Introduction
Little Johnny told his wife they needed a pet once their kids were grown and out of the house. So he went to a pet shop and bought a talking parrot. He took the parrot home and tried to teach the parrot how to say a few things, but instead, the parrot just swore at him. After a few hours of trying to teach the bird, finally, the man said, "If you don't stop swearing, I'm going to put you in the freezer as punishment." The parrot continued, so finally, the man put the bird in the freezer. About an hour later, the parrot asked the man to open the door. As the man took the shivering bird out of the freezer, it said, "I promise never to swear again. Just tell me what that turkey did!"
Last week, we started a new series, "Keeping Score: What We Lose When We Keep Count." We began by looking at the love and forgiveness of God. God doesn't keep count of our failures. We talked about God's grace in His forgiveness. That's going to be the common thread in these messages: grace. The entire point of this series is to drive a greater understanding and appreciation of God's grace, what it means in our lives, and how it's meant to transform us.
So, what does grace mean? A simple understanding of grace is that God gives me what I need, not what I deserve. The Bible says that it is God's nature to bless undeserving people. He loves to do it. "The Lord longs to be gracious to you." It's His pleasure. He loves to be gracious. His grace is unconditional, unlimited, and unending, the Bible says.
Despite the Christian community's emphasis on humility and grace, there have long been issues of pride and self-righteousness. We like to count the good deeds we do, and we want to be recognized for it. When we count our righteous acts and behaviors, there is a danger of religious elitism, in which we perceive ourselves as earning our salvation and that we have a greater standing than those around us. But Christ warns us against this notion by critiquing the Pharisees, the religious elite of his day. By all metrics, these individuals were godly and righteous. They followed the law, studied the Scriptures, and taught in the synagogue. In other words, they may have looked like the “best” Christians in our churches today, yet Jesus calls them out. Jesus encourages his followers to look at the kingdom of God differently. The world says you have to earn it. Jesus, thankfully, says something radically different.
Matthew 23:1-12 (ESV)
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat,
3so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
4They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
5They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
6and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
7and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
8But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher and are all brothers.
9And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
11The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Scriptural Analysis
Verses 1-4
Jesus begins by acknowledging that these leaders are duly authorized officials within Judaism (v. 2). “Moses’ seat” referred to an actual chair in the synagogues and stood for the teaching authority of Moses’ successors as interpreters of Torah. Jesus instructs that one must avoid imitating much of these leaders’ behavior because it is inconsistent with their teaching. The NIV excellently captures the sense of v. 3b—” They do not practice what they preach.” The Greek reads they speak and do not do. This inconsistency is typified by the Pharisees' demands of others without helping them perform those duties.
“Heavy loads” put on people’s shoulders refers to the rabbinic tradition that was a distinctive feature of the Pharisaic branch of Judaism. Through the man-made laws of the Pharisees, they introduced burdens of obedience that were impossible for people to carry. Yet, they mercilessly held the people to these burdens. The shoulders were the place for carrying weighty burdens, putting the entire strength of the body under the load. In contrast, the finger resented the weakest part of the body. The hypocrites put forth no effort to aid their followers in pleasing God, which was the fundamental purpose of God’s Word. This was no mere mistake or oversight; they were unwilling to move the burdens. Theirs was a prideful, status-seeking ministry. Jesus’ attitude was just the opposite.
Jesus declares that we must live out God’s message of grace by example. The gospel of the kingdom is grace, not practicing works to gain God’s favor.
Verses 5-7
Having warned against imitating the inconsistency between the Pharisees’ and scribes’ teachings and practices, Jesus now warns against imitating their performance of good works for human honor or reward. Here, his examples involve dress (v. 5), position (v. 6), and greetings (v. 7).
First, these Jewish leaders paraded their piety by boastfully enhancing what they wore. The phylacteries were small prayer boxes containing tiny copies of the texts, which pious men wore on one arm and as a headband. The wearing of these boxes probably developed as an overly literal application of scriptures in Deuteronomy, and was used as a reminder to prayer and piety. The fringes on the prayer shawls were similar to Catholic rosary beads, fingered and counted to track various recited prayers. Jesus himself apparently wore the prayer shawl, according to Matthew 9. However, for many scribes and Pharisees, these clothing items had become badges of status and opportunities to be flashy in their pretentiousness. Second, these leaders enjoyed the honored seats at banquets and in synagogues. Third, they loved to be greeted with titles that underlined their status and prestige.
Not only were the hypocrites unsympathetic, but they were also insecure. They constantly advertised their “spirituality” and status in an effort to feed their weak egos through the attention of others. Their insecurity masqueraded as self-promoted righteousness. They did everything they could to cause others to think they were superior to the average Jewish citizen. The Pharisees did their “good” deeds purely for recognition. They even fooled themselves into believing they were righteous.
Verses 8-10
These three verses about the use of respectful titles sprung out of the preceding comment about the hypocrites’ love of respectful greetings, particularly the title Rabbi. Jesus’ teaching was not a prohibition of using titles but a call to humility. Titles have a necessary place when used appropriately. But the wise and righteous person should be so humble as to feel embarrassed when addressed with a title of honor, knowing that his wisdom and righteousness are gracious gifts from God. Anyone who claims the title “father” out of pride and for self-elevation finds himself in competition with the Almighty. Recent famous examples of Jim Jones and David Koresh show how using this title leads people away from God. Jesus says only God is to receive such superior respect; all other Christians are peers. The ultimate authority within Christianity is Jesus, which eliminates the struggle for authoritative positions among his followers. We are brothers and sisters of one family, all of whom are equal in status and all in need of the same grace.
Verses 11-12
In concluding the three warnings, Jesus gives the main principle of his kingdom: servanthood. This type of leadership means empowering others to do God’s will. “The greatest among you will be your servant” (23:11). In the new order that supplants the prior leadership of Israel (21:43), Jesus’ disciples must place servanthood and humility as the highest priorities. Greatness in the kingdom is much different from that displayed by the religious leadership of Israel.
The person who voluntarily humbles himself through service and avoids undue notice will be exalted. Notice that everyone will either experience voluntary humility now or involuntary humiliation in eternity. There is no third alternative. Scripture often notes how the Lord humbles the proud, but here, as in Luke 14 and 18, Jesus requires believers to humble themselves. To humble oneself includes confession of sin, selfishness, and weakness. God then lifts up the humble. One must lose oneself to find God.
TODAY'S KEY TRUTH
Lose Count of You. Only Count on Grace.
Application
The religious leaders that Jesus was addressing were consumed with self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is a moral self-confidence and superiority arising from satisfaction in one’s own "good deeds." Self-righteousness is about you and what you have or are doing to be right with God and what you are doing to be seen as a "good person" in the eyes of others. Self-righteousness is like a bottomless cup: though you pour and pour, you will never be able to fill it. Why? Because pouring yourself into yourself adds nothing to you. Nothing plus nothing, always equals nothing. Instead, accept God’s righteousness rather than trying to accumulate your own. You will find that the righteousness He offers is real. And that is what fills the cup with sanctification. We must consistently look to our own hearts and leave pride and self-righteousness behind.
If we are to take grace seriously, then we need to consistently remind ourselves that salvation comes not through works but through faith in God's grace found in Jesus. In other words, justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not our works, good deeds, or behavior.
Islam provides a list of actions to hopefully earn a right standing before Allah, including killing 'infidels.' Jehovah's Witnesses knock on your door to check it off the list of salvation. Buddhists work through stages of enlightenment to become a fully awakened being. And like the Pharisees, we get caught up in our pride in trying to earn our salvation. Pride in our good deeds. Pride in living a life that looks good to everyone else. That's the folly of basing your standing before God and others in what you do or who you are: Pride always leads to a fall.
Spiritual pride says, "Look at me because I do good things."
Spiritual pride says, "I am better because I'm a good person."
Spiritual pride says, "I deserve better because I'm a good Christian."
But Jesus is warning that spiritual pride and all pride is an empty cup. Pride causes depression because we can’t stop thinking about ourselves. Pride causes anger because we deserve to be treated better. Pride causes anxiety because the universe and God do not conform to our wants and needs. Like a lighthouse warning a ship of the shoreline, Jesus says the danger of spiritual pride is that it lures believers away from a genuine relationship with Jesus. When we “lose count” of our own righteousness, we can freely walk in the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ.
Are we falling into religious elitism? Are we calling others to live according to the law or according to grace? Are we keeping count of our righteousness, enjoying the attention? If we are to be people of grace, we need to lose count of our righteousness and only count on grace to save us.
Jesus uses the phrase "heavy burden" or "hard to bear." There is nothing heavier than when we are trying to earn a good standing before God. It's a constant uphill push of an immovable object to try to earn salvation and good standing. Even when we do good things for others, we know it doesn't cancel out our selfish actions. The nice thing we say to a stranger doesn't cancel out our snapping at our spouse or children. Our encouragement of a co-worker doesn't cancel out our thoughts that were not good or pure. The burden of trying to earn salvation will eventually crush you. It will cause depression, anger, and anxiety because, eventually, you'll be forced to acknowledge you can't earn it.
Lose Count of You. Only Count on Grace.
The most fundamental truth of Christianity is that Jesus Christ has already paid for your sins. All you have to do is accept it. God's saving grace removes the burden of trying to earn salvation. Salvation is not our own doing but God's gift. Salvation is based on God's mercy, not my merit. Salvation is based on God's promise, not my performance. You don't earn it. It's almost comical the way some people try to earn their salvation, to prove themselves worthy to God, and to earn His forgiveness. Salvation is a gift of grace.
Lose Count of You. Only Count on Grace.
Conclusion
I alluded to this earlier, but there is a second heavy burden that spiritual pride places on your shoulders. That's the burden of always projecting to the world that we are good people and have our lives together. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that the word “Hypocrite” was used in the Greek world to describe an actor who wore masks to portray the emotion of his character. We still do that. We wear fake masks. In attempting to earn our salvation, just like the Pharisees, we want the world around us to believe we have it all together. We project this false image that we're living righteously, we have it all together, our marriage is perfect, our finances pristine, and our kids angelic. That's what righteous living looks like, right? We project what we think others will perceive as righteous living even when we know we don't have it all together, we're struggling with sin, and things are falling apart. That burden of a false righteous life is exhausting and crushing.
All world religions are based on that idea: if I am good enough if I do the right things, then God will accept me, people will admire me, and salvation is mine because I earned it. God will have to accept me and love me if I earn it. This burden causes us to constantly forge our own righteousness, which forces us to live this fake duplicate life and causes us to feel like frauds.
Let me show you two infamous examples: the 9/11 terrorist and Osama Bin Laden. Both the 9/11 hijackers and OBL are viewed by many as examples of religious commitment and piety. Many would say they died in service to their “righteous” beliefs. They are religious people seeking a right standing before Allah. But what were the 9/11 hijackers doing on 9/10? Ordering room service and pornographic movies all night, knowing they would never pay for it. Some of the images and videos found on OBL’s hard drives were some of the most disturbing the Seals had seen.
Projected righteousness and, in the background, seedy wickedness.
You and I are terrible at being good.
Have you ever loved and pursued other things more than God? Yes. Ever disrespectful to your parents? If you've been 13, you have. And you’re not a liar, but now and then, you just tell a white lie. You haven’t committed adultery, but your heart is filled with lust. You haven’t committed murder, but your heart is filled with hatred and anger. The Ten Commandments were given to show us we are terrible at being good. You and I are terrible at being good. We know that even as we are wearing the fake mask.
That's why the burden of trying to earn good standing before God and to look righteous before others is too heavy. It doesn’t work. You and I can’t do it. Jesus is saying, “Stop trying to earn it. It's a gift of grace out of my great love for you. Let go of the burden of trying to earn good standing before God and looking righteous before others.”
Lose Count of You. Only Count on Grace.
London businessman Lindsay Clegg told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash everywhere. As he showed a prospective buyer the property, he took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage and clean out the garbage. The buyer said, "Forget about the repairs. When I buy this place, I will build something completely different. I don't want the building; I want the site."
That's God's message to us! Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God's, the old life is over. He makes all things new. All He wants is the site and the permission to build. Some are still trying to "reform and rehab" the old building to earn their salvation, but God offers something new. All we have to do is give Him the "property," and He will do the necessary "building." God’s amazing grace can make your life complete, fulfilled, and meaningful. Just repent of your sins, confess your failures, believe who Jesus is, and find what you have always been looking for.
Lose Count of You. Only Count on Grace.
Paul wrote in Ephesians 2, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works."
God's grace is available to you right now. It's His gift of grace to you from His love of you.
Let me close with words from 2 Peter: "May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."
Lose Count of You. Only Count on Grace.