^{Matthew 23:1-12}

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. 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. 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. 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. ¹¹ The greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. ^[1]

If anyone ever finds himself thinking that in matters of religion all views are relative and any sincere faith and practice will do, that person needs to read Jesus’ denunciation of the Pharisees’ religion preserved in Matthew 23. People have compared religion to a mountain with heaven on top and with many roads that lead up to it. Or they have thought like Edward Gibbon, the author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, who said that in the days of the empire the various modes of worship that prevailed “were considered by the people as equally true, by the philosophers as equally false, and by the magistrates as equally useful.”

Jesus did not accept these easy misconceptions. He was aware of our faults and understood our failures, but he never suggested for a moment that any faith would do. On the contrary, he taught that there is but one way to God, namely, himself (John 14:6), and that any teaching that masks that way or keeps men and women from it is damnable.^[2]

That one proper way to God is what Paul called “the righteousness of God” (Romans 3:21) and “the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9). Many of Paul’s epistles address the question of how someone who is unrighteous can get right with a perfectly righteous God. The basic answer he gives is by God’s grace, by God’s one way-love. God pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight because of Christ’s righteousness imputed to us and received by trust alone.

That is what rightness with God demands. We call it justification by faith alone. We trust that Christ has done all the work for us. But what does this faith that justifies look like?

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis gives as good an illustration of such faith. He shows us what justification looks like through the transformation of a character called Eustace. Lewis’s book begins with one of the great lines in literature: “There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.” This boy deserved such an awful name because he was an awful boy.

At the heart of his overall awfulness was his pride, a pride that led to perpetual complaining and persistent disbelief. He refused to believe in Narnia even though he was sailing upon its rough seas and holding conversations with its talking animals. Lewis shows us what justification looks like by Eustace’s “endragoning and dedragoning.” While on an unexplored island, Eustace wanders away from the group and finds a dragon’s hoard. Soon after, he is transformed into a dragon by the “greedy, dragonish thoughts” in his heart. It is then that Eustace begins to see himself for who he really is.

He has been selfish, greedy, and proud because he is selfish, greedy, and proud. His dragonish actions have come from his dragonish heart. He also recognizes his inability to remove all of his dragon’s skin, and thus he must and does call upon the lion Aslan (the Christ-figure) to dedragon him—to return him to human form, the same outside now with a new inside. On the final page of the book, the narrator says of Eustace, “You’d never know him for the same boy.”

We begin with this definition and illustration of justifying faith in Christ, not because we want to impute that theology into our text, but because we want to read this text on the theme of the glory of humility through the lens of the humility of Christ. He is not only our ultimate example of humility, but also the only means by which anyone is put right with God. If you’re listening this morning and you are a dragon, we want you to dedragoned before the day is done. We want you to die to your old self and be raised in the newness of Christ.

PULLING OFF THE MASK

Jesus does two things in 23:1-12. First, he exposes hypocrisy. Second, he exalts humility. In verses 1-7 he exposes hypocrisy.

Notice that Jesus is talking “to the crowds and to his disciples” about “the scribes and the Pharisees” (23:2-7). He will shift his address directly to the scribes and Pharisees beginning in verse 13. There he talks directly to them. But in these first 12 verses his direct audience is his church, immature and tiny as it is at that point. He is not addressing the desolate House of Judaism as he will in the next sermon. He is building his future church upon the present cornerstone of his own perfect humility. He is addressing his disciples and those in the crowd who will become his disciples by laying down the law of humility.

He sets out one major principle regarding religious hypocrisy. Essentially, he forbids big mouths and big heads. In verses 2-4, he addresses big mouths:

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. 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.

So, the 1st point in this principle of humility is “no big mouths.” The theme is teaching or talking without doing or helping others to do. Israel’s leaders have big mouths. They talk a good talk, but they certainly do not walk a good walk. Jesus says in verse three that they preach, but do not practice and in verse 4 that 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.

Jesus seems to be saying that when these religious leaders expound upon the law of Moses, they know what they’re talking about. However, many conservative commentators considered this to be a statement of irony, that is, they really don’t know what they’re talking about and shouldn’t be listened to at all.

The Pharisees and the scribes did not stay on the fine line of scripture. We are not to add to what scripture says (go above the line) or subtract from what it says (go below the line). Well, here the scribes and Pharisees do all three. Sometimes they stayed on the line of scripture, teaching precisely what Moses taught. When they actually taught the Word of God, they did function as those who sat in the seat of Moses.

Sometimes the Pharisees and scribes taught below the line of scripture. They taught others to live below the line, predominantly by the way they lived. They preached God’s law, but they didn’t live out the law. As Jesus said in verse 3, “they preach but do not practice.” As Paul wrote in Romans 2:21-23:

… you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.

In living below the line of scripture themselves, the scribes and Pharisees taught others to live the same way. But they also taught others to live above the line. Unlike Jesus who offered genuine rest for weary souls through putting on the yoke of his commandments, the scribes and Pharisees added so many man-made rules on top of God’s Word that the Word seemed stifling, tiring, and crushing.

