Straining Gnats and Swallowing Camels…It’s What We Do!
Matthew 23:24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! It’s what we do…
“I’m a good person!”
“I haven’t done anything REALLY bad!”
We slice and dice and make spirals out of the “nuances” that might look like wrongdoing BUT the intention was pure.
We don’t sell our WHOLE soul to the devil, we save some of it for the really important stuff – like the end justifying the means. “I’m SURE God wouldn’t want me to suffer needlessly!”
It’s that darn Law… what we don’t know won’t hurt us… if it weren’t so picky about behavior… OUR behavior to be exact!
“After all… Jesus said… It is finished! It being sin (the gnat) and it’s cost (the camel) called DEATH.” Lucky us… no more worries!
Peek-a-boo… Jesus hears the unspoken words of your mouth and sees the meditations of your heart!
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
Jesus didn’t take away the STANDARD (our Creator), He IS the standard of measuring/judging our substance… He paid the DEBT – the BILL of SALE, due and payable to the master of evil, Satan (our Enemy) – the immediate consequences of SELLING our fearfully and wonderfully made selves in order to eat of the fruit of LUST and PRIDE.
Jesus WON the victory and stamped the bill PAID IN DULL and now sits at the right hand of the Father, judging the living and the dead, for heaven’s sake.
Matthew 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
What?! The Law is STILL alive and applicable? But… But… But…
I thought!
You strained out the gnat – I’m free… and swallowed the camel – I can do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING my heart desires.
But God… Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
You can(and will) do anything and everything – legalistically speaking, Jesus paid our legal fees.
But it is our HEARTS that God wishes to change, and that requires the Spirit of the Law. Righteousness is not about following the Law to the letter – it is about allowing the Letter of the Law to write God’s Will and Word upon your heart.
Jesus is/was/will be God’s PERFECT fulfillment to accomplish His plan!
Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I (Jesus) say… everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
I certainly haven’t (the gnat) murdered anyone recently but just about everyday I might as well have because my anger and bitterness (spoken or unspoken) toward my neighbors and siblings (the camel) is EQUAL TO MURDER!
Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; But I (Jesus) say… that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
I haven’t (the gnat) been physically disloyal to my marriage bed but I have (the camel) more often than not stepped into his position as head of household!
Matthew 5:31-32 “It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; But I (Jesus) say… everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
I may not send my husband away (the gnat) but I don’t fully honor the vows (the camel) I freely made, for richer for poorer – in sickness or in health – till death do us part… nope my loyalty and encouragement is dependent upon my insatiable desire to be pleased!
Matthew 5:33-34 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ But I (Jesus) say… make no oath at all… let your ‘Yes be Yes and your No be No’.
I always MEAN (the gnat) to fulfill my promise but I RARELY MEAN the promises (the camel) I make.
Matthew 5:38-41 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I (Jesus) say… do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
I’m a giving person (the gnat) but I have my limits (the camel) if you cross me or take advantage of my graciousness!
Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I (Jesus) say… love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
I certainly love those (the gnat) who make it easy to love them &/or those I HAVE to love, but “WHOA” an enemy (the camel)?!
Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees
Oh, you thought (and have been taught) that Jesus was talking about THOSE people – not YOU!
You thought (and have been taught) that Jesus’ death on the cross produced your license to become God’s holy BRAT!
You thought (and have been taught) that “saved by grace” means your work to become righteous is over!
You/me (the gnat) better get ready… the camels (our way – our plans – our demands) are coming home to roost so to speak.
Jesus gave us the opportunity to become Sons/Daughters… now begins the wrestling, and training, and disciplining that won’t stop until we are at last ready (as spotless on the inside as the Breastplate of Jesus covering us on the outside) to be made immortally perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect!
If left up to us we would be more than satisfied just Straining Out the Gnats… but no… Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
It may not be pretty, and I guarantee it won’t be pleasant (from our viewpoint) as EVERY CAMEL we have swallowed (Come on! I can smell it… Mr/Ms Camel Breath!) in our journey to self – rule will be herded out, the stables cleaned until they are spotless, and our heart pressed down, shaken, full and overflowing with God’s image… THIS IS the complete and everlasting fulfillment of every WORD God spoke into creation.
God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:31 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God created and made. (Genesis 2:3) God has not changed (He loves His creation). His Word has not changed (He upholds His creation with it). His Will and His desire have not changed (an eternal Sabbath WITH His creation).
For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:18)
When Jesus said “It is finished.” He wasn’t talking about the Law, He was talking about the His victory over evil. The Law was put into place to protect creation from itself and it’s lust and give knowledge of the battle being waged by the enemy of God.
The Law is not finished nor replaced, it is alive, active, and sharper than ever!
Try as we might we will not be allowed to change it to suit us gnats… it will not return to God void… it will accomplish everything it was/is/will be sent to do in our lives.
“Head ’em on up – move ’em out. Rollin, rollin, rollin, keep them doggies camels moving” Praise God! His Will, WILL BE DONE! On earth as it is in heaven!
Give us this day our daily bread… No more diet of camels… No more camel breath! Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. (Psalm 139:23-24)
**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible