Fanaticism

“But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”   (Matthew 12:7)             

“For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”   (Psalm 51:16-17)    

In the Matthew 12 passage, it was the Sabbath, and the disciples had been eating grains of wheat while walking through a field.  Technically, they were breaking the Jewish law by harvesting and threshing wheat, both of which are considered to be work and therefore not allowed on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees were pointing this out to Jesus. The verse that Jesus quotes in His response to them is Hosea 6:6:

“For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)     

The word “loyalty” in this verse is translated in other Bible translations as mercy, faithfulness, compassion, kindness, love, faithful love, steadfast love, and loving-kindness.  It is the Hebrew word “chesed”, and apparently there is no direct translation to English for this word.  When we become fanatics for God, kind of like the Pharisees were fanatics for the Jewish law, we often become fanatical about the wrong things.  Jesus is pointing this out to us in this passage, and warning us to not fall into the same trap of being fanatical about the less important things.

Some of the things we are often fanatical about today might include food, our favorite sports team, golf, tennis, work, cars, fishing, politics, beer, computers, gaming, hiking, climbing, etc.  In our spiritual life we might be fanatical about church attendance, bible study, political activities, certain doctrines we adhere to, the sacrifices we make in our lives, making a difference in the world, etc.  And these are all good things, just as the Jewish law was a good thing (Romans 7).  But when we become fanatical about them, we often condemn the innocent, as the Pharisees did in the story.

What if we became fanatical about chesed?  What if we became fanatical about compassion, mercy, loving-kindness, loyalty, gentleness, patience, and humility?  Could you imagine how the world would be impacted if we were to do this?  Imagine what the world would be like if all Christians were to do this, to become fanatically humble and compassionate for example.  Wow!

Jesus is calling us to do this very thing, because God wants us to be fanatics about the right things, the things that matter most to Him and to the Kingdom of God.  Paul says it well in Colossians chapter 3:

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:12-17)

If I had to define what God means when he tells us He desires “chesed” in us, I would say that Colossians 3:12-17 is a good start.  Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Forgiveness, love, unity, wisdom, peace, and thankfulness.  What a list.  Can you imagine what your life would be like if we were fanatics about doing these things.  Let us be fanatics about being that way.  When we do, our lives will truly be transformed into Christ-likeness, and the people in our lives will marvel at what God is doing in and through us.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”   (Matthew 23:23)             

What are the things you are fanatical about?  Food?  Sports? Cars?  Work?  Are you fanatical about any of the ways Paul encourages us to be in the Colossians 3:12-17 passage?  Are you fanatically thankful? If asked, would people say that you are fanatically humble?  Fanatically compassionate?  Fanatically kind or loving?  What would your life look like if those things were true of you?  I challenge you to ask God today to make you a fanatic about the right things, laying aside fanaticism over the things that do not matter as much to Him.

Lord God Almighty, I come before you in Jesus name, and confess to You that I am often fanatical about the wrong things.  I often focus on the minor things, and neglect the weightier matters of what you desire from me, such as compassion, kindness, mercy, and love.   I ask that you would change this in my life, that you would make me fanatically humble, kind, loving, merciful, faithful, peaceful, gentle, and compassionate. I ask that the Holy Spirit would transform me more and more into the image of Christ each day, and that these things would be ever increasing in my life.  Work a miracle in my life.  I ask this in Jesus name, to the glory of God.  Amen.