LOVING THE
PLACE OF HONOR
Have you noticed how hard it is for people to be patient and
wait their turn? Whether in the grocery
store or in traffic, somehow we all seem to think that we deserve to be first
in line! It is seldom a conscious
decision based on what we think about ourselves, but rather an instinctive
action based on a subconscious idea that we have a right to first place.
Human nature being what it is, we
actually get upset if someone else gets what we want before we do, takes “our”
parking space ahead of us, drinks the last of the orange juice before we get
up, and so our world goes! It can be
frustrating to live in a world where not everyone knows the rules—I always get to be first and get what I
want!
Nearly everyone loves the place of honor,
to be recognized and seated at the head table.
It can go to your head quickly and inflate your opinion of yourself if
it happens too often, but just about all of us would love to be in the position
to see how we would handle all the attention.
Somehow this mindset slips into our
spiritual lives and does great harm to our walk with Christ and our influence
for Christ.
THESIS:
In order to honor the Lord, we must be more concerned for the applause of
heaven than the opinions of men.
In this passage, Jesus confronts the
self-centered religious world of the scribes and Pharisees and in so doing
offers a serious warning to Christians in every age. The lesson is simple: Take
Him more seriously and ourselves less so!
I. SELF-APPOINTED GUARDIANS OF RELIGION
--The
scribes and Pharisees considered themselves to be the final word on religious
matters and acted like the world owed them everything…but Jesus sets things
straight quickly and firmly.
A. UNQUALIFIED TO BE IN CHARGE
--There
have always been those who demand to be in charge who have no qualifications,
either spiritually or practically.
--In
fact, we are warned all through the Bible about allowing ungodly people to
interfere with the ways of the Lord since they always invite trouble and bring
corruption.
Jeremiah: Jer. 5:31 The
prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My
people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?
Jer. 6:13-15 “For from the least of them even to the
greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the
priest Everyone deals falsely. 14
“And they have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying,
‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace. 15
“Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not
even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall
fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast
down,” says the LORD.
Ezekiel: Ezek. 13:2-3 “Son
of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those
who prophesy from their own inspiration, ‘Listen to the word of the LORD! 3 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe
to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen
nothing.
Jesus: Matthew
24:24 “For
false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and
wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect
Paul: Galatians
1:8 But even though we, or an angel from
heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached
to you, let him be accursed.
1
Timothy 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says
that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to
deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
Acts 20:29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves
will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
Peter: 2
Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among
the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will
secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought
them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
John: 1
John 2:18, 22 Children, it is the last hour;
and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have
arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour. …:22 Who is the
liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist,
the one who denies the Father and the Son.
Jude: Jude 1:8 Yet in the
same manner these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject
authority, and revile angelic majesties.
--So you can see that God is not caught off guard
when deceivers and dreamers try to pollute the purity of His truth and destroy
the power of His name.
--He
warns us that such people will try to take charge and will find ways to attract
a following so that they can influence as many as possible to turn to their
ways.
--Those who have assumed for themselves a place of
leadership and voice of authority on behalf of the Lord have often set
themselves up in direct opposition to the Lord and labor under the threat of
His judgment.
B. UNWORTHY TO LEAD THE WAY
--The
Pharisees and the scribes to whom Jesus was speaking were not only unqualified,
but they were unworthy to lead anyone to God.
1. No Authority
Matt. 23:2 … “The
scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;
--Having
no authority of their own, they have taken the “chair of Moses” and presumed to
speak from that place of authority as if what they had to say had equal weight
with God’s Word.
The word “chair” is the Greek word “kathedra”
and came to be associated with the authority of that position; such as the
chair of the history department represents the authority in that department.
When someone speaks “ex cathedra”,
they are said to speak with the authority of their office. In Roman Catholicism, when the Pope speaks
by virtue of his office and makes a doctrinal pronouncement, the Vatican
Council determined that he speaks for all Christians a definitive word, an
infallible statement “by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority.” In other words, he speaks “from the chair”
as one with complete authority as if God had spoken the words Himself!
--The text says that they “seated themselves” and
took authority for themselves without the anointing power and presence of the
Lord upon what they declared.
When anyone dares to speak with authority without the attending power
of the Word behind them, without basing their declarations on sound
understandings and applications of biblical truth, they become just like the
scribes and Pharisees with no authority.
They render themselves unworthy even as they “seat themselves” to make
declarations which supposedly speak for the Lord.
Whether that voice takes away from the Scriptures in a liberal
interpretation and rejection of what the Bible teaches…or whether the voice
adds to the Scriptures and gives personal opinion and preference the same value
and weight as the Bible—Jesus makes it clear that they have no authority from
heaven, no authorization from the Father, and no authorship to claim but from
their own imaginations!
