I am a Jesus pusher!!! “Those of old” proposed RELIGION WITHOUT RELATIONSHIP. “You shall not murder” was a part of the religious creed of the Pharisees’ oral traditions. Few of their traditions, if any, focused on relationships. Their religious focus was on proper sacrifices, such as “bring your gift to the altar” (Matthew 5:23). They were careful about tithing properly. Jesus said, “For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin” (Matthew 23:23). The mint, anise (dill), and cumin were herbs used as kitchen spices. They were considered farm produce. The Mosaic Law required a tithe be paid to the treasury of Israel (Leviticus 27:30). Herbs were primarily grown for their leaves and seeds. They separated one for God from every ten leaves or seeds. They gloried in the self-righteousness of subscribing to details. They neglected the “weightier matters” as “justice and mercy and faith” (Matthew 23:23). The religious ceremonies became the measure of their religion instead of relationship.
Jesus exposed their priorities in a brief parable regarding the Sabbath day laws. He healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath day. No one could perform a medical procedure on the Sabbath day unless it was life-threatening. When they confronted Him, He asked them a simple question. “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?” (Matthew 12:11). No answer is recorded in the passage because every man knew the answer. Without exception, they would rescue the sheep, ignoring the Sabbath requirement because of a sheep’s financial value. Jesus reminded them that a man is more valuable than a sheep! The priority of God is relationship, not religious activities. I want Him; I am a Jesus pusher!!!