And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
Christ cuts to the root: no oath holds any force except by God's name alone. The altar sanctifies the gift, not the reverse; heaven matters because God dwells there. When we swear by these things, we must swear by Him who inhabits them, or we dishonor His authority altogether.
AI summary
Their blindness is stark: they teach that an offering becomes holy only when laid upon the altar, yet they claim swearing by the gift binds while swearing by the altar does not. Which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies it? Any man with common sense sees the altar must be the greater.
AI summary
The Pharisees drew a false distinction: swearing by the altar meant nothing to them, but swearing by the gift upon it bound absolutely. This reveals how far they had wandered from the truth about what deserves reverence and what commands obedience.
AI summary