We continue the series today with the Weightier matters of the Law picking up where we left off last time.  We were reading from Matthew 23 and we only covered the first few verses because there was so much there.

In part 1, the stage was set for an epic confrontation with the church leaders of that day when Jesus would reveal their faults publically near the end of His earthly ministry.  He addressed the crowd how they should view these Scribes and Pharisees but did not address the leaders directly.  And although he was confronting them, He did it in a way as to speak to a large multitude and to His disciples on how they should behave knowing that the offenders were in the crowd.  We discussed how all of the Commandments of God had the same thread through them all.  Every law of God has the same foundation and that is love.  We are to love God with everything we are and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.  Everything we read in scripture is put there to further these two eternal laws.  God’s Law is about love and relationship.  No other point is more important than that God wants us to have the proper relationship with Him and each other.  With this as a foundation we covered three points:

1. Respect authority

Jesus pointed to the office held at the time by the Scribes and Pharisees’ and directed the people to obey them even though they set a terrible example.We read in Jude how he warned them the example of some that did not respect authority.He then offers the example of how the Archangel Michael respected the office of Satan and would not bring any reviling accusations against him but referred the matter to the Lord.It is so easy to join in with others as we put down those that have authority over us.Whether it’s your boss, leaders in government, or leaders in the church, God wants us to respect authority.If we can show respect for fallible leadership now, then God knows we can be trusted to always respect His authority in the age to come.

2. Don’t become a victim

We discussed this in the context that Jesus empowered his disciples and those in the crowd to know the difference about what are proper examples and that they were responsible to overcome and the bad behavior the Scribes and Pharisees were no crutch for them.It is easy to blame our faults on those that lead us or those that oppress us but we are to overcome this world.When we are the victim we grant ourselves the right of sympathy and release ourselves of the responsibility to overcome.

 

Hard times were coming for the first century and He was preparing them so they could overcome this world.We too need to look ahead and not be distracted because of problems in the church as we prepare for the return of Jesus Christ.We can choose to become offended, or we can choose to not let the faults of others hamper our future.

 

3. Only God can open someone’s eyes

In this life we will run across those that we do not agree with.God opens everyone’s eyes at different rates and we see what He has revealed to us but we cannot expect everyone to have that same level of understanding.We have to cherish and defend the relationships we have with one another and not let differences in understanding destroy our fellowship.

We must have and show patience until God makes all things known and Romans 14:1 “…not to disputes over doubtful things”.

We should work to build relationships with those who share our faith and not beat each other up over differences of understanding that are best left to Jesus Christ to unravel.As times get tough we are going to need love and relationships to see us through.

 

We continue now with:

Part Two of the Weightier Matters of the Law

In part one we read but did not discuss verses 5-7 of Matthew 23.  Let’s read them again and to start this section. 

Matthew 23:5- 5 "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

Verse 5 tells us that their desire to elevate themselves over others was their chief crime hear.  Love of their fellow man was of far less importance to building up self.  The actions that followed demonstrated what they did to enhance their own stature.

The boarder of their garment were supposed to look back to the time that God told Moses to set themselves apart in their dress.  Over the years it became part of worship in the temple and Pharisees enlarged these boarders so all could see that they were part of the temple worship system. 

So what’s a phylactery?  They are small leather boxes containing 4 scripture passages fixed with straps that are literally tied to the arm and forehead as a reminder of God and His Law.  Here is an excerpt from the Jewish encyclopedia about these two boxes called phylacteries.

Each box contained the same four Scriptural passages.

The hand-phylactery has only one compartment, which contains the four Biblical selections written upon a single strip of parchment in four parallel columns and in the order given in the Bible. The head-phylactery has four compartments, formed from one piece of leather, in each of which one selection written on a separate piece of parchment is deposited. The pieces of parchment on which the Biblical selections are written are in either case tied round with narrow strips of parchment and fastened with the thoroughly washed hair of a clean animal. There was considerable discussion among the commentators of the Talmud as to the order in which the Biblical selections should be inserted into the head-phylactery.

So what is in these four sections?

1. Exodus 13:1-10, which discusses consecrating their first born and remembering the Exodus.  
2. Exodus 13:11-16, which discusses consecrating the first born of their flocks when they enter they enter the promise land.  Verse 16 of this passage says 16 "It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt."
3. Deut. 6:4-9,  I will just read since it helps make the point.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9   4 " Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!  5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  6 " And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  7 "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.  8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

4. Deut. 11:13-21.  Is a warning that after God had told them how to behave when they enter the promised land, that if they do these things he will give them rain and multiply their descendants and give prosperity.

The encyclopedia goes on to say that the literal practice of doing this physically with Phylacteries and not just figuratively comes from the Oral law and not implied by scripture. 

What is also very obvious here is that these scriptures focus on them as an independent nation living in the Promised Land; and what to do to maintain that.  The Phylacteries were first meant to bring back the good times but were worn publically to show off those that were the most pious among them.  It was about shown, it was about control, and it was about bringing about the past.  What Jesus was offering was not a physical nationhood on this earth but a citizenship to a new Kingdom that was not of this world.  It involved sacrifice, not dominance and control.  It involved humility, not pride and position. 

