LIFE SCRIPTS

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. “The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses’ Law. So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don’t practise what they preach. They tie on to people’s backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren’t willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads. They do everything so that people will see them. Look at the straps with scripture verses on them which they wear on their foreheads and arms, and notice how large they are! Notice also how long are the tassels on their cloaks! They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the market places and to be called ‘Teacher’. You must not be called ‘Teacher’, because you are all members of one family and have only one Teacher. And you must not call anyone here on earth ‘Father’, because you have only the one Father in heaven. Nor should you be called ‘Leader’, because your one and only leader is the Messiah. The greatest one among you must be your servant. Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.
Matthew 23:1‭-‬12 GNBDC

After the response to the Pharisees, Christ embarks on warning His disciples about the Pharisees. Before, He had told them about the leavrn of the Pharisees. Now He was addressing them squarely and warning them directly about their:

1. Hypocrisy
   Christ in fact initially praises the Pharisees by saying that they are authorized to interpret the Law of Moses. He however warns His disciples to do what they say but not what they do. In other words, their actions do not match their words. It’s very easy to fall into that trap especially if we’re quick to talk and less in action. The word of God warns us in the book of Proverbs to be slow in speech but quick to do good. Doing must come before speech. In that case, we’ll avoid hypocrisy.
2. The burdens they force others to carry.
   Christ told us to surrender our burdens to Him and to bear His yoke which is light. He told us to learn from Him as He bears our burdens. The Pharisees did the opposite. They added heavier burdens on the shoulders of other’s yet did nothing to help them get relief, they pointed others towards fulfilling the difficult demands of the Law yet did little in themselves to guide them. Do we point people to impossibilities yet we ourselves are wanting?
3. Pride
   Pride is just the absence of humility. Christ calls us to humble ourselves. If we refuse to do so, God will humble us! Whenever we encounter situations in our lives, we must demonstrate an attitude of humility. The Pharisees however didn’t. As Christ noted in this passage, they demanded the choicest places among people, they wined and dined with the who’s who in society, they preferred to hang out with the respected and respectable. In many ways, they demonstrated a lofty attitude. This is not the life Christ has called us to…He has called us to a life of servitude…a life of humility. A servant humbles himself before all. He considers himself unworthy even to wash the feet of others. He encounters ridicule, despising and even in some instances, hatred. But he doesn’t get tired of service. He does it with all his heart because that’s his calling. A higher calling. Our ultimate example in this regard is our Lord Jesus Christ. A servants work, posture, demeanour and at times attitude looks humiliated. But in the kingdom of God, he or she is a champion. Their attitudes are golden because they value people even those who have little regard for them. They still go out of their way and serve them…they still do their best. And best of all is they do it cheerfully. Isn’t this the same attitude Christ had? Trampled upon but still loved us…persecuted but still reaching out to us…spat on but still blessing us…injured but still forgiving us…