The Elephant in the Room

This are two of my (three now) stuffed traveling companions I take with me on business trips. They are posing with an elephant friend of theirs that they met at our table at the hotel restaurant - which I managed to convince the establishment to sell me as a souvenir! Perhaps this elephant in my room I have now at home will remind me of these words I write now ... 

When reading through Matthew, Jesus goes through a list of woes set out before the Scribes and Pharisees. One of them describes how they participated in one part of the law, without participating in others. He mentioned to them that they were tithing, yet they ignored more weightier matters of the law when they should have been doing both. This really highlights two important factors to me:

1. They should have been striving to obey all the law, not just parts.
2. Some parts are weightier than others.

It is this second observation that I really want to think about. What laws did He specifically mention that seemed to hold more weight?

"... you have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness ... " Matthew 23:23 (ESV)

In fact, Jesus even compared this logic (of choosing to tithe and ignore justice, mercy, and faithfulness) to "straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!"

Straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel ... it resonates with me that often the more important commands are not the easiest, but they are the most obvious.

How am I doing with that elephant in the room? Am I checking boxes, or am I passionate about the more weightier and obvious matters like justice, mercy, and faithfulness?

Reflecting,
~Matthew