A Messiah's Warning About Being A Spiritual Phony
Text: Matt. 23:1-12
Introduction
1. Illustration: A recent survey of Discipleship Journal readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them. These are listed in this order. 1. Materialism. 2. Pride. 3. Self-centeredness. 4. Laziness. 5. Tied were: Anger/Bitterness/Sexual lust. 6. Envy. 7. Gluttony. 8. Lying. There’s little difference in ethical behavior between the churched and the unchurched. Religion, for most people, isn’t really a life changing experience. People cite it as important, for instance, in overcoming depression, getting through a problem at home, work, or school but it doesn’t seem to have first place in determining personal behavior.
2. However, giving our lives over to the Lordship of Jesus ought to make all the difference in the world. It should radically change us...forever!
3. In our text today, Jesus warns us about being a spiritual phony. He tells us that if we are going to one his followers we should be...
a. Genuine
b. Humble
4. Let's stand and read together Matthew 23:1-12.
Proposition: A true follower of Jesus is someone that has been radically changed from the inside out.
Transition: First of all...
I. A True Disciple Is Genuine (1-7).
A. Don't Follow Their Example
1. Jesus has run the gauntlet of everything the Religious leaders of his day could throw at him and passed with flying colors.
a. He has answered their questions without falling into their trap or stooping to their level of hypocrisy.
b. Now he turns his attention to his disciples and warns them not to be like their religious leaders.
2. He tells them, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses."
a. Teachers of the law are literally "scribes," which throughout the Empire included those who wrote legal documents for others, but in Judea and Galilee included educated teachers who instructed children in the law and in some cases taught adults as well.
b. Actually, the Pharisees were few in number. The Jewish historian, Josephus, said that in Jesus day there were only about 6,000 Pharisees out of about half a million people.
c. However, you would never be able to tell by how many times they appear in the Gospel accounts.
d. Which only goes to show how self-important they saw themselves.
e. Sitting in the seat of Moses means that they saw themselves as Moses' successors, and therefore, possessed the authority to teach, interpret and pass down traditions concerning the Law (Horton, 489).
f. However, a more literal interpretation of this text reveals their heart.
g. Matthew 23:2 (NASB)
saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;
h. They were not appointed by God to sit in the chair of Moses and had not even been elected by the people.
i. They had simply seized for themselves that position of authority which was therefore fake.
j. For Jews, Moses was the supreme Lawgiver, the supreme spokesman for God.
k. Therefore to sit in the chair of Moses was tantamount to being God's authoritative spokesman, and it was that very claim that many of the scribes and Pharisees made for themselves (MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Matthew).
3. Notice, however, what Jesus tells his disciples, "So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach."
a. We need to see that Jesus doesn't tell his disciples to ignore them or their teaching, but rather not to follow their example.
b. Jesus obviously was not speaking comprehensively of the lies and errors they taught but only of their instructions that conformed to Scripture.
c. He had made clear that the righteousness acceptable to God must exceed the hypocritical, works-oriented self-righteousness the scribes and Pharisees advocated and practiced.
d. Jesus was not giving blanket approval for following the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees but was rather warning against throwing the baby out with the dirty bath water.
e. In other words, if they speak God's truth, you should practice and obey it, Jesus was saying.
f. The Word of God is still the Word of God, even in the mouth of a false teacher.
g. The verb "practice" is an imperative, which demands an immediate response, and the verb "obey" carries with it the idea of continued action.
h. In other words, Jesus was saying do it now and continue doing it.
i. However, he goes on to say "don't follow their example" (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
j. The emphasis here is that Jesus didn't want his disciples to model themselves after the actions of the Pharisees, who didn't practice what they preached (Horton, 491).
4. Jesus goes on to say, "They crush people with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden."
a. The Pharisees tied bundles of the Law together with heavy precepts on the shoulders of the people, and did nothing to help ease the burden.
b. The Pharisees failed to see that the Old Testament taught spiritual religion.
c. They interpreted the Law in a very legalistic and demanding way.
d. They kept adding more demands on the people, but kept inventing loopholes for themselves so that they could do what ever they wanted (Horton, 491).
