A People Divided, Again
Matthew 23:1-12
When the teaching is right, but the examples are wrong.
Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 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. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father-- the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. - Matt. 23:1-12
Jesus came at a time when Rome ruled over Israel and Judah, but there was also another ruling force over the people, the Pharisees and scribes.
There was a time in our country (The U.S.) when most of the people agreed on basic things, like having a good life, staying healthy, getting a good education, living in peace and harmony. We didn’t agree on how to do these things, though.
Some saw peace through strength as the correct approach. Others felt that signs of strength were threatening to world peace and that spending money on weapons of war is wasteful.
Some believed that capitalism was the way to financial success and freedom of lifestyle, while others saw capitalism as the problem, the reason so many are poor.
Some saw the bounty of this planet as a resource for growth and expansion, while others saw it as sacred and in need of protection.
The value of things that we need for our lives is constant, but the methods vary greatly.
Both sides can agree that the view of the other side is wrong. But for a long time, we lived with the rulers we had, because they were chosen by the majority of the population.
So, the logical thing to do is to prove that the process of selecting the leadership is corrupt, and thus, all leaders are corrupt.
That is what Jesus pointed out about the leaders of the faith. He couldn’t say that about Rome, not directly, but he could allude to it.
If we step back and take a look at the world from a bird’s-eye perspective, we can see that all forms of leadership and all methods have the potential to be corrupt.
Jesus said, follow the laws of Moses. Those are from God and they are true.
Was he telling us to ignore the corruption of politics and the methods of the powers that be?
Yes. Does that sound insane to us? Yes.
So, maybe we should take a few minutes and dig deeper. What was Jesus’ message to us about living in a state that is imperfect and flawed?
The answer is in who we listen to. Is it man or God?
More to come...