They bind heavy burdens hard to bear; and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers

 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens hard to bear; and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'  But to you, do not be called 'Rabbi'' for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

- Matthew 23:1-12

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees in the temple.  We are in Jerusalem:  He has made His Triumphal Entry, cleansed the temple, and been questioned by various groups of the leadership:  chief priests and elders, disciples of the Pharisees and Herodians, and the Sadducees.  But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?  If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat."  My study bible introduces us to what is Jesus' grand critique of the Pharisees that begins here.  To outline what Jesus has to say, this is how my study bible puts it for the verses in today's reading:  "(1)  They have God-given authority and many God-given commandments, but they are personally ungodly, coldhearted and vainglorious.  Their teaching is to be honored, but they are not to be imitated (vv. 2-7).  (2)  God is our true Father.  A true teacher leads his people to God.  The Pharisees do the opposite, placing themselves in God's stead (vv. 8-12)."  Moses' seat was a special chair in the synagogue; the most famous rabbi in the town would be assigned this seat.

"Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do."  My study bible teaches us:  "The rabbinic teachers assumed an intrinsic value for their own office as the seat of authority.  According to the prevailing system of the Pharisees, the student in rabbinic tradition submitted himself to his master's authority in a total and servile manner.  The call of Jesus to His disciples differed radically from the rabbinic system in that (1) the disciples were not merely servants but beloved friends; (2) their calling did not imply they would themselves become independent masters; (3) the brotherhood of disciples would remain unified and loyal to Jesus."

"For they bind heavy burdens hard to bear; and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments."  My study bible tells us that phylacteries and borders of their garments refer to articles worn by pious Jews to remind them of God's law. 

They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'  But to you, do not be called 'Rabbi'' for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  My study bible tells us here:  "Jesus warns against calling hypocrites father and teacher.  Far from being a prohibition against using these terms under any circumstances, it is a warning not to use them undeservedly.  Both terms are applied to men in the New Testament.  'Father' is used in Luke 16:24; 1 Cor. 4:15; and Col. 3:21.  In the earliest Christian communities, this term was applied to bishops and presbyters, because they represent the Father in the Church.  'Teacher' is used in John 3:10; Acts 13:1; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11; and 2 Tim. 1:11."

I think one thing that we can see clearly in this reading is Jesus' placement of God the Father first before all things, as indicated by yesterday's reading and His naming of the first great commandment as "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."  Jesus is perfectly consistent in His teaching in this respect.  His criticism of the Pharisees comes repeatedly with the message that they have forgotten the priorities of God in their applications of the Law, and the customs they have developed around around the Law.  His focus in today's reading on One Father and One Teacher reflects the importance of these priorities -- and it naturally follows that to teach that "He who is greatest among you shall be your servant, and whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  The greatness of God and our love and devotion to God leads us to a sense of necessary humility about ourselves; this is a humility that accompanies the second great commandment from yesterday's reading:  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  When Jesus calls the Pharisees to task for using their religious authority to "bind heavy burdens hard to bear; and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers," He is criticizing a kind of self-aggrandizement that has forgotten both humility before God and love of neighbor.  And the rest of the criticisms follow this.  Therefore, what we conclude from Jesus' teaching is not merely criticism of a system that was in place at the time He cleansed the temple, but they are also commands of His that we, too, are called on to practice here and now.  He doesn't criticize the Law itself, and the Prophets, nor the teaching that takes place on the basis of these things.  But His teaching of the greatest commandments, with the love of God coming first, put us in a place where we see a necessary humility before God, without which we can't truly practice love for one another -- and through which we are expected to grow in understanding and wisdom in practicing that love.  To place heavy burdens on others, without the slightest willingness to practice or exercise mercy (to use even a finger to help carry), is to fail on both counts!  It is time, always, to understand this message, to listen both to our One Teacher and One Father, and be guided in our humility before them.