Matthew 23:1-12 are a collection of sayings regarding the status of the Pharisees. Matthew provides a context in which Jesus speaks to the crowds and his disciples. We need to understand the conflict between Jesus on the one hand and scribes and Pharisees on the other as having profound theological significance. Jesus wanted to draw Israel to himself. Jesus put a question to Israel. It understood the question well. It could not accept it. Israel repudiated and resisted him. He suffered in Israel and received execution in Jerusalem. The wall between Jesus and these Jewish leaders became an immovable barrier since the rule of God had drawn near to them in Christ.[1]
I am going to approach the passage as addressing the charge by Jesus that scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites and arrogant, the contrasting virtues advocated becoming authenticity and humility.
Were the whole world good as you — not an atom better —
Were it just as pure and true,
Just as pure and true as you;
Just as strong in faith and works;
Just as free of crafty quirks;
All extortion, all deceit;
Schemes its neighbors to defeat;
Schemes its neighbors to defraud;
Schemes some culprit to applaud —
Would this world be better?
-Annonymous
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
Verses 2-3 are sayings unique to Matthew. 2 “The scribes were low level, local, administrative officials. Since they could read and write they conducted much of the official and legal business. They were the clerks and local bureaucrats. In his travels around Galilee, Jesus would have had frequent contact with them, especially as he became popular. They might have found Jesus obnoxious at some gut level. In any case, Jesus refers to scribes and the Pharisees as those who have knowledge of Torah and assume the authority of Moses. They sit on Moses’ seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. The vague reference to Moses’ seat at least suggests their authoritative position. He points to the gap between what they say and what they do. Jesus acknowledges a special link between the occupation of these leaders and the treasured Torah. They have the appearance of piety, but do not back it up with their lives. They know Torah but fail to live it properly. They possess head knowledge but fail to allow that knowledge to transform their lives. He will accuse them of hypocrisy in verses 13, 15, 25, 27, and 29. This saying substantiates that charge. Hypocrisy is one of the most nerve-wracking vices to have. It needs an unceasing vigilance. To cultivate this vice is a full-time job. One cannot practice it in spare moments.[2] The point Jesus is making is that under certain circumstances, the follower of Jesus should consider seriously what the scribes and Pharisees say, but do not take as seriously what they do. Interestingly, this would suggest that Torah is still in force for followers of Jesus. An interesting tension occurs between this saying and the accusation that they are “blind guides” in 23:16. Why are we to listen to what they say in some circumstances and recognize them as blind guides in another? Are the crowds to listen to them or are they not? This passage, though seemingly less critical of the position of the religious leaders, further substantiates their hypocrisy and echoes Jesus’ teaching on the humble service indicative of God’s kingdom. Although such counsel seems contradictory, wisdom teaching is often like that. Contradictions are present only when abstracted from the context. My suspicion is that both statements are “true,” in that you should, in one circumstance, consider them as blind guides, and in another circumstance, consider seriously what they say and avoid what they do. The Law of Moses is still in force for Christians. Because of the vulnerability of the people, Jesus’ words highlight again the deceptive power and manipulation of his opponents.
Verse 4 has a parallel in Luke 11:46b, referring to the heavy burdens scribes and Pharisees put upon others. 4 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. A common observation was that people who have vast knowledge in one area can clearly see the failure of others in that area, but do not see the errors they make. The heavy burdens are more hypothetical than actual. It is doubtful that ordinary Galileans followed recommendations of the scribes in every detail. They may have been indifferent. The verse presupposes some type of concrete activity on the part of the Pharisees but refers to it metaphorically as a matter of carrying cargo. Jesus condemns them for minutely observing the letter of the Law. They revel in telling others what to do. The saying observes a contrast between the official posture of the Pharisees as legislators and their human, all too human, inability or unwillingness to promote fulfillment of the laws they make. As Cynic teacher, Diogenes, would put it, the grammarian, the musician, the mathematician, and the orator can have great skill and knowledge in their respective areas, but fail to see the ways they fail to see matters of the soul and matters close to them. Such people are ready to solve the problems of others but do not see the problems they have. To Jesus, the people have become victims of the authority the scribes and Pharisees have. The indiscriminate exercise of power always ultimately works against itself. Instead of demonstrating the extent of one's strength, the result is diminished effectiveness and a reduced range of influence. Today, churches need to keep learning the truth of this saying and applying it to the moral and ethical system of the time. Regardless of how we approach ethical and moral life, we need to remember that Jesus called his followers to the freedom of the children of God.[3]
In verses 5-7, we find parallels with Mark 12:38-39, Luke 11:43, and Luke 20:46. It points us to the privileges of the scribes and Pharisees. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others.
