Humble yourself 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mt 23:1-12
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. 2 “The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorised interpreters of Moses’ Law. 3 So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don’t practise what they preach. 4 They tie on to people’s backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren’t willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads. 5 They do everything so that people will see them. Look at the straps with scripture verses on them which they wear on their foreheads and arms, and notice how large they are! Notice also how long are the tassels on their cloaks! 6 They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the market places and to be called ‘Teacher’. You must not be called ‘Teacher’, because you are all members of one family and have only one Teacher. 9 And you must not call anyone here on earth ‘Father’, because you have only the one Father in heaven. Nor should you be called ‘Leader’, because your one and only leader is the Messiah. The greatest one among you must be your servant. Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.
Matthew wrote his Gospel account after Mark and he includes practically all of Mark’s material. But he also includes a lot more of Jesus’s teaching. This is organised in five main blocks, starting with the Sermon on the Mount in chapters 5-7. The commissioning of the disciples follows in chapter 10, the parables of the kingdom in chapter 13 and teaching about living as God’s new kingdom community in chapter 18. Today’s reading comes just before the final section, chapters 24-25, looking to the second coming and final judgment.
A substantial part of this teaching involves Jesus’s denunciation of Israel’s religious leaders. Jesus accuses them of being hypocrites. While they are indeed experts in the Law of Moses they are not practising what they preach. This incenses Jesus because they are burdening the people with a heavy load but they aren’t willing “to lift a finger to help” (verse 4) or to carry this burden themselves. This is in direct contrast to Jesus, who offers a light load and an easy yoke (Matthew 11:30).
Before and after this passage we learn that the leaders’ sins are compounded by the fact that they are neglecting the really important teachings of the law, the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-39), and justice, mercy and honesty (Matthew 23:23).
So while Jesus instructs the people to follow the law he warns them not to imitate the lifestyle of their religious leaders. Instead of serving God and the people, the leaders had become self-serving, full of pride and absorbed with their own importance and position in society.
Servanthood and humility, as demonstrated when Jesus washes the disciple’s feet (John 13), is the pattern for Jesus’s kingdom community. As Christians, we should look to Jesus as our teacher, leader and Messiah. And we should look to God as our heavenly Father. Greatness in God’s kingdom is to be found in humble service.
MEDITATIO
If you are not a leader in your Church community it can be easy to think that this passage doesn’t apply to you. But it has much to say about the attitude and behaviour of “ordinary” Christians too. Take some time to think these through.
How can you cultivate the humble attitude of a servant? What kind of leaders does Jesus expect for his Church?
ORATIO
Church leaders carry a heavy responsibility before God for the spiritual oversight of God’s people.
Pray for your leaders. Ask God to protect and equip them. Ask God to help you deal with areas of pride in your own life.
CONTEMPLATIO
Reflect on these verses from Psalm 131: “Lord, I have given up my pride and turned away from my arrogance. I am not concerned with great matters or with subjects too difficult for me. Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother’s arms, so my heart is quiet within me. Israel, trust in the Lord now and forever!”
Lectio Divina is an ancient tradition of reading and engaging with God’s Word
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