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Humble Hero
weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and truth. “These,”
Christ said, “you ought to have done, without leaving the others
undone.”
The rabbis had perverted other laws in a similar way. In the
directions God gave through Moses, the use of swine’s flesh and of
certain other animals was prohibited, because they were likely to fill
the blood with impurities and to shorten life. But the Pharisees went
to unjustified extremes. They required the people to strain all the
water used, in case it might contain the smallest insect that could be
classed with the unclean animals. Contrasting these trivial require-
ments with the magnitude of actual sins, Jesus said to the Pharisees,
“Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
“You are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful
outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all unclean-
ness.” The whited and beautifully decorated tomb concealed the
putrefying remains within. Similarly, the outward holiness of the
priests and rulers concealed iniquity.
Jesus continued, “You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn
the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the
days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them
in the blood of the prophets.’ Therefore you are witnesses against
yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.”
People at that time cherished a superstitious regard for the tombs
of the dead and lavished vast sums of money on decorating them.
In the sight of God this was idolatry. It showed that they did not
love God supremely nor their neighbor as themselves. Today, many
neglect the widows and the fatherless, the sick and the poor, in
order to build expensive monuments for the dead. Duties to the
living—duties which Christ has plainly commanded—they leave
undone.
The Pharisees said one to another, “If we had lived in the days
of our fathers, we would not have united with them in shedding the
blood of God’s servants.” At the same time they were planning to
take the life of His Son. This should open our eyes to the power of
Satan to deceive any mind that turns away from the light of truth.
Many are amazed at the blindness of the Jews in rejecting Christ.
If we had lived in His day, they declare, we would never have been
guilty of rejecting the Savior. But when obedience to God requires