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

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 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 read that on the same day that the disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians questioned Jesus about paying taxes to Caesar, 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.'  One these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

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."  This begins Jesus' final public sermon.  It is a grand critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees.  There will be varied themes in the Sermon, which we'll read over the next few days.  In today's reading,  Jesus begins by teaching that the Jewish leaders have God-given authority and that they teach God's Law, but they are personally ungodly and cold-hearted.  Their teaching is to be honored, but they are not to be imitated.  To sit in Moses' seat means to hold the succession of office down from Moses himself.  In the synagogue, my study bible explains, the teacher spoke while seated as a sign of this authority.  St. John Chrysostom comments that the scribes were depraved in thought and in heart, but Jesus still upholds the dignity of their office, as they speak not their own words but God's.  So also within the Church, the clergy are shown respect because they hold the apostolic office, although they too are sinners.  Moreover, the sins of the clergy do not relieve the people from their responsibilities before God.

"But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments."  Phylacteries are small leather pouches which contain passages of Scripture.  They are worn on the arm or forehead.  The concept is to keep God's Law always in mind (see Exodus 13:9), but here Jesus says the Pharisees 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."   Our true Father and Teacher is God, Jesus teaches.  A teacher or father on earth is one who leads people to God.  The scribes and Pharisees do the opposite, putting themselves in God's position.  Here Jesus warns against calling hypocrites father and teacher; but my study bible points out that it is not an absolute prohibition against using such terms.  These terms are applied 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.  My study bible explains that 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.

It's important to understand that the things for which Jesus criticizes the leadership are still with us.  The changes and structures in the Church, the principles upon which its practices are founded, take into consideration all of Christ's teachings.  But what Jesus principally warns against here -- and which we will reach in subsequent readings -- is the detrimental practices of hypocrisy.  In Saturday's reading Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments in the Law are "'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.'"  He adds, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  Let us note that the driving force in the beginning of this sermon is the same teaching of putting God first.  What He's saying is that the leadership here puts themselves first, putting themselves in the place of God, as my study bible puts it.   Earlier in Matthew's Gospel, He criticized the Pharisees for their own traditions, which subvert the intent of the Law (see this reading), while they nitpick and criticize and burden others with their way of practicing.  With all of these teachings in mind, the Church established its own practices.  But hypocrisy does not solely belong to the Jewish leaders.  Jesus' warnings apply to all of us.  The beauty of our Church and our worship services, my study bible notes elsewhere, may snare us into a sense in which these elements assure us of our own sanctity.  But Christ's commandments still apply to each of us, and hypocrisy remains a temptation and a warning, a true scandal.  Let us note what my study bible teaches in its notes for today's reading:  a true father (or mother, for that matter) or teacher in the Church is one who leads others to God.  It is God who comes first, not the glory of the nominal teacher or father or mother.  For this reason, humility remains after 2,000 years the key and crowning virtue upon which everything else rests.  Without it, the care of the littlest ones is endangered by all kinds of potential behavior, including the hypocrisy against which Christ preaches in this final sermon.  Each one of us who claims to be a follower of Christ is in some way both a teacher and a spiritual mother or father.  There are many who don't follow the idea that being a Christian means making a particular commitment to our own awareness of ourselves, our own humility quotient and practice, our own growth in spiritual virtue.  But this is a kind of blindness such as that which Christ speaks about when He talks about the hypocrisy of the religious leadership.  We'll find all kinds of moral codes we externally may need to comply with or to criticize others about.  But Jesus' message is internal, it is about who we are being in the world and how we are treating others.  To love one's neighbor as oneself, my study bible says, does not mean to love one's neighbor in the same way or amount we love ourselves.  No, it means to love one's neighbor as being of the same nature as we ourselves are, as being created in God’s image and likeness just as we are.  As the Fathers teach, we find our true self in loving our neighbor.  Jesus' criticism of the religious leaders really applies to the ways in which they treat the flock under their care, and it applies to us today as well.  Do we judge with good judgment?  Do we love others as if they are created in the same image and likeness as ourselves?  Do we humiliate and ridicule others with whom we disagree and denigrate their very humanity, or do we enter into dialogue?  We must keep perspective in proper order, in right relationship with God and with neighbor and not confuse the roles.  To do that requires proper humility, the crowning virtue.  Let us keep His commands.