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Fifth Sunday After the Feast of Holy Cross
by Rev. Dr. V kurian Thomas Valiyaparambil
Next Sunday is the 5th Sunday after Sleebo.
Gospel reading is from Mathew 23:1-12.
Theme:
"Some of the greatest blessings in life come when you humbly realize someone
else is more important than you are."
Scripture Reading: (Mathew 23:1-12)
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 "The teachers of the law
and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything
they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they
preach. 4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they
themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide
and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at
banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be
greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'
8 "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you
are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one
Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have
one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For
whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be
exalted."
Discussion
Bhagavat Gita, in Ch. XIV.4 reads, "Hypocrisy,
pride, self-conceit, wrath, arrogance and ignorance belong to those born to the
heritage of the demons."
Message: The religious leaders of Jesus' day, and some today as well, wanted (or
want) to be looked at and treated as though they are a step closer to God than
are others. They wanted others to think they had some special privileges in
God's eyes that the common man doesn't posses. Jesus said these men dress up in
style to draw attention to themselves and expect men to obey rules they
themselves wouldn't obey. These religious leaders want to be robed in special
decorative titles. They want to be addressed as Rabbis. They demand obedience to
the authority they portray.
Jesus says God is not impressed with the pride of these men. If you want to be
somebody, put others before you. Become great by becoming a servant. Although
pride harms only the proud, it brings contempt for others when the ego is
inflated. Pride coupled with inflated ego and arrogance often results in
contempt for others and frequently offend friends, relatives, colleagues and
everyone who comes in contact with him.
Likewise, we all want to impress on others, want to be seen as successful, and
of course, better than others. We all want recognition, high positions, power,
money, and so forth. Most of us are braggers of our own achievements. Most of us
want to be the lead dogs.
This desire to be first or be the best has a name called, "Pride". Jesus tells
us what he thinks about those who want to be first. Jesus says, "First will be
the last and the last will be the first." Just like the Pharisees, many among us
want to be seen as special and treated as closer to God than anyone else. The
Pharisees dressed to draw attention to themselves on a higher level than others.
They tried to appear religious without actually being religious. Jesus said they
do not practice what they preach. Their philosophy was, "Do as I say, not as I
do." Jesus spent a great deal of time uncovering the hypocrisy of the religious
leaders. Jesus told his followers, "Do whatever they teach you and follow it;
but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they preach." Hypocrisy
is when someone pretends to be something his is not.
A pastor in a small church asked a member who quit attending services in his
church, as to why he is not coming to church? He replied that most of those who
attend there are hypocrites. The pastor replied, "May be it is true, but there
is always room for one more." It does beg one big question: "Are there
hypocrites in our church today?" Yes, there are plenty. Why? Pride and ego make
people become hypocrites. We all pretend to be somebody we are not. We are too
proud to admit that we are not better than others. Like the Pharisees, we may be
able to fool others and be looked up to. In reality, there is nothing to gain by
pretending to be what we are not.
As we see in the Bible, God prefers a humbler person who thinks like what God
thought than a proud person who cares about how others thought of him. How can
we achieve that goal?
1. Make scripture, not others, our standard for life.
2. Avoid living a "showcase" life. Do not seek or go after honor, titles, or
approval from people. If you deserve it, it will come to you without you seeking
it.
3. Work on developing a Servant's heart. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
It was true in Jesus' time, and it is true today.
See Also:
Being Righteous and Humble Before God by Rev. Fr. K.K. John
Humility and Exaltation by Rev. Dr. V Kurian Thomas Valiyaparambil
Sermons and Bible Commentaries for the 5th sunday after Sleebo
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