Knowing Our Place – Matthew 23:1-12

A text – Matthew 23:1-12

23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
23:2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat;
23:3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
23:4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.
23:5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.
23:6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues,
23:7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.
23:8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.
23:9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father–the one in heaven.
23:10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.
23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
23:12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

A reflection:

Jesus is not teaching in mystical parables any longer. He is going after the most important lay teachers of the day. Jesus does give them their due: they sit in Moses’s seat, he says, so listen to them and the words of scripture they recite. That is important reverence. But Jesus takes issue with three things mainly: their insistence on the letter of the law (no work on Sabbath, etc.) which is impossible for the poor to obey, since they have to work every day to stay alive; their love for beautiful garments that denote their status; and their preference for titles of respect and hierarchy. These latter two traits of the Pharisees are what Jesus is constantly turning upside down – in all his preaching, the meek, the lowly, and those who give up power will be exalted in the Kingdom of God.

God loves humility in those who worship him. When Saul and later on, even David, got too proud, God humbled them and caused sorrow for their families. When Moses bragged, he was told by God that he would see the promised land but not enter into it. So what type of humility are followers of the Triune God supposed to live out? Being doormats? Being self-sacrificial to the point of being of no use? No.

Remember the Christ hymn? Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a slave to free others into right relationship with God. This service to others in turn restores community and trust. We are given our gifts from God not to parade them around but to serve the people around us who really need them.

Can you play music? Is there someone you know who needs music played for them? It’s a match. Maybe even a calling.

Do you listen well? Is there someone you know who needs an ear? It’s a match. Maybe even a calling.

This is the humility Jesus wanted the Pharisees to show: knowing their place, matching God’s gifts to them to the people who needed them most.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for helping us see, through Jesus’s words, the awful neglect and suffering we cause by not knowing what work you have called us to. Help us to use the gifts you have given us in service to others every day.  Amen.