“But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.
“But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:5-12).
The Pharisees, in their arrogance, believed they were better than others. We discussed this in an earlier lesson when Jesus exposed those “who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt” (Luke 18:9) by comparing the prayers of a Pharisee and a tax collector (Luke 18:10-14). The Pharisees had this elevated estimation of themselves and they wanted others to see it as well. In order to receive this recognition, they did three things:
- They broadened their phylacteries – These phylacteries were small cases that would contain pieces of parchment with passages of Scripture written on them. This practice was based upon a command in the Law of Moses: “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead” (Deuteronomy 6:8). However, this was meant to be a personal reminder of the law. The Pharisees made these more prominent because they wanted everyone to notice.
- They sought the places of honor and the chief seats – These were places of prominence in public settings – both social and spiritual gatherings. One would expect to see those of importance in these places of honor and the Pharisees wanted to be seen in such places.
- They loved being called by special titles – This was to distinguish them from the “regular” people and elevate them to a status that rivaled God.
We need to be more concerned with the praise of God than the praise of men. Paul wrote, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). In the end, what others think of us does not matter. As Paul said, “But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court…but the one who examines me is the Lord” (1 Corinthians 4:3-4). Since the Lord will judge us in the end, the most important thing for us to do is to live in such a way that we will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21, ESV).
Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). It is important that we engage in good works. Furthermore, those works will often be visible to others. Yet our goal should be to draw attention to God rather than to ourselves.
So who are the real Pharisees today? They are not the ones who are diligently seeking to please God. Instead, they are those who do what they do in order to receive the praise of men.
