O Jerusalem, Jerusalem

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

- Matthew 23:27-39

In the past two days, we've been reading Jesus' final sermon, which took place in the temple at Jerusalem after several confrontations with the leadership.  We began reading the sermon on Monday.  Yesterday we read that Jesus continued, "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you nether go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.  Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."  Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees focuses on their hypocrisy.   Their emphasis is on outward appearance, but He questions their corruptions and greed, which has made its way into some of their practices, against the intent of the Law.  Here the emphasis is on the inner life of the heart, every person's need to know themselves and to discard what is not worthy of humility before God and true righteousness in relation to others.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."  Jesus plainly names these men as included in those to whom He referred in the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers (see this reading).  He calls them the latest in a long line of those who persecuted the prophets and refused to listen to God's call back to Himself.  He also speaks to the future when He refers to prophets, wise men, and scribes who will be sent.  Some patristic commentators say that the Zechariah Jesus refers to was the prophet at the time of Joash the king (2 Chronicles 24:20-22), and others teach that it refers to the father of St. John the Baptist, who, according to tradition, was also murdered in the temple.  We note that once again Jesus uses the phrase earlier used for these men by John the Baptist (3:7; see also 12:34).

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"  Jesus mourns over Jerusalem, and here we see an interesting metaphor.  Jesus images Himself as a mother hen, gathering her brood.  But instead of chicks, it is a brood of vipers, full of rejection. 

Even in the midst of condemnation, Jesus gives us an image of God's love:  a mother hen who wishes only to protect and gather her children under her wings.  Let us rejoice at this loving and maternal image we are given at this moment of condemnation, and understand our God more fully, as well as the nature of God's love for us.  Let us note the balance we have in Christ, of images both maternal and paternal.  Not only that, but Jesus also refers to God's love and God's nature when He says, "How often I wanted to gather your children together . . ." (emphasis mine).  In other words, the nature of God's love is to return again and again, even pleading, with open arms, but it is human beings who refuse and are not willing.  In a real sense, we are given here God's own image of God, a rare glimpse at the internal character of God.  How many of us understand this kind of love for ourselves, and know God this way?  This maternal image is a reframing of the repeated sending of prophets, wise men, and scribes to the leaders of the people.  It frames the image He gives us in the parable of the Wicked Vindressers and the repeated sending of servants, until finally the son is sent, as the pleas of a mother who is concerned for her children.  It should give us pause to know that this image is given to us at the moment of condemnation, at the time when the Son/son is about to be murdered through manipulation by those in charge of the spiritual welfare of the people.  Finally, this appeal is to all the people, the whole of the Holy City, and God's love is for all.  My study bible says here that God's deepest desire is the reconciliation of His people, yet most do not want Him.  The image of the desolate house can be used to mean "family" or "tribe" (see Psalm 115:12; 135:19).   The indication here is that both the temple and the nation will be without God's presence once Christ departs.  This is like a mother's statement of  letting go of her rebellious, refusing children -- until, He says, the time of His return.  At this time He begins to openly reveal Himself in His identity as Son.  St. Chrysostom writes:  "This is the language of one that loves earnestly. He is poignantly appealing to them in relation to the judgment that is to come. He is not merely warning them concerning their past follies. He is now speaking of the future day of his second coming."  Gods' love is ever-present to us as well; let us each take His words to heart for all of us.

Fools and blind!

 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you nether go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

- Matthew 23:13-26

Yesterday we began to read Jesus' final sermon, which took place in the temple in Jerusalem after several confrontations with the leadership.   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."

 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you nether go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."  My study bible notes here that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can hinder others from finding Him as well.  Therefore, leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).  Jesus addresses the hypocritical and selfish practices of the leadership, particularly their greed and their corruption.  Once again, it is important to remember that the things Jesus addresses don't apply simply to the religious leaders of 2,000 years ago nor to one particular people.  They apply to all of us, and particularly to those of us who call ourselves Christians and our religious institutions.   His words remain guideposts and warnings for all of us today.

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."  Jesus continues to address the tradition of the Pharisees that was developed around the Law, and its workings that actually subverted the purposes of the Law.  Central to all understanding of faith is the need to put the love of God first.  Those who do not are "blind guides."

