In rebuking the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said: "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. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." (Matthew 23:23,24)

Some have mistakenly taught that Jesus' problem with these religious hypocrites was their painstaking insistence upon keeping the minute aspects of their law. Jesus, it is claimed, was instructing them (and us) not to worry about trying to keep the finer points of the law but, rather, concentrate on the more substantial and meaningful matters of the heart.

The problem, of course, with this interpretation is that it completely ignores what Jesus said! Should they have concerned themselves with something as simple as tithing their garden herbs? YES -- "these ought ye to have done." But in doing this, He urged them not to neglect things that require even more effort to perfect -- things like judgment, mercy, and faith -- the "weightier matters of the law."

We think there is a fitting application of the principle that Jesus here sets forth. Consider this: from time to time we hear of a brother or sister who is quite upset about some issue. It is often one of those "finer points of law" -- i.e., the length of a woman's hair, how many children an elder must have, whether or not to offer the Lord's Supper on Sunday night, etc. They will gladly debate at length in favor of their particular understanding of the matter. We have no problem with this -- all such things are important. But then this same person will neglect the assemblies, fail to participate in the work of the church, exhibit moral impurity, etc. It seems that such folks need to attend to the "weightier matters of the law." They should stop "straining at a gnat, while swallowing a camel." Do you see it? Think!