Heavenly Father, we praise you and thank you because you are the Eternal Father—the ultimate, perfect model of what every human father should aspire to become. We recognize that we are imperfect, wanting, and lacking, but we pray for the grace to truly listen to your Word today. It is a joy to worship you in both good times and bad, knowing that you are a good God who leads us into good things. As we meditate on your scripture, we ask that you speak directly to our hearts, communicate exactly what you want us to learn, and give us the strength to obey.
How many of you are ready to hear and receive the Word of God this morning? It is an incredible privilege and a godly responsibility for me to bring God's Word to you whenever I have the opportunity. On this Father's Day, I pray that what I share will deeply bless the fathers, the would-be fathers, those who still have their human fathers with them, and those who have spiritual fathers or are acting as a parent in the faith to someone else.
Confronting Superficial Religion
Let us turn first to one of my favorite chapters—a passage that serves as a powerful "kick in the back". In Matthew 23, Jesus strongly condemns the scribes and the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and false religion. An easy reference to remember is Matthew 23:23. The Word of God says:
“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.”
The scribes were the teachers of the law, and the Pharisees are a group we speak about often because, if we look closely at our lives, we can find a little bit of Phariseeism in ourselves . Jesus called them out because they were meticulously tithing tiny, insignificant items like mint, dill, and cumin. It sounds like a modern spice jar!
Coming from India, most of us here know our spices well. In fact, one part of India is famously known as the spice bowl of the world. Spices are small in quantity but great in value, taste, and aroma, and we love to garnish our food with them. (As a side note, for those visiting today, we welcome you to join us for our potluck lunch after the service where we will enjoy some highly flavorful, fiery food—and we can assure you that we've managed to condition Brother Joel to tolerate about 60% of the Indian palate over the years! )
The Pharisees were incredibly precise about tithing these tiny spices because it was a commandment, but they used external religious behavior to mask the fact that they completely neglected the weightier matters of the law. When we think of the law, we think of Moses and the Old Testament. As a principle of scripture, the New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New. Non-Christians sometimes misread the Bible and assume the God of the Old Testament is angry and full of wrath, while preferring the loving God of the New Testament. That is a misunderstanding born from a lack of proper scriptural insight. God's core desire has always been consistent, and Jesus tells us what truly matters to Him: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
The Ultimate Requirement
I never fully grasped the connection between Jesus' words and the Old Testament until I was a new believer. A visiting Bible college teacher pointed out to me that Matthew 23:23 directly connects back to Micah 6:8. This is a famous scripture that has been a guiding principle for numerous U.S. presidents—including George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, William Harding, and Harry Truman .
Micah 6:8 declares:
“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”
When scripture says "O man," it is speaking to all of humankind—husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers alike . If you wake up in the morning wondering what God wants you to do, the answer is right here: do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. Jesus reiterated these exact weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. By the end of today, I want us all to know this verse by heart: He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
These attributes met perfectly at the cross of Jesus Christ. We sang earlier about Jesus being beautiful beyond description, and the song noted that "it pleased the Lord to crush Him". This comes straight from scripture. The strict justice of God required an atonement for sin, but the deep mercy of God recognized that we could never achieve this on our own. At the cross, holiness met compassion. Jesus became the ultimate, permanent sacrifice on our behalf. We cannot please God through our own acts of righteousness or good works; we please Him through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Because we are made righteous by faith, we then do righteous acts as the Spirit of God lives His life through us.
Practicing True Justice
What does justice look like in our daily lives? In common terms, justice is fairness, equality before the law, and restitution. It is often depicted by a blindfolded Lady Justice holding a scale, indicating partiality toward none. God’s justice is fundamentally fair. He does not judge us based on what we don't have, but on what we have been given. He doesn't expect the person given one talent to produce the same return as the person given ten.
In this broken, fallen world, there is rampant injustice. God has placed us here as instruments to restore fairness and righteous decision-making within our spheres of influence . Human technology, intellect, and wealth have failed to solve the world's systemic problems because of human fallenness . But God Himself is an unmovable rock of justice. As Deuteronomy 32:4 states:
“The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”
To walk in this justice and avoid the wrong ways of judging, there are three key things we must avoid:
Do not judge by appearance: The Pharisees looked incredibly godly on the outside with their long public prayers, unique garments, and constant presence in the temple, but Jesus called them actors and hypocrites . John 7:24 commands us: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” We have a human limitation; we cannot see into the heart like God can. Ever since the serpent tempted Eve with the ability to judge between good and evil, humanity hasn't stopped judging. We constantly judge everything—cars, food, and people—labeling them "good" or "bad" based on our narrow preferences . Righteous judgment means reserving judgment entirely and leaving it in the hands of God.
