"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." In these words Christ again condemns the abuse of sacred obligation. The obligation itself He does not set aside. The tithing system was ordained by God, and it had been observed from the earliest times. Abraham, the father of the faithful, paid tithes of all that he possessed. The Jewish rulers recognized the obligation of tithing, and this was right; but they did not leave the people to carry 617 out their own convictions of duty. Arbitrary rules were laid down for every case. The requirements had become so complicated that it was impossible for them to be fulfilled. None knew when their obligations were met. As God gave it, the system was just and reasonable; but the priests and rabbis had made it a wearisome burden.

Ve jer, I skriftkloge og farisæere, I hyklere! thi I giver tiende af mynte og dild og kommen og har forsømt det i loven, der har større vægt: ret og barmhjertighed og troskab. Det ene burde I gøre og ikke forsømme det andet. Ved disse ord fordøm mer Kristus atter misbruget af de hellige pligter. Han tilsidesætter ikke selve forpligtelsen. Tiendesystemet var indstiftet af Gud, og det var blevet overholdt fra de tidligste tider. Abraham, de troendes fader, betalte tiende af alt, hvad han ejede. De jødiske rådsherrer anerkendte forpligtelsen til at give tiende, men de overlod det ikke til folket selv at gennemføre deres egen overbevisning om pligt. Der var i hvert enkelt tilfælde fastsat egenmægtige bestemmelser. Kravene var efterhånden blevet så indviklede, at det var umuligt at opfylde dem. Ingen vidste, hvornår deres forpligtelser holdt op. Dengang Gud indstiftede dette system, havde det været retfærdigt og forstandigt; men præsterne og rabbinerne havde gjort det til en trættende byrde.