Matthew 23:1-12 Last week we looked especially at verses 1-4 of Matthew 23, and we concluded with this paraphrase: I. Matthew 23:1-4 (Paraphrase) Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses, so go ahead, do and keep everything whatsoever the scribes and the Pharisees say to you but whatever you do, don t do what they do! For they say a whole lot, but they never get around to doing the things that actually matter to God. They crush people with unbearable religious demands, but not for one moment would they consider even lifting a finger to help those who struggle under the weight of their rules. We heard in these words not simply Jesus anger toward the scribes and Pharisees (an anger that was holy and pure), but first of all His love and compassion for those who were laboring under the burden of man made requirements and traditions. In Matthew eleven, Jesus said that in contrast to the Pharisees His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. But how can that be? Jesus also said: Matthew 5:20 I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. So what is there to prefer in the yoke of what Jesus requires compared to the yoke of what the scribes and the Pharisees required? A yoke is a yoke, and a burden is a burden right? Not at all! In the first place, instead of teaching a man made righteousness of outward externals, Jesus revealed the true heart of what God s law required ( you have heard that it was said but I say to you ). This heart righteousness is infinitely more demanding than the Pharisees righteousness of externals. But on the other hand, it s also infinitely more lovely and beautiful, because it s the revelation of the character of God. The author of Psalm 119 was able to delight in God s Law because it revealed to him God s heart. Perhaps if we re not delighting in God s Law, then it s a sign that we ve substituted for God s Law a righteousness of our own making and yet who has ever been able to delight in the requirements of a man made righteousness? But there s something else. God has not promised us His grace to measure up to our own human ideas of what His law requires. That s so important to remember, because apart from grace, everything is always in vain. The Pharisees burdened people with the requirements of a man made righteousness, but they wouldn t lift a finger to help anyone carry that burden. And since God had never imposed such a law, He also offered no grace for the keeping of that law. And that makes any and every man made law of righteousness to be always and only a crushing weight and burden. So then what about the righteousness that God requires? How will Jesus yoke be any different? Jesus goes on in verses 5-7: II. Matthew 23:5 7 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of 1
honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. The Pharisees weren t concerned for others. They were concerned only for themselves. Everything they did, they did in order to be noticed. Jesus says that they made their phylacteries broad. Phylacteries were little boxes that were strapped to the wrist or to the forehead and that contained within them copies of a few passages from the Law. Deuteronomy 6:6, 8 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. Deuteronomy 11:18 You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. It wasn t wrong to wear phylacteries (even though they were probably the result of an overly literal interpretation of Deuteronomy), and yet far more important than binding God s Law on one s hand or forehead was the storing up of God s Law in one s heart and soul. In a similar way, what good is it today to have the Scriptures hanging on our walls if they re not also written and laid up in our hearts? But Scriptures on the forehead and the hands are so obvious and visible for men to see. And since it was the respect and the praises of men that the Pharisees craved, it was easy for them to begin emphasizing the hands and the forehead more than the heart. This explains why they started either broadening the straps that held their phylacteries in place, or making the boxes themselves bigger. This became the perfect way of drawing attention to their spirituality. This also explains the Pharisees practice of lengthening the tassels on their garments. Numbers 15:38 39 (cf. 22:12) Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them. Now far more important than the physical cord of blue, was the actual doing of God s commandments. But tassels are so very readily visible to men. And since it was the respect and the praises of men that the Pharisees craved, it was easy for them to emphasize the tassels more than the heart. And so a longer tassel became another way for the Pharisees to draw attention to their spirituality. What are the ways that we seek to draw attention to our spirituality? As Christians, how much of what we do is done in order to be noticed by others? And how much of our satisfaction is found in being noticed by others? The more concerned we are to be noticed by men, the more we ll end up emphasizing the less important externals of religion because these are the things that are most easily and readily visible to others. In prayer meeting, I may start off praying a sincere prayer to my heavenly Father, and then I hear someone add a sincere amen to something I said (nothing wrong with that), and suddenly the thought pops into my mind: I must have said something really good, or put something really well. And so if I m not careful, I 2
