We, humans, have the tendency to attach more importance to the whole than to the parts. Consequently we often overlook the details while focusing on the global picture. Granted that the whole gives meaning to the parts, it is the latter that causes the former to exist and not vice versa. Hence, the prudent takes care of what may appear subsidiary, for he knows each component is crucial to the development of the whole.
Now, all this seems beyond dispute in the material world, but what about the moral world? Could it be that the lack of a small constituent leads to the breakdown of the whole? The question is worth considering.
A revealing statement
Jesus seems to answer that question when he says:
He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10).
Here Jesus is not oscillating. His statement doesn’t leave room for speculations. He attests—with absolute certainty—that the person who is faithful in what is least is also faithful in much. The “much” is here contingent on the “least”. Without the latter the former is doomed to suffocate in the chamber of neglectfulness.
Likewise Jesus tells us that he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. In a sense this is mind-blowing because we are inclined to put more importance on the “much” than on the “least”. In other words, we are often fooling ourselves, unaware that “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9).
Actually, the saying of Jesus implies two other statements, viz.: He who is unfaithful in what is least is unfaithful also in much. And: He who is just in what is least is just also in much.
A meticulous life
Since the “least” is so meaningful we must be punctilious in our walk with God and men. The details must not be overlooked, otherwise our Christian walk becomes aimless.
Now, you might have noticed that what we have seen so far describes the mind of a perfectionist. Actually Christianity cannot flourish where there is no craving for perfection. When Jesus says: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48), He is expressing one of the most essential desires a Christian should have. Without that aspiration we are doomed to live not only a life of mediocrity, but also a life of self-deception where the “least” chokes the “whole”.
Please, don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying our Christian life is meaningless if we are not perfect, I am only saying that without a longing for perfection a Christian cannot thrive, he is condemned to live a stagnant Christian life with all of its implications.
One thing is certain, and the conclusion is irrevocable, the person that is faithful in much must by definition be also faithful in what is the least, and the person that is unjust in what is least is doomed to be unjust also in much. All this is as logical as it is certain, for how can a person pretend to be careful about the whole when he is careless about the parts?
A possible refutation
Now, you might read this and remember a scripture found in the Gospel of Matthew that says:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matt. 23:23).
Here it seems a person can be faithful in what is the least and yet unfaithful in much. But such a conclusion would be based on a misreading. The motives that prompt these scribes and Pharisees to pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin had nothing to do with faithfulness or justice, it was simply a way to exhibit their own righteousness. It follows that the declaration of Jesus stands as irrevocable:
He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10).
The Spirit as our Guide
Actually, our success pivots on our sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Without Him there would be no hope. He alone can ring the alarm when we trespass against what is the least. It is so because the Spirit is a perfectionist. He values the details and considers the whole.
The person who communes with the Father of perfection will develop an acute sense of responsibility. He will long for improvement and calls for guidance. To such a man the divine commands are light, for he takes pleasure in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
Carelessness—on the fashion of a cancer—attacks a minimal constituent before invading the whole. It usually thrives in the lukewarm waters of a “religious” life. When left unchecked, it is as deadly as anthrax.
May God help us to pay attention to the little foxes that destroy the vines (Song of Sol. 2:15), and may His voice illumine our path until the final Day.
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