5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.[b] 6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. 7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’[c]
8 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters.[d] 9 And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. 10 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. I love these verses. I am not always as humble as I should be. It's one of my many faults. We live in a world where it's practiced to just take what you want and don't allow anyone to stand in the way. It's very easy to get caught up in this world and forget that we are called to stand out from it.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Allen Michaels: 23 Then Jesus said to the
crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the
Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything
they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they
preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on
other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger
to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They
make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they
love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the
synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the
marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have
one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone
on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor
are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The
greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt
themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Does our practice match our talk?
Jesus chides the scribes and Pharisees for their showy practices. In a
way they wanted to be good models of observant Jews. See how well we
observe all the ritual rules and regulations of our religion! In their
misguided zeal for religion they sought respect and honor for themselves rather
than for God and for his word. They made the practice of their faith a
burden rather than a joy for the people they were supposed to serve.
Respect for God and his ways incline us to Godly humility and simplicity of
heart. The word disciple means one who listens in order to
learn. Jesus shows us the way to the Father -- the way of peace, joy,
righteousness, holiness, and true happiness. He showed us the way by
lowering himself as a servant for our sake. He humbled himself, even to
death on a cross, that we might be raised up and exalted at the Father's right
hand in heaven (Phil. 2:1-11). What is true Christ-like humility?
Humility is true self-knowledge. The humble do not trust in themselves, but trust
in God and in the power of his love and saving grace. True humility is a
servant-like quality which enables one to place his or her life at the service
of God and others. Do we really know the joy of Christ-like humility and
simplicity of heart?
No comments:
Post a Comment