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"  My study bible tells us that Jesus' warnings here (and in the verses that follow, included in tomorrow's reading) are especially important to Orthodox Christians (and by extension, to all other denominations with rich heritage and tradition).  The Church, it says, has maintained the ancient practices of tithing (These you ought to have done), sacred vessels, holy rites, and following the patristic tradition handed down to us.  These practices can be an expression of deep faith and lead one to a deeper commit to God, safeguarding our life in Christ -- or they can be observed without ever taking them to heart and lead to condemnation.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."  The Pharisees would attach strainers to the mouths of decanters in order to avoid accidentally consuming a ritually unclean substance, and this is what Christ refers to here.  When Jesus speaks of cleansing the inside of the cup and dish, He is speaking of our own internal need for "cleansing" -- and the humility necessary for this kind of faith.

Jesus speaks of a kind of hypocrisy that comes from failing to put the love of God first, practices that look good on the outside but cover up personal corruption.  How does this work, exactly?  What are the processes that feed corruption?  Some people have seemed to feel that doing away with the externals will somehow fix the problems of hypocrisy.  But it just doesn't seem to work that way.  We will all sooner or later resume a mask of piety (or some kind of public display of purity) that can cover up a heart that schemes or betrays itself with some form of selfishness.  While all of us struggle with our own blindness to ourselves in one form or another, it's important to remember that our faith is really based on a deep need for humility before God, and with that goes the recognition that self-knowledge is all-important.  We can't remain deliberately blind to our own failings and think we're living a holy life.  The love of God in the heart works to open us up, to open our hearts to guidance in love.  In God's love, our failings are lovingly corrected.  The notion of some sort of morbid guilt being productive or something given by God is also false, a flip-side of self-centeredness.  Correction comes with acknowledgement within the love that is perpetually renewing, evergreen.  Even the need to hide one's true self behind mask, one might say, could be born of the failure to truly know God's love.  The strange thing about humility is just how good it can make us feel.  Humility is not about being humiliated by others, nor is it a kind of self-deprecation or devaluation of the self at all.  Humility is sitting in right relationship to God and to neighbor.  It puts us in a place that is appropriate for us; before God one is simply surrounded by love and opened in total honesty, secure in a place where guidance is acknowledged as necessary.  Before neighbor, one must recognize not simply a common humanity, but a decency born of that understanding, and the need for self-control and maturity, patience and faith to bear what we need to.  There is a limitation to the need to conform or act simply for the good opinions of others that goes with this (John 12:42-43).  Moreover, the need to humiliate others becomes tempered by our focus on and awareness of our own blindness to ourselves (7:4-5).   Jesus' criticisms of these leaders is their failure to understand the love of God and the humility it must produce in us.  They fail to address their own tendencies for corruption and their hard-heartedness that results.  Each of the faults Jesus criticizes are present to each of us today; they remain temptations for those in authority and also for each individual.  We can wear our faith like a mask, or we can let it develop us by grace, integrating God's love into ourselves through humility in prayer and seeking God's guidance for our own correction, like the leaven that leavens the whole in true faith (13:13).  What will it be?   We need to remember the humility of the poor and all the littlest ones that Christ sets before us as example.  The world is still deeply in need of true faithful to Christ's path.

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.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?  Therefore he who swears by the altar,  swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

- Matthew 23:13-26

In our current readings in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is in Jerusalem.  It is what we know as Holy Week, the final week of Jesus' earthly life, and Passover Week for the Jews.  Jesus has made His Triumphal Entry, He has cleansed the temple, and has debated with the leadership in various challenges as to His authority and teachings (see the readings from Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday.  Yesterday we began reading what is known as Jesus' Final Sermon.  He 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."

 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."  My study bible says that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God will hinder others from finding God as well.  Therefore, leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).

