Tithe-free Rue
“Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in and reclined at the table. When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal.
“But the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.
“’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. Woe to you Pharisees!
“‘For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are line concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.’” Luke 11:37-44
Rue is a small shrub with a bushy stem, grey bark, deep, dark green leaves and yellowish flowers. It is commonly found around the base of fig trees. The plant has a distinct and very powerful odour and it produces an acrid juice that is so strong it can blister the skin.
Rue had many uses in biblical times. It was prepared as a condiment and was a common ingredient in most diets. It was highly esteemed as medicine (including the warding off of serpents) and was often added to new wine to give it fullness.
In this passage, our Saviour uses it to reproach the hypocritic Pharisees who loved to show how ‘spiritually superior’ they were to those around them. One way they did this was to pay a tithe on everything - even on rue. But rue was not subject to the law of the tithe.
Therefore, it made their action more hypocritical because although they vigorously kept the Law (even doing more than was required) they neglected the more essential parts of the law – such as loving God and caring for parents.
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Take care with love, especially His, from Darlene, who still prays for you each day.
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NOTES: I choose to believe the Bible because it's a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They reported supernatural events that took place before, of specific prophecies; and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.
The Five Solas: Individuals are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone to the glory of God alone!
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