The religious leaders may have had some good motives mixed in with their bad ones but they led to a place that would never exist again as they knew it and it was a price that the Scribes and Pharisees were not ready to pay. 

So what are we to learn from this passage?

We can obviously see the reason that Christ condemned them because they did physical things but completely forsook the spiritual. 

It can be easy to emphasize the physical when the spiritual is lacking.  But when the spiritual is emphasized the physical happens naturally.

It’s like tearing your house limb from limb to find and remove the leaven before the spring Holy Days but our relationships with one another is in shambles. It’s like we read in Matthew 5:24 about the priority of the physical to the spiritual:

NKJ Matthew 5:24 "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

It’s not that we don’t have to do physical things to teach us spiritual lessons, it’s that we have to focus primarily on the spiritual or else the physical does us no good at all.

It’s like a family in turmoil but the physical laws God gave are followed to the letter.  The question you have to ask yourself is what is the weightier matter to you?  I am not suggesting that we leave bread in the house, or work on the Sabbath, but I am saying that everything we do, everything we think, and everything we are takes effort.  Lots of effort and when things aren’t going well you have to ask yourself where you put the lion share of your effort.  And that’s what I think we can learn most from in verse 5.

The 4 passages dealt first and foremost with Israel becoming a people of God.  You can focus on the “God” part of that or you can focus on the “people” part of that.  The Pharisees obviously focused on the “people” part.

Why they failed

They rejected Jesus Christ because He was not the Savior they were waiting for.  They wanted a savior that would give them back what they saw was their land, their freedom, their prosperity.  This was what was their weightier matter was and Jesus knew it. 

Sacrificing themselves for others and becoming a true child of God was not their priority and it showed in everything they did. 

The special clothes and methods of remembering the Law of God were not able to make them want to love God as He loves and to Love one another as they should.

The system that these Pharisees were in control over failed because they did not have the Holy Spirit or the love of God.

Remember that these passages they carried and the garments that centered around Temple worship focused on the Exodus to period of the Kings we know as the Old Covenant where they were the People of God but because they did not have God first in their hearts, He ultimately gave Israel a certificate of Divorce. 

Soon before the destruction of the Temple, the book of Hebrews was written to the descendants of those people who were now members of the Church of God.  In it we read that there is a better way to remember God’s Law.  We can read it in Hebrews 8:

 

Hebrews 8:9-10   9 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD.  10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

 

Since the Law of God is Love, then the proper place for that Love is our hearts and not in leather boxes.  If we are not able to keep God’s law in our hearts what we need to do is ask ourselves, what is most important to us? 

Many people came into the Church of God with visions of the Great Tribulation that they wanted desperately to avoid. And while this is a healthy fear it should not be our motivation to live God’s way of Life.  God’s way of life is not just a list of physical things we have to do.  It is living by every word that proceeds from God and loving as He loves and becoming a new creation.  We keep certain days, we eat certain things, we worship in a way that pleases God but this is not what saves us from anything.  It is the spiritual lessons that the physical teach us that bring us in a close relationship with God, and with one another.

What is most important to us?

What do we want more than anything?  When I hear people complain about the burden of keeping the Sabbath my heart grieves that they are missing the point of the Sabbath.  The Sabbath is about rest and worship but it is also a feast day and the first feast day mentioned when reading about God’s festivals in Leviticus 23.  We were created to rejoice on the Sabbath.  It is a fun time given as a gift that does so much more than tie us to a belief system.  It gives us rest that sustains us physically, it brings us closer to God which sustains us Spiritually, it gives us joy which fills our hearts with gladness and it give us an appointed time where we can fellowship one with other for the purpose of building one another up.  Not just so we can have fun this week or next but so that we can prepare for what is coming both bad and good; the Tribulation and then the Kingdom.

I don’t see a burden in that.  If these things are most important to us then we look forward to the Sabbath.  We don’t keep the Sabbath just to obey God for some future reward.  The Sabbath is its own reward if we learn to embrace it. 

The same can be said with everything we do from the Holy Days, Annual Festivals, all of God’s Law is meant to bring us closer to Him and closer to one another.

So let’s continue on with Matthew 23 and pick up again in verse 6.  Jesus just hit them hard for the show they put on with their dress and now he gets straight to what’s in their hearts.

 

Matthew 23:6-7   6 "They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,  7 "greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'  8 "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  9 "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  10 "And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.

 

 

There has been a lot of discussions here about what these passages mean. Before we can learn what these passages mean for us we have to know what they meant for these people that heard Jesus say them.  Verse 9 tells them NOT to call anyone on earth their father.  Now we know that does not mean their biological fathers or else He would not have mentioned the 5th commandment in Luke 18:20

Luke 18:20  20 "You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' "

And both passages use the same Greek word pater {pat-ayr'} for father.  So what is He saying here? The (Bible Knowledge Commentary) states:

 “They loved places of honor and to be called Rabbi, implying they were scholars. Such was not to be the attitude of Jesus’ followers. Titles (such as Rabbi… father… teacher) and position were not to be sought; instead, there should have a brotherly relationship among the disciples.

