Reasons Why Jesus Did Not Condemn Tithe In Matthew 23:23 (Part 2)
Happy prosperous new year 2023 to everyone. We thank God for this new year 2023.
Last week, we looked at 5 reasons out of 9 why the Lord Jesus Christ did not condemn tithe. By His grace, we shall scripturally look at the remaining 4 today to bring the study to conclusion. We will start from number 6.
(6) The three weightier matters of the law: (1) judgment (justice), (2) mercy (compassion) and (3) faith (faithfulness) are all greater than tithe! – Matthew 23:23 KJV “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
(7) While the Lord Jesus Christ was here on earth during His earthly ministry, He was not here to teach them (the religious leaders) the mystery of His doctrine and also not to contend with the religion of the Jews, most especially the religious leaders (the priests) of the Jewish religion; He allowed them to practice their Law of Moses because the religious leaders of the law of Moses like the priests, the Scribes and the Pharisees were not His disciples as mentioned in number 3 above. The Lord Jesus Christ was not here to teach them His doctrine but to teach only His disciples His doctrine and mystery (hidden truth) so He allowed them practice their religion of the law of Moses.
For instance, in Matthew 8:4 after performing the healing miracle of the leper, He asked him to perform sacrifice according to the Law of Moses – Matthew 8:4 KJV “And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.”
In the Law of Moses under the Old Testament, there were sequences of events (one proceeds another) to offer sacrifice which is cancelled and not applicable in the New Testament because all the laws of Moses were fulfilled in Christ Jesus – Hebrews 10:9-12 KJV “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man (Jesus Christ), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”
In the New Testament, Christian believers are not permitted any form of offering sacrifices of the Old Testament under the Law of Moses as the Lord Jesus Christ permitted offering sacrifices in Matthew 8:4 during His earthly ministry. During His earthly ministry, how to know the disciples of Jesus Christ is by those who continue in His doctrine which the religious leaders including the Scribes and the Pharisees of the law of Moses did not accept – they rejected His doctrine – John 8:31 KJV “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed,”
(8) Tithe or tithing is the tool or platform or medium set up by God in the Old Testament under the Law of Moses as a welfare system to execute the three weightier matters of the law: (1) judgment (justice), (2) mercy (compassion) and (3) faith (faithfulness) in order to reach out to the poor in the society, that is, to make the presence and evidence of God a reality in the life of every human being. God allowed the poor in the society so that we can show the nature of God to them; if there is no poor, the justice, mercy/compassion and faith shall be lost. The justice, mercy/compassion and faithfulness are all the nature of God. Tithe can be used to execute and manifest them (the three weightier matters of the law) in the life of the poor and the needy.
Remember that tithe is not even faith but it can be used as the tool of faith. Don’t forget that Jesus Christ was talking to the Scribes and the Pharisees who didn’t have faith in Him (Christ Jesus) – and anything that is not of faith is a sin, so all the system of tithing being observed and obeyed by the Scribes and the Pharisees under the Law of Moses was not of faith – and in the sight of God is a sin – Romans 14:23 KJV “….for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Tithing is not faith but law – and this is the reason why the Lord Jesus Christ used the phrase “have omitted the weightier matters of the law” in Matthew 23:23. As tithing/tithe is not faith, so the same applies that tithing/tithe is neither mercy nor justice but law – tithing is the law of Moses fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament after His death, burial and resurrection.
Tithe with the true Biblical giving can be used in the New Testament to execute and manifest the following as it is written in Matthew 25:32 – 46; and that of the character of the good Samaritan practically expressing mercy/compassion, the nature of God to the fellow human being in Luke 10:30 -37 :
(1) You feed those who are hungry
(2) You give drink to those who are thirsty
(3) You clothe the shame of those who are naked
(4) You provide accommodation for those who are homeless and destitute
(5) You visit the sick and take care of their sickness
(6) You visit those who are in the prison and care for them.
Furthermore, tithe with the true Biblical giving can be used in the church to the level or point that no single church member is lacking according to Acts 2: 42 – 45 KJV and Acts 4: 32 – 35 KJV “…..And all that believed were together, and had all things common;….And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.. .Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.“
(9) Tithe with the Biblical giving of the New Testament can be used for running the affairs of the church like paying the pastors, paying the church support staff, to do evangelism and mission works, etc.; the Bible says that the minister of the gospel must eat and live from the gospel – those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel – 1 Corinthians 9:13 -14 NKJV “ Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”
In Conclusion, the true Biblical giving by grace with much love for God is greater than and more blessed than tithe or tithing of the Law of Moses in the Old Testament.
For more discovery by revelation knowledge and a greater level of understanding, awareness, insight of Biblical giving beyond and above the tithe in the New Testament, please read in detail my book at Amazon for free at Amazon (KDP) or get a copy titled “Money Never Paid As Tithes In The Bible Unless Redeemed: What My Pastor Has Never Told Me Concerning Money Paid As Tithes” by Olusegun Ibikunle . It will surely help for further knowledge on the absolute truth on doctrine of tithing (tithes). Click the book as it is displayed at top of this site.
Note: Proverbs 23:23 NKJV “Buy the truth, and do not sell it…”
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