Matthew 23

There’s a lot in this chapter that is very pertinent today. Really, to all time.  Not a lot has changed, unfortunately.  We are a hard headed society, that refuses to learn sometimes, that wants to change the rules to fit what we want to do, not what we should do.

Two sayings came to mind as I read this chapter.  

1. Do as I say, not as I do.
2. Practice what you preach.

That pretty much sums up this whole chapter, don’t you think?

In verse 5, Jesus says the leaders do things just get attention.  They want to be noticed.  In today’s terms, they make a production of things to get the most views.  That’s what they are aiming for and today, with social media, it’s easy to fall into this trap. It should never be about who sees what we do or knows what we do, it should be solely about doing what’s right, doing good just to do good, not for recognition or likes or views or awards or anything other than to just do good, be good.  That other stuff feels good, makes us feel like we are someone, like we are important but that shouldn’t be our purpose.

Today, we have people NOT doing good and making productions of it to get recognized.  People who use this to incite fear, to stir the pot, to make themselves look BIG and important as they cause harm and inflict pain.  They want to be recognized, respected, feared.  They even claim to do it in Jesus’ name sometimes.  This is not what we are to be about.  This is the opposite of what it means to be a Jesus follower. 

Jesus said to be the greatest you must be a servant.  Unfortunately, servants don’t usually get a lot of attention.  They are often looked down upon, or just not even noticed at all.  That’s kind of the point.  Servants quietly go about doing their work to help make their masters look good, look important, while receiving little to no recognition.  Their job is to help others, to serve others, to put others first and Jesus says, when we do that, we too will be first.  THIS is who we are called to be.  This is being humble~ lifting others up, helping others.   

Oh my, there is so much in this chapter and this is getting long so I’ll end here and pick up on verse 13 on Wednesday.  Until then, may we be servant leaders in our lives, lifting up those around us, helping those who are in need and loving all.

Until next time…♥️