March 7, 2023

 

 

In Matthew 23:1-12, Jesus was speaking to the crowds and disciples, and he was talking about the pharisees and the teachers of the law. He said to the disciples, “you must obey (the teachers of the law and the pharisees) but don’t do what they do because they don’t practice what they preach”. Since the teachers of the law and Pharisees were only doing religious types of things for men and not for God, Jesus called them hypocrites.

This reminds me a little bit of what Rev. Gillian spoke about on Ash Wednesday where she talked about giving in secret and “not letting the right hand know what the left hand is doing”. Since we are Jesus hands and feet on earth, we can give of our resources, our time, and our love but it is very crucial that we do so humbly. This is not a human trait; we all have a bit of selfishness that can creep in when we aren’t careful, and this is why we need Jesus; for us to realize where our hearts and thoughts are and to ask for His forgiveness when we fall short - Thanks be to God!

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

The picture that comes to mind is when Jesus washes the feet of the disciples during the last supper. He truly humbled himself and was a true example to his disciples and to those of us who have come much later. He showed us what humbling oneself should look like.

 

- Rachelle Wiebe