Justice and Mercy. Mat 23:23

In my devotional reading today, we see Jesus in conversation with the pharisees. He tells them quite plainly that they have neglected the important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness. In Mat 5:17 we see Jesus stating that he has not come to abolish the law but to fiulfil it. The pharisees in their strict obedience to the Law were trying to create the right social conditions in which the Messiah would come, they were looking to purify society(v25). The prophets of old had said many times that the people were neglecting mercy. (e.g. Amos 2:7)

In other words, lets get on with the business of justice, mercy and faithfulness in Jesus name and by doing so we will have oil in our Jars Mat 25:4. The Kingdom of God is among us.