Traits of a Pharisee #4 Majoring on the Minors

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.

I once heard a preacher ask, "What is easier men, throwing a tithe into the basket or loving your wives on a consistent basis?"  If most men were honest, they would say the former. In John 13,  Jesus said that the mark of discipleship is that we love one another. I left the institutional church a while ago; I outgrew it to be honest. I am still in fellowship with other believers and work with a group of teaching elders that take no salary. We meet at a restaurant/bar on Sunday mornings, so there is no need for money for the gathering.  Do you realize it cost nothing for believers to gather? The emphasis we have is trusting the finished work of Christ and loving one another.  Of course, it is easier to talk the talk than walk the walk, but we believe God will show us how when we ask Him.

During my time as a pastor of an institutional church, I would receive phone calls about our 'church'.  Questions like these were the usual: "Are you Spirit filled?" "Do you speak in tongues?"  "Do you have contemporary worship?"  "Do you have Sunday School?"  No one ever asked, "Does your Church emphasize loving one another?" "How is your church doing with loving one another?"  I never received the question, and yet, Jesus declared it the number one mark of a disciple.  There are many practices and rituals that may enhance our contact with God, but the number one duty of a child of God is to receive God's unconditional love and return that to God and others.  We can't give what we don't have, and if we don't believe God loves us unconditionally, our ability to love will be greatly hindered.  A Pharisee has not settled the finality of the cross in his mind, and due to lack of assurance, looks for outward compliance for some type of assurance. This only leads to religious pride.

Peter struggled with this.

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

³⁶ Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

³⁷ Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

³⁸ Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! (John 13)

Peter was told to wash his brother's feet--to love them like Christ.  Feet washing represents getting involved with the dirtiest part of people's lives and loving them and walking along side of them.  Peter did not want it. He wanted to "follow Jesus". I love you Jesus, and we can hang out, but I don't want to love these fools.  Peter, like us, had a lot to learn.  I always thought that if  I read my had my quiet time, read my Bible and went to Church, God must have been pretty pleased with me.  Meanwhile, I passed over, at times walked over, and discounted people all day long, but I fulfilled my duty to Jesus.  Recovering from our Phariseeism involves understanding the finished work of Jesus and applying it to our daily walk.  God made it simple: "We love because He first loved us." Receive God's love and ask God how to show it on a daily basis. If you have a family, you don't need to look far for people to love.