Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost |
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Scripture |
Matthew 23:1-12 23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 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. 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. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
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Devotional |
Jesus’ instructions for the crowd and disciples is to follow the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees but do not do as they do. Jesus’ message for us is to act to lighten the burdens rather than condemning those who do not rise to our ideal. How many times do we make the burden on others greater rather than assisting to lighten their load? What determines whither our lofty speech condemns us as hypocrites or challenges us as disciples? On this visit to the temple, Jesus goes on the attack. He is not allowing the opposition to set the agenda this time. He is not back in the temple for a discussion or to answer trick questions. The attack on the scribes and Pharisees is so out of character for Jesus that we may question if he actually used these words. Is Jesus’ judgmental tone incompatible with his previous teaching about loving your enemies? The problem is not what the scribes and Pharisees teach, but rather that they do not practice what they teach. Stanley Hauerwas reminds us: We should remember that hypocrisy is morally ambiguous. The hypocrite at least keeps alive what they and we should be. Indeed, hypocrisy can be considered a moral achievement because hypocrites are just truthful enough to have the resources to condemn themselves. The severity of Jesus’ judgments against the scribes and Pharisees honor those whom he judges because they are close to the kingdom. But that they are close to the kingdom makes their failure all the more disastrous of Israel . 1 Because we are close to the kingdom, should we see our failures and more disastrous ? Do we practice what we preach? How long are our fringes? How do the spiritual practices we have on our list of duties enhance the ethical standard we seek to uphold? This scripture may not be one we would like to reflect on too long at one tim 1 Stanley Hauerwas, Matthew. Grand Rapids : Brazos Press, 2006. p. 196 |