I have often applied these words from Isaiah to myself.
Listen, you who are deaf,
and you who are blind, look up and see!
Who is blind but my servant
or deaf like my messenger whom I send?
Who is blind like my dedicated one
or blind like the servant of the Lord?
He sees many things, but he does not observe them;
his ears are open, but he does not hear. (Isaiah 42.18-20)
I have attempted to faithfully follow the Lord for the majority of my adult life. When looking back, I realize that I didn’t know where I was going, but God did.
Some of my decisions were those of a spiritually blind and deaf human. However, by God’s grace they turned out to be right way to go. Only the backward vision of hindsight revealed this to be true.
When Jesus accuses the religious leaders of being blind, I know I need to pay to his words. I, too, can be a “blind guide.” Below is a selection of Jesus’ message to the leaders.
“Woe to you, blind guides who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’
“You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred?” (Matthew 23.16-17).
Jesus continues to drive home his point with similar examples through verse 22. His major point is that they major on minor issues while failing to emphasize the most important ones.
Tithing and Justice
Jesus continues his majoring on the minor while neglecting the most important while addressing the tithe.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others.
“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!” (Matthew 23.22-23).
The prophet Micah was asked,
“With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow myself before God on high?”
Micah responded with declaration from the Lord.
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6.6 and 8)
Church history is filled with examples of arguments over non-essential aspects of the faith. Horrific abuses of power and authority have taken place under the guise of correcting some so-called erroneous doctrine or practice.
The people of God are not called upon to conduct a symposium on justice. We are to “do justice,” by practicing it to the best of our ability.
The Hebrew word for “love kindness is “chesed.” It’s a rich word that encompasses ideas of kindness, loyalty, faithfulness, and steadfast love.
When the Israelites practiced loving kindness, they kept their covenant agreement with God (the Ten Commandments).
When God practiced loving kindness, he continued being faithful to the Israelites after they had sinned and broken their agreement. Loving-kindness is the closest Old Testament word for the New Testament concept of grace.
To “walk humbly with your God” is another way of describing the fear of the Lord. We “walk” with God by engaging in a relationship with him.”
We demonstrate humility by coming to God for direction. Instead of making our plans and asking God to bless them, we ask God for his plans and the ability to follow them.
It goes without saying that this lifestyle involves obedience.
Rather than majoring in minor issues of religion, we do well to follow God’s will that was expressed in Micah and through Jesus’ teaching and action.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 