Human beings are deeply social. It becomes a problem in religious life when our sociality masks who we truly are when we are alone. Dietrich Bonhoeffer captures this notion quite well. Our actions need to be visible, of course, but the follower of Jesus must never do them for the sake of visibility. We need to let our light shine. Yet, that which is visible must also have a hidden quality. We need to cultivate right behavior without paying too much attention to how right our behavior may or may not be. The focus is always following Christ rather than what we accomplish through our will and desire.[4]
Jesus offers an example of masking who one truly is: for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. Attacking a popular style of scribal dress is an easy target, for a successful first-century scribe wore a long linen robe with a long white mantle, a symbol of importance and prestige, decorated with beautiful long fringes. It identified one as a teacher or philosopher. Phylacteries were small receptacle containing the most important words of Torah, which they attach to forehead or arm, carrying out the injunction of Exodus 13:9, 10, Deuteronomy 6:8, 11:18. Numbers 15:39-40 explains the reason for wearing the fringe: “You have the fringe so that, when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and not follow the lust of your own heart and your own eyes. So, you shall remember and do all my commandments, and you shall be holy to your God.” The fringe then becomes a sign of their condemnation. The four tassels were sewn one at each corner of the cloak. Such noticeable reminders of the commandments demonstrated piety. Displaying them was a literal way to read the Old Testament. Yet, Jesus mocks the irony of their appearance. They became a sign of their condemnation rather than piety.
Another example moves us toward our reflections upon arrogance and pride on the one hand and humility on the other. For the sake of visibility, 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets. Jesus told a parable based on his observation that they liked prominent seats (Luke 14:7-11). A well‑heeled host would show off his own importance and good taste by having a learned scribe and some of his pupils sitting in the best, most easily viewed seats. And they love to have the best seats in the synagogues. The scribe's synagogue seat of honor placed him up front with the Torah, facing the congregation. They derive honor in public places. The best seats is the bench before the ark, a desirable location and visible. 7 And they are to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, a fitting honor for someone of their position. Tradition dictated that common people should respectfully rise to their feet when a scribe walked past. They excused only certain skilled tradesmen working in the marketplace from this social gesture of respect. And they also demanded to have people call them rabbi.
They place their piety on parade. In an occupied land, the learned had little political power or wealth. The problem is they like it too much. They have confused the respect intended for the position they hold with respect for their own abilities and advancements.
Verses 8-10 are unique to Matthew, continuing the theme while focusing upon titles. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Jesus uses the practices of the scribes and Pharisees to tell his followers that they should look at each other as students who have one rabbi or teacher. Jesus reminds us of the power of viewing the communal nature of following Jesus as the communion of saints.[5] Followers of Jesus are to shape a different form of communal life than he finds exhibited in the Jewish society of his time. The focus his community is service rather than status. It also suggests, considering later theology, that the Word of God becomes the master and teacher that shapes the lives of those who follow Jesus. As followers today, we are always students of the Word, receiving its instruction in a prayerful way and under the direction of the Spirit.[6] 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.
Verse 11, unique to Matthew, continues the theme. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. Jesus puts restraints upon ambition. Followers or disciples of Jesus are to serve.
In his epic poem, Paradise Lost, John Milton includes these famous words, spoken by Satan:
The mind is its own place, and in it self
Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.
What matter where, if I be still the same,
And what I should be, all but less then he
Whom Thunder hath made greater? Here at least
We shall be free; th’ Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
Here we may reign secure, and in my choyce
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav’n. (lines 254-263)
Verse 12, having its source in the material Matthew has in common with Luke 14:11, 18:14, focuses upon the virtue of becoming humble. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. The use of the future tense (will be humbled … will be exalted) suggests the values the rule of God will bring. God is the one who humbles and exalts. In addition, Jesus frequently advocates reversal of roles. Such role reversal is a glimpse of the great reversal of accepted values that the coming rule of God will bring (cf. 1:50-53). While these values may not be human values, they will be the values at God's table. God is the one who "exalts" and "humbles." People fail to observe the counsel against arrogance and boldness that can be found throughout the Old Testament (Proverbs 15:25; Jeremiah 13:15; Isaiah 13:11), but especially the advice of Proverbs 25:6-7, which has to do with being humble rather than being humiliated.
