But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Jesus is speaking publicly to the Pharisees, a prominent group of Jewish religious leaders in first-century Israel who were deeply devoted to keeping every detail of God's law. They were so meticulous that they tithed even the smallest garden herbs — carefully setting aside a tenth of their mint, rue, and other plants. Jesus does not tell them to stop. Instead, he points out that in their intense focus on small, measurable religious duties, they had completely overlooked the heart of the law: justice for others and genuine love for God. The word 'woe' signals serious grief or alarm, not just mild disappointment. Jesus is not splitting hairs — he is identifying a profound spiritual failure. And notably, he tells them they should do both: keep the precise practices and pursue the weightier things.
God, it is so much easier to count my herbs than to do the harder work of loving people well and fighting for what is right. Forgive me for the ways I have used religious habit as a substitute for genuine love. Help me hold both — the faithful practice and the heart behind it. Amen.
Picture someone carefully sorting their spare change by denomination before the offering plate comes around — making sure every last coin is accounted for — while the person beside them is being quietly taken advantage of, and they say nothing. That is roughly the scene Jesus is describing. The Pharisees had turned religious precision into a performance while justice and love for God had slipped away unnoticed. You can be technically correct and spiritually hollow at the same time. The two are not mutually exclusive — but one can absolutely become a hiding place from the other. The sharp edge of this verse is that Jesus does not let the Pharisees off the hook on the herb-tithing either. 'You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.' Small, faithful practices still matter. But they do not cover for the bigger things being neglected. It is worth asking yourself honestly: is there a religious habit in your life — church attendance, a giving record, a prayer routine — that has quietly become a substitute for the harder, messier work of loving people well or standing up for what is right? Precision can be a very comfortable place to hide.
What were the Pharisees actually doing right, and what specifically does Jesus identify as the problem? How does His 'you should have done the latter without leaving the former undone' complicate any simple reading of this passage?
Where in your own faith life do you tend to focus on the easier, more measurable religious practices while letting harder things — like pursuing justice, or reconciling a broken relationship — go unaddressed?
Jesus links 'justice' and 'the love of God' in the same sentence as if they belong together. What do you think He means by pairing them? Can you genuinely love God while being indifferent to how people around you are treated?
The Pharisees were respected, visibly devout people. How does visible religious precision sometimes make it harder — for us and for others — to notice when something important is being missed underneath it?
Is there one act of justice or advocacy you have been putting off — something you know matters but keep deferring? What would a concrete first step look like this week?
To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Proverbs 21:3
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luke 18:12
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
Deuteronomy 10:12
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.
Matthew 23:23
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Matthew 22:36
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Malachi 3:8
Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:1
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Micah 6:8
"But woe (judgment is coming) to you Pharisees, because you [self-righteously] tithe mint and rue and every [little] garden herb [tending to all the minutiae], and yet disregard and neglect justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done, without neglecting the others.
AMP
“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
ESV
'But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every [kind of] garden herb, and [yet] disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
NASB
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
NIV
“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
NKJV
“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
NLT
"I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but manage to find loopholes for getting around basic matters of justice and God's love. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required.
MSG