21.8.15a - Matthew 23:1-12 - Hypocrisy

Warnings are a part of preaching. This morning, we come to a passage that contains some of the most critical warnings in the New Testament. These warnings are not against the worldly Gentiles who are so full of sin. Nor are they against the Samaritans who had no understanding of God’s word. These are warnings against preachers. They are warnings against the religious leaders who were most honored and respected in the Jewish religion. I find it ironic that I’m preaching to warn you against preachers, but please understand that I absolutely can be guilty of the evil Jesus is referring to in this text.

Matthew has revealed the true character of the Pharisees throughout his book. He sees these religious leaders for what they are and he has exposed their evil. As a tax collector, he has suffered the brunt of their attack, and the words of Jesus stand out to him because they explain everything in a way that helped him. He articulated truth in a way no one has ever done before.

As we study this together, you might see that happen for you. You might know religious leaders who fit into these descriptions. Religious leaders are given the most critical judgment of all because these positions give power like no other. Religious leaders influence people’s lives in a way that no one else does.

Jesus Begins The Final Blow

Jesus has won the Q&A session that the Pharisees have challenged him to. He has answered all of their questions in a way that they had never thought of before, and he has asked them one question that proves their whole basis for believing in the Messiah is wrong. Now, he will hit them where it hurts. He will rip down the curtain that they are hiding behind and expose who they really are to all the people.

Matthew 23:1–3 ESV

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.

The first statement from Jesus is fascinating because he does not condemn them for being false teachers. He tells the crowds and his disciples to listen to all that they say and do them. The Pharisees were primarily teaching the people the law of God, and Jesus is certainly not against the law of God. But Jesus is firmly against the practices of the Pharisees. They preach the truth, but they do not practice what they preach.

This is something that children become very aware of. They often notice when parents aren’t abiding by the rules that the parents have created for them. If the parents restrict the child’s language but they are loose with their tongue, lie, and speak disrespectfully of others, the child knows that their parents don’t do what they believe is right. They can see, like anyone could, that they’re not acting in accordance with what they believe is true.

This either destroys a child’s faith in his parents, or it teaches the child to condemn others and justify their own shortcomings. The same thing holds true for religious leaders. Most of them do not practice the values that they are teaching and the crowds do not know what to think. Jesus says, do what they say, and not what they do. The child would do well to obey the parents and keep themselves from falling into the same habits as previous generations.

The Burden Of Pharisee-ism

After giving this instruction and taking a jab at the Pharisees, Jesus goes on to explain what he means when he says, “They preach, but do not practice.”

Matthew 23:4 ESV

4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

First he says they tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders. Notice that these men teach what is true and what they say should be listened to. These heavy burdens are not just created out of thin air. These are teachings that they have derived from the law. The problem is that they have not tried to lift those burdens and come to the obvious conclusion.

As a Bible teacher, it has always been a desire of mine to practice what I preach. For a while, I thought I could do it. I was teaching people moralism. Essentially, I was telling people that they had to be morally outstanding in order for God to accept them. It seemed like God was looking for a certain amount of righteousness in us. I wasn’t sure how much righteousness, but I was going to keep learning until I found out. In the mean time, I would teach people to do all the right things and stop doing all the wrong things. That’s what God wants from you. That’s what the Pharisees were teaching.

But it didn’t take me long before the feelings of inadequacy overwhelmed me. The Sermon on the Mount was by far one of the most condemning passages I had every run across. In that text, Jesus ties together a heavy burden by saying, “Don’t get angry, lust after a woman, lie, hate your enemy, glorify yourself, or be anxious about money.” That’s just a snippet of his teachings in that section.

We believe that the only way to deal with this heavy burden is to try really hard and make excuses for our shortcomings. We have to say, “It’s so and so’s fault,” or “Jesus didn’t mean it like that.” The truth is burdensome when we are faced with it because we are too weak to accomplish God-like righteousness on our own. We need help. These Pharisees were teaching that the law can be accomplished and it must be for God to love you. Jesus taught that God is more holy and righteous than we ever imagined. To be like him and have a relationship with him would take a total transformation from the inside out.

The Root Of Their Problem

Matthew 23:5–7 ESV

5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

Then, we see that the Pharisees have something that drives them. As they study the law and grow in knowledge, they start to rise in the ranks of their world. They receive the power of influence as other people look up to them and turn to them for advice. It doesn’t take long for them to become hungry for attention and influence beyond what they have already gained.

Jesus says that they make their phylacteries broad. Phylacteries were boxes that they would wear on their heads. Inside of those boxes they would keep parts of scripture. It was believed that these boxes of scripture would ward off demons like a pagan charm. They were essentially adopting the methodology of the pagans. It was common for people to have fringes on their garments, but the religious leaders made their fringes long so that they would stand out. It’s all about the show. They want to appear to be the ultra religious leaders so that they would have influence and recognition.

I once heard someone say that they could tell who the pastor was based on the cars in the church parking lot or based on the outfit the preacher is wearing. In many churches today, preachers speak and act in a way that stands out. Some places even have chairs at the front of the building where the preacher sits during the service. It looks like they are given some place of honor. This is what the Pharisees were after. They wanted to be recognized for their greatness. They wanted everyone to see and know who they were so that they would have the maximum influence over everyone else.

