A Bad Day to Be a Pharisee
Matthew 23:1-7 CSB
1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. 3 Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do everything to be seen by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6 They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.
Jesus is talking to His disciples and to the multitudes. If there were any Pharisees in the crowd, they had to be feeling awkward and singled out. Because Jesus was calling them out. This is the chapter where Jesus pronounced woes on the Pharisees. Not like whoa horsey, but rather woe is you. Woes were not good things.
Jesus is calling out the scribes and Pharisees because they didn’t practice what they preached. Jesus reminded the people to do whatever the Pharisees taught from the law of Moses, but not to follow their example. The Pharisees would teach things out of the law and make it hard on other people, but not do what they were teaching. This was not good, and Jesus called them out for it.
And Jesus said that whatever the Pharisees and scribes were doing was to be seen by men. They would enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. I had to look up phylacteries; it sounded like a personal matter. But they were the amulets worn on the forehead or wrist that contained portions of the Mosaic law. The purpose was to remind the Pharisees to do what was written, but over the years, it became a sign of spirituality. So the Pharisees made sure to have the largest phylacteries going. The borders or tassels in many translations were from the law of Moses and were to remind the people to keep the commandments of God. So the Pharisees had the biggest tassels. They weren’t living the life, but they sure looked like it, and Jesus put them on blast.
The big problem that Jesus had with the Pharisees was that they were doing everything to appear righteous to others and loved the perks that came with their super spirituality. They loved the best seats in the synagogues and at the feasts. They loved being greeted in the marketplace and called Rabbi by the people, a term of honor and respect. They loved the perks but did not deserve them. They were using God as the way to promote themselves and Jesus wasn’t having it. In the rest of the chapter, Jesus lays into the Pharisees. It’s no wonder they wanted Jesus out of the way. He challenged their status in the eyes of the people they had fooled for years.
Application
I remember hearing a pro football coach talking about the players they drafted. He wanted guys who loved football, not just what football could do for them. In a sense, this is what Jesus was talking about. He wanted leaders who loved God, not just what religion could do for them. Then, as today, our relationship with God is about our heart and our obedience. Not how we look to others.
Prayer
Lord help me to live before an audience of One, and that would be you. If you are pleased, it doesn’t matter what others think.