Daily Bread 2010 - Matthew 23
Matthew 23
Seven Woes
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5"Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'
8"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
We have all heard the phrase, “Practice what you preach”. Or, “Actions speak louder than words”. Jesus has some harsh words for the religious leaders of the day who were tying heavy loads on people’s backs and not helping them to carry them. They also observed a form of “religiosity” that was more for show than true obedience to God.
I had a friend once who used to joke, “I’m proud of my humility”. Jesus makes it clear that there is only one Master and one Rabbi that we are to follow. All those who lead others, especially in matters of faith and life should be careful they are following the one they are teaching about, before they teach others.
We see many who are turned off in the church by a rampant hypocrisy in the church. Many have left the Catholic church (and other churches as well) by a leadership that imposes a strict legalism, while not adhering to it themselves. The bible tells us that we who would lead will judged by a higher standard because we teach others.
And in fact, we are all leaders, even if it is in our own homes. The idea of dropping your kids off at church hoping they will get religion has proven to be ineffective. Our kids will learn more from watching how we act and who we trust in times of trouble more than anything else. At our church we believe “faith is caught even before it is taught”, especially in the home. This is not to scare anyone away from trying to be an influence, but just reminding us that our own example is huge to those who would follow us!
Prayer: Jesus guard our steps and strengthen those who teach others the faith. Help us to lead by example, not just by mere words or rituals. We rely on you to continually change us from the inside out to more reflect your love and beauty. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Seven Woes
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5"Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'
8"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
We have all heard the phrase, “Practice what you preach”. Or, “Actions speak louder than words”. Jesus has some harsh words for the religious leaders of the day who were tying heavy loads on people’s backs and not helping them to carry them. They also observed a form of “religiosity” that was more for show than true obedience to God.
I had a friend once who used to joke, “I’m proud of my humility”. Jesus makes it clear that there is only one Master and one Rabbi that we are to follow. All those who lead others, especially in matters of faith and life should be careful they are following the one they are teaching about, before they teach others.
We see many who are turned off in the church by a rampant hypocrisy in the church. Many have left the Catholic church (and other churches as well) by a leadership that imposes a strict legalism, while not adhering to it themselves. The bible tells us that we who would lead will judged by a higher standard because we teach others.
And in fact, we are all leaders, even if it is in our own homes. The idea of dropping your kids off at church hoping they will get religion has proven to be ineffective. Our kids will learn more from watching how we act and who we trust in times of trouble more than anything else. At our church we believe “faith is caught even before it is taught”, especially in the home. This is not to scare anyone away from trying to be an influence, but just reminding us that our own example is huge to those who would follow us!
Prayer: Jesus guard our steps and strengthen those who teach others the faith. Help us to lead by example, not just by mere words or rituals. We rely on you to continually change us from the inside out to more reflect your love and beauty. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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