could easily end up paying more attention to the words in my prayers (which are most easily noticed by men), rather than to the God who is listening to my heart. I may raise my hands in song as an expression of genuine worship and adoration and joy, and then suddenly I become aware of men and the possibility that they may be impressed with this display of spirituality. And so now if I m not careful, I can pay more attention to my body language (which is so easily noticed by men), rather than to what s actually going on in my heart. On the other hand, I may be singing a song to God, full of genuine worship and adoration and joy, and I may want to express my heart not only with my voice, but with my hands. But then I suddenly become aware of men, and the possibility that some may see the raising of hands as a lack of true spirituality. How quickly, and easily, and suddenly it happens. What are the other ways that we seek to draw attention to our spirituality? As Christians, how much of what we do is done in order to be noticed by others from our dress, to our attendance, to our language, to our countenance, to our giving, to whatever? And how much of our satisfaction is found in being noticed by others? We aren t always so different from the Pharisees, are we? As the teachers and leaders of the people, the Pharisees weren t concerned for others. They were full of themselves. Let the people struggle under their impossible burdens, just so long as they are impressed with the spirituality of the Pharisees just so long as they give the Pharisees the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and special greetings in the marketplaces and the appropriate titles of respect. The yoke of the Pharisees was a crushing burden. But now in contrast to this picture of the Pharisees, we can truly see why the yoke of Jesus is so easy, and why His burden is so light. Matthew 11:28 30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Jesus doesn t just saddle us with the burden of requirements, He gives us the strength and enablement (the grace!) to carry that burden by calling us to live in relationship with Him Come to me, He says. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus is not concerned only to be recognized as the first and the greatest (though He is the first and the greatest) Jesus is gentle and lowly in heart. So when we truly come to this Jesus by faith, how can we not find His yoke to be easy, and His burden light no matter what may be required? Maybe that s why we struggle so much to flee a certain sin or to pursue a certain command because we are not coming to the Jesus who is gentle and lowly in heart, and whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. But now this brings us to what Jesus says next. We ve seen what the Pharisees are like, and how Jesus is the very opposite of the Pharisees. So what about us? III. Matthew 23:8 10 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. We are not to be called rabbi, because we have only one teacher, who is Jesus and how very different this teacher is from the Pharisees, who most loved to be called teacher! We are to call no man our father on earth, because we have one Father, who is in heaven and how very 3
different this Father is from the scribes and the Pharisees who most delighted in all such titles! We are not to be called instructors, for we have one instructor, the Christ and how very different this instructor is from the Pharisees, who so greatly desired all such titles. We are not to be called, or to call others rabbi, teacher, father, instructor. And why is this? Because when these words are used as titles of address, they can so easily imply a higher level of status or superiority within the Church. That s why as titles, these words rightly belong only to Jesus, who alone has any higher level of status or superiority. And yet even as we acknowledge that these titles should be reserved only for Jesus, we remember again how very different Jesus is from the Pharisees. The Pharisees didn t mind letting people labor by themselves under the weight of their man made traditions just so long as they were properly acknowledged as the teachers and instructors of the people. Jesus, on the other hand, as the only one who rightly deserves these titles, is gentle and lowly in heart. So in light of these things, doesn t it seem preposterous that religious titles of address should even exist within the Church? Now we have to be so very careful here! In the first place, we must not be like the Pharisees and emphasize the issue of titles more than the issue of the heart. It is possible that the person who is called Reverend or Pastor is truly humble in heart, while the person who is not called by any title at all is actually full of spiritual pride. We must remember that God looks first of all at the heart, and not primarily at our use of titles. But we shouldn t conclude from these things that the issue of titles is really of no importance! Titles have a way of implying status and superiority (even if only at a subconscious level), and yet in the Church there is only one who is higher in status than anyone else, and that one is Jesus. We have one teacher, and we are all brothers and sisters. Bruner has well said: If all disciples, without question or distinction are brothers and sisters, and if only one exclusive teacher towers over them in hierarchy, then this text is the single greatest leveler in the Gospel. (Bruner) A person may be a Sunday School teacher, but of course, his/her title is not Teacher. A