 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?  Therefore he who swears by the altar,  swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."  Jesus' emphasis here is consistent with all of His teachings on the focus of the Law and the Prophets.  In Tuesday's reading,  Jesus was asked by the Pharisees what was the greatest commandment.  He gave two, but He said the first and great commandment was "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."  Once more, His consistent emphasis is on God first.  It is God dwelling in the temple that sanctifies the gold.  It is God dwelling on the altar who sanctifies the gift.  In all things, Jesus teaches the devotion to God as the first and great commandment.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"   Jesus refers here to a practice whereby the Pharisees would attach strainers to the mouths of decanters in order to avoid accidentally consuming a substance that was ritually unclean.   My study bible tells us that all of the warnings that are given here, and which follow in this final sermon of Jesus, apply to Christians.  They are particularly emphasized for Orthodox Christians and others for whom the ancient practices of the Church have been maintained, such as tithing, sacred vessels, holy rites, and patristic tradition handed down through time  ("These you ought to have done," Jesus says in verse 23).  These practices, it says, can be expressions of deep faith, lead a person to deeper commitment to God, and safeguard our life in Christ, or they can be observed without ever taking them to heart and lead to condemnation.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."  To cleanse the outside of the cup and dish is to make a nice appearance.  But Jesus teaches us that true purity is from the inside out, with hearts toward God as the One whose judgment counts, and to whom we are always called.

What does it mean to do "holy acts" for show?  For a pretense, as Christ puts it?  All of the actions He ascribes to hypocrites have something to do with the emphasis on making an appearance before others.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus says of the hypocrites, "But all their works they do to be seen by men."  And this is the key for us.  It seems to be the exact opposite of Jesus' teaching that it's really God's eyes we should be concerned for, and God's judgment rather than the "judgment of men."  Jesus seems to emphasize this over and over again in His varied teachings.  Even the teaching on authority and greatness among His own apostles reflects this understanding.   In yesterday's reading, Jesus has taught them, "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."  Service and humility require of us to put behind ourselves consideration for the importance of how we look in the eyes of others.  To "love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi'" reflects a consideration for one's status in the eyes of others as a prime motivator in life, and it is part and parcel of what makes a hypocrite.  Once again, we recall that the word hypocrite in Greek was actually the word for "actor."  It literally means "below the mask," as the ancient actors all wore masks to delineate their characters.  To truly consider a life where God comes first is to experience the humility of service.  If it is God we are going to please, then all the opinions that others may form of us, our position in worldly eyes, our place in some sort of scheme of competition, is really going to come second.  Sacrifice is so often a sacrifice of that place in the eyes of others.  Christ on the Cross, humiliated, scorned, suffering, and ridiculed is the greatest example we have to teach us by example just what is truly of importance and what is not.  Jesus' saving and sacrificial work was not so we admire Him, but in order to save a universe.  Can we put His priorities first?    It is for the failure to do so that Jesus condemns these religious leaders as hypocrites -- even as He tells His apostles to respect that they sit in Moses' seat.  They teach the word of God, but they are not to be imitated.  This is the standard He sets, and it remains, indeed, a high bar for us all to measure up to.  But the key is that we put the love of God as our first and great commandment, then all else follows.

How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

- Matthew 23:27-39

Jesus is in the temple in Jerusalem, and it is Holy Week in our current gospel readings in Matthew.  He has begun His final public sermon, directed at the temple leadership, a great critique of their practices.  In yesterday's reading, He continued: "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.  Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?  Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."    The original meaning of the word hypocrite was "actor."   In the ancient plays, that meant someone wearing a mask (hypocrite means literally "beneath a mask").  In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke about the hypocrisy of these leaders, who practice outwardly to be observed by others, but inwardly do not concern themselves with the "weightier matters of the Law:  justice and mercy and faith."  Here His analogy takes full form:  they are like whitewashed tombs -- beautiful on the outside, but full of "dead men's bones and all uncleanness."

