The Pharisees exposed

The Pharisees exposed

Scripture:

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:1-12

Observation:

Pompous and arrogant, the Pharisees and teachers of the law loved to sit at the places of honor at banquets. They delighted in being given the most important seats in the synagogue. They loved it when others called them Rabbi or “Teacher”, when people greeted them with respect in the marketplaces. They had the appearance of being important, of being somebody of note, and they secretly hoarded jealousy of their contemporaries who were famous than they.

Then came along Jesus, who exposed the dark secrets of their heart, who paid no respect to them but spoke out against them without fear or favor. Here was a man who would mix with tax collectors and sinners, yet heal the sick and raise the dead. The Lord was an enigma to them, and they knew not how to handle him.

“You preach and teach, but do not practice what you say. You build up heavy, cumbersome rules to impose on the people but don’t even lift a finger to help them. Everything you do is done for people to see. You love the praises of men, but do not have the true priorities of God in your heart.” Jesus would often rebuke them plainly to their horror and indignation.

Instead, the Lord preached a radically different message from the way of the world. “The greatest among you will be your servant. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Application:

The flaws of the Pharisees are atypical of our own human nature. It is easy to condemn them, yet we would do better to search ourselves to see how we may have become like them.

Do we like them chase after position and fame in life at all cost? Are we proud and arrogant and think of ourselves more than we ought? Do we like the Pharisees do all that we do for the benefit of others to see?   

Here again, we are reminded of having the humility of a little child. Instead of thinking we know so much, and presume to be so much better than others, we need to be humble like little children, trusting God to help us and teach us.

We need to heed the words of Jesus, to humble ourselves and be exalted in His time rather than exalting ourselves and being humbled and brought to shame after our time of glory has passed. The general principle here is that all who follow Christ should keep a low profile, and not chase after fame and glory, but be soberly humble, aware that all that we have, including our position in life is given by God, and we need to be accountable to Him at the end of the day!

Prayer:

Turn us O Lord, we pray, from the ways and attractions of the world. The multitudes seek after fame and glory and popularity, but let our hearts instead pursue You instead O Lord. Let us not be like those who do not practice what they preach, but instead be committed to follow You, and share with others confidently based on what we do. Teach us Lord to always be humble, even as Your Spirit teaches us. Let us not exalt ourselves, but humble ourselves and receive Your commendation in due time. Praise You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.