5. Jesus reveals their true motive when he says, “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels."
a. Everything is done for outward show rather than from the heart, for fleshly gratification of ego rather than selfless service to God and to others in His name.
b. The issue for them is not godly character but fleshly appearance, the making of "a good showing in the flesh."
c. When they prayed in the synagogue or on the street corner, they did so with great ostentation, and when they fasted, they went out of their way to call attention to the sacrifice they were making.
d. Jesus illustrates their hypocrisy when talks about their "prayer boxes" and "tassels."
e. "Prayer boxes" were small square boxes made of leather from a ceremonially clean animal.
f. After being dyed black, the leather was sewn into a box using twelve stitches, each stitch representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
g. Placed into each phylactery were copies of Exodus 13:1-10 and 13:11-16 and of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21.
h. Rather than wearing their prayer boxes only at prayer time, as the custom was for most Jewish men, the Pharisees wore them continually as a sign of superior spirituality.
i. They also would make them larger than normal to signify supposed greater devotion to God.
j. The tassels also had their origin in Scripture.
k. Numbers 15:38-40 (NLT)
38 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord.
39 When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the LORD instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do.
40 The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God.
l. Jesus Himself wore tassels, and it was these tassels, or fringes, on His cloak that the woman with the hemorrhage touched (Matt. 9:20).
m. In later Judaism the tassels were worn on the man's inner garments, and today the remnant of the tassel tradition is seen in the prayer shawls, called tallit, worn by Orthodox Jewish men.
n. Both of those outward symbols were intended to be inward reminders and motivators.
o. They were given a means of calling attention to God, but the scribes and Pharisees turned them into a means of calling attention to themselves (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
6. Jesus then shows the depth of their spiritual pride by saying, "And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues."
a. They vied with each other for a place at the host's table in order to be in the center of attention.
b. They gloried in being given places of prestige and eminence.
c. It was that ego-centered spirit that led James and John to ask their mother to request of Jesus that they be appointed to sit at His right and left hands in the kingdom.
d. It was the same motivation that caused them crave the seats of honor in the synagogues.
e. As in most churches today synagogues typically had a raised platform in front where the worship leaders would sit.
f. Visiting rabbis and other religious dignitaries were often asked to participate by reading Scripture and giving a sermon.
g. Far from having Jesus' humble spirit, however, the religious leaders often used such opportunities to ostentatiously display themselves before the congregation (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
h. God wants us to seek Him and be concerned with Him. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were concerned only with seeking honor for themselves instead of giving glory to God.
i. Their religion had as its motive, not love, but a desire for position, authority, and power.
7. In addition, Jesus said, "They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’"
a. They liked to be called "Rabbi" which means "my great one," or "my Master," an Aramaic title given to teachers.
b. It is similar to the honorary title of Doctor given to preachers and teachers today.
c. They wanted the people to submit to their authority and interpretations rather than searching the Scriptures for themselves (Horton, 493).
d. One rabbi insisted that he be buried in white garments when he died, because he wanted the world to know how worthy he was to appear before the presence of God (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
e. Jesus calls his followers to be radically different from this. He calls us to practice what we preach!
B. Practice What You Preach
1. Illustration: Hypocrisy can be illustrated by the way we clean house when company is coming - We shove our junk in the closet, stuff it under the bed, etc. where it can’t be seen. Out of sight it doesn’t exist at least to our guests. That is not a horrible way to clean house, but it is terrible way to deal with the spiritual junk in our lives. There is no value to hide our junk from people if God sees it. He is the one we are to please.
2. When Christ comes into our lives he gives us new life.
a. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
b. He doesn't take our old life and improve it.
c. He doesn't make our old life better.
d. He gives us a new life, a new start, and makes us a new person.
3. When Christ comes into our lives he gives us a new mind.
a. Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
b. First he changes our hearts and then he works on our minds.
c. Before Christ our minds were set on doing what pleases us.
d. After Christ he changes the way we think so that we look for ways to please God.
e. He takes us from being self-centered to being Christ-centered!
4. Therefore, our lives should reflect a life and a mind that has been radically changed.
a. Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)
1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
b. Our lives ought to reflect those who are following the example of God.
c. Our lives ought to reflect those who are following the example of Christ.
d. Our lives should be examples of what happens when Jesus comes in and radically changes a person.
e. Our lives should be led by the Holy Spirit.
f. We should practice what we preach!
Transition: What does your life reflect? Secondly...
II. A True Disciple Is Humble (8-12).
A. The Greatest Amongst You Must Be a Servant
1. After showing his disciples the deficiencies of their religious leaders, he now shows them a better way.
2. He tells them, “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters."
a. The Pharisees' love of honor was reflected in their love of titles. Therefore, Jesus warned his disciples not to seek titles for themselves.
b. The Pharisees who took this title for themselves and claimed final authority for their teaching.
c. However, our final authority is Scripture itself as it is illuminated by the Holy Spirit who inspired it.
d. No one is lean wholly on another for the Bible's message to his or her own soul.
e. We are all brothers and sisters, equal to one another before the Lord.
f. We must go to the Bible and open our hearts to the Holy Spirit (Horton, 493).