Let us pause for a moment on the notion of humility.
Have an average day. That may seem like a strange way to encourage someone, but I came across an article in Utne that helped it make sense. Lyndon Duke came to believe that the enemy of happiness is “the curse of exceptionality.” Very simply, a series of average day can lead to your own way of making a difference in the lives of others, even if in small ways.
The first time my son really liked a grunge rock group, I tried to listen, but the voice seemed so bad that even I could have sung that bad. “Dare to be average,” I said of the music. I still do not like it, but it does show that average is not what I value.
We can learn from this notion of an average day in spirituality as well. Think of scribes and Pharisees. Read Matthew 23:1-12. They wanted to think of themselves as examples of exceptional spirituality. Yet, they missed its heart. These leaders have all the appearance of piety, but none of the action. They are like the son who says that he will obey his father and then fails to do so (21:28-32), the invited guests who mistreat the messengers (22:6), or the tenants who have been entrusted the care of the vineyard but kill the owner’s son (21:33-44). They have a special privilege by their very position as those who sit on Moses’ seat, but they have used their position to lock people out of the kingdom (23:13), to misguide (v. 16), to feed their self-interests (vv. 25-26) and to kill God’s messengers (vv. 29-36). Instead of following the example set by the religious teachers, Jesus urges the crowds and disciples to understand that the kingdom is marked by humility. Those who would enter need not rely on their own self-righteousness or false piety. Those who would follow Jesus must answer to one Father, and not revel in any honor due to their familial heritage (v. 9). Those who follow the Son must recognize only one Master, the Christ (v. 10). It is not possible both to be self-serving and to practice God’s commandments. This kingdom, as Matthew reminds his readers again and again, is one of reversal: “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted” (v. 12).
It feels just as strange to say, “If you want to be great – serve.” I think that would be an exceptional spirituality. Yet, maybe in spirituality, the greatest danger is striving for others to see you as exceptional. Maybe our spirituality, or spiritual formation, and the way we live our lives as Christians, could find some help if we could just say, “Lord, help us today to do one thing, even one small, unnoticed thing, out of our sense of being faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Here are a few things about which I am thinking.
First, being exceptional is not easy. Lyndon Duke, who studies suicide, has found that when people try to be extraordinary, everyone fails. They end up feeling like losers. They are unhappy. There must be a better way. Fortunately, there is — one that involves humility. Mr. Duke tells of feeling unhappy one day, when he heard a neighbor singing while mowing his lawn. He had the insight that he was missing the simple pleasures of an average day. He needed to accept the pleasures of the ordinary life he had with his family. In fact, the next weekend, he was with his son, who was in his first semester in college. His son was trying to excel. He then spoke clearly to his son: “I expect you to be a straight C student, young man. I want you to complete your unremarkable academic career, meet an ordinary young woman, and, if you choose, get married and live a completely average life!” His son, of course, thought he had flipped. The result of this advice was quite surprising. No longer feeling any pressure to be exceptional, his son did an average amount of studying for his final exams. His grades were outstanding: straight A’s. He then called his dad and apologized.
Here is the point. An average-life philosophy carries with it a paradoxical promise: If you focus on living an ordinary life each day, the cumulative effect of many average days is quite extraordinary.
A professor of mine at Asbury Seminary was David Thompson. He and I came from the same church in Austin, Minnesota. I was getting quite down on myself. I made some time to meet with him. His encouragement to me was that while I may not have had large, dramatic experiences, he could see the influence of the daily walk with Christ. He reminded me of the teen I had been in Austin, shy, backward, almost afraid, in contrast to whom I was then in my late 20’s. Many average days in walking with Christ can have a considerable influence out here, years later.
You can apply this insight in many areas of your life. An hour a day with your children adds up to 90 hours in three months, and then 1,800 hours over the course of five years. You know that such an investment is going to have an enormous impact. A hundred hours of writing over a three-month period is enough to complete a book, and at that rate you could write two books, some poetry and a screenplay over the course of a year. If you work in sales and speak to 100 new prospects over the course of a month … well, you get the idea.
Little steps add up. Do one little thing, one average thing, every day, out of your commitment to Jesus Christ. Over time, it will make a difference.
