1Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. (King James Version)
1Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Thus begins one of the harshest chapters in Matthew. This section of the chapter is directed not to the scribes and Pharisees but to the multitudes and also to his own disciples.
2Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
You need to go back to the days of Moses. He was under a tremendous burden to judge the children of Israel alone. Moses cried out that he was not able to bear the burden alone. God understood what Moses was going through. There was a way to ease his burden. Moses had to gather seventy of the leaders of Israel, officers and elders, and bring them to the tabernacle of meeting. Then God tells Moses, Num 11.17And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. The Holy Spirit that rested on Moses was going to be taken and given to these seventy men. Understand, doing so does not diminish the anointing on Moses. The person of the Spirit would also reside upon the leaders. The Spirit is the anointing that rests upon the elders. This is what separates them to the ministry as judges of Israel.
There is an earlier appointment of officers at the advice of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. See Exodus 18 vs. 13-27 This was a much larger group of individuals taken along family lines. They were judges over thousands, hundreds, fifty and tens. These judged the small matters. The larger problems were brought to Moses. Yet even with this help Moses needed people to help him define the law in its application to the people and to help with ruling the people. Thus the appointment of the seventy.
When you consider that part of the duty of the priesthood was also to read and explain the law, we end up with a large mosaic of authorities. It can be said that all of these people, in one way or the other, sit in Moses' seat.
3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
We are told in the gospels that Jesus gives authority to the apostles; "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." This is the same basis of authority given to all of the power groups above. They have the power to decide that riding an escalator is a form of servile work and that it is unlawful to ride an escalator on the Sabbath. They can modify the law any way they wish and make its interpretation binding on individuals. They can render judgements and cause people to make ridiculous restitution to others. Punishment? Yes, that too.
What is interesting to note is that Jesus said that you had to observe what these authorities laid upon you, but that you should not do what these authorities do themselves.
4For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
It is for good reason that Jesus calls them serpents, vipers and hypocrites. The rules that come from their mouths twist and poison the words of life. Soon the laws they enact become traditions that oftentimes turns God's law given to Moses on its head. These make following God's law harder for the people to follow. They don't ease the burdens, they don't help them carry them, they do this instead:
5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
Me, me ,me... They love the appearance of holiness. The positions of power and their trappings. The accolades of the people. Do you hear the hidden word that motivates their actions, pride. They are at this point reflecting the heart of Lucifer before his great fall. They do not understand the true purposes for having power. They are failing to serve God and his people.
8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
It is only natural for individuals to seek advancement. To live the better life. To become a bigger player in the big picture. Yet individuals need to beware of seeking titles. Of looking to gain authority for selfish purposes. There is a saying, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Power itself is not bad, but the seeking of power for power's sake will corrupt an individual or a people. It is a narcotic whose base element is pride. Pride craves attention. You cannot help but to become corrupt. That is why Jesus warns people not to seek the titles of Rabbi, Father or Master. Only God truly holds these titles. They are Father God and Jesus the Christ.
11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
In the "World" the leaders are taken care of by their servants. In God's kingdom the leaders take care of their servants. Jesus himself left heaven to come to earth, not to be served but to serve others. This is our example of what true leadership is about. The scribes and Pharisees were self-promoters wanting the perq's that came from holding a superior position. This is not what the multitudes or disciples are told to seek after. They are told to look for ways to help others. To consider the needs of others more important than their own needs. It is these people that God will raise up to positions of authority, so they can better help even more people.
In the beginning Moses chose people with humble hearts to help him lead the people of Israel. Sadly in time, the leaders lost their way and the people began to suffer. Jesus himself is instituting hierarchy of leadership. The apostles, after they received the Holy Spirit, were humble men fit to lead God's church on earth. Yet in time what afflicted Israel also afflicts the church today. Only those who have a humble heart can serve the church today. The rest expect the church to serve them. To receive the perq's of their office. Seems that we have come full circle. Yet God is still at work in people today and he is still raising people to positions of authority so that they may better serve others.
My prayer for you is that God lead you to a place where you can find his chosen leaders, those who have a servants heart, who will help you find the full life that is found only in Jesus.
Webite administrator: Joseph A Raymond
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada