Matthew 23:1-12

Matthew 23:1-12 Don’t follow the example of the scribes and the Pharisees

In the previous passages, Jesus dealt with challenges from the various leadership factions in Jerusalem.  Now he turns to the crowds and his disciples.  In this chapter, Jesus severely criticizes the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy and their heartless indifference to the burdens of others.  But these groups did not come into existence for nefarious reasons.  They started from a sincere desire to follow God’s Law completely, which is a cautionary tale for us.

The scribes were the experts regarding the Old Testament scriptures – what they mean and how to apply them to life.  We might compare them to the scholars and theologians of our time: people who have theology degrees or other forms of lengthy training in religious matters.  Most scribes had a deep reverence for the Law and believed that it was the highest of all callings to spend one’s life studying the Law.  They worked very hard to identify the 613 commands they found in the Law of Moses and to apply the God’s commands to every minute detail of life, because they loved the Law so much.

The Pharisees were a deeply dedicated group of Jews who sought to follow every detail of those 613 commands in the most rigorous way possible.  They sought to live every part of their lives, as fully as possible, according to their strict interpretation of the Scriptures.  We might compare them in our time to the most devoted members of ecclesial organizations such as Opus Dei or Third Order Franciscans.  Just as not all theologians are members of Opus Dei and not all members of Opus Dei are theologians, but some people are both, so too there was an overlap but also a distinction between the scribes and the Pharisees.

Jesus zeroes in on the ways that they have obstinately resisted his good news and have remained stuck in narrow and often self-serving approaches to faith.

In  verse 2, the reference to Moses’s “seat” may be metaphorical or it may refer to the seat of honor reserved for the people who taught in the synagogues.  Synagogues did not have ordained “ministers,” so many people were invited to teach and interpret the Scriptures.  In verse 3, what does Jesus instruct the crowds and his followers to do?

There are two halves to what Jesus says here: Do whatever they teach you, but don’t do as they do.  The first half – to do what they teach you – doesn’t seem to fit, given that Jesus has pointed out so many errors in their teaching throughout this entire Gospel.  He is implying that sometimes they get it right.  What do you think are some of the things they taught that he wants the crowds to follow?

What do you think Jesus means in the second half of his statement, when he says: Don’t do the things they do?

He might be saying that when they start focusing on their extreme and sometimes heartless interpretations of the Law, emphasizing little details that maybe even they don’t always follow, and when they make an ostentatious production of their faith, then you should not follow their example.

How might we apply this in our day?  What might Jesus suggest in our day that we should not do?

What do you think verse 4 means when Jesus makes a metaphorical reference to “heavy burdens”?  How are they imposing “heavy burdens” on the people who follow them?

Their endless multiplication of detailed laws makes life very hard for everyday people.  Their laws are burdensome and don’t benefit people’s faith life.

Are there ways that people today pile rules and laws onto ordinary Christians unnecessarily, and perhaps miss the core of the gospel?

Jesus adds that they don’t lift a finger to help the people who are struggling under the burdens they have created.  Read Matthew 11:28-30.  How does their indifference compare to how Jesus deals with our burdens?

Beginning in verse 5, Jesus focuses on the ways they do things for show.  He has already warned the disciples about this in Matthew 6:1-18 with regard to almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.  What is wrong with wanting to be seen when you do things that follow God’s Law?

In verse 6, Jesus says they wear bigger phylacteries and longer tassels.  Here is an explanation:

• Phylacteries are small leather boxes containing a little scroll with Scripture verses on it, that Jews would strap to their arm or forehead .  This practice was based on Exodus 13:9.  It was intended to remind them to keep God’s teachings on their lips and to remember God’s saving hand that delivered them from Egypt.  The command is repeated in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, right after the famous command to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and might, implying that this practice would help them do that.  It is also repeated in Deuteronomy 11:18-21, where this practice is linked with keeping God’s commands in their heart and soul.

• Tassels were pieces of string that were sewn onto the four corners of a person’s cloak to fulfill the command prescribed in Numbers 15:37-41.  They were meant to be a reminder to follow God’s commandments.  (The command is repeated in Deuteronomy 22:12 without the explanation.)  When the woman with a hemorrhage touched the “hem” or “fringe” of Jesus’s garment in Luke 8:44, she was probably touching the tassel on his cloak.

Do you think we would be more likely to remember to follow God’s commands if we went through our day with a reminder strapped to our foreheads or arms?  Explain.

What were the Pharisees doing wrong with regard to their phylacteries?

What were they doing wrong with their tassels?

In verses 6 and 7, Jesus denounces more of their practices.  What were they doing wrong at banquets, in the synagogues, and in the marketplaces?

What ungodly attitudes were being shown by these Pharisees?

Where are the temptations for you to become a “scribe” or “Pharisee” in this way?  Where might you have to be careful to avoid these kinds of attitudes?

Verses 8-10 talk about titles to avoid.  It is probably not useful to apply this too simplistically or literally.  Even the apostle Paul referred to himself as the “father” of other Christians in 1 Corinthians 4:15 and Philemon 10.  What is the ungodly attitude that Jesus is challenging?

Jesus is challenging the pride that wants to be honored and treated as greater or more important than others.

Almost every Christian denomination identifies the people who are allowed to teach the truths of their faith in colleges and seminaries as “teachers” (or “doctors,” which is just a title for a high-level teacher).  The Catholic Church and some other denominations call their ministers “Father,” and many denominations make a big deal about who gets to be called “Pastor” (which means “shepherd”) or Bishop (which means “overseer”).  Do we handle these titles appropriately, or do they run afoul of Jesus’s reserve the honorifics for God?

If we dropped all honorifics for our church leaders, would it still be possible for them to fall into the pride that wants to be honored and treated as greater than others?  And if so, what is the deeper point here?

In verses 11-12, Jesus sums up what he is saying by making a bigger point.  What does he say?

This statement echoes what Jesus said in Matthew 20:26-27.

How do verses 11-12 apply to Christian leaders, regardless of what we call them?

How do verses 11-12 apply to you personally, as you live your own life?  What do you need to do to honor Jesus’s teaching here?

It is easy to try to put myself ahead of others without even realizing it, and to exalt myself in big or small ways.  How can I keep from falling into that trap?

There is also a risk that we might find ourselves trying to call attention to how humble we are.  How do we sometimes do that?  And how can we avoid it?

Take a step back and consider this:

For every scribe or Pharisee who was strutting around, flaunting his phylacteries and tossing his tassels, there were probably 2 or 4 or 9 others who were simply trying to live their faith with all the devotion they could muster.  The same is true in our day.

It is easy to point our finger at the TV evangelist with gold rings and a Mercedes.

It is harder to recognize the subtle ways we are tempted to buy into a culture that tells us, “You need more ‘likes.’  It’s your time.  You deserve the best.  Everyone needs a little bling.  Bigger is better.  You earned it; now flaunt it.”  If I listen to the ads and the social media culture, I’ll start to think that I need all kinds of things, and a lot of attention, in order to be important, or fulfilled, or happy.

Jesus says, “No.  Stop thinking about yourself.  Stop wasting time on what does not matter.  God has much bigger purposes for you than this.  Focus on what God is trying to do.”

What are the messages embedded in our culture that are most likely to steer you off track or knock you off your game?  What are the distractions that can take your eyes off of Jesus?

What can you do to stay focused, so that when people see you, they say, “There is a servant of God who makes life a little bit easier for the people around them”?

And in your life as a servant, what can you do to help lift the burdens of others?