Fame or Servant?
Matthew 23:1-12
Then Yeshua addressed the crowds and his talmidim (disciples/students): 2 “The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim (Pharisees),” he said, “sit in the seat of Moshe. 3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don’t do what they do, because they talk but don’t act! 4 They tie heavy loads onto people’s shoulders but won’t lift a finger to help carry them. 5 Everything they do is done to be seen by others; for they make their t’fillin (prayer wraps) broad and their tzitziyot (tassels on prayer shawl) long, 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and they love being greeted deferentially in the marketplaces and being called ‘Rabbi.’
8 “But you are not to let yourselves be called ‘Rabbi’; because you have one Rabbi, and you are all each other’s brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘Father.’ because you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to let yourselves be called ‘leaders,’ because you have one Leader, and he is the Messiah! 11 The greatest among you must be your servant, 12 for whoever promotes himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be promoted.
The seat of Moses... an important seat in every synagogue. It is where the leaders would sit to teach.
The religious leaders of the day would sit in the seat of Moses and bring forth the Torah readings of the day. Jesus said that they sit there, and their teachings are correct, but their actions are not.
What was happening is, the religious leaders of the day were "adding to" the Torah. They were making the people do more "work" than they needed too. And, they were looking for more attention than they should.
It is so easy to get caught in the "need for fame." We are to become like children, but not the "greedy" part of childhood. Children desire (and need) love. At some point in their growth, they hit a stage where they are selfish. We walk them through this and teach them to not live this way.
I thought about stopping at verse 7, but the last several verses are connected to the first. This section is all about "letting go" of this need for attention. It is about "letting go" of the desire to "look good." God is not interested in titles and positions. We teach our children to stop being greedy, but we often continue on that path ourselves.
Today, let's stop and think about our actions. Stop and reflect on how you are living. Stop and ponder on what you are doing to those around you and ask yourself if the actions are truly in line with God's heart. He is clear, being a servant is better than fame.
Let's turn from being "religious leaders" who speak, but don't act. Let's use our actions to share HIS Love with all those we meet.
Love and blessings,
Rose
All donations are tax deductible through TBG. Click the picture below to take you to the TBG homepage and from there you can "Give Online.”