Second, I would like to offer some hints for the humble. In contrast to the Pharisees (verse 3) practice what you teach. “Do as I say and not as I do” is not an effective way to live in front of family or friends. People watch to see if our words and deeds match in some way. Yet, a harsh reality might set in as well. Realizing how far beneath you live from what you teach will invite you down a humble path. In addition, and again in contrast to the Pharisees (verse 4) offer a helping hand. Finally, the focus of our behavior needs to be approval before God rather than others (verse 5), usually a parent, but eventually a sub-culture tribe we value. Dietrich Bonhoeffer captures this notion in his book The Cost of Discipleship.
Our activity must be visible, but never be done for the sake of making it visible. “Let your light so shine before [others]” . . . and yet: Take care that you hide it! . . . That which is visible must also be hidden. The awareness on which Jesus insists is intended to prevent us from reflecting on our extraordinary position. We have to take heed that we do not take heed of our own righteousness. Otherwise the “extraordinary” which we achieve will not be that which comes from following Christ, but that which springs from our own will and desire.[7]
Each of us deserves “honor” and “respect,” both from others and from ourselves. Humility does not mean being a doormat in life. In that sense, what Jesus suggests moves against a quite natural desire for self-respect. Humility is far easier to praise than to do. As Mark Twain recognized, the moment a person seems to have achieved real humility, the pride of having accomplished it destroys it. Yet, we can find some virtue in simple spirituality, in contrast to exceptional spirituality.
Humility seems to have gone out of fashion. Yet, we see here that humility is an essential virtue of the follower of Jesus. Personally, I think some epistemological humility needs to characterize followers of Jesus. Humility is a sign of self-confidence. Humility suggests that we are secure enough in who we are that we can alter our views as we gain added information and face new circumstances. If all we want to do is confirm what we already believe, if we engage in debates with only a view to winning, then we have missed an important part of humility, that of achieving a greater understanding of truth. Humility will value collective wisdom. We are better off if we have within our orbit people who see the world different than we do.
An old phrase involves eating humble pie. The origin of the phrase is from the Middle Ages and its eating of umble pie. The pie had liver, heart, and other inner parts of the cow, deer, or pig. People thought of it as inferior food. One ate it if one was part of the lower economic class. If someone of high economic class needed public humiliation, he or she would have a bowl of umble pie. Sometimes, circumstances compel humiliation. Although such an experience can lead to recovering our sense of humility, the experience is not humility.
With any of the virtues, once we become aware of their presence within us we have the beginning of a spiritual problem. Humility is a virtue that once we notice it in ourselves, we have less of it. If we become aware of the depth of our humility, pride is already beginning. The reason for this is that any virtue has the design of lessening our interest in self and increasing our interest in others. Humility does not mean a low opinion of our talents our character. Humility will lead to a proper evaluation of our gifts and passions and place them in the service of the rule of God. Humility will lead to proper love of self as a creation of God and gratitude for the time God has given us. Humility will also lead to proper love of and gratitude for others.[8]
I came across a hymn that I find quite powerful and worthy of our reflection on these matters.
Clothe me in humility,
Loving Lord, I pray.
You who've given all I am,
Take this pride away.
Free my thoughts to thankfulness,
And clothe me in Your praise.
Free my thoughts to thankfulness,
And clothe me, Lord,
Clothe me in Your praise.
Clothe me in humility;
Help me not to judge.
You would understand them, Lord.
You would lift them up.
Let me speak as You would speak,
And clothe me in Your love.
Let me speak as You would speak,
And clothe me, Lord,
Clothe me in Your love.
Clothe me in humility
With this simple truth:
You are every breath I breathe;
You alone are good.
Every moment come in love
And clothe me, Lord, in You.
Every moment come in love
And clothe me, Lord,
Clothe me, Lord, in You.
Words & Music by Ken Bible
[1] Barth (Church Dogmatics IV.2 [64.3], 261)
[2] W. Somerset Maugham
[3] Barth (Church Dogmatics, IV.1 [59.1], 191)
[4] (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, R. H. Fuller and Irmgard Both, trans. [New York: Touchstone Books, Simon and Schuster, 1995], p. 157.)
[5] Barth (Church Dogmatics IV.3, [72.1] 682)
[6] Barth (Church Dogmatics, I.2 [16.2] 265-279)
[7] (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, R. H. Fuller and Irmgard Both, trans. [New York: Touchstone Books, Simon and Schuster, 1995], p. 157.)
[8] Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters, Chapter XIV, 63.
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