These usurpers mislead and damage
the cause of Christ even while presuming to act in His name and on His
behalf! They tear down instead of build
up. They are unworthy to sit in the
“chair of Moses” and speak as if they had the authority to do so!
--When
what they say lines up with what the Word of God says, Jesus instructs us to
obey them, regardless of their personal worthiness or authority.
--They
could be scoundrels and yet if their words were from God’s Word, we should
listen and respond with obedience…some have tried to justify unbelief and
disobedience because the message came in an unclean vessel!
2. No Credibility
--But
Jesus then makes an important distinction.
Matt 23:3 therefore all that they tell you, do and
observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do
not do them.
--They
may occasionally say the right thing, but they consistently fail in doing what
they should and brand themselves as brazen hypocrites who teach one thing and
do another.
--Therefore,
as teachers from the Lord, they have no credibility since the character of
their lives nullifies the content of their teaching.
--Such
leaders are totally unworthy to be followed because they have no credibility!
How many times have we seen it happen?
A gifted speaker or writer, a popular teacher or preacher, claims a
large following through his or her public platform, but their private lives do
not match their public proclamations!
Off the platform, they are gossips, critical spirits, coarse humor, sow
seeds of dissent, worldly, immature, unforgiving and bitter, quickly
angered…and so on! Others go farther
and practice immoral behavior, harbor deep-seated prejudices, lie and deceive
in their business dealings and things far worse.
Yet because of their public persona, they are revered and develop loyal
followings of those who either have not seen their hypocrisy or have determined
that everyone is like that and condone their sin.
Any credibility they have on earth stirs the throne of God to cry out
against them as Jesus does here. Do not
do what they do! They are unworthy to
speak on My behalf!
--What
a warning to all who dare to take the holy book and speak in the Holy
Name!
3. No Compassion
--One
of the most telling characteristics of their unworthiness to be leaders for the
Lord is that they had no compassion for others.
Matt 23:4 “And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on
men’s shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as
a finger
--By
piling up ritual upon ritual, adding one burden of legalism upon another, the
scribes and Pharisees seemed to be more interested in increasing the hardships
of life instead of leading people into the joy of living for the glory of God.
--Their
strict regulations and harsh rules went far beyond anything the Bible required
or even desired, but they did not care about the consequences in people’s
lives…just an exacting adherence to their traditions and external duties
designed to give the appearance of righteousness.
--In
reality, their lack of compassion proved their unworthiness before the God of
compassion, mercy and love.
It is important to note here that Jesus is not commending compassion at
the expense of faithfulness and righteousness—nor is He offering mercy instead
of obedience as a viable option.
He confronts the practice of making life harder by adding to God’s
perfect design by the legalists, or by stripping away from God’s plan by the
libertines.
The most compassionate thing you can do for someone running toward the
edge of a cliff is to tell them of their danger and show them the right
way. In our culture, warning people of
the inevitable consequences of rejecting God’s ways and defying God’s design
has been interpreted as lacking in compassion and filled with a mean, hateful
spirit—all because a voice dares to say no to the world and yes to God’s way.
Therefore, we have to be careful not to lump those who speak the truth
in love in with the scribes and Pharisees who spoke neither truthfully or
lovingly!
4. No Humility
--In
a variety of ways, Jesus points out that they were very proud men, filled with
an excessively high opinion of their own importance…and a desire to make sure
that others treated them in the way they thought they deserved.
Matt 23:5-7 “But
they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their
phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 “And they love the place of
honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful greetings in the
market places, and being called by men, Rabbi.
a. Outward Shows of Religious Superiority
--Not
content just to dress and look the part of a truly devoted person of religious
piety, these leaders took the external show up a notch by playing a game of
“one-up-man-ship”.
--“If you wear a phylactery (a box on the
forehead held in place by leather straps that contained verses of Scripture), I
will wear one with a bigger box and wider straps so that I will look more
spiritually serious than you do.” [Our
equivalent might be how big a Bible you carry, or how big a cross you wear
around your neck, or how you dress depending on your ministry context—drab in
some circles, decked out in others depending on which signifies a greater sense
of spirituality in your network.]
--“If you wear a prayer shawl
with tassels on the corners, I will make my tassels longer to show you that I
am more serious about prayer than you are.” [Our equivalent might be found in how much
stock we put in the length of our public prayers, the height to which we raise
our hands, the effort we make to scrunch up our faces when we are really
serious in prayer, and so forth.]
When I was growing up, and to a certain extent still today, people
would try to dress the part that best
reflected their religious values. Drab
clothes, extra long skirts, no make-up or jewelry and other such things were
supposed to be signs of female spirituality in certain groups of Christian
women. Men were considered to be the
most spiritual in their outward appearance simply if they were years behind the
latest styles!
Today it could be seen in the same ways in some circles, but in others
there is an opposite game going on of dress for success with power clothes,
demonstrations of opulence in being the height of fashion.
