Matthew 23:23 - Forerunner Commentary

Matthew 23:23

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Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain Matthew 23:23:

Matthew 23:23-24
Excerpted from: Unleavened Bread Basics

Jesus teaches that there are greater and lesser applications of His law, but He does not do away with precision or carefulness. If you have ever had insects get into a beverage, that’s not something you just overlook. That’s something you’re going to want to do something about. What Jesus warns against is focusing on smaller things at the expense of larger things. But notice that, ultimately, He says to do both. If we neglect justice, mercy, and faithfulness, particularly in tithing, we miss the mark. But if we justify carelessness by saying it’s OK because we do the weightier matters, we also miss the mark.

When we look at God’s actions, whether in Scripture or His work in our own lives, we see that He does not neglect details for the sake of broad principles, but neither does He obsess over the details and lose the plot. His application is always complete and perfect, encompassing large and small, and that should be our goal as well.

In the same way, if our approach to leavening and unleavened bread only focuses on finding every last crumb, but we overlook the larger spiritual principles, we miss the mark. Both weightier things and little things matter.

Matthew 23:23
Excerpted from: The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part 23)

So God is not saying, "Do not sacrifice." He is not saying, "Do not discipline yourself." He is saying that to do justly and to love has a higher priority. But all those things have to be done with the right object in mind and seeking the right source of strength. You can tie this right together with Matthew 23:23, that famous verse about tithing. What did Jesus say? He said, "This you should do."

Tithing is not easy. It requires a great deal of discipline and faith. But He said, "This you should do, but do not leave the weightier matters of the law undone—judgment (or justice, or being fair, doing unto others as you would have others do unto you); mercy (kindness, compassion); and faithfulness (loyalty to God). There are some things that are more important than others. And those last three—justice, mercy, and faith—Jesus is indicating are more important than tithing.

Matthew 23:23
Excerpted from: The Third Tithe Blessing

We know that the Pharisees tithed, even to the point of tithing on the smallest of herbs. And Jesus upholds that—He says carefulness should not be left undone. But He also points out that the Pharisees were overlooking things that were more important, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23).

Justice there indicates the impartial and fair administration of God's standards. It means that judgment is righteous and not merely legally correct yet ultimately unfair. The Pharisees may have been within their legal right in taking the house of a widow, but it was not a just act to do so. It was not merciful. Nor was it faithful to the intent of God’s law. So, they could not truthfully declare that they had acted according to all of God’s commandments.

Matthew 23:23
Excerpted from: Government (Part Four)

We might think of justice as being a "weightier matter of the law;" but what about mercy? Did you ever think of mercy as being a matter of law? Yes, it is! (By God's own accounting.) It is going above and beyond what the law may specifically state. And even faith is a matter of law.

The Sabbath in the Time of Christ

Articles
Are Some Sins Worse Than Others?  (2)
Common Tithing Questions
Five Teachings of Grace
Gluttony: A Lack of Self-Control (Part Two)
Is God a False Minister?
Mercy: The Better Option
Rivet Your Eyes on the Destination
The Beatitudes, Part 5: Blessed Are the Merciful
The Berean Example
The Shout of a King
The Weightier Matters (Part 2): Judgment
The Weightier Matters (Part 3): Mercy
Tithing: God's Financial System
Watch What?

Bible Studies
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Cripple by a Pool (Part Three)
Tithing
Tithing (1995)
Tithing: First Tithe  (2)

Booklets
Ending Your Financial Worries

Essays
Belief and the Firstfruits (Part Two)
Big-Picture Thinking
Choose One Thing
Ditching Tithing? Consider Carefully
How Much Money Does God Need?

Sermons
More Righteous Than the Pharisees?
A Calendar Summary
Hypocrisy: The Last Sin of America
The Law's Purpose and Intent
Our Personal Plumblines
What Happened Between the Testaments?
Childrearing (Part Six)
The Pharisees (Part 3)
The Mystery of Goodness
Matthew (Part Six)
Eating Out on the Sabbath
Why We Tithe (Part 1)
Striking a Balance
Are You Feeling Guilty Of Past Sins?
The Danger of Trusting in Oneself
Instruction in the Morning
Re-Embracing the Berean Model
Elements of Judgment (Part Two)
Matthew (Part Twenty-Five)
Malachi's Appeal to Backsliders (Part Three)
Being a Christian
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part Seven): Cultivating Goodness
Tithing
When Actions Contradict Stated Beliefs
Tithing: 'Try Me Now!' (Part Two)
Tithing: 'Try Me Now!' (Part One)
Strategies for Escaping Babylon (Part Four)
Jesus and the Feast (Part One): Alignment With God
Responding to God's Pruning is Not Passive (Part Two)
Essential Characteristics of Our Calling
The Intertestamental Period
Micah (Part Three): Who is a God Like You?
Deuteronomy (Part 1) (1994)
Politics and Christ's Return
The Covenants, Grace and Law (Part 16)
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part 17)
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part 19)
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part 22)
Forms vs. Spirituality (Part 1)
Forms vs. Spirituality (Part 6)
Sabbathkeeping (Part 4)
Holiness of God (Part 3)
Acting the Fool
Why We Tithe (Part 2)

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