Do As I Say
Matthew 23:1-12
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. ‘Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honour at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the market-places and to be called “Rabbi” by others. ‘But you are not to be called “Rabbi”, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth “father”, for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
The "Do as I Say, Not as I Do" Trap
Picture the scene:
Jesus is talking to the crowds and his disciples about the religious leaders of the day, the scribes and Pharisees! They sit in Moses’ seat (i.e. the place of teaching and authority!), and Jesus says:
Okay, listen to what they teach… but for goodness sake don’t copy what they do!
For “They tie up heavy burdens, that are hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves, they're not willing to lend a hand to move them.”
What theyr'e really saying is "Rules for you, exceptions for me!"
“They do all their deeds to be seen by others.”
They play for the audience, not for authenticity!
“They love the place of honour at feasts and the best seats… and being called ‘Rabbi’ by others.”
Title hunters and seat-chasers!
But Jesus calls them out, “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus flips the script! because true leadership is service!
But what’s really being called out here?
Burden-Makers, that what the religious leaders are! they add layers of human-made rules to God’s law that makes spirituality a heavy checklist! And by doing this they didn’t even lift a finger to help people carry the burdens they'd created!
But here's the thing, faith shouldn’t feel like a burden imposed by someone who isn’t in the trenches with us!
They were leaders who dressed up for show!
Everything was for show, big phylacteries (scripture boxes) made wider, fringes and tzitzits lengthened, standing up front making lengthy public prayers, taking the best seats. Their faith was a performance!
But what about us?
If our spiritual life is mostly for appearance, we’ve missed the point!
What about 'Title Addiction'
Jesus says they loved honorifics, Rabbi, Father, Teacher!
But says: Don’t go there! There’s one Teacher, one Father. We’re all brothers and sisters.
To be honest all of us love titles, supervisor, manager, director, deacon curate, rev, priest, bishop etc, and they're not all bad, but when they become your identity or a power trip, then they distort the community we live within!
Jesus’ flips the model with his alternative!
Servant leadership:
positional authority turned upside down
He turns the pyramid on its point!
the greatest is the servant, and the path up is down!
Humility isn’t weakness, it’s refusing to play the status game!
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
This isn’t just spiritual advice, it’s how reality works. Because self-promotion eventually reveals emptiness, whereas, quiet service builds lasting respect!
What do we need to be wary of today?
In religious communities:
Watch out for leaders who make faith complicated, are judgmental, or exclusive and live by different rules.
We need to celebrate leaders who serve quietly, share our burdens, and point people to God, not to themselves.
In everyday life:
We all need to check our motives: Are we doing good to be seen, or because it’s good?
And we need to simplify our faith: Is it about loving God and loving others, not about keeping up appearances?
So serve without titles: none of us need a title, a position to make a difference to somepnes life.
In leadership (anywhere):
Lead from alongside, not from above. Help carry burdens with the people around you!
Reject the urge to spotlight chase. Let your work speak.
Stay humble, all roles are temporary; but our character, the thing that people see's in us, is what lasts.
“Practice what you preach, serve don’t strut, and remember, the only title that really matters is ‘servant.’”
This passage isn’t just a criticism of ancient leaders, it’s a mirror. For it asks:
Where am I imposing burdens that I don’t carry? Where am I performing? Where am I chasing recognition instead of serving quietly?
Jesus' call is clear: drop the act, share the load, take the lower seat, and let God handle the rest.
Have a great week, and God bless,
Trev.