Full Of Plunder

Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” (Matthew 23:23-26)

Neglecting the law, including weightier judgment and mercy, has Jesus say to us, “Woe to you” because we plunder and act self-righteously.  We take advantage of other people. and we offer thimble-fulls of mercy or none at all.  We turn blind-eyes to those in need.

As Jesus says, we disguise how we really feel by offering a false front – the cleansed outside of the cup and dish.  Smoke and mirrors keep our dirty insides hidden; otherwise, we will be seen for who really are.  Many of us are skilled at this deception.  We are afraid to bare our souls that may be damaged or at risk.

There are those, however, who would swallow us because plunder and personal gain are paramount.  These are the false shepherds and prophets – leaders who strain out the gnats (the poor and those which challenge them) so as to pander to the rich and powerful.  As Jesus says, “Woe to them!”  This should be our response as well to the unlawful ones and hypocrites.

Deacon David Pierce