Matthew 23:23-24 Tithing

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" [Matthew 23:23-24 NASB]

Tithing was a part of the Law of Moses. "You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year." [Deuteronomy 14:22 NASB] The Pharisees were so diligent in their legalism that they would even tithe out of their little herb gardens (which almost everyone had).

In comparing their tithing to swallowing a gnat, Jesus evokes a common visual. It was the practice of the Pharisees to strain their wine through a gauze to keep out the gnats because if they accidentally swallowed a gnat while drinking the wine, they would become unclean. But neglecting the "weightier provisions of the law," is like swallowing a camel.

The Pharisees could quote all 613 laws plus the oral tradition that they kept. They were perfectionists when it came to keeping the letter of the Law - except when tradition allowed them to break it. For example - 

"And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition." [Matthew 15:3-6 NASB]

In their legalism, the Pharisees kept the outward appearance of the Law. But Jesus was speaking of the heart: "justice and mercy and faithfulness." 

Jesus told the Pharisees, "these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." In tithing, they were following the Law of Moses, which is what they should have been doing. But in keeping the letter of the Law, they neglected the spirit and intent of the Law.

As Christians, we are not under the Law. "For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." [Romans 6:14 NASB] But when we start following a set of rules to govern our behavior, we create our own law. "For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves," [Romans 2:14 NASB]

So, when we follow a set of church doctrines and rules, we are placing ourselves under a law instead of grace. Some of the rules in a legalistic church include what kind of clothes to wear, requirements to tithe, designating the pulpit and/or communion table as "holy", and reserved for the use of only a few chosen people, crossing yourself and/or bowing when entering the sanctuary, and so on. 

The list is endless, but there are some principles at work. Certain behaviors are required of the members. Certain people are elevated, and given greater status or privileges than others. The facilities are more important than the people who use them. Emphasis is placed on enforcing church rules and doctrine rather than grace.

In many churches, some provisions of the Old Covenant Law are taught as Christian requirements. Such as the ten commandments. Although the law of the Sabbath is conveniently redefined as the first day instead of the seventh.

The law of tithing is also taught as a requirement in many Christian churches. But if this one provision of the Law is a requirement, then why not all of them, such as animal sacrifice?

When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he addressed the Old Covenant requirement to be circumcised. He said, "And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law." [Galatians 5:3 NASB] The principle holds that if you tithe as an obligation, then you are obliged to keep the whole law.

We are not under law but under grace. We do not have to fulfill the requirements of the Old Covenant because Jesus has done that for us, and we are under a New Covenant.

"FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAELAFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN,AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM." [Hebrews 8:10-11 NASB]

The only requirement we have is to obey the Holy Spirit who lives within us. That doesn't mean that we ignore the Bible. It is the inspired Word of God. From it, we learn who God is, and our relationship to Him. To the Christian, the Bible is made to bring us closer into relationship with Him, and not as a legal document.

These are the things God loves: "justice and mercy and faithfulness". These are matters of the heart, not requirement. They grow out of a spirit that is united with the Spirit of God.