person may be a Deacon, but we do not address him as Deacon. A person may be an elder, but his title of address is not elder. And why is this? It s because we are all brothers and sisters. So also, I may be the vocational pastor of Living Word Bible Church (as in that is my calling and responsibility), but since being the pastor does not add one tiny iota of spirituality or status, then would it perhaps be better not to use pastor as a title of address in the Church? After all, if everyone felt the obligation to call me, or any man by the title Pastor, would this not obscure the reality that we are all brothers, and would this not be a failure to recognize the sole superiority of Christ? I wonder if this could sound too radical to us? Now perhaps you are comfortable with the fact that you need not address me as Pastor. That s good! So what would you call John if you met him in person? (I m referring to John Piper or John MacArthur, you can take your pick.) Now because of my relative youth and the fact that I have no personal familiarity with either of these men, I think it would be appropriate for me to address them as Mr. MacArthur, or Mr. Piper. But in the context of the Church as the family of God, any religious or spiritual title of address can have the undesirable effect of setting someone apart in a way that is not necessarily healthy. Bruner summarizes very simply: Jesus forbids disciples to give each other titles that would set them apart from or above others. But once again, Jesus doesn t want us to get hung up on what we can or can t call someone or be called ourselves. He wants us to truly get the fact that we have one teacher, and we are all brothers and sisters. 4
But now here s the problem. It s so very hard for us to divorce the idea of status from positions of oversight and the respect that is due to those who hold these positions. Hebrews 13:17 (cf. 1 Cor. 16:15-16) Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. 1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 1 Thessalonians 5:12 13 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. We should also remember that in his letters Paul often identified himself as an apostle, and even as a teacher, and a spiritual father. Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle 1 Timothy 2:7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 1 Corinthians 4:15 (cf. 1 Tim. 1:2) For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. It s not wrong to acknowledge the fact of the matter and the reality, and sometimes this is actually very helpful and needful. And yet we must always be on guard against this reality ever being twisted in such a way that it robs Christ (even in small or subtle ways) of His sole superiority. We have one teacher, one father, one instructor, and we are all brothers and sisters! And so what a beautiful thing it is that I should simply be called Timothy. What a beautiful thing that we don t have special seats on the platform for those who are leading the service. What a beautiful thing that there is no unique article of clothing to distinguish clergy from laity. What a beautiful thing that this pulpit symbolizes not the authority of any man, but the authority of God s Word, so that when the sermon is over, I cannot take the pulpit with me! We may take these things for granted but let s not take these things for granted, because the fact is, we won t find a reality like this anywhere else on earth. Remember, the point here is not to get hung up on the externals. There are far worse things than the simple act of wearing a clerical collar or sitting in a special seat on the platform, and chief among these is the sin of judging the hearts and the character of those who do wear a collar or sit in a special seat on the platform. Obviously, the point here is not to get hung up on what words we can or can t use. The point in all of this is to preserve in whatever practical ways we can this wonderful reality that we are all brothers and sisters. The point is that we practically take every possible precaution against undermining even in the least way the sole superiority of Christ among us. And so Calvin very rightly says this: Now the only way to build up the church is for the ministers themselves to endeavor to preserve Christ s authority for himself; this can only be secured if what he has received from his Father be left to him, namely, that he alone is the schoolmaster of the church. For it is written not of any other but of him alone, Hear him. (Calvin; Institutes; IV.viii.1; quoted in Bruner) And who else should we really want to hear as we come together Sunday after Sunday? For He alone has words of eternal life (John 6:68). 5
Jesus says to all of His disciples wherever they may be and in whatever church context they may find themselves: You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. This text is truly the most radical leveler in all the Gospels. And yet it s really just one more way of bringing us back to what Jesus has already said to us over and over again: IV. Matthew 23:11 12 The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Why does Jesus keep coming back to this principle, over and over again? I think there are two reasons. One, He knows how utterly contrary this is to every last fiber of our sinful natures. We need to always remember this about ourselves! But two, I think the constant repetition is a reflection of the top priority that Jesus wants this truth to have in His church. I wonder what Jesus would say of us? 6