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."   The prophets of the Old Testament were those who spoke up, who warned repeatedly of corrupt practices, the neglect of justice and mercy, exploitation of the poor and helpless in violation of the faith.  Jesus speaks here Himself in a prophetic voice, denouncing the practices that allow for this kind of hypocrisy.  Here He likens the scribes and Pharisees of His time with those who killed the prophets for their word, for messages they didn't want to hear.  He prophesies also of the future martyrs who will come in His name, included in the line of those who have already been "sent" by the Lord in the history of Israel.   "Brood of vipers" is also used by John the Baptist for the Pharisees and Sadducees, as well as earlier by Jesus (see this link).  The phrase alludes to the ungodly nature of such behavior.  When Jesus prophesies that "all these things will come upon this generation," He's speaking about what is to come in Jerusalem.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the nae of the LORD!'"   In this metaphor, we see a feminine image for Christ given by Jesus Himself:  that of a mother hen.  Some may suggest the image is for a partridge, commonly seen in the Near East with large broods of chicks (and an inspiration for the "partridge in a pear tree" symbolism in the carol).  The image is one of a protective mother rejected by her children.  My study bible says that God's deepest desire is the reconciliation of His people, but most do not want Him.  The desolate house, it says, refers to both the temple and to the nation itself.  House can be used to mean "family" or "tribe."  My study bible says, "Both this temple and the nation will be without God's presence once Christ departs."   In this image, the prophetic voice is one of love, correcting and warning of danger.

Although the main focus of our readings in this last public sermon of Jesus is on the prophetic voice, what really intrigues me is the feminine image of the mother bird who wants to shelter all her chicks.  It gives us a lot to think about.   Jesus' whole life, and the lives of saints, teach us something important about qualities of character.  A well-balanced person adapts qualities that we tend to associate with one gender or another:   both courage and compassion, for example.  Jesus' metaphor teaches us something essential to the understanding of prophetic voice:  that correction, as part of God's work, is part of being a truly loving Parent to us all.  The mother hen that wants to gather and protect all her chicks under her wings is the image of Christ who will also give His life for us:  everything is done out of love for God's people.  The Old Testament is very clear about this, and Christ teaches us also that correction is good, while emphasizing our own flaws as being our essential first focus ("First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" - see Matthew 7:3-5).  This image of the mother hen giving wise advice in an attempt to protect her children is related to another "feminine" image of Christ held from the earliest times in the Church:  that of Sophia, or Wisdom.  The great St. Sophia cathedral of Constantinople (present day Istanbul) is understood as Christ, the Wisdom of the Lord in the Old Testament.  All of this teaches us not to fear Christ's discernment or judgment, nor His prophetic voice -- even the same voice that pronounces "woe" for these religious hypocrites.  Everything He does, including warning us of the pitfalls of false roads, is done out of love.  Calling out these leaders' hypocrisy is still a way of warning them of what is to come, and into what disaster they are leading the people, even though He seems certain now, in this final public sermon, that they will not change.  It's important that we understand God's all-encompassing love -- particularly through this tender image of the mother hen with her brood -- as that which also warns and corrects, saves us from danger, encouraging us to clean up our own internal acts (that "plank" in our own eye) so that we are not blind, another word He uses for the Pharisees and scribes ("blind guides" He called them in yesterday's reading, above).   Just as we must balance our image of Christ as Son and King with the "mother hen," and with the man of infinite compassion, of sympathy and friendship for women, the one who calls us to see Him in "the least of these," so we must also balance our understanding of love within His vision and teachings.  We don't love someone by telling them everything they do is always perfect, but correction is always given with love.  Jesus' corrections never use manipulation or phony guilt; but He always gives us the truth with love.  Love and truth are inseparable; and so is forgiveness inseparable from repentance, turning back to Him.  Let us remember that we are all called to walk this path, His Way.  It's all one of a whole, of love and truth, of correction and nurturing, and infinite grace with the gift of wisdom (who is justified by all her children).  Too often, it's the way of the world to ridicule or revile.  True correction, given with love, and teaching true humility,  is something altogether different, and is part of the love we learn from Him.   

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?  Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

- Matthew 23:13-26

Yesterday, we began reading Jesus' final public sermon.  He is in the temple at Jerusalem, and it is what we commemorate as Holy Week.  He has been through a series of questions from the leadership, and now speaks out Himself in His own criticism of their practices.  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."

