Matthew 23:1-12 Being Weighed Down
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: July 28, 2019 Matthew 23:1-12
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
(Understanding the Text) The heading for this passage says that there are seven woes. Why seven? Why does God focus on numbers as symbols so much? Is it for us, or is there something about Him that requires it? Maybe, it’s Matthew, the tax collector, who is focused on numbers. He is focused on numbers in the beginning of the book for Jesus’ genealogy. Maybe it is Hebrew and the Jews that are focused on numbers.
Jesus has been careful in His interactions with the Pharisees until this point. Why does He change now? Is it because the people need to have these instructions to lessen their blind obedience to and faith in their religious leaders? Is it shock tactics to try to reach the Pharisees’ hearts? Of is it to incite the Pharisees to carry out their plans to kill Jesus?
Jesus starts out by actually saying to follow the Pharisees rather than to reject them totally. He says that they are sitting in Moses seat, which is a seat of religious and secular authority. He says to do what they say, but not what they do. My reading has always been confused because Jesus goes on to speak of tithing mint and anise and lots of little rules and seems to be saying to do all the little rules called for by the Pharisees, but part of me says that Jesus couldn’t have meant that because those rules were a burden. Someone has suggested that it is because they had control of the scriptures, and Jesus was saying to listen to their reading of the scriptures, but not imitate their actions.
(Understanding the Text / Application) The first action that Jesus lists as one not to imitate is making other people bear heavy burdens that you yourself are not willing to carry. We Christians have done that time and again, both the fake Christians of the Medieval church and the sincere Christians of other times. We read the scriptures and come up with some legalistic thing that we tell people they should do, and then we don’t follow it. I see the Adventists do this with the health message. That whole eat fruit at the right times or it will ferment in your belly thing is an example. I need to be careful not to advocate behavior that I am not willing to incorporate into my own life.
The next prohibited action is focusing on outward show in religion. The Pharisees made their religious observation obvious, and Jesus condemned that. Now, I don’t think that this means not to be honest about our sincere desire to please God or to speak of our past actions for God. I think it means having an attitude of wanting applause from an audience for our service to God. However, I do get confused at times because I will share something and afterwards get a response of applause. Then I will wonder if I shared in a bragging way instead of in a pointing to God way.
The final prohibited action in this section is to want to be called master, instructor, and father. This denotes feeling superior to our fellow brothers in Christ. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses, and no one is better than the others. The most superior is the humble servant who sacrifices to help uplift his/her brothers and sisters. We are not to hold up someone as our infallible master/teacher. Neither should we cynically put down the leaders around us. Instead, we need to analyze what they tell us in light of God’s revelations and choose accordingly what actions to take. We are all on the same level of worthiness. It is only that we have different positions within the body. This prohibition does not mean that literally you cannot call someone a teacher or father. It means that the position of respect should only be to God. In that aspect, every person is equally positioned before God and to put someone between God and the individual is sin. My application for myself is that I must remain humble and not feel superior to others. It is only in humility that God can use me.
(Revelation of God / Prayer) Jesus was confident, yet humble. He knew His divine position as Teacher, Master, Father. He warned against letting anyone usurp that position from God. At the same time, He knew His position as Servant. He was not on a power trip. Instead, He was their to humble Himself in order to save those that were His students, servants, and children. I pray that You will guard me against hypocrisy and arrogance. Help me to serve with a willing heart and build others up. It is easy to judge and feel superior. Teach me instead to know and love.