Why do we feel a need to gain influence over others? Why do we seek for power and prestige? This seems worse for men than women as our masculinity pressures us to be more respected and sought after. But women are not immune to this disease of self-glorification. The more we think of ourselves, the more we want others to think of us. I know plenty of men and women who love to be called by their title. Some preachers have a doctorate and they insist on being called Dr. so and so. It’s as though they are demanding respect for their past accomplishments. They want everyone else to think much of them. The Jewish equivalent would be to wear the title rabbi.

Jesus Instructs His Followers

One would think that Jesus’ followers will have the same kind of hierarchy as the Jewish system, but Jesus breaks the mold.

Matthew 23:8–10 ESV

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.

He does not want any of his followers to wear the titles rabbi, Father, or instructor. Why not? Ultimately, Jesus doesn’t want men to exalt themselves to the place of God. Notice his reasoning. First he says, “For you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.” If anyone would like to be a disciple of mine, I would be flattered, but that’s not the way Jesus’ followers are supposed to operate. Everyone of us are on the same level. Christ is the firstborn, and we are all younger brothers and sisters. Christ is the king, and we are all the subjects. Some might want to exalt their preachers, but Christ says they shouldn’t. Some might want to exalt their elders. Again, Christ says there is only one teacher, only one Father, and only one instructor. Not one person here is to consider themselves greater than another.

This is exemplified in the apostles throughout the rest of the New Testament. They were given a great role and responsibility of sharing the truth, but they did not exalt themselves. They considered themselves the least of men. Their goal in life was not to have everyone follow their teaching. Their goal was to have everyone follow the teaching of Christ. They exemplified what Jesus is talking about here.

Many today call themselves rabbi or Father, but even more enjoy the title pastor in the same way. It’s the same idea. I know a guy up in North Alabama who many at the church only know him by Pastor. They don’t even know his first name. For some people it’s all about the recognition and the prestige, but that’s not the way Christ acted. How could we justify self-exalting names? When we do this, there is something wrong with our hearts.

What Do We Do?

Am I skilled at burden tying?

Have you ever placed a heavy burden on someone else’s shoulders? Soon after I started preaching, I realized that righteousness is a life-long pursuit. To explain perfect righteousness to a young Christian is a heavy burden to bear. They will falter under the pressure without the right understanding. That’s what these Pharisees were doing to everyone they taught. They were loading them down so that they fall. It made them feel better, and gave them a cruel sense of satisfaction because they were better than those who fall. They thought they were better, but they were much worse.

Maybe you hear all of this and you realize that religious teachers in your own life have not lived up to the rules they preached. We need to remember the words of Jesus. Do what they say, not what they do. The word is good and righteousness is found in the word. Don’t overlook the message because of the failure of the messenger. But along with that message, hear the word of hope Christ gives. When we see our failures and confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. We have to stop trying to appear righteous when we are not, but we also need to pursue righteousness with everything we have.

Do I want to be lifted up?

Jesus also gives instructions and tells us what to do instead of seeking to be the greatest through righteousness.

Matthew 23:11–12 ESV

11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

When Jesus explains the law, it becomes obvious that no one can keep the law and be truly righteous. We are are imperfect and in need of forgiveness. So teachers should not be lifted up. They should be respected for their desire to find the truth and help people understand it, but it’s not their truth. They are ultimately no better than everyone else at keeping the law. There needs to be a slight shift in our thinking. Preacher’s need to stop telling everyone what they are doing wrong and start helping people overcome sin by being open and honest with their own experiences. We need to share what has worked and what doesn’t work for us. We need to serve others instead of trying to create servants for ourselves. All of this requires humility and the attitude of a servant.

If I’m living that way, imitate me as I imitate Christ. But even if I’m not, imitate Christ. Whatever self-righteous quirks we have in our lives need to be worked out so that God can be glorified. If you see something in me that needs to be fixed, please help me see it!

Conclusion

As a religious leader, Jesus’ words hit home to me. It’s so easy for me to teach the words of truth from God, and remain unaffected by them. It’s easy to tie up a heavy burden for someone else to carry while refusing to take that same burden on my own back. All we have to do is come up with an excuse or justify our actions. We cannot do that to others. That’s not love. Jesus came to lighten our load, not weigh it down.

As we study our Bibles we will find the weight of the commands to be more than we can carry. But Jesus’ yoke is easy and his burden is light because he provides forgiveness. He asks us all to be perfect as God is perfect from the inside out, but he couples that with forgiveness and promises that are beyond what we could ever deserve. He gives us hope to go with the burden. That is what lightens our load. In the Jewish religion, the greatness is external and the likelihood of getting to greatness was very low. Under Christ, greatness is humble service, everyone can reach it, and everyone wants others to reach it so we serve one another. It’s all about the internal heart. The heart that loves and wants to lift up a brother. Is that what we are doing? If not, now is a good time to start working on it.