Wearing Religious Masks- Matthew 23

 

Matthew 23:1-12

In our Gospel reading today Jesus is speaking about the religious leaders of the day. The Pharisees were highly respected teachers of their day. They sought to follow the Law perfectly. They even made new rules (sometimes called the Oral Law, or the Traditions of the Elders) to protect them from breaking the law. It was like creating a hedge around the law, so they could be extra sure they wouldn’t break that particular law. They created an intricate system for living according to the law. …

This could be a heavy burden, especially for those who were too poor to have the leisure to study the Law and the ways of the Pharisees.

Jesus even acknowledges the validity of their role as teachers of the people. He says, 

“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it”.

 That is high praise from Jesus. But he doesn’t stop there. He follows it, saying, 

“but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach” (23:2-3).

I once heard a historian say that the word “hypocrite”, as we use it today, originates with Jesus. “Hypocrite” was the word for an actor. … Jesus is saying here that the scribes and Pharisees played the role of being God’s faithful people. Jesus is saying they were more interested in the image of being God’s faithful people, than actually being God’s faithful people. They were happy to play the role in public, but not live it in private.

In our day, we might call this “virtue signaling” or “moral grandstanding”, where someone cares more about appearing to be for certain causes. What matters most is how they are seen by others to be standing for what is good.

This is a common theme we hear from Jesus. In Matthew 6, Jesus says, 

“Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” …

“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt 6:1-6, 16-18).

This is echoed by our reading today where Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees saying, 

“They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi” (23:5-7).

 Jesus says they desire to be seen doing their good deeds, and they wear their religious clothing and accessories in an extra obvious way, so people would see how religious they are. They enjoy being honoured and sitting in the important seats reserved for them.

That doesn’t mean there is anything necessarily wrong with these things, in themselves. The motivation is where the problem is. That’s why, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages us to practice the spiritual discipline of secrecy. Practice doing things in secret- pray in secret, give without letting anyone know, fast without telling anyone- then you will be able to observe and correct your motivations. Our worship should be for an audience of One. God should be the one whose approval we seek. … That doesn’t necessarily mean we have to hide from people when we pray, but we should check our motivation, especially when it comes to acts of worship. They shouldn’t be attempts to show off how religious we are.

This is an important lesson for clergy, and anyone who serves in the church in a visible way. To be visible- wearing robes, administering the bread and chalice, saying the prayers, readings Scripture, preaching, sitting up in front in the places of honour- it can come with the temptation to appear more spiritual than we actually are. There is nothing wrong with being visible, but there is a spiritual danger that comes with it. If our desire to appear spiritual, exceeds our desire to grow in the grace of God, then we are in the spiritual danger that Jesus is describing.

This extends beyond those who serve in worship, though. We can do this in lots of other ways too. Maybe we post religious posts on Facebook, but rarely pray. Maybe we have a chrome Jesus fish on our car, or a cross hanging from our rearview mirror, but we don’t allow Christian grace to modify our driving. This becomes less of a temptation as Christianity is less respected by society, but there are still pockets where this is a temptation. …

This also applies generally in our society. Think about corporations who advertise how socially conscious they are, but at the same time participate is what amounts to slavery and environmental destruction to produce their goods in other parts of the world. They want to appear to be good and socially responsible, more than they want to actually be good and socially responsible. … Or think about politicians who present themselves as good and socially responsible, but behind closed doors are working to make themselves wealthier; who are giving special treatment to friends and family; giving business deals to their inner circle; investing money according to government decisions that haven’t been made public yet; and allowing private interest to dictate public policy, rather than the good of the country and its people.

The desire to present yourself as better than you are is a human problem, not just a religious problem.

In this passage Jesus also says not to call someone “rabbi”, which means “guide”, “master”, or “teacher”. And not to call someone “father”, and not to call someone “teacher” or “instructor”. … Some people have read this passage and used this against Roman Catholics for calling their priests, “father”. But if they were to be consistent, then they shouldn’t call their own biological father “father”, and children shouldn’t call their teachers “teacher”. … I suspect just switching to using the title “pastor” isn’t what Jesus was trying to say either. That seems like just word play. …

The early church also didn’t seem to have a problem with this. In Acts 13 we read, 

“Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers” (13:1).

 In his 1st letter to the Corinthians Paul says, 

“And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers” (1 Cor 13:28).

 And similarly in Ephesians we read, 

“The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers…” (4:11).

 These people are being called “teachers” and there doesn’t seem to be any concern about calling them that.

Again, in his 1st letter to the Corinthians Paul says, 

“For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel” (1 Cor 4:15).

 And in the Letter to the Colossians we read 

“Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart” (3:21).

So, was the early church being disobedient to Christ by calling people “teacher” and “father”? … No, I don’t think so. I don’t think it is about what words we are allowed to use to describe our leaders. I don’t think Jesus is saying, call your leaders “pastor” rather than “father”; or “Bible study leader” rather than “teacher”. … Jesus is using hyperbole to teach about the danger of titles, which are just as dangerous as wearing robes. These honours can go to your head. This is a warning to leaders to not let these titles go to your head, so that you think you’re something you’re not. This is a warning to congregations to not place your leaders on a pedestal. Remember that your leaders are sinners too. They are still learning, just like you are.

Remember that you and your leader both follow the same Father in heaven, and have the same teacher in Christ. You both have work to do for the kingdom. This isn’t about being anti-authority. It is about the dangers of wearing a mask, of playing a role. It is a call to humility. It is a call for leaders to see themselves as servants.

Jesus, once again, is calling us to examine our hearts. Look inward towards our inner motivations and attitudes. Seek the approval of your heavenly Father, rather than the approval of other human beings. It’s not that other people don’t matter, but it is about order. God first. Seek first the kingdom. Remember that the greatest among us human beings washed feet and gave himself for us on a cross. We never finish growing in humility. AMEN