The Gift or The Altar: Which is Greater?
“….. which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
One who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it;
One who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.” – Matthew 23:13-22
Jesus rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees seven times in the gospels. “Woe to you,” he said to them. He also referred to them as “blind guides,” “hypocrites,” “whitewashed tombs,” “serpents,” “brood of vipers,” and “murderers.” Jesus could not be any clearer about His wholehearted and harsh rebukes of these religious leaders.
Who were the Pharisees and Scribes? The Pharisees were political and religious leaders. They imposed written laws on the people. The Scribes were teachers of the law. In the New-Testament period, the scribes were the professional interpreters of the Law in the Jewish synagogues.
Why did Jesus rebuke the scribes and Pharisees? They were misleading people in the name of God. They were indoctrinating the people with the wrong teachings. Jesus did not stomach such misgiving. He strongly rebuked them publicly for their folly, blindness, and stupidity. “You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter” and “You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens, you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.”
His strong rebuke is an act of mercy on His part in that the scribes and Pharisees need more than just a simple invitation to repentance. The warning is a wake-up call for them and for us. We are not to emulate them. What is sacred is sacred; no two ways about it. No wonder the saying “Many people experience God in the woods than in the pews.”
God’s grace is offered to everyone, including the Pharisees and scribes. But Jesus knows that their disposition is such that they will not respond to God’s grace.
What can you and I learn from Jesus’s rebuke? We need to watch against the ugly sins of self-righteousness. There are circumstances and occasions that call for a rebuke, even a public rebuke. In such situations, any rebuke is to be truly in charity and in love.
Sin blinds us if we allow it. The scribes and Pharisees were wretchedly blind in their teachings that an oath made by the altar was considered not binding, while one that was made by the gift was binding. Jesus says NO. The gift (offering) received its sanctity from the altar. An oath made by the altar is more sacred and obligatory than one made by a gift. (cf. Exodus 29: 37) The Sanctuary sanctifies gold like the Altar sanctifies the offering. The Sanctuary and the Altar would not have the authority to sanctify if they did not represent the Eternal God Himself. The LORD makes it clear that the gold and offering are only valuable because the Sanctuary and the Altar sanctify them. In the New Testament the altar symbolizes Christ, “And the rock was Christ” (I Corinthians 10:1-5). May we never lose sight of the sacred.
May the Word of God in all its richness sanctify us and protect us, Amen
Have a wonderful Week
