In the Friday February 21st Gazette there was a headline on page 3A that read, “Atlanta Altered Crime Reports.” The story goes on to tell that Atlanta police under reported crime “to help land the 1996 Olympics and to pump up tourism.” This strikes me as more than just a bit funny; the city commits a crime…many crimes, to avoid reporting that crime is on the rise. I suppose that some would say that the “under reporting” is akin to a “little white crime” like “a little white lie” when compared to real crime like murder. The final report displayed Atlanta as the “most violent city” in the nation, and their intentional deception did not change the reality for the people who live in that city. They were not safe, and they knew it, even though their leaders tried to convince them and the world otherwise.
A similar situation existed in Jerusalem when Jesus walked the streets. The crime rate was on the rise. Even the leadership had become complicit in deceiving the people; “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”…“You tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith.” In other words, the religious leaders had become “micro managers” in the lives of the people they were called to serve. Jesus goes on to punctuate his point by telling them, “You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.” Now that’s a mouthful! You see that Jesus is telling the Pharisees that the “real crime,” “weightier matters of the law” (in their own lives) were being ignored by their fascination with everyone else’s less significant violations.
The pattern continues. The international church is mired down with issues of morality while wars continue in Ukraine, Syria, Haiti, Israel and Gaza. Starvation is everywhere including our own American cities. Homelessness persists, and healthcare is but a dream for much of the nation and most of the world. If a similar passion as that surrounding human sexuality could be to address any of these “weightier matters” we would likely solve them. And the world would be drawn to the “Good News” without handing out a single flyer, or running a single news ad. They would know us by our love. The church has been deceived by the devil, not just in our time but in every time. We have bickered from the very beginning over less “weightier matters.” Just think what could happen, if the three billion plus Christians of the world were united around any single issue. But that is never going to happen because we have become entranced with herbs.
(“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”) Matthew 23: 23
Father Bill Myrick