Further on in chapter 23 Jesus will point out how these religious leaders have majored on the minors of the law while neglecting the weightier matters of justice and mercy and faithfulness (23:23). Instead, they placed on people’s backs a thousand supposedly-lighter laws such as cleaning cups, swearing oaths, tithing from their herb gardens, pouring a small cup of water over your hands before you eat – thousands of little laws weighing just a pound each. Here is a 1-pound law, there is a 1-pound law, and soon their followers are carrying thousands of pounds of man-made regulations they are told will make God happy. And Israel’s teachers refused to lift a finger to remove even 1 pound from their followers’ burdens.

What a picture of hypocrisy! The Lord plainly tells his church in verse 3: “do… not the works they do.” Do not teach below the line. Do not teach above the line. Do not be a big mouth. The second point Jesus makes in verses 5-7 is do not have a big head:

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.

These are very Jewish verses with very Jewish words like “phylacteries,” “fringes,” “feasts,” “synagogues,” and “rabbi.” Two key verbs summarize his critique: “They do” (v. 5), and “they love” (v. 6). What do they do? What do they love? Here is what they do: “They do all their deeds to be seen by others” (v. 5a). The word “all” should jump off the page. “All” their actions are polluted with pride. Two small examples of their bigheadedness should suffice. “[T]hey make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long” (v. 5b).[3]

In order to be seen as super pious, the scribes and Pharisees took the words of Exodus 13:9 literally, which speak of wearing God’s word between your eyes and on your hand. Every day but the Sabbath and holy days, they wore little leather boxes strapped around their wrist and forehead, filled with texts from the Torah. The issue was not that they took their Bibles too literally. The big issue was size: “broad” boxes for big heads.

The “fringes” pose a similar problem. These were blue or white strings you might see on a Jewish prayer shawl today. In Jesus’ day they were sewn on to the four corners of the hem of the outer robe, as commanded in Numbers 15:37-41 (Deut. 22:312). Jesus himself wore such a robe with fringes (9:20; 14:36). But the religious leaders wore fringes that were extra-long and broad, and they did it to be seen (23:5).

In in our modern day, we might picture a bishop with his red hat, silver shepherd staff, large golden cross on his chest, and 59 nickel-sized rosary beads around his waist. That would not be far from the way the scribes and Pharisees dressed. But you might also want to think beyond high churchmen to low churchmen. Think of the contemporary worship leader calling attention to himself by wearing skinny jeans, $200 canvas shoes, a graphic T-shirt, and a winter scarf below his jelled-up hair when it is 100° outside. The Rockstar worship leader and the kingly bishop are both outrageous pictures. And they both picture people with big heads wanting attention.

We have looked at what they “do” (23:5). Now let’s look at what “they love” (v. 6). They love big-headed seats in front of the congregation and big-headed greetings (v. 7). When they come over for dinner, what they crave more than food, hospitality, and conversation is the seat next to the host. They love being the guest of honor.

And what is true when they enter a house is also true when they enter God’s house. They would love to sit in a large throne-like chair upon a stage facing the congregation. They would love the idea of buying pews in colonial Boston. They would love the mega church speakers spotlight. Or when they enter the synagogue, it’s showtime. Their pious theatrics are on full display for all to see and admire. They like to pretend and perform.

They loved the best seats, and they loved getting greetings that matched their self-perceived greatness. Whether they walk through the temple or the marketplace, they love hearing your repeated greeting “rabbi” or “father” or “instructor” to swell their already large heads. That is what they do and that is what they love. They’re in the religion business solely for the worship of the people. Do not do what they do and do not love what they love.

Greatnessism is a major social-spiritual disease. If not cured, such a disease will plague the church and ultimately destroy the patient. You might recall the door to the Kingdom of heaven is only small enough for a child to enter, those with childlike helpless trust into Jesus. Big Dragons will never fit through, huff and puff as they might. This is what Jesus teaches in verses 8-12. If we want to be big, we must grow small. If we want to move up, we must limbo down. How low can you go? If we want to get in, we must die to self and be resurrected into newness of life.

GLORIFYING HUMILITY

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

Our text now moves from Jesus exposing the hypocrisy of the religious leaders to his glorifying humility, from his diagnosis of religious sickness in the first 7 verses to its cure in the last 5 verses. The medicine for big mouths and big heads is small talk and small thoughts of self.

We don’t even have to think of the religious authorities, we can look at Jesus’ own disciples. They were all too eager to snub those they considered beneath them and to suck up to those above them. With that kind of fleshly, sinful behavior in mind, how do you shrink such big heads and close such big mouths? Jesus says that you first stop feeding them impressive titles.

Note the word “call” in verses 8-10:

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.

