Jesus and the Pharisees – Part 7 – “Do Not Do What They Do” – Matthew 23:1-12

There’s an old joke that supposed to be funny. It goes like this: “If a preacher is spending Saturday night going over tomorrow’s sermon, is he practicing what he preaches?”

I said it was supposed to be funny. I didn’t say it was.

We understand that the phrase “practice what you preach” means that it isn’t enough to tell people what we believe; we need to do it, as well. Another way to phrase it is, “Don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk.”

Background

For the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at the contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees. Up until last week, the Pharisees were the ones asking the questions and throwing accusations around about Jesus. We haven’t covered all the things the Pharisees said about Jesus, but we covered a few.

Last week, Jesus asked a question of the Pharisees that set them so far back on their heels that they refused to ask Jesus any more questions. That took place at the end of Matthew 22.

Today’s passage begins a series of lessons that Jesus taught against the Pharisees. In these coming weeks, we’ll look at the seven laments Jesus states in regard to the Pharisees and the errors of their ways.

It’s important to note that not all the Pharisees failed to see Jesus for Who He is. There were those who recognized Jesus as a teacher sent from God, such as Nicodemus in John 3 and elsewhere. Joseph of Arimathea, the one who loaned his sepulcher for Jesus’ burial, was another.

Still, there were many who rejected Jesus, based primarily on their misunderstanding of scripture and their refusal to consider any interpretation that challenged them. It is to these Pharisees that Jesus speaks. As He speaks to them, we need to hear His words for us, as well.

Today’s passage introduces the series of lamentations. It’s interesting to note that in the four Gospel stories, Jesus do not specifically condemn a particular sin. The only time Jesus does condemn specific sins are the sins of the Pharisees, and the specific sins Jesus condemns are how the Pharisees close the doors to heaven through their strict adherence to a code of rules rather than a living, personal relationship with God. In today’s passage, Jesus explains the reason why the Pharisees are to be heard, but not copied. He points out the core reason for their failure to bring people to a living relationship with God.

Central Truth: Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their failures.

1. Failure to live out God’s word (1-4)

Then Jesus said to the crowd, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”

The label “hypocrisy” is often heard when speaking of Christians. It’s often used to justify why a person isn’t interested in attending church or following Christ. I once had a man explain to me that the phrase, “We’re not perfect, just forgiven” was seen by non-believers as a justification for our hypocrisy. People claiming to be Christians use this excuse to justify living a life inconsistent with Christ’s teachings.

It is this hypocrisy that Jesus is warning His audience about. Jesus tells those who are listening to Him that the Pharisees have a special place in society because they sit in Moses’ chair. That means that the Pharisees have been tasked with teaching what the Bible says and that their lessons can show us the right way to go if we will listen.

However, having affirmed the role of the Pharisees to be teachers of the law, Jesus then explains that their lessons should be followed but their example should be ignored. The reason: They do not practice what they preach.

To illustrate His point, Jesus speaks of a person who is responsible for placing a load on a camel or a donkey. The person haphazardly places the items in the pack then throw the pack on the animal. The pack is heavy and poorly balanced, making safe transport difficult at best for the animal. A good and caring packer will take the time to adjust the pack once it’s on the animal, to make sure the weight is evenly spaced and to make sure the packages are not digging into the animal. Jesus says the Pharisees are not like a caring packer. They insist a convert be burdened with the laws they insist must be followed, but then ignore the person and require them to carry the burdens that they themselves are unwilling or unable to carry themselves.

As followers of Christ, we are called upon to bear one another’s burdens (cf. Galatians 6:2; Colossians 3:13). The Bible further tells us in Galatians 6:4-5: “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.” Jesus calls us to help one another, while at the same time make sure we are doing what we expect others to do.

2. Failure to seek God’s will (5-7)

“Everything they do is done for men to see. They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’”

The Pharisees profess to spend their lives seeking God’s approval, but the reality is that too many of them seek men’s approval and admiration. Jesus uses two examples of this.

The first is the outward symbols of their faith. Moses was given the law regarding the phylacteries and fringes (cf. Deuteronomy 6:8; Numbers 15:38-39). The reason God gave the instructions on the wearing of phylacteries was to keep Scripture and God’s word close to their hearts, and the tassels were to be visible reminders of Scripture and of God. The problem was that the Pharisees began to use these items as symbols of their piousness. They made bigger and bigger phylacteries and fringes as a way of showing they contained so much Scripture. It would be the equivalent of a Christian wearing a large cross or Ichthus fish around their neck or have their cars covered with Christian slogans and bumper stickers. The real reason for such displays is so that people will see it and be impressed with the person’s spirituality. It had little if anything to do with God, and everything to do with impressing people.

The second way they acted was to seek out the places of honor in the synagogue and to be greeted as a spiritual advisor/teacher. The idea here is to let people see how important they were to the growth and development of the synagogue and the people’s spiritual welfare. They wanted to be seen as important and powerful. Similar to a person today who seeks to be a chairman of the deacons or a position of authority in the church.

Jesus had no patience with such displays of hypocrisy and didn’t want His followers to emulate the practices of many of the Pharisees. He wants us to live out our faith in genuinely seeking and doing His will not so that men and women will think so highly of us, but rather so that we can be where God wants us.

3. Failure to live humbly (8-14)

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and He is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘Teacher,’ the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

The titles we use for people reflects the way we see each other. While at law school, I referred to my professors as “Professor Trail” or “Professor Beale.” I was roughly the age of most of my professors, but I used the title as a sign of respect and recognition of their expertise and knowledge of the subjects they taught. Years ago, a friend of mine’s mother told me I could call her by her first name. I told her I couldn’t; I wasn’t raised to speak with such familiarity to one of my elders.

Titles are important and convey a sense of respect and admiration. Jesus’ warning here is a call to walk in humility before God and each other. The Pharisees failed to understand this, actively seeking to be referred to by the titles they coveted.

Jesus’ comments are that we are to recognize that we are all equal in God’s eyes and that no one should seek to elevate ourselves above the others. The titles Jesus suggests are not bad titles and we still use them in our world today. If we focus on the titles specifically, then we miss Jesus’ point, which is that we are to be servants of all, masters of none. “The greatest among you will be your servant.”

The Pharisees earned Jesus’ lamentation because their pride led them away from the servant’s heart and sought to be exalted. It is a warning to us today, as well.

Conclusion

When Jesus was ending the Sermon on the Mount, He was careful to remind His listeners that following Him meant more than just listening to Him. He wants us to be doers of the word, not hearers only. James says the idea of listening to Jesus without following through by putting into action is like a person who looks in a mirror but then turns away without using the mirror to full effect.

There is a reason people often refer to the church as being full of hypocrites. When we fail to practice what we preach, we do more harm to the kingdom of heaven than we have any right to do. Jesus reminds us that if we sin and teach others to sin, we are the least in the kingdom. One of the ways to help people to keep from sinning is to practice what we preach.

Put our faith into action today.