HUMBLE SERVANTS

Matthew 23:1-39

Key Verses 23:11-12

¹¹The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

What position did the teachers of the law and Pharisees hold? (2-3a) Yet why mustn’t the people follow their example? (3b) What practices does Jesus mention in verses 4-7? Why did they do these things? (5a) What was the result to the people under them? (4)

** They sat in Moses’ seat. It means that they were the leaders and teachers for the people.

** They did not practice what they preach.

** See verses 4-7. 

** Verse 5a says, “To be seen by men.” They did it to get people’s praise, not praise from God.

** The results were: 1) They heavily burdened people without any reprieve; 2) they raised up hypocrites like themselves through their bad example and influence.

This shows us two very important things:

1) preaching is not just about our words or teaching, is also about our practical example, our daily living.

2) Jesus also gave his disciples heavy loads, but he empowered them to move them (e.g., feeding the 5,000, enduring storm training, leaving their boats and families behind to follow him, making disciples of all nations).

How should we regard ourselves in relation to others? (8-10) Why? How can one be great and exalted? (11-12) How is this attitude and direction contrast that of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees’? How did Jesus’ life set an example in this way?

** Verse 8 says that we are “all brothers” with one Father, one Master, and one Teacher. It means that we should relate to each other as equal brothers all under God the Father and Jesus Christ.

** Verses 11-12. “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” They thought that because of their leadership position they were above others. They exalted themselves outwardly at every opportunity. On the other hand Jesus teaches that the truly great one will be your servant. A real leader is not someone who tells others what to do, is above others, or is exalted. A leader is really a servant and he is humble. 

** Jesus is the Christ and Son of God. He came from above and is above all. But he made himself a servant of all. He served the tax collectors, prostitutes and lepers. He called lowly fisherman as his disciples. He was the most humble—even humbling himself to death on the cross for the sake of serving us. We think that we are serving Jesus, but he served us first and still serves, even pleading before God the Father on our behalf. (Philippians 2:5-11). 

How did they hinder people from entering the kingdom of heaven? (13) Why did they even end up being counterproductive? (15) What lesson can we learn?

** They closed the door to the kingdom in men’s faces. It means that they didn’t make conscious efforts to help people enter the kingdom of heaven. They focused on outward things, on themselves, and on regulations above people. 

** They raised converts to be “twice” a son of hell as they were. This was the net result of their daily living and hypocritical lifestyles: people were raised to be twice as bad as they were. 

** Even though we may work hard and live sacrificially (crossing “over land and sea”), we have to check what we are doing for the sake of the kingdom of heaven and people entering it. 

In verses 16-22 Jesus calls the teachers of the law and the Pharisees “blind” three times. What were they blind to?

** Ultimately, they were blind to God. God is the one who dwells in the temple. God is the one the altar is dedicated to and serves. God is the one who sits on the throne. But they only looked at the gold and the gifts above the other things. Because of this they were blind to the other things mentioned here, such as:

real value (gold vs the temple, gifts vs the altar)

they made themselves and others out to be liars and vow breakers

What were some of the more important matters they neglected? (23) How did they “strain out gnats but swallow camels”? (24) What else were they blind to? (25-26) What were they really like on the inside? (27-28) Why is the inside is so important? 

** Mercy, justice, faithfulness.

** This straining is picture of straining out the little bugs, such as gnats, out of the drinking water. The point is that they paid close attention to these very, very small things but ignored the really big and important things. Why? Spices can be quantified and seen by others. The teachers of the law and the religious leaders can look very sacrificial and religious by these things people can see. But justice, mercy and faithfulness are invisible things and often go unnoticed. They were blind to the things God saw as most important. 

** They were further blind to their own inner condition, the “inside.” So they didn’t see that it is what is inside that makes something clean, not the outside. So they focused only on dressing themselves well and looking righteous before others. 

** Because God knows what is inside a person, for he made a person. He looks at the heart and motives of a person and cannot be deceived by outward appearance of mere acting. Why? Because God himself is pure and holy. 

How did they testify against themselves? (29-32) What would they be held personally responsible for? (33-36) Why?   

** They built, dressed up and decorated the tombs of the prophets and said that they would not have killed them had they lived in the day of their forefathers. But Jesus didn’t accept this. It means that they did not acknowledge their sin and made excuses to justify their current actions.

** They would be held responsible for all the blood of the righteous that had been shed. Jesus included even the Prophet Zechariah and Abel! Abel lived thousands of years before them. Zechariah hundreds. But Jesus said, “whom you murdered.” 

** They didn’t repent. Despite their seemingly good actions and words, they were the same murderers as their forefathers.

Read verse 37. What was Jesus’ heart for Jerusalem (including the teachers of the law and the Pharisees)? Why couldn’t he gather them? (37b) Where are we supposed to lead and guide ourselves and others? 

** He had a mother-hen like heart for them.

** He longed to gather them to himself, for them to come under his wing, but they were not willing. 

** We are to lead ourselves and others to Jesus Christ. We are not to build ourselves up, gain recognition, or lead others to us, but to Jesus Christ who will care for us.