Do as they say, not as they do.

Matthew 22:34-23:12 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. ³⁵ One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the great and foremost commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

⁴¹ Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: ⁴² “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” ⁴³ He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,

⁴⁴ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet”’?

⁴⁵ If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” ⁴⁶ No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.

23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, ² saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; ³ therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. ⁵ But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. ⁶ They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, ⁷ and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. ⁸ But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. ¹¹ But the greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

In our culture it has become normal and accepted to question, criticize and challenge those in authority. Many people point to the fact that Jesus was more critical of the religious leaders than He was of others to justify their own criticism and disrespect for authority. We should not be mistaken. There is a difference between holding people to a higher level of responsibility and accountability, and disrespecting them. In Exodus 22:28 God says:  "You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people.”  Many will say that was Old Covenant; we no longer live under the restrictions or the regulations of the Old Covenant Law. In today’s text though Jesus says:  “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”   Many people promote a gospel of love, yet they fail to acknowledge the relationship between love and the law. Jesus also says, in Matthew 5:17-19:   “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”    We cannot claim to love God and love others as we are loved by Him if we do not follow His commandments. In today’s text Jesus says:  “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.”     We should always respect the authority of our leaders, both spiritual and others, to the extent they are exercising that authority. We should not though follow them in unrighteousness.  

Jesus says:  “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.”    Previously, in Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus said:   “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”    It is important for us, as believers to remember that Jesus teachings, while they are true to and for everyone, are to be followed and obeyed by us. Not every leader, whether spiritual or other, will follow Jesus teaching and commandments. Not every leader will be a servant leader. Not every leader will lead in righteousness. We are called and commanded to submit to their rightful authority, even as Jesus Himself submitted to both the rightful spiritual and governmental authorities of His time. Jesus didn’t challenge the authority of the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes, He challenged there unrighteous actions and their false doctrines.

In order for us to know when we are to follow the right authority of others we need to know and understand the law. The same principle holds true whether we are dealing with spiritual law or governmental law. We are responsible for knowing and doing what is right, in spiritual matters, what is righteous and in governmental matters what is legal. The fact that leaders may not be right themselves, does not exempt us from our responsibility to do what is right. We, as believers, also need to know God’s will. Jesus could have resisted the authority of the Roman government and avoided the cross. In John 19:10-11, we read an interchange between Jesus and Pilate, the Roman authority. It says:   Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”    First and foremost our submission is to the will and the authority of God. So, along with knowing God’s word, what is right, knowing His will is also critical to us. In John 5:19-20 Jesus says:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing.”  God loves us. He loves us as sons and daughters, like Jesus. If we will truly love Him with all our heart, soul and mind, as we are commanded, He will show us His will; what He is doing in every situation we face.

Finally, in today’s text Jesus says:  “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”     Christ alone is our Leader and our Teacher. God alone is our Father. We are to submit to and respect those in authority. But, we ourselves are responsible for knowing the teaching of Jesus and following the will of the Father.  Jesus says:  “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” 

Heavenly Father, thank You that Your ways are higher than our ways and Your authority is over every other authority. Thank You for revealing Your will through Your word and through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for giving us Your indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us. I humbly submit to You, to Your will and Your truth, in Jesus name. Amen.