Key Verse: "You
blind men! Which is greater: the gift or the altar that makes the gift
sacred?"
Matthew 23:19
I have been
married for thirty-seven years. When Kathy and I were married, we were both
still in college and very poor! We barely managed to purchase a set of brushed
gold wedding rings for a little over $100, on sale. These gold bands have been
rubbed smooth over time, yet, for Kathy, her band has come off only twice, once for a cesarean for the birth of our first son, and once for another medical procedure. It's too precious to her to risk losing.
Unfortunately, my ring has a different story. Sometime during our fourth year of marriage, I was in an egg toss game and I didn't want to take the risk that the metal band might crack the egg. I put it in my pocket, and never saw it again! It was lost in the sand at the lake shore! What I wear now is a replacement, and believe you me, I never made that mistake again. Today, if someone were to offer me a ring worth $10,000, it would not be worth, to me, what this simple band is worth. The simple band that I wear is priceless to me because it represents a covenant that I made thirty-seven years ago, a covenant that I still treasure to this day.
Unfortunately, my ring has a different story. Sometime during our fourth year of marriage, I was in an egg toss game and I didn't want to take the risk that the metal band might crack the egg. I put it in my pocket, and never saw it again! It was lost in the sand at the lake shore! What I wear now is a replacement, and believe you me, I never made that mistake again. Today, if someone were to offer me a ring worth $10,000, it would not be worth, to me, what this simple band is worth. The simple band that I wear is priceless to me because it represents a covenant that I made thirty-seven years ago, a covenant that I still treasure to this day.
What makes the band so special is the relationship it represents. It's hard for me to understand why the Pharisees would make swearing by the gift on the altar more important than the altar! The altar is what makes the gift holy and pricelessly valuable, because of the relationship it represents between the giver and God! They could butcher a lamb for meat for a meal
at home, or with friends any time they wanted. But when they did it on the altar, as part of
asking forgiveness for their sins, that made the sacrifice a gift to God and
therefore sacred.
It seems that they valued what they brought to the altar more than what they got in return from a loving and merciful God. Woe to you for being impressed with your gifts and showing off to each other for how generous you are and forgetting what really makes the gift of value to God. It’s not the size of the gift but the heart behind it that counts. God's part is far more valuable than anything we can bring. The Covenant represented by the sacrifice offered is priceless compared to anything you could just buy at the butcher shop, or even a whole flock of sheep or herd of cattle!
It seems that they valued what they brought to the altar more than what they got in return from a loving and merciful God. Woe to you for being impressed with your gifts and showing off to each other for how generous you are and forgetting what really makes the gift of value to God. It’s not the size of the gift but the heart behind it that counts. God's part is far more valuable than anything we can bring. The Covenant represented by the sacrifice offered is priceless compared to anything you could just buy at the butcher shop, or even a whole flock of sheep or herd of cattle!
And then, they used their own efforts to swear by, when if they were going to do any swearing at all, they had a more powerful resource at their fingertips! God himself could make sure that they kept their word, better than any material present could! But they trusted in the present more than God.
Hymn: "The Altar"
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