The calling of Christian leaders is not to be called anything special. A little bit of small talk goes a long way. Jesus outlaws three titles: “rabbi” (23:8), “father” (9), and “instructor” (10). The titles “rabbi” and “instructor” are synonymous. The name rabbi literally means “my great one.” All three of these titles focus on the role of the one who teaches from scripture. They are all synonymous. And Jesus point is that, for Bible teachers, there is no need for lofty titles.

Jesus gives two reasons: “all” and “one.” First, “you are all brothers.” Second, “you have one Father” and “you have one instructor, the Christ.” There is no need for any of us to take on lofty titles because we are all children of the heavenly Father and we are all instructed by the one instructor, the Christ (23:10). Jesus is speaking about our innate fleshly desire to steal as much of God’s glory as we can. Jesus warned that search titles might communicate an unorthodox equality with the one and only heavenly Father.

In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus uses the term “father” nearly exclusively in reference to his heavenly Father. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus uses the word “Father” seventeen times, and in each case he references his heavenly Father. His point here, however, is not that we should never call our earthly dads “father,” but rather that we shouldn’t call our earthly Bible teachers “father.”[4]

There is one top teacher in the church, and that top teacher is Jesus. In John 13:13 Jesus said, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.” Yet, this is not to say that the Teacher hasn’t made teachers. Let’s remember that the Gospel of Matthew ends with Christ’s commissioning his disciples to teach. And what are they to teach? All that Christ commanded (28:20). So when Jesus says there is to be “one instructor, the Christ,” he is instructing his church to do away with all personality cults in the church— “I follow Dr. Scholar.” “Oh, really? I follow Super-Apostle Sam” (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:12). Don’t follow anyone but Christ! The only voice we are to hear is that of Jesus, and we hear that voice today only when teachers (small t) teach what the Teacher (capital T) taught. All faithful Christian preachers are to preach Christ. That is what it means to preach from the chair of Christ.[5]

We are not to assign lofty titles for teachers because there is only one father and one instructor. The second reason we don’t assign lofty titles is that “you are all brothers.” While there are distinct roles in the church, there is an equality of status. The Lord’s counsel is that we go public with that status. It’s not wrong to use the title “pastor” because it means “shepherd.” And there is nothing lofty about that title especially if you’ve ever raised livestock. There’s nothing wrong with the title “minister” as long as we understand that the minister or pastor is to be the chief servant and the chief repenter. Jesus is not saying that we cannot give certain people in the church titles. The question is whether such titles are used to confer special privilege or status.

I don’t get a big head when someone calls me pastor. Being a pastor is not exactly an esteemed profession in our culture. Outside of the church, it’s a rather off-putting title to most people. Being called pastor doesn’t go to the heads of most of the pastors I know, but being called “doctor” (“teacher”) might. My official church title is, “The Reverend Dr. Warren Keith Howard, Esquire.” But if you were to use that title, I would eat it up with a spoon and feed it to my starving ego until the humility Jesus demands is all but gone.

Pastor is a humble title. His Eminence is not. Slave or Bondservant are humble titles. Very Reverand is not. The title His Holiness ought to make us sick. Lofty titles are to be vomited out of the church’s mouth. If we bestow titles upon those who work in the church, let’s stick with humble titles. Small talk is what is called for. It’s the first cure for big heads and big mouths.

The second cure is “small thoughts.” This is what Jesus teaches in verses 11, 12. “¹¹ The greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” These first 12 verses are all about humility. Jesus is plucking up our pride by the roots. The uprooting starts in the mind, with small thoughts about the self. We must all renew our minds.

In the first of his Ninety-five Theses, Martin Luther observed, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent’…He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” In repentance, we confess our tendency to shrink the cross through performance and pretending. We pull our affections away from false saviors and fraudulent sources of righteousness and turn to Jesus as our only hope.[6]

Because we think so highly of ourselves, we respond to others’ sin with harshness and disapproval. We are very lenient toward our own sin, but we resent theirs! And because we think we can change ourselves, we are frustrated when other people aren’t changing themselves faster. We become judgmental, impatient, and critical because of our pride.[7]

Instead of excusing our sin or falling into patterns of remorse and resolution, true gospel repentance moves us to realize and repent. Realize: “I did do that.” (“That IS what I’m really like!”) Repent: “Lord, forgive me! You are my only hope.” As we learn to live in light of the gospel, this kind of true repentance should become increasingly normal for us. We will stop being surprised by our sin, so we will be able to admit it more honestly. And we will stop believing we can fix ourselves, so we will more quickly turn to Jesus for forgiveness and transformation.[8]

Paul wrote the Philippians (2:5-9a):

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ^[9]

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 23:1–12.

^[2] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 489–490.

[3] O’Donnell, 676.a

[4] O’Donnell, 679.

[5] Id., 680

[6] Thune, Robert H.; Walker, Will. The Gospel-Centered Life: Study Guide with Leader’s Notes (p. 47). New Growth Press. Kindle Edition.

[7] Id. 49.

[8] Id., 49-50.

^[9] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Php 2:5–11.