I was asked to preach on 10/30/11 at a church for whom I’ve been doing some pulpit supply. I chose to work with the text from Matthew for the sermon. The text evidences the tensions between Jesus and the Pharisees, though he’s careful to demonstrate some respect for their position and responsibility. So how do faithful people handle hypocrisy? And how do we become brave enough to look at the logs in our own eyes?
Matthew 23:1-12 (read from the new Common English Bible)
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples, 2 “The legal experts and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore, you must take care to do everything they say. But don’t do what they do. 4 For they tie together heavy packs that are impossible to carry. They put them on the shoulders of others, but are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5 Everything they do, they do to be noticed by others. They make extra-wide prayer bands for their arms and long tassels for their clothes. 6 They love to sit in places of honor at banquets. 7 They love to be greeted with honor in the markets and to be addressed as ‘Rabbi.’
8 “But you shouldn’t be called Rabbi , because you have one teacher, and
all of you are brothers and sisters. 9 Don’t call anybody on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is heavenly. 10 Don’t be called teacher , because Christ is your one teacher. 11 But the one who is greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who lift themselves up will be brought low. But all who make themselves low will be lifted up.
So… Jesus is pretty direct in this passage. He doesn’t mince words and one doesn’t really need an interpreter to realize this passage is about hypocrisy. He is being very straightforward in his denunciation of what he sees as the failings of those in religious leadership.
What does he call the Pharisees out on? Is it simply the “Do as I say but not as I do” syndrome? Every child learns to recognize that early on. Or is there something more going on here?
Well, first of all, the Pharisees are said to sit in Moses’ seat. That has special meaning within the Jewish community for Moses is one of the greatest, if not the greatest ancestor in their past. Moses is the lawgiver, the original judge, the one who directed the Israelites in their 40 years in the desert. To sit in Moses’ seat means that one guards and interprets the law for others. And the Pharisees teach and interpret the law with a dedication that, rather than devotion, inspires resentment. They are happy to point out how one is mistaken and to tell you how to correct the error of your ways, but they aren’t very good at actually helping you.
But why is it always the Pharisees and scribes who are concerned with the law? Well, first of all, let’s take a short history break. Surely there are other facets of Temple life that would have made them more holistic in their approach? Therein lies a quirk of history. By the time Matthew’s gospel was written, other strains of temple and Jewish life had been run over by the Romans when they destroyed the temple in 70. The Sadducees were no longer the keepers of worship and religious life; they had been seen as collaborators in the Roman occupation and were already regarded suspiciously. The Essenes had been all about purity and austerity; returning Judaism to an authentic life of faith. And the Zealots lived to make Rome’s life difficult at every turn by any military means they could come by.
So the only clergy Matthew had to point the finger at were the Pharisees. Throughout the gospel they are maligned from the epithet John the Baptist uses, “You brood of vipers” to the plainly spoken word, hypocrite.
But this isn’t about Pharisees, Jews and Gentiles. It’s about human nature. In cautioning his followers, Jesus is also telling them what they shouldn’t be doing. This is bigger than “Do as I say, not as I do.” And I think we need to break this down into specific concerns.
Earl Palmer says these people in leadership positions do not practice in their own life the themes they put forward and expect others to embrace. It’s a question of integrity and relevance isn’t it? It’s hard to defend against if one is being watched, their public life and behavior open to our gaze.
But what the Pharisees are doing is also dangerous. Palmer says because they are people with enormous influence in the community, they have placed the wrong kinds of burdens on those who listen to their teaching. These burdens do not flow from the text of the law but from the Pharisees own specialized interpretation of the law. The burden is therefore artificial. It becomes toxic because the larger hope of God’s message is buried in the law.
Allan Hilton says the third caution is the Pharisees need for position and approval – to be recognized in public, to be honored, to be esteemed.
He says that Jesus accuses hypocrites, on the one hand, of speaking, but not doing and, on the other, of doing in order to receive praise. So here we have people that speak out but don’t do, yet when they know folks are watching, they act all righteous and concerned.
What are we to believe? What makes them credible? Or are we destined to be disappointed.
I think I need to counter that with another question. How is it that we are so quick to see hypocrisy in others but rarely do we look deep within ourselves? Of course, it’s easier to say, “Go get ‘em, Jesus!” And it’s even easier for us to search for affirmation from each other rather than God. We don’t want to look to closely at ourselves.
Jesus spoke of this earilier in Matthew’s gospel, too, when he calls out the nameless judge and instructs him to… first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s.
What are our logs? Where do we fall short of walking our talk. Let’s face it. We’re all hypocrites in some fashion. That doesn’t make us unique, it makes us human beings who are broken, who need the hope and the love that God graciously gives to heal and restore.
Last time I was with you, I spoke bravely about forgiveness. About how letting go of pain and hurt by forgiving someone can free your spirit.
Yes, I forgave my colleague. But I confess I find it enormously difficult to be near this person or even talk with them. Part of it is self-protection, I recognize that. I simply don’t want to be hurt again. But if I believe in the worth of all God’s children, can’t even talk to this person, than how am I not a hypocrite?
If I use my God-given talents and gifts only for the applause and place of honor, only for the regard of another person, how am I not a hypocrite.
Where are our hypocrisies? What is the log in your own eye? In each of your bulletins is a post-it note. Use it to call out yourself. What can you change? What can you let the Spirit reform in you to lessen your own hypocrisy?
And how do we bring these lessons to public life, not just religious life? We’ve been watching the Occupy Wall Street movement sweep across this country and the world. The protestors have pointed to hypocrisy in our leaders and our business community. And whether you agree with their methods or not, I think we know deep down that our leaders don’t serve us, as they should, but the interests of those who can pay to have them re-elected. And our business community, our insurance companies, our banks – few of them serve us, but their own interests.
Where has that sense of responsibility for one another, the love of neighbor we’ve been commanded to have, where have those gone? And what’s left in their place?
It’s a betrayal of our trust – and isn’t that how the new community of Christians felt? Their trust had been betrayed by the elements of their culture and society. Just as we experience today.
So – where does this all leave us? I think it’s important to realize we can become victims of our own weakness or pride. Both hold us back. Neither suits God’s purpose or the progress of God’s reign here on earth. We need to find the antidote for hypocrisy. And as with God, the antidote is simple – we must rely on God’s grace.
Grace is not earned. It is foreign to us who work every day to earn a living, earn respect, even earn love. Grace is a gift freely given by God. And God, in Matthew’s gospel, forgives infinitely. Jesus also forgives: he forgives denial, cowardice, and doubt. Jesus, and God, keep loving and loving, despite all our failings and blemishes. The burden Jesus asks us to carry is nowhere near as heavy as the burden of hypocrisy we’ve been carrying. It’s now where near as heavy as the burden we place on ourselves to be praised by others.
Come to me, Jesus says, and I will give you rest. Acknowledge your burdens and let them go.
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