Do not show partiality: James warns us against treating a wealthy person or a politician with high honor while looking down on a homeless person . To do so is to lose the essence of the gospel, which completely equalizes humanity. In Christ, there is no Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female—every soul is created in the image of God and is worth more than the whole world . Leviticus 19:15 instructs: “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.” God's law repeatedly calls us to defend the vulnerable: the poor, the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger.
Do not seek vengeance: When we are wronged, our immediate human instinct is to pay the person back under the guise of "justice". I heard a story about a visiting pastor in Kerala who was preparing to serve communion. A church elder refused to take it because of an unresolved issue with a brother . When the pastor urged him to call the brother and reconcile right then, the elder admitted he didn't want to resolve it yet . He said, "Let him just suffer for some time because of what he did to me... Let him writhe in that pain for a couple of weeks, then I'll get it resolved" . We laugh, but how often do we hold grudges because we want to teach someone a lesson? Romans 12:19 clearly tells us: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord.” Taking vengeance destroys your own relationship and favor with God. Leave it to Him.
The Call to Loving Kindness
Justice must always be balanced by mercy. Zechariah 7:9-10 beautifully ties these two elements together:
“Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’”
We don't fail to do this because the scripture is hard to understand; we fail because our flesh wants to hold onto the right to be angry, grumpy, severe, or to hold a grudge . If we try to manufacture mercy through pure willpower, we will always run out of supply when dealing with co-workers, spouses, children, or relatives . We must yield to God's nature. Psalm 86:15 reminds us:
“But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.”
Some people are naturally predisposed to snapping, while others are quieter by nature. But the command to be slow to anger applies to everyone. This doesn't mean grinding your teeth and suppressing your rage ; it means being so overflowing with the love of God that you become genuinely difficult to provoke .
Look at Jesus in Matthew 9:36. When He saw the crowds, He felt deep compassion for them because they were distressed and dispirited, like sheep without a shepherd. When you see hurting or spiritually lost people, does your heart ache for them? Do you feel a burden to do something about it?
Historically, we often viewed the father as the firm figure of justice at home, with the mother providing permissiveness, love, and compassion. Regardless of how those parental dynamics look today, both firmness and compassion are beautifully unified in Christ. He was fiercely angry at religious exploiters who used religion to make money and oppress others, but deeply compassionate toward the poor, the broken, and the lost.
Navigating the Political Divide
We live in a deeply polarized culture, and the church has unfortunately taken sides politically. The idea of "social justice" has been heavily hijacked by secular groups, causing many right-leaning Christians to view any ministry to the poor, the widow, or the foreigner with mistrust and derision. This is wrong. God explicitly commands us to care for the vulnerable willingly and out of our abundance.
On the other hand, the secular left has veered into total rebellion against God's creation. Scripture tells us God created mankind male and female. Today, culture rebels against this, claiming they don't even know what a woman or a gender is. While there is a legitimate medical condition called gender dysphoria that affects a tiny percentage of the population, our culture is celebrating and promoting it, deeply confusing impressionable children and leading many to destroy their lives. We must hate the evil agendas and teachings that promote this confusion, but the call of the church is to love, understand, and help the individuals who are caught in it, offering them a way out.
The Lord is neither right-wing nor left-wing. He is both perfectly just and perfectly merciful, and He calls us to be the same.
Conclusion: Walking Humbly
As we close, let us remember Colossians 3:12:
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;”
"Putting on" or clothing yourself with these traits means putting on Christ Himself . You cannot do this in your own strength, but by allowing the Holy Spirit within you to flow outward so that the character of Jesus is revealed.
The ultimate secret to sustaining justice and mercy is the third requirement of Micah 6:8: walk humbly with your God. Walking humbly is the expression of faithfulness.
This is my call to all of our fathers, and my call to every member of this congregation. Let us look out for the vulnerable, treat those outside with compassion, and resolve to bring true fairness into our community. Let us make a conscious decision today to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.
Let us pray.
Father in heaven, on this Father's Day, we thank you that our knowledge, training, and understanding come from the Father of lights, with whom there is no shadow of turning . You have shown us what is good and what you require of us: to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. Forgive us for the times we have neglected the weightier matters of the law. We pray that you would change our hearts from the inside out so that our external behavior is transformed. Renew our minds by the power of your Word and your Holy Spirit, so that we may be a changed people who truly reflect the glory and the nature of Jesus Christ, our Lord. In Jesus' name, we pray.
Amen.