  "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."   Here is the power of leadership, and what happens when it fails to truly lead.  Jesus condemns hypocritical practices.  The Law was meant to protect the poor -- orphans and widows.  But Jesus condemns practices that allow greed to mask itself under certain types of customs, and calls long prayers things that are done only to hide a rapacious nature.  He condemns also those who make a show of seeking proselytes, but whose failed leadership only turns out those worse than themselves, who fail to truly live the faith.  My study bible says that those who do not love God can hinder others from finding Him as well.  Therefore leaders must be held to a higher standard  (see James 3:1).

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?  Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."   There was a custom of swearing oaths, and thereby creating obligations.  Some Pharisaic customs taught that if one swore by the gold of the temple, one was truly obligated.  But swearing by the temple or the altar was not so obligated.  Jesus has preached elsewhere against using any kind of oaths at all ("Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’).  Jesus' point here is both simple and profound.  Their emphasis on the gold or gifts in the temple and on the altar is a blind materialistic one.  It's God, ultimately, who sanctifies anything and everything:  it's therefore the temple or the altar that gives value -- the worthiness of sanctification -- to the gift, and not the other way around!  It is heaven that confers the real value of all things.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"  Again, Jesus emphasizes their materialistic outlook.  It goes hand in hand with the extensive legalistic point of view of these men and the practices they had developed around the Law.  Emphasis on tithing, in such a perspective --  even for these small herbs -- outweighs the matters of real importance which, just as the temple and the altar give meaning, value, and sanctification to the golden gifts upon it, are the true fullness of the Law.   Every part of the Law is important, but the true aims of it have gone undone while the minutiae are rigorously observed.  What is the true aim and purpose of the practices put into the Law?  The weightier matters of justice and mercy and faith.   One other aspect of observing the minutiae of the Law, so to speak, would be to put strainers to the mouths of decanters so that one would not accidentally swallow a ritually unclean substance.  This is what Jesus refers to when he says they "strain out a gnat and swallow a camel."    Their legalistic focus allows for formal observation to great show of piety, but they're missing the whole substance of what the Law was for.  These practices are designed to help lead a person to greater faith and commitment to God, but can be observed without ever taking them to heart.  The same words apply to all of our faith practices today!  Everything depends on where the heart is, what we truly love:   the blessings, meanings, and value of what we do are still conferred by God.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."  Again there is the emphasis on ritual purity, and what it can obscure of the state of the heart.  Do we use rituals to convince ourselves and others of our sanctity, and neglect the "weightier matters" of the heart?   Do we use them as cover for "extortion and self-indulgence?"  Blindness, as Jesus uses it here, describes an inner condition of true ignorance, in which we fail to see what we truly need to "clean."

Jesus' discourse -- here in His final public sermon -- is one that teaches us about the ways in which the practices in the temple are corrupt.  This is not a condemnation of the Law nor of the practices in the Law.  It is a condemnation of those who use the Law for show, for greed, as cover for their own covetousness of position and rank, and even ways of gaining wealth.  The words apply, really, to all of us.  They are particularly addressed to religious leadership.  To be false in terms of the "weightier matters" of one's inner life, of the practice of mercy and justice and faith, is to teach proselytes to be the same, and worse:   it teaches habits which become only more blind and more misleading.  Hypocrisy is something we can all watch for in ourselves.  But among leadership it is especially poisonous, for they are the ones entrusted to lead the flock, and to teach others to follow them.  There are all kinds of ways in which we may practice some form of piety that hides our true inner state of being from ourselves and others.  But leadership, in Christ's perspective, is to be held to a higher standard.  We can all hide behind the minutiae of some form of "correct" behavior:  we can say the right things and make the right gestures.  But the "weightier matters" of justice and mercy and faith call for something much more from us.  They call for a kind of capability to which we must rise, which God will nurture in us if we allow it.  Qualities of leadership thereby are also given true value by God, conferred by heaven, that which the altar truly reaches to.  It's there our thinking has to really go when we consider these matters.  There is the place where grace must be at work, with our cooperation.  That is where true leaders are grown and can nurture others.  So let us consider the truly "weightier" matters -- those things of true substance, measured against the weights and measures of holiness, of sanctification.  This only happens through a heart activated by love of God, and capable of love of neighbor.  Where do you find your sanctification?  What builds that which is of true value to God in you?   Jesus names the "weightier matters" -- mercy and justice and faith.

