Matthew 23

Can you imagine working so hard to pick a small gnat out of your soup but missing the camel! I think I'd notice. What Jesus wants us to notice is that we spend too much time on the motions (the little gnats) and miss the matters of the heart (the camel). Things like justice, mercy and faithfulness are aspects of character and not just actions. We miss doing these things because they take time, effort and emotional sacrifice. SWC

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! Matthew 23:23-24 (ESV)