3. Jesus further illustrates this idea when he says, "And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father."
a. Jesus was not referring to natural fathers here but to the Jewish custom of calling eminent teachers of the past "father."
b. Jesus was of course using the sense of spiritual father, indicating a superior spiritual position and even suggesting one's being a source of spiritual life.
c. Members of the Sanhedrin, the high Jewish council, loved to be called by the title father, especially when acting in official capacities.
d. The title of Father in a spiritual sense is to be reserved for God, who alone is the source of all spiritual life and blessing.
e. To call any human being by that name is a clear violation of Scripture (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
f. Neither are believers to look to any man for spiritual life. No one has the power to impart it by ceremony or sacrament. God is the only source of spiritual life (Horton, 495).
4. Jesus then warns them about seeking other titles when he says, "And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah."
a. The word "teacher" is from a Greek word, which means "a guide, or one who shows the way."
b. Jesus warned them against desiring honor for themselves as infallible leaders, rulers, or professors (Horton, 495).
c. As with the other titles, this one is forbidden when used in the formal, exalted sense that was common in ancient Judaism and is still common today in many religious circles.
d. When wrongly used, such titles can place barriers between those in leadership positions and others in the church but, even worse, they claim for God's human instruments the honor and glory that belong only to Him (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
e. It is very important that we see here that titles in and of themselves are not wrong, but it's the seeking of titles to make yourself more important than others that Jesus is warning us against.
5. The point that Jesus is trying to get across to his followers then and now can be summed in this: "The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
a. Naturally, Jesus wasn't rejecting all teaching or leadership; rather, he cautioned against the desire for power and prestige, which comes from taking pride in titles.
b. The path to greatness is not paved with honor, but with humility and an attitude willing to serve others (Horton, 495).
c. As Jesus Himself beautifully exemplified, the greatest person is the one who is a willing servant.
d. Jesus' human greatness not only was manifested in His perfect sinlessness and love but in His being the perfect servant.
e. In His humanity He was the Servant of servants just as in His divinity He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings.
f. His mission on earth was not to be served but to serve, He said, "and to give His life a ransom for many."
g. During His last time alone with the disciples in the Upper Room, Jesus reiterated the lesson of servanthood He had taught and demonstrated so often. He performed a menial task, reserved for the lowliest of servants, when he washed their feet (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
B. Humility
1. Illustration: Paul W. Powell once observed: "Pride is so subtle that if we aren’t careful we’ll be proud of our humility. When this happens our goodness becomes badness. Our virtues become vices. We can easily become like the Sunday school teacher who, having told the story of the Pharisee and the publican, said, ‘Children, let’s bow our heads and thank God we are not like the Pharisee!’"
2. God calls his followers to avoid pride.
a. Proverbs 8:13 (NLT)
All who fear the LORD will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.
b. It was pride that caused the devil to fall from grace.
c. It is pride that is at the heart of all sin.
d. Pride says I am equal to God.
e. Pride says what I want is more important than what God demands of me.
f. Pride will put up a wall between you and God.
g. Pride will eat away at your spiritual life like a cancer.
h. Pride will destroy you!
3. God call his followers to live humbly.
a. Micah 6:8 (NLT)
No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
b. We need to realize our own spiritual bankruptcy.
c. We need to acknowledge our reliance upon God.
d. We need to accept the fact that we are all saved by grace.
e. We need to see the fact that before God we are spiritually blind, deaf, and naked.
4. God calls his followers to consider all others as more important than themselves.
a. Philippians 2:3-4 (NLT)
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
b. We live in a society that is ME focused.
c. It all about me, what I want, what I need!
d. God calls us to look at the needs of others.
e. God expects us to focus our attention on what's good for someone else.
f. God calls us to seek to serve and not be served.
g. Don't seek the praise of others; seek the praise of God!
Transition: Let God be praised!
Conclusion
1. In our text today, Jesus warns us about being a spiritual phony. He tells us that if we are going to one his followers we should be...
a. Genuine
b. Humble
2. Do you practice what you preach?
a. Are you the same person on Monday that you are on Sunday?
b. Do people want to know what different about you?
c. Do they say, "I thought you were a Christian?"
3. Do you live humbly before God?
a. What's more important, what you want or what God requires?
b. Is it all about God or all about you?
c. Is it about what you need or is about what others need?