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

Yesterday, we read that 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."  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.  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."  Today's reading begins Jesus' final public sermon.  In it, He criticizes religious leadership in several basic ways.  As followers of Christ, we are not to see these criticisms merely as an indictment of the leadership of His time, but rather to take each word equally in application to the leadership of His Church should they behave in similar ways.  My study bible says that Jesus charges them with being "mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and blindly self-righteous."  In these verses, Jesus speaks about the scribes and Pharisees who sit in Moses' seat.  This means to hold the succession of office down from Moses himself; it is the honor of the office, which Jesus separates from the character of the particular men who may hold it.  Jesus says, "Whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works."  The men may be depraved in character, but the words they teach are those of Scripture, the "breath" or word of God.  Within the Church, the way is the same:  the office has dignity, even if those who hold it are flawed.  My study bible adds that "furthermore, the sins of the clergy do not relieve the people from their responsibilities before God."   Here, Jesus accuses the leadership of hypocrisy; rather than being good shepherds they bind and oppress their flock with burdens, using them rather than caring for them.  Here's a root cause He cites:  all their works they do to be seen by men.  That's in opposition to the love of God as motivating priority, which should be true for any faithful person, particularly a leader of the faith.

"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 idea was to keep God's Law always in mind (Exodus 13:9).  But Jesus says here they're used by these men 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."  What they love is authority, as we've already seen during Jesus' dialogues with them in the temple, in which they question Jesus as to His authority to do what He's done (particularly in cleansing the temple of the money changers and animal sellers).   Jesus groups His Church around one Teacher, and one Father.  The rest, including the hierarchs, are to be brethren:  brothers and sisters.  The love of authority creates separation between the flock and its shepherds.  Love of God, with Christ as teacher, groups all of us as children or sons in one family, all disciples with one teacher.  This isn't a prohibition on the use of the names "teacher" or "father" to indicate a fatherly care for a flock, or one who teaches the words of 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."  Jesus emphasizes community.  Like all the prophets before Him, His emphasis is on the care of the flock, on what makes a good shepherd.  The real cornerstone for everything in His Church is love.  That is, He is the head of the corner, but the entire edifice is to made from love:  starting with love of God, as in the two great commandments we've just read about in His teaching -- love of God and love of neighbor.   In Jesus' teaching, we are more than neighbors.  We are brethren, and more -- the greatest among us are servants.

Jesus' teachings on humility in His leadership are really teachings about love, and about what creates community.  We rally around the focal points of love:  God and Christ.  With these pillars who teach us love, the rest comes in humility.  We're all part of the flock, all children and brethren, and He teaches us true care.  I read recently an excerpt from a popular book that's winning a lot of awards and accolades in the United States.  In it, the author describes his understanding of his identity as created by hate when he was younger:  community came from those "others" he hated, and defined who he was.  But Christ calls us to the absolute opposite:  it is community created by Who we love.  Community, in the model of Christ, is created and described in the two great commandments:  love of God and love of neighbor.  Within those commandments we learn the necessity of humility; that to truly be good servants to Christ and the Father, good disciples ("learners"), we need to understand proper relationships and to learn what love is.  This is to be a community in which love as Christ teaches it is the glue, what makes for relationships and draws us together.  Active love is taught in terms of how we are as neighbors, as brothers and sisters, as servants.  But Jesus' words would not be here if to be faithful sheep meant we were to close our eyes to the things that don't make for community, and make instead poor leadership:  hypocrisy, everything done to be seen by the "eyes of men" and to impress others, burdens of all kinds placed on the flock.  Control by guilt seems to be a particular form of such burdens, rather than good instruction and appropriate correction:   fears about what we might do wrong replacing an active love, social shaming (a form of authority by appearance to others) taking the place of passionate commitment to love of God and love of neighbor, and humility doesn't seem to get a mention these days in terms of what we consider admirable or a virtue.  When we move off of His teachings, it doesn't really matter what form it takes.  Sophistry hides in all kinds of disguises and shapes, even as weeds resemble wheat in one of Jesus' parables.  So, we watch for the things that He teaches us to watch for.  We remain faithful as He teaches, but we are also to be wise.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

 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.