Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin, yet you have neglected the weightier matters of Torah—justice and mercy and faithfulness. It is necessary to do these things without neglecting the others. O blind guides, straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel!
Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and uncontrolled desire. O blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.
Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, you appear righteous to men on the outside, but are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
- Matthew 23:23-28
In this passage, Yeshua uses multiple illustrations to help us understand the heart of God. It can be all too easy for us to focus on works in our desire to be pleasing to Him and slip into legalism. Like the scholars of old, our flesh worries about the judgment of others and can convince us that outward expressions of faith are the most important aim. However, Yeshua reminds us that a tithe's value is found in the faithfulness of its giver and outward righteousness is voided by inward hypocrisy. If He makes our inner man clean, then outward obedience naturally follows. Instead of striving for perfection by our own strength, let us run stumbling to Yeshua's feet. The longer we spend in His presence, the more we are transformed inwardly into the image of our Messiah and can faithfully to walk in His ways.
