires for His leaders to focus on big picture of His Word (judgment), His Love (mercy) and His Salvation (faith) to bring people unto God. The scribes and Pharisees were using their position of God's representatives to represent their desires instead of God’s Heart. The religious leaders were reaping the “tithes” and offerings from the people for the Lord's work but they were not accurately re-projecting God to the people. The statement from Jesus, "these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" specifically speaks to us about placing a higher priority on judgment, mercy and faith. However, this also reveals to us from Jesus that paying the “tithe” is right. Notice that Jesus say not to leave “tithing” undone. In other words paying your “tithe” on the big increases and even on the very small increases is right and should be done as a form of worship unto God. Not giving “tithes” under the strict penalty of the Old Testament Law but rather as an act of your love and devotion to God’s people and His program. So use this teaching to encourage your faith in the principle of “tithing” because according to Jesus, the Head of the Church, it should be done along with the weightier matters of judgment, mercy and faith. Amen!
In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster