"Lesson #1: The Lower Place is Best"

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-12

For the next 4 weeks, we will be looking at some of Jesus’ teachings on what living in him is all about. He was always introducing “upside down thinking” to the people, and it never failed to amaze some, confuse a few more, and irritate all the rest. The problem was always that age old, 7 word adage that some claim will be the death of the Church – “We’ve never done it that way before!”
If we could only live life the way Jesus did, there would never be as much anxiety and uncertainty in our lives. We would never have to change – we would already be on the right track. But for some reason, God’s ways never seem to mesh with ours. And since there seems to be a disconnect between us and the Lord, we decide, since we are always “right”, that it is God who must have made a mistake and that his ways need to change. Good luck with that!

So until Thanksgiving, we will be considering some of Jesus’ “upside down” lessons that we find in Matthew. Today, we read of Jesus presenting a way of life that stands in stark contrast to the ways that the Jewish leadership – the Scribes and Pharisees – lived and taught.

Read Matthew 23:1-4

The reference to “Moses’ seat” is not about a physical place, but rather a position of authority. They are the acknowledged leaders, both societal and religious, in the life of Israel, and the Lord says that the people must follow their teaching. Now note that Jesus doesn’t say that the law is true to the way of God – he simply emphasizes that the Law of Moses is the law of the land. Perhaps this is comparable to his statement to “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (Mark 12:13-17, and others) He says that we live under law – the law of society, the law of the church, and the Law of God – and that they aren’t always in agreement with each other, they aren’t always complementary to each other. But give them all honor and obedience just the same.
So his problem isn’t with the law, per se, but rather with the way that the teachers of the law live their lives within the law. “They don’t practice what they preach!” The issue at hand is that teaching the truth is one thing, but the way the teacher acts speaks much louder their voice! They were offering two conflicting messages and the people were never sure which way they should live.
There is some thought that both the Pharisees and the leaders of the fledgling Church were, and would be, placing unreasonable expectations on the people. Leaders and teachers have always had an obligation to live a moral life that is at least one step above that of others. In James 3:1 we read “you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” While that may not seem fair to the teachers and leaders, it all comes back to the fact that their lives, as well as their words, were a means of teaching, and consistency in thought and action is always vitally important. And the leaders may have been pushing this expectation on all of the people, while ignoring it in their own lives.

Think back in your life to a trusted teacher, a respected pastor, a good neighbor who you were confident with and whose example you were willing to follow. And then one day, some deep dark secret was revealed that destroyed every good thought that you ever had for them. For all intents and purposes, their outward life was but a shell – a camouflage – of the real life that was working its way within them. And you could no longer believe anything they said.

That was the situation that was prevalent in Israel. Jesus said that these teachers were placing great expectations on the people – that they were required to follow every nuance of the law while the teachers gave themselves a pass on many of them. And that was wrong.

Read Matthew 23:5-7

Back in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, God gives the commandment to love the Lord and all that he stands for, to be obvious in your obedience by keeping the commandments in your heart and on your hands and forehead, and to teach your children to obey him at every opportunity. Phylacteries were small boxes that contained the commandment, and they were hung on the forehead and on the wrists.
The Pharisees wore the commandments, but living them was a totally different matter. Micah 6:8 calls us to “walk humbly with your God”, but these teachers were anything but humble. Their pride and arrogance was far more obvious than their phylacteries were.
They wanted to be honored for their position by all who came their way; they wanted to be given the best seats in the house at banquets and parties so that everyone would know that they were important; they wanted to be sought after to teach in the synagogues. They lived for personal honor and glory but they never even came close to deserving it.

Read Matthew 23:8-12

I can see it now – as Jesus is speaking of their desire to be shown great respect, the teachers are all nodding their heads in agreement – why certainly they expect this, they deserve it, and no one had better deny them the honors. But then Jesus begins to take them apart.
I think that the key phrase in this section is “and you are all brothers”. These men of authority believed that they were above the masses, that they had certain privileges that others did not, that they deserved their positions and that others had better do what they said. But Jesus tells the people that they are, in truth, no better and no worse than anyone else – that all are equal in the sight of the Lord.

And now we need to consider once more just who the audience consisted of as Jesus continued in his teaching. At the beginning of verse 1 we read “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples ...” The crowds always consisted of a mix of people - those who were followers of the Christ, those who wanted to learn from his teaching, those who were curious, and, of course, the Pharisees and scribes who were out to find something that they could use against the Lord. The crowds were a broad representation of society, but the reference to “disciples” was very specific.
Remember that the disciples would become the standard bearers for the Church after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven. So Jesus’ words were more than just a condemnation of the authorities – it was a call to the leadership of the new Church to live Christ-like lives. And it is a call that survives to this day. But remember that Christian leaders are not just those who hold some recognized position or office – they are all who believe in the precepts of Jesus Christ and who others look to as a Christian example.

One of the charges that a Bishop gives to newly ordained pastors is to “Take Authority”. The implication is that they are to take the authority that Christ conveys on them as pastors, which means that they are to be Christ to the world. Unfortunately, some take this charge to mean that they have the authority to do whatever they think is necessary! And with that attitude in their hearts, they become worse than the worse Pharisee who ever lived!

The authority of Jesus means that we live as Jesus lived – humble; servant hearted; loving of all; claiming, living and teaching the truth of God as revealed in Christ Jesus; and never putting themselves, nor allowing themselves, to be put on a pedestal for all to stand before in awe and honor.

Don’t allow your positions and titles to set you apart from others.
Don’t become prideful in your authority to teach and lead and shape.
Don’t seek to be seen as someone who is head and shoulders above everyone else in faith.

But trying to remember all the rules is a trying task to say the least! So instead, just try to emulate the life of Jesus. Be the humble servant whose greatest desire is to wash the feet of their friends; be the person who stands on God’s ways and never deviates, no matter what might come your way; be the one who finds extreme joy in serving God and other people, who loves others far beyond what they deserve and far beyond what they return to you.

That’s what Jesus did and was. The world will tell us to take the high road – that it is the only one that leads to great success, but the way of Jesus is never the world’s way. He took the lower, less significant, more unassuming way in this life, and he tells us that this way is the best one for us, too.