UNIFORM LESSON FOR July 8, 2018
Scripture passage and lesson focus:Matthew 23:1-4, 23-26
Leaders with integrity who are just and honest always seem to be in short supply. Leaders in religion, government and business all too often succumb to the lure of wealth and power at the expense of the very people they are called to lead. Hardly a day goes by without credible reports of criminal activity, sexual misconduct, economic exploitation or the abuse of power by persons in positions of leadership.
Unfortunately that seems to have been the situation in the days of Jesus as much as it is in ours. When the Gospels were written toward the end of the first century, Jesus’ followers were a tiny minority in the community of Palestinian Jews dominated by powerful Roman rulers and their agents. The inevitable tensions that divided society at that time broke down a sense of shared purpose and trust.
While it may be an exaggeration to compare that era with the situation described in the book of Judges when “all the people did what was right in their own eyes,” the earliest followers of Jesus struggled to define their identity often in the face of Roman and Jewish opposition. Evolving attitudes toward Roman and Jewish leaders can be detected in the Gospels. This is especially true of the Gospel of Matthew, which has a pronounced negative attitude toward the Jewish leaders at that time.
Keeping the Gospel of Matthew in its first-century context without generalizing or anachronistically applying it to our current world remains a challenge for believers. Many Christians today almost automatically equate the Pharisees with legalistic hypocrites and sometimes carry that attitude over to contemporary Jews. Thoughtful study of passages like the one we have for today should guard against that tendency.
Matthew 23:1-4 — Follow what the Pharisees teach
Here, Matthew brought together several statements of Jesus that were probably delivered at different times. They share a common theme: vitriolic condemnation of the Pharisees.
The disciples and the crowd may have been surprised by the first statement. Jesus says, “The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it.” When is the last time you heard anyone urge that the teachings of the Pharisees should be followed? Jesus did not explain why he said that. Maybe it was because he knew that the Pharisees cared deeply about the Law of Moses. Perhaps it was because they studied the law diligently and sought to apply it to every situation of life. Perhaps it was because they held firm to their Jewish beliefs and practices in spite of the oppression of the Romans.
However, Jesus was very critical of the Pharisees in our passage because they did not practice what they preached. Followers of Jesus should not do what the Pharisees do. Jesus gives a long list of their failures.
Matthew 23:23-26 — Do not imitate the Pharisees
Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites. They were guilty of tithing little things like the spices mint, dill and cumin. At the same time, however, they neglected more important matters like justice, mercy and faith. Jesus may have had in mind the passage from Micah 6:8 which calls upon Israel to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.
Jesus called the Pharisees “blind guides” who figuratively strained out tiny gnats while swallowing a huge camel. This humorous picture may have produced derisive laughter and nods of agreement among his audience. Jesus opposed teachers who made mountains out of molehills and – what is more serious – completely overlooked the mountain-sized matters.
Moreover, Jesus was aware of the technical discussions among Jewish teachers about whether or not the inside of a vessel such as a cup or a bowl became ritually unclean if the outside was unclean. Here the cup is a metaphor for the human being, who may appear to be pure outwardly but inwardly is full of “greed and self-indulgence.” Jesus calls for inward purity that will be reflected in outward purity also.
The religious leadership offered by the scribes and Pharisees failed to honor God despite their claims to be faithful to the Law of Moses. While Jesus acknowledged the authority of the Pharisees who sat on the seat of Moses, he rejected their misuse of the law and their mistaken interpretation of Scripture.
For discussion: Are there leaders today who are “full of greed and self-indulgence”? Do you think Presbyterians have anything in common with Pharisees?
