What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”

Matthew 23:23

Tithing was instituted through the Old Testament law primarily as a way of supporting those who labored in the Temple: the priests and the Levites. But the Torah did not contain a definitive guide to exactly what one must tithe. The Pharisees, in their zeal for the law, tithed on even the smallest portions of herbs from their garden. Yet, according to Jesus, they overlooked what really mattered in the law: justice, mercy, and faith. It was right to tithe, Jesus said, but not to overlook the more important things.

How easy it is for us to be like the Pharisees! We can turn the Christian life into a long list of dos and don’ts, while neglecting the call of Jesus to love God and our neighbor. It may be that our dos and don’ts are valid, but our focus is in the wrong place.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: In what ways are you like the Pharisees? What helps you to focus on what really matters in the Christian life? What could you do today as an act of justice, mercy, or faith? Whom can you love in the name of Jesus today?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, as I seek to live for you today, help me to focus on the more important things. Give me eyes to see the needs of the people with whom I work. Help me to reach out to them with genuine love. Keep me from getting caught up in that which doesn’t really matter. May I live my life today and each day ahead by focusing on your kingdom, so that everything I do contributes to your work in this world. Amen.