Luke 11:42 is Jesus rebuking the Pharisees for being meticulous about tiny religious duties while neglecting justice and love for God. He does not tell them to stop tithing; he says they should have done those things and also not neglected the weightier matters. The words are spoken by Jesus during a meal at the house of a Pharisee, addressed directly to the Pharisees present.
But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and God’s love. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.
Luke 11:42 (WEB)
What Luke 11:42 Means
Jesus begins with “woe,” a strong word of warning and grief rather than a curse. The Pharisees are precise about tithing, giving a tenth of even the smallest garden herbs such as mint and rue. Jesus takes that precision seriously. He is not mocking their generosity or their care for God’s law.
The turn comes with the word “but.” They carefully measure out a tenth of herbs, yet they “bypass justice and God’s love.” Justice here means fairness and right dealing with others, the same concern for the poor and the wronged that runs through the prophets. The love of God points to a heart that actually trusts and honors God, not only a checklist of observances.
The verse does not promise that small acts of religious discipline are worthless. Jesus says they “ought to have been done,” and then adds that the larger obligations should not be left undone. The verse teaches balance, not a choice between faithfulness in worship and faithfulness in daily life.
The Context of Luke 11:42
Luke’s Gospel was written for a largely Gentile audience, likely in the later first century, and it presents Jesus as the compassionate Savior who welcomes outsiders and cares for the poor. Luke 11 records a sequence of teachings on prayer, faith, and hypocrisy, and verses 39 to 52 form a series of “woes” aimed at Pharisees and lawyers.
Just before verse 42, Jesus tells them that they clean the outside of the cup while the inside is full of greed and wickedness, and he urges them to give to the needy from what is within. Verse 42 continues that same criticism. Read in that setting, the tithing is not condemned in itself but exposed as a way of looking pious while missing the heart of the law.
Key Phrases in Luke 11:42
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
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Micah sums up what the Lord requires as doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God. This closely matches Jesus’ emphasis in Luke 11:42 on justice and love over mere outward observance.
Matthew 23:23
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.
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Matthew records a parallel saying in which Jesus again affirms tithing while calling his hearers to weightier matters like justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Reading it alongside Luke 11:42 shows how consistently Jesus taught this balance.
A Short Prayer From Luke 11:42
Lord, you see the careful things I do to look faithful and the quiet places where I fall short of justice and love. Search my heart and show me where my habits have replaced compassion for others. Help me to give generously, to deal fairly with the people in my life, and to love you in ways that reach beyond the rules I keep. Let my faith be real in the everyday moments where no one is watching. Amen.
