What are my priorities?

 

Because the Church is made up of human beings, there’s always a temptation to strive for positions of power and prestige.  In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells us that the way of exaltation is humility and that the greatest among His children will be the one who becomes a servant of all. (Matthew 23:1-12)

The first principle Jesus gives is that those who would teach others must practice what they preach.  A person really doesn’t know something until they put it into practice and tell others about it. There were many orthodox teachers in Jesus’ day but the problem he had with them was that they were long on telling others what to do and short on doing it themselves.  I ran into this many times in the course of my career in management, and I was also (I’m sorry to say) guilty of it myself.  A simple example is that I always “preached” to my employees to clean up after themselves after installing a trailer hitch, or washing a truck, or any other task they were assigned.  But there were many, many times that I left a mess for someone else to clean up, citing my position of authority as an excuse; “I’ve paid my ‘dues’.  I don’t have to do it anymore if I don’t want to!”

The second principle Jesus mentions is that leaders should not tie up heavy burdens and lay them on peoples’ shoulders and then not lift a finger to help them.  (Matthew 23:4)   It’s similar to when a boss sets a goal for us, then tells us to ‘figure it out’, giving no other direction or support, only to end up chastising us when the goal isn’t met.  Again, I’m guilty of this.

Finally, Jesus teaches against the desire for places, seats, and greetings of honor.  There are teachers, fathers, and masters in this world, but Jesus doesn’t want His followers to clamor for titles of respect that do nothing but puff them up.  Jesus isn’t forbidding a teacher from being called “Teacher.”  He isn’t forbidding a father from being called “Father.”  Even the Apostle Paul used the term “father” for his relationship to people and churches (1 Corinthians 4:15).  The point Jesus is bringing home to us is that we’re not to clamor for honor and respect.  It’s through service that we become great.  It’s through humility that we’re exalted.

"The scribes and the Pharisees... all their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels." (Matthew 23:5)

We may not know what a phylactery is or how to lengthen a tassel, but when Jesus criticizes the scribes and Pharisees, the message is clear; they’re using these traditional symbols not for prayer but to bring honor to themselves.  Their prestige from being religious leaders is used to get places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues.

FYI—A phylactery is simply a small box containing scripture which is tied to the arm or forehead during prayer. This very visible sign of devotion (still used by some today) was being corrupted by the religious leaders who wanted the admiration of all.

It's always easy to dismiss the religious leaders of Jesus' day as dense and judgmental.  But sometimes we may wonder if we too are really all that different.  We may catch ourselves wanting to impress people by how we look or the importance of our jobs.  If we carry titles which bring us honor, we may enjoy using those titles just a little more often than necessary.  Perhaps we want to show people that we’re devout, or how much we’re giving up for Lent or how much time we spend in prayer each day. Hand-in-hand with each “blessing” of ours may be a judgment about people who don't have important jobs, don't look as polished as we do, and even those who pray differently or less publicly, or something else that doesn’t fit our standards.

Just as there is nothing wrong with the phylacteries or tassels of the religious leaders in Jesus' time, there’s nothing inherently wrong with titles in front of our names, good jobs, or wanting to be holy.  But as Jesus cautions us about titles and honors, He seems to be asking what priority these things have in our lives.  How important are they?  Have they become the focus of our lives?

Jesus is clear and direct: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)   We must be servants for others, He says.  Nothing is more important than caring for others and tending to those who have less than we do.

Jesus defended the weak and vulnerable of His day.  A devout Jew, He broke with many traditions of His day, standing by lepers, speaking with women, and making friends with tax collectors.  He shows us with His life how to be a servant and how to stand up for those who have no one else.  Carrying out that call from Jesus isn’t easy and may cause discomfort in our lives, but it’s clearly what we’re called to.  Be a servant.  Be humble.  Don't judge.  Don't move toward honors but away from them.

Jesus isn’t leaving us to deal with all of these challenges alone but is there with us in those challenges. We will fall and fail and still, when we sit quietly opening our hearts at the end of the day and listen, we can feel the deepest love Jesus has for us and know that tomorrow we can try again.