The Politics of Jesus

 JeScripture: Matthew 23:23-24 (NIV)

²³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. ²⁴ You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Devotion:

            Many churches today believe you should just preach the “gospel” and never get into politics. I contend that Jesus himself was a very political person, and we, to be faithful disciples, must follow the one we call Lord and Savior. The gospel writers indeed record many teachings of Jesus that are political and stridently so. As my AI grammar and spell checker suggested, the passage of scripture above should be revised to be more “diplomatic.” Let us move on to discussing Jesus' “undiplomatic” statement now.

            In this section of Matthew, Jesus pronounces judgment on His day's religious and political leaders. He accuses them of misleading the people in numerous serious and essential matters. If you have ever wondered why these people were so adamant that Jesus be crucified, I suggest you invest some time in reading His teachings in Matthew chapter 23 and the parallel passages in Luke chapter 11. Today’s text from Matthew 23 is a prime example of this teaching.

            The passage above focuses on these leaders stressing the minor details of the law observance while ignoring more serious matters. Jesus is not telling them to neglect the details but to take care of the essential matters alongside the minor details. The question for us today is: What are the more important matters? What are minor details that we may be mistaking for essential truths?

            Jesus was not shy about telling the leaders He was addressing what the urgent matters of the law were. He plainly states that “justice, mercy, and faithfulness” are the heart of the law, while scrupulously tithing down to the last penny is of lesser importance in the law of God that they are so diligently following. Does Jesus' admonition to the leaders of His day still have relevance to us in the 21^st Century?

            Clearly, the answer is yes. We often get sidetracked by unimportant details of life. The use and misuse of technology come immediately to mind. Our modern world conspires to keep us from genuine relationships by substituting the dopamine high from social media interactions for one-on-one interaction with our neighbors. Surely, love and care for our neighbors must top the list. As a culture, especially since COVID-19, we are more disconnected and hungry for relationships than ever in modern history.

Let go to the Lord in prayer, asking Jesus to open our eyes to ways to practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness where we live, work, and play.

Prayer:

            Lord, keep us from swallowing any modern-day “camels.” Please help us discern where and how we can better practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness in our daily lives. May we never be so dedicated to a political party or candidate that we overlook or minimize problematic beliefs and actions. Please help us to live our lives with the desire only to magnify your name and kingdom. Amen.