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Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and said 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 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
On Saturday, we were given the reading in which first the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her." Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. 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, "'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."
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and said to His disciples . . . My study bible here indicates that this is Jesus' final public sermon. It calls the sermon "a grand critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees. Several themes include: (1) The Jewish leaders have God-given authority and teach God's Law, but are personally ungodly and cold-hearted. Their teaching is to be honored, but they are not to be imitated (vv.2-7). (2) God is our true Father and Teacher. A teacher or father on earth is one who leads people to God. The scribes and the Pharisees do the opposite, placing themselves in God's position (vv. 8-12). (3) In His eightfold indictment of the scribes and Pharisees (vv. 13-36), [which we will read over the next few readings], Jesus charges them with inverting God's values and with being mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and blindly self-righteous. While these charges were directed against the Jewish leaders of the day, every word applies equally to those in the Church who behave in this way."
. . . 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." My study bible says, "To sit in Moses' seat means to hold the succession of office down from Moses himself. In the synagogue, the teacher spoke while seated as a sign of this authority. St. John Chrysostom notes that the scribes were depraved in thought and in heart, yet Jesus still upholds the dignity of their office, for they speak not their own words but God's. Likewise within the Church, the clergy are to be shown respect because they hold the apostolic office, even though they too are sinners. Furthermore, the sins of the clergy do not relieve the people from their responsibilities before God."
"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." My study bible explains that phylacteries are small leather pouches containing passages of Scripture worn on the arm or forehead. The idea was to keep God's Law always in mind (see Exodus 13:9), but the Pharisees had used them as a show of false piety, making them increasingly larger and more noticeable."
"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 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." Another note reads, "Christ's warning against calling hypocrites father and teacher is not an absolute prohibition against using these terms, as some teach. These terms are applied to men many times in the New Testament, all of which usages are inspired by God. Teacher is used in John 3:10; Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; and 2 Timothy 1:11. Father is used in Luke 16:24; 1 Corinthians 4:15; and Colossians 3:21. Since the very early days of the Church, bishops and presbyters have been called 'father' not because they take the place of God, but because in their fatherly care for their flocks, they lead people to God, and they exercise fatherly authority within the community."
To accept Christ's teachings is to accept some very high standards. There is first of all the idea here that, even if one has corrupt leadership, the respect due to Moses through his "seat" -- the concept of authority handed down via succession of office -- remains. Of course, Moses' authority was that which was given by God. And in the Church we can apply that to the Apostles, but, to my mind, more specifically to Christ Himself. Whomever the teacher, or the one we call "Father" or perhaps "Mother", ultimately, we can be certain of one thing: the Founder of the Church was (as Son of Man) a man of total integrity who fulfilled all things necessary of Him. To my way of thinking, this upholds my faith, the things of this institution that are there to give to us, to teach us, to care for us. Included in all the "things" of the Church is, of course, the Scriptures, the lives of the saints and the countless faithful who have been a part of this Body of Christ. Jesus tells us to separate out the authority of the office from the personal failure of those who may be seen to hold that authority. He also gives us things to look out for, signs of the one thing about which He was most scathing: hypocrisy. Hypocrisy (which comes from the Greek word for "actor" -- one who in the ancient theater was literally behind a mask) is a practice which leaves the heart and soul untouched by true faith, by the depth of love for God that has us wrestling within ourselves for the things of true salvation and growth in that love. Humility is the cure: that sense of ourselves that, ultimately, we are alone before God. We don't stand on the achievements of others, but as souls before God asking to be led and taught for how best to serve. It is important to remember this kind of detachment from appearances; whether it is we who must remember Who and what the Church is even if our leadership seems to be flawed, and also we who might be taken in by hypocrisy or enticed into its practices. Everything in the Church: all the beauty, all the forms, the poetry of hymns, the Scriptures: all are meant to be those things that help us as we struggle along the road of repentance and experience in spiritual terms. They are all meant to be tools to serve God's people, those who are called. They are meant to be tools that help us to open our hearts and our souls to what God wishes for us, to change and repentance into that image that God holds of us. Let us remember the key to it all is real faith, and we can't get there without humility. This is what He wants us to keep in mind, the thing that sustains our faith through all things, and all manner of heartbreak. This is what He has given us with His life.