Either way, God looks at the heart,
not the outward appearance as the indication of where your true devotion is. Your outward appearance will then reflect
the condition of your heart, but it will not reform the condition of your
heart!
--The
value in their religious practices was not found in the heart’s response to God
as much in how impressive they could be in giving the appearance that they were
super-saints—and all by their outward appearance.
--In
any estimation, however, there was no humility in any of this since the focus
was constantly being directed to themselves.
b. Ostentatious Demands for Appropriate Recognition
--Having
taken the seat of Moses, and having assumed the role of shepherds for the flock
of Israel, the scribes and Pharisees made sure that everyone gave them their
due…they demanded and were given recognition in the form of public honors and
in the manner in which they expected to be addressed.
§Seats of Highest Honor
--Whether
in the synagogue they were seated on the front row awaiting the opportunity to
be asked to step up on the platform to speak, or at a social event where they
expected to be seated at the head table, their pride pushed them to the
front—no humility held them back!
--Holding
back, taking the low place, deferring to others—none of these occurred to them
since they were so caught up in themselves!
§Titles of Highest Respect
--Loving
the recognition as leaders, they took great pleasure in being noticed in
public, spoken to with great respect and admiration, and even addressed with
their preferred title, Rabbi.
--In
our day, it is almost a joke to see how many pastors prefer to be addressed not
as Rabbi but as Doctor, whether they have earned any degree or not.
--We
can fall into the trap of loving the attention, even going after it by speaking
a little louder than necessary, expressing our point of view a little more aggressively
and piously, all in a way intended to massage our egos and satisfy our vanity!
--No,
humility was definitely not a character trait used very often to describe the
scribes and Pharisees—and they were the acknowledged religious leaders of
Israel, the ones who were supposed to lead the people to bow down in humble
worship before the Living God!
II. SUITABLE SERVANTS FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
--Jesus
makes it plain that folks who behave like the scribes and Pharisees are not the
kind of people the Father has in mind for leadership of His people.
--But
He does not just speak of the negatives…He goes on to commend what He is
looking for in the leaders of His people.
A. THAT GOD CALLED THEM, NOT WHAT OTHERS CALLED THEM
--If
no one ever knew your name but you were faithful to the calling of God, could
you handle that?
--Let
me tell you, it is far easier to say that you would labor away in
obscurity than it is to do so!
--So
Jesus tells the people what real spiritual leadership would look like…something
they had not seen very often, if ever, among the religious leaders among them.
Matthew 23:8-10 “But do not be
called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 “And do not call anyone on
earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 “And do not be called leaders;
for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.
1. Not to Be Called Rabbis and Consumed with Recognition
--When
you are satisfied with Christ, you will not be concerned with the outward
recognition, the titles, and the worthless measures of men’s flattery.
2. Not to Be Called Father and Concerned with
Credit
--When
people are coming to Christ and serving Christ and growing up in Christ, you
will not care who gets the credit for being considered their spiritual fathers,
who gets to be their pastors, who gets to claim them as part of your Bible
study group…God will get the glory and it will not matter who gets the credit!
3. Not to Be Called Leader and Controlled by
Ambition
--You
will have no need to be the leader, no demanding sense that you must be in
charge, no driving ambition to be at the head of the column—just being on the
team with others who are each fulfilling roles as they are called to do so.
--In
other words, Jesus tells them that when God has called them and they are
satisfied in serving and glorifying Him, what anyone else calls them cannot
matter ever again!!
B. THAT GOD HONORS THEM, NOT THAT OTHERS HONOR THEM
--All
that we desire is to hear the voice of the Lord speaking words of pleasure and
delight over us, to know that God honors us with His declaration, “well done,
good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master!”
--Jesus
summarizes it in the last two verses in this passage:
Matthew 23:11-12 “But the greatest
among you shall be your servant. 12
“And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall
be exalted.
1. Greatest Are Servants
--When
God sees greatness, He does not see all the showy things we do to be noticed by
the people around us—the greatest in His eyes are the servants who gladly,
willingly take the invisible low place.
--Their
highest honor is to offer the most loving service for the honor of the Master.
2. Humble Are Exalted
--Therefore,
when all those who strutted around seeking attention, demanding to be noticed,
find themselves standing before the Father and giving an account to Christ,
they will discover much to their dismay and unending grief that those who
humbled themselves will at that time be exalted.
--And
friend, that is the only time it will really count!
See how wicked and deceptive pride can be? Can we be any more embarrassed when the
Words of Christ touch such a sensitive chord in our hearts?
If we love the place of honor, we will
not be willing to take the place of humility.
May God protect us, wherever He calls us to serve, whatever role of
leadership He give us. May He give us
hearts that love the applause of heaven more than the opinions of men.
One life to live, twill soon be past,
Only what's done for
Christ will last.
When the voices of earth are silent, and
the outward things change in a moment—what about your life will last?