Matthew 23:24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 

Do you remember the old Sesame Street Song:

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn’t belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others

By the time I finish my song?

There is one big difference between a gnat and a camel, which is that the gnat has wings. Okay, so there are a lot of differences between a gnat and a camel, the most obvious being size. But these two things share something in common. Both the gnat and the camel were unclean animals.

The Pharisees would go to great lengths to strain unclean gnats out of their drink, but they ignored the camel sized sin that was in their lives. They were focused on the wrong things. They were so wrapped up in the minutiae of the law that they overlooked the bigger things. Don’t major in the minors.

Too many Christians get so wrapped up in minutiae – pet doctrines or theories and they wind up laying aside the essence, which is the love of God. “This translation of the Bible is the only translation” or “no shirt, no shoes, no salvation.” These kinds of arguments are distractions, not just to those who entertain the argument, but to those who observe.

In Matthew 17, when Jesus was on Mount Hermon and He was transfigured before three of His disciples, there with Him appeared both Moses and Elijah; Moses, being the vessel through which God gave the law, and Elijah, representing the prophets. Peter, not being one to with hold comment, answered a question that wasn’t even asked, by suggesting that he build three tabernacles, one for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Jesus. God the Father interrupted Peter and said (I’m paraphrasing), “Shush! Listen to Jesus.”

While this sounds like no big deal for us, the problem was that Peter was placing the law and the prophets on level with Jesus. Instead of looking to see where the law and the prophets pointed, he became fascinated by them and distracted from Jesus. Consider also that when Peter spoke up, where did the attention of the other disciples go? That’s right. Their attention shifted to Peter.

When we become caught up in arguments over minor things, not only do we become distracted from what’s truly important, but we also distract others, perhaps those who are not saved, from the simplicity that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.