No, “Comma”ment

               There is an old story about a wealthy banker whose wife was away on holiday.  During her travels she ran across a stunning set of jewelry that she just couldn’t live without.  She sent a telegraph to her husband asking if he would be willing to buy the item for her at such large price.  The husband replied with the answer, “No price to high”.  She was overjoyed he thought of her so highly bought the jewelry.  When she returned home, she was confused then to find a very irate husband. When she asked him about why he was angry, he replied, “They left out the comma”.

               A comma can make a big difference in a sentence.  Once a comma left out of an 1870 tariff bill cost the United States government one million in lost revenue.  Even though it is a small thing, it still can change a statement. One small detail can change everything.  

               Some people miss this point in the word of God.  We have a tendency to dismiss “small” commands.  We justify actions by thinking it’s not a “big” sin.  We forgo commands by saying that part isn’t as important as this part.  Some will for example, take the nature of God love as more important than his condemnation of sinful practices.  But this is not the way Jesus treated God’s word.

In Matthew 5:18-19 he says,   "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven”.  The smallest letter and stroke of pen were reference to the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet, the iota, and a small mark use as an accent mark. Both, like the comma, were small and could be missed visually but to great error.  Jesus however wouldn’t miss the littlest detail in following the word of God.  He also sets this to be the standard for the Christian as well.  No part of God’s word is to be ignored, no command is to be forgotten or dismissed. It would do use well to make sure we pay attention to all the commands, not just the ones that are easiest to see.