Mark 9 explains that this concept of a proper brotherly relationship in the church can be difficult sometimes.

 

Mark 9:33-39   33 Then He (Jesus) came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. 

 

 

This was a hard lesson for His disciples to learn.  After all, the Scribes and Pharisees always exercised authority just as the kings of the earth.  The examples of taking and using authority is all they knew and what Jesus was saying was just the opposite of this.  They did not learn from this teaching here in Mark 9 because we see it again on the night of the last Passover with Jesus on Earth. Turn to Luke 22:

And not just any time during this evening did they dispute about being the greatest, but after dinner, and right after the Passover Symbols were introduced.

 

 Luke 22:20-27  NKJ 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.  21 "But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.

 

So Jesus is discussing Judas here which got them to talking about loyalty and betrayal and probably how each of them would never do such a thing.

 

 22 "And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  23 Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.  24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  25 And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  26 "But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  27 "For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. 

 

So again, Jesus is taking this concept of greatness and turning it upside down.  Right after this Jesus talks to Peter about how he would deny Him three times which leads me to think that Peter was probably in that discussion about who would, or would not betray Jesus and who was the greatest.

 

The Religious leaders were most interested with their position within the family of God rather than being more like Him.  And clearly those that were closest to Jesus suffered from this as well.  So we know we can learn a few lessons from this ourselves.  Jesus warned them and He warns us to not get caught up in position, rank, and authority which can puff up.  If we focus on serving one another then that promotes humility and builds one another up.  This is the main focus of what Jesus is saying in Matthew 23:6-9 about not calling one another Rabbi or Father.

(Bible Knowledge Commentary) goes on to say:
Jesus was not saying there would be no lines of authority among them. But He was emphasizing that service for Him — the one Master and one Teacher — was more important than human positions of honor. Leadership positions should never be a goal in and of themselves, but should always be viewed as opportunities to serve others. The Pharisees, who exalted themselves, would be humbled, and Jesus’ followers, by humbling themselves in service, would someday be exalted” (Bible Knowledge Commentary).

(The Daily Study Bible by Barclay) states:

“…the Pharisee liked to be addressed as Rabbi and to be treated with the greatest respect. They claimed, in point of fact, greater respect than that which was given to parents, for, they said, a man's parents give him ordinary, physical life, but a man's teacher gives him eternal life. They even liked to be called father as Elisha called Elijah (2Ki 2:12) and as the fathers of the faith were known….

Elisha used this term father to refer to Elijah when he was taken up in a chariot in a whirlwind.

     “The whole design of the Pharisees was to dress and act in such a way as to draw attention to themselves; the whole design of the Christian should be to obliterate himself, so that if men see his good deeds, they may glorify not him, but his Father in Heaven. Any religion which produces ostentation in action and pride in the heart is a false religion” (The DSB).

(The Expositor’s Bible Commentary)  “Verse 9 moves from “Rabbi” or “Teacher” to “Father.” “The fathers” became a common way of referring to earlier teachers of the law, especially the great masters; that practice may have stretched back to the days of the prophets

There are a number of things we can take from this section today.  First of all we see in other religious organizations this authority system with many levels and ranks.  With those ranks comes more respect and fancier clothes until you get high up and the leaders are treated as kings.  You see titles like Rabbi, Reverend, and even holy father used for men.

Once upon a time in the church of God we too had many offices that acted as ranks all the way up to apostle.  Mr. Luker once told me after my ordination that he was ordained many times with many titles including evangelist but the only one of those that were important to him was that of an elder.  Today the United Church of God calls all ministers elders and rightfully avoids that trap of position and affluence.   

Another lesson we can learn from this passage is that being a part of the family does not, in itself, save us.  It is our relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, that does that.  The Pharasees often talked about their lineage with Abraham as their father as if that alone assured them a place in God’s family.  In Luke 3:8 Jesus sets them straight and sums up the proper relationship with God.

Luke 3:8   8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

When I was growing up in the church I remember many sermons where people who left the church were turning their back on the truth and by extension God.  That argument was understandable once upon a time when there was only one source for that truth on earth. 

It was easy to get the wrong impression that if you stayed in the church that meant that you were saved.  The Pharisees were not justified by their lineage or associations and neither are we.  The church is there to aid in our relationship with God, not to replace it.  We call our ministers Pastors that look after the congregation like a shepherd looks after the flock.  We take this example from Jesus Himself as the great shepherd.  For our final scripture today let’s read Hebrews 13:20-21.

Next time we will start in on Justice, Mercy and Faith but today we will finish this thought that one this earth, the proper relationship we should have with one another and to the church and to the leaders in the church is that of a Shepherd and his flock.

Hebrews 13:20-21   20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,  21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.