Matthew 23:23 “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 strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”

Of the Letter and the Spirit

In a series of poetic comparisons, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, for observing the letter, but ignoring the spirit of the law. Jesus teaches us that the dutiful micro-tithing of 10% is not in itself an observance of the law, but merely a gesture to the spirit. The Lord further instructs that such obtuse, nit-picky observance yields absurd results, as in straining out a gnat, only to swallow a camel, the smallest, and the largest of unclean creatures.

But does not the letter reveal the spirit? Not entirely, because we know that the Spirit is the very hand of intent that scribes the letter. We know that the intentions of the Holy Spirit are the unquantifiable qualities of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. The letter itself has no intent of its own, and therefore, to live by the letter alone is to live without intention. Let us acknowledge, then, that living without intention is to live void of the Holy Spirit. We may understand the meaning of the letter only when we know the true intent of the spirit, the reason for the law, not for its requirements upon ourselves, but for its purposeful effect on others, as we live to fulfill those intentions.

How often do we attempt to justify ourselves in letter only, e.g. “It wasn’t my fault, I was going exactly the speed limit,” ignoring the intent of driving safely under all conditions. Jesus fulfilled the law by completing its requirements and purpose, culminating in a new covenant of intentions, those of love, grace and compassion. Better we ask this holiday season, not what is the sum of our good measures, but rather, did we demonstrate the intentions of love of our neighbor, to give to the poor, care for the sick, welcome a stranger, or visit someone in prison? Perhaps it seems easier for us to itemize our good measures by the letter, than it is to balance a ledger of love and compassion.

Paul Richardson