Do What They Say, Not What They Do
Matthew 23:1-12, NLT - Then Jesus said to the crowds and
to his disciples, “The teachers of
religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of
Moses. So practice and obey whatever
they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what
they teach. They crush people with
unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.
“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear
extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with
extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in
the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as
they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.]
“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one
teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as
‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for
you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be
humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
I first heard the phrase,
“descending into greatness” used by former mega-church pastor Bill Hybels. He was giving a talk on the last sentence of
the passage above. The irony of this now
is so thick, I can hardly believe it.
Hybels is one of many high-profile leaders that were exposed and brought
down by their inappropriate behavior towards women. Hybels talk, “Descending into Greatness” is
another example of what Jesus meant when he instructed the people to do what
their leaders say, but don’t do what they do.
How does one become great through
service and humility? I think you already know.
There are people who are high in the ranks of people you and I admire
precisely because of their humility and heart to serve. Mother Teresa is revered as one of the great
spiritual giants of all time, but she literally shunned having attention
brought to her personally and she spent her life serving the “lowest of the
low” in the filthy slums of India. I
think of my friend Fred (name changed to protect the guilty) who literally has
spent every available day since he retired serving others. You could add names
to the “Humility Hall of Fame,” but of course, that would defeat the
purpose. The crazy thing about humility
is that when you have it, you’re the last to know. But Jesus tells us how we get it – by
refusing to exalt ourselves and by always looking to serve.
Jesus says something else in this
passage that is momentous that is very easy to miss. The teachers of the law didn’t miss it for
what Jesus said threatened their prestigious place in the world. Listen to it again:
“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one
teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as
‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for
you have only one teacher, the Messiah.
Jesus says to us here is basically that you don’t need religious
leaders anymore to tell you what to do.
No titles. Nothing that exalts
one over another. No designated
teacher. Now, you have Me. You know God because you know Me. You are taught be God because you are taught
by Me. You don’t need to be “fathered”
by a religious leader, because you are parented directly be God.
What is
momentous about this is that our relationship with God no longer has to be mitigated
through an intermediary. With Jesus you
now have a direct relationship with God.
It is this passage and others that form the basis for Quakers having no
titled leaders among their ranks. It is
also this passage that has caused me discomfort at being called “Reverend.” I obviously do believe there is an
appropriate role for leaders in the community of faith, but what is clear to me
from Jesus here is that it is not to grant others access to God or God’s
blessings. That’s Jesus’s job. My job is
the same as your job – to serve humbly.
This is greatness in the Kingdom.
Question: Who are the
“giants” for you because of their humble and serving hearts?
Prayer: God, give us
humble hearts without us knowing about it.
Help us serve with a glad heart. Help to avoid putting anyone on a
pedestal other than Jesus. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for people who provide service to you.
Song: Tim McGraw -
Humble And Kind (Official Video)
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