Today's gospel reading is a difficult one for those of us who people call Reverend and wear our shirts backwards…
In it Jesus speaks to the crowds and his disciples about religious teachers…
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Reading: Matthew 23:1-12
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In these verses Jesus is very critical of religious teachers and authorities, he lists a whole lot of things that are wrong with them…
They don't practice what they preach (3).
They load people down with law – as if they were pack animals – and refuse to help them bear their burdens (4).
They make a public show of their religion (5)…
They love to be honoured (6).
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Jesus in response – has the privilege of being critical, because he is so different to them:
He practices what he preaches: "I am the good shepherd who will lay down his life for the sheep." – John 10:11
He helps people to bear the weight of his teaching: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… my yoke is easy and my burden is light." – Matthew 11:29-30
When they are proud, he is humble: Someone calls him "Good Teacher" he doesn't say: "Well at long last someone has finally recognised how great I am!" – Instead he responds: "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." (Mark 10:17)
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This example is held up to make the point that Jesus is not like these proud religious teachers – and we as his disciples shouldn't be either.
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But – before we start to criticise the self righteous and proud ourselves… aren't we all, actually, a bit like them?
I suspect, I think I know, that we all love to be praised – we all love to be honoured and respected… In fact, when we don't get the praise and honour that we think we deserve… we get a little bit bitter don't we? Sulking around: "No one really appreciates me…" "They have no idea what I am worth…"
"If just once – someone would say thank you for the work I do around here…"
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Within each of us there is a deep longing for some praise, some positive acknowledgment of who we are.
When someone does praise us for a job well done or affirm our hard work – even the most hard hearted of us glow deep down…
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Enjoying a compliment is not actually a bad thing; we need to accept praise… but we need to watch that we don't become approval addicts; always wanting to please everyone.
Or like the people whom Jesus criticises – people who demand praise and honour that's not actually due to them, who think they are somehow entitled to it.
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When we – because of our abilities, our status at work, our position in our religious community – or maybe the colour of our skin – begin to think that we are somehow greater than others - somehow more important to God than them…
We need to be reminded that the reference point of our own self importance, must always be Jesus; the one who says when someone calls him good: "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."
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In verses 1-7 Jesus holds up the Pharisees as a bad example… but his approach is not to tell people how unimportant they are. Rather, in verses 8 to 12 – he reminds people just how important they all are… (Sometimes we Christians suffer from an unhealthy lack of confidence which we falsely call humility.)
Jesus doesn't tell people that they are not great – rather, he tells them just how great they are:
"You are not to be called 'Rabbi'," he says in verse 8 "because you have one Master and you are all brothers."
"You are not to be called Teacher… for you have one teacher: 'The Christ.'" (Vs 10)
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Who your Rabbi or teacher was was a symbol of status in Jesus day… We see this in Acts when the apostle Paul boasts about his education under Gamaliel – a famous Rabbi (22:3).
Instead of boasting about some earthly teacher – we can boast that our Master, our Rabbi, our Teacher is Jesus himself – we are discipled to him… We are students of the Master of Masters, the Rabbi of Rabbis.
In this faith no one individual is greater than another – we are all brothers (and sisters) in Christ… all equally able and qualified to be his ministers in the world, whether we're Methodists, Anglicans, Catholics, Presbyterians, Charismatic, Pentecostals… we are disciples of Christ.
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Another title used for Rabbi's and teachers was Father…
"Call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father – the one in heaven." (vs 9)
Here Jesus tells people one more thing about how important they really are:
We are children – not of people – but of God… Our identity as people is found not in our status in relation to other people and how much they honour or praise us but rather in the truth that we are God's children – we know whose we are.
No one can dominate, intimidate or oppress us – without us having the right and the privilege of answering back, of speaking up - because we are God's children. Because others are our equals in God's eyes.
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Jesus points out unhealthy attitudes in the Pharisees and scribes… their love of power and prestige. Jesus is very different to them, being greater than all of them, yet gentle and humble.
We each need to check our attitudes – do we love power and prestige?
Jesus points out to us a way of dealing with our need for power and prestige by pointing out to us our true identity: We are all students of the Rabbi of Rabbi's the Master of Masters – the Messiah himself…
Not only that – but our Father, our Father – is the one in heaven. We are children of God.
We can suffer any indignity, any insult – but our dignity will remain intact, because we are children of God.
Paul writes in Romans 8:37-39:
"In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Our identity as God's children is secure.
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In closing – I take us back to verse 2 and 3 – Jesus command to us:
"Do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do."
Jesus instructs us to adhere to the teaching of our teachers – even if their behaviour is not as it should be… The only one we should imitate however is the Christ – Jesus himself.
The business of bringing the Kingdom is not the sole responsibility of ministers and qualified teachers, church employees and missionaries…
It is the responsibility of each and every one of us. And we are able to do what God calls us to do, and be who God calls us to be – because our identity rests securely in our relationship to God as God's children, as Jesus disciples.
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When we learn to be humble in the knowledge that we are all brothers and sisters – and Jesus is our one true master. When we learn that each of us should follow Christ and no one else and we actually begin to follow Christ.
Then we will begin to see the Kingdom of God in the world around us.
AMEN
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