Matthew 23:23–24 (NKJV) Jesus says: “For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!“
Jesus used an obvious exaggeration it seems to me (a tiny gnat versus a giant camel) to show how we might obsess over tiny, minor rules while totally ignoring the most important parts of God’s law, justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
Now, if you are a little like me I have a lot of scriptures I could pile on and I sure have illustrations about others that often seem to have the (gnat syndrome) my epithet for a few others.
I truly would love to hear some stories of how we, yes we, me and you have been diagnosis with “the gnat syndrome.”
I’m going to give some truthful soul searching and hopefully write in comments soon at least one “camel” I have swallow while over reacting about a gnat!
Justice and Mercy and Faithfulness!
thedailylily.com 
An Ai overview online told me that it would take “283 million to 907 million gnats to equal the weight of an adult camel”.
Compared to a camel, a gnat sure is small…just like the photos in the blog show.
Sara writes, “at least one “camel” I have swallow while over reacting about a gnat!” …and
“Jesus used an obvious exaggeration it seems to me (a tiny gnat versus a giant camel) to show how we might obsess over tiny, minor rules while totally ignoring the most important parts of God’s law, justice, mercy, and faithfulness.”
I think of times I have been so absorbed in the details of doing something correct and/or ‘right’, that in my ‘gnat syndrome’ I overlook the important reason for the doing that goes far deeper; maybe it’s a person’s need for compassion or mercy, help, kindness or a prayer at the moment I am obsessing about doing.
My prayerful thinking lead me to, have I been a part of a church, group, political party, club, TV watching and taken on the beliefs and ideology of the leadership and then realized we were being told lies to entice us into numbers for their gain? Or, for their vote? Or, whatever it may be in today’s form of church or government! Yes, I have believed the “one” or “ones” leading and found out after the win, things were not as I believed. And, some of the very things Jesus spoke of in this chapter where Jesus sums them up by His rebuke. My Mother was a widow when I was a very young child as well as four of her other 12 children still very young. And, she with her children suffered as a widow with her young children at the hands of the people, and loss of value of her home and farm. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.” Matthew 23:14 NKJV
I have believed politicians and voted for them only to realize I had been deceived and deceived others by my vote. But, for God’s grace; “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” I’m sharing the full chapter of where Jesus spoke truth with no lies or spin.
“Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because 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. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”” Matthew 23:1-10, 12-23, 25-39 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.23.1-10.NKJV
The footnotes for Matthew 23: 23,24 says : (NLT) “It’s possible to obey the details of the laws, but still be disobedient in our general behavior. For example, we could be very precise and faithful about giving 10% of our money to God, but refuse to give one minute of our time in helping others. Tithing is important, but giving a tithe does not exempt us from fulfilling God’s other directives.
The Pharisees strained their water so they wouldn’t accidentally swallow a gnat — an unclean insect according to the law. Meticulous about the details of ceremonial cleanliness, they nevertheless had lost their perspective on inner purity— in essence, they would then swallow a camel and not even notice. They were ceremonially clean on the outside, but had corrupt hearts.”
Help us Lord, to be obedient to You, in all areas of our lives.🙏🙏🙏
Tammy’s footnotes released a serious stinger, “had corrupt hearts.”