The Gospel of Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 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. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries (1) broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father– the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
(1) (phylacteries – The phylactery was a leather box, cube-shaped, closed with an attached flap and bound to the person by a leather band.)
Let us Pray: The Collect of the Day: Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Jesus cautions the disciples against an easy rejection of the Pharisees; you are not to reject them outright but are to be discerning and wise. We need to ask God to help us to resist any fundamentalist rejection of others and to help use to appreciate good wherever we find it. Jesus tells his listeners that they should observe the teachings of the Pharisees. He has no problem with their teaching because their teachings are correct. However, Jesus does not want his disciples to follow the example of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were great teachers of the law. There was one problem, however: many of the Pharisees did not practice what they preached. The scribes and Pharisees liked to take the positions of authority. They were a bunch of hypocrites; they do not do what they teach. They have little mercy on the people under them, placing heavy burdens on the people. They were self-centered and self-important requiring to be addressed as Rabbi and needing to be admired and glorified. Jesus hoped that his disciples would be humble in the best sense of the word. So Jesus instructs his disciples that their role is to serve the people, not to be served. Service is a great gift to give to others. However, in this process, the true gift is noticing another’s need and then reaching out to serve in a loving way! So, may we open our eyes and open our hearts. May we reach out to the people around us and care for them. Maybe today someone will reach out and care for us. Being we are the beloved of God, and as the beloved of God, we also need to live by God’s law of love. We are to care for our neighbor and all people who are in need, even if we may not like them. Today is a good day for us to be aware of our personal motivations! Why do we do what we do? Is it so others will think highly of us? Is it because we simply care about people and desire to help them as best, we can?
Let us Pray: Dear Lord Free us from posing as experts with all the answers Free us from burdening others with mortal mandates Free us from chasing human favor and status Let us know nothing with certainty other than the eternal truth that you are the Messiah, the Suffering Servant, the Liberating King, who was crucified and raised on behalf of all creation. This we Pray in your name. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 