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. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

What good is it to keep minor technical laws, but never lift a hand to help those who are in need? Some are treated unfairly, others have fallen into a virtual life pit and need rescuing, and still others need someone to model faithfulness and be a brother or sister to them.

The Pharisees were all “pomp” and no practice, all “circumstance” and no substance in their faith.

Blind guides are worse than no guides at all. With no guide, people will typically not go anywhere. But with a blind guide, they follow and fall into a pit. Jesus strongly warns against following the Pharisees as leaders because they care only for themselves.

Do I make little things into big things? Do I make a show of my good deeds? Do I then forget the things that matter most?

Lord, help me to retrain my mind to focus on the things that matter most to you. I need to let minor frustrations go and focus on major victories. You are perfect in love, mercy, and justice. Help me to tap into your Spirit to excel in these attributes as well.