Br. David Vryhof

Matthew 23:1-12

Preachers love to repeat the gentle words of Jesus that assure us of God’s love and faithfulness.  It’s not as easy to listen to his critical words, especially when they are directed at religious leaders.

In our gospel reading tonight, Jesus denounces the Scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day.  The criticism can be understood on three levels.  First, the gospels reflect the real conflicts that Jesus had with religious leaders in his own day, many of whom were not Pharisees.  Second, they also reflect the real conflict that the early Church had with Jewish authorities.  When Matthew wrote his gospel towards the end of the first century and following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E., the Pharisees had risen in power and often were in conflict with early Christians.  Third, this portion of Matthew’s Gospel is also aimed at early Church leaders, lest they fall into the same traps the Scribes and Pharisees did.[i]

What is it that Jesus is criticizing here?

First, it is that these religious leaders do not practice what they teach.  Jesus is not faulting them for thinking carefully about how to keep the law or for passing along their tradition to others.  “Do whatever they teach you and follow it,” Jesus says, “but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach” (v. 3).  The words coming out of their mouths are right, but their code of conduct runs contrary to what they teach, and their bad example negatively impacts the lives of those they lead.  Having witnessed the unfaithfulness of Church leaders in our own day, we know that nothing undermines the gospel more quickly than the scandalous behavior of religious leaders.

Second, they have made the law burdensome and use their authority to find fault with others rather than showing sympathy and support.  In doing this, they contradict the very purpose for which the law was given.  God’s laws are intended for our good, as individuals and as a community.  They are not arbitrary or superfluous but are meant to build up the community and its people by safeguarding health and wholeness for everyone.  Instead, these leaders have made them to be burdens that weigh people down.  They have become exacting and harsh towards the people over whom they have authority, and their teachings no longer give life.

Third, these religious leaders are hypocrites who seek the adulation of others rather than the glory of God. Their focus is on looking good. They strut around in ways that draw attention to themselves; they hunger for honor and prestige. The attention and praise they receive leads them to expect preferential treatment.  Maintaining their image becomes a way of life. “They do all their deeds to be seen by others,” Jesus says (v 5).  “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” (v. 6-7).

But it shall not be so among you, Jesus says.  Leadership in the community of love that Jesus is bringing about is characterized by humility rather than pride, by the service of others rather than by the cultivation of praise and adulation.  The community of love is based on mutual encouragement and support and its leaders are servants of its members.  Its focus is on God and its leaders point others towards God, assuring them of God’s love and goodness, and supporting them on their journey to God.

All of us are susceptible to these faults that Jesus names in regard to the Scribes and Pharisees.  We can, at times, become enamored of our own selves, puffed up with our own importance, tempted to think more highly of ourselves than we ought.  Jesus calls us to live out our call with humility, love, kindness, truthfulness and authenticity.  We are to imitate Christ, who “came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).

[i] Hare, Douglas R.A., Matthew (Interpretation Commentary); (Louisville KY: John Knox Press, 1993), p. 264-5.