Proper 26a | Following Jesus

lectionary readings for Proper 26a | Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37; Psalm 43; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12


|Collect|
Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your
faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant
that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly
promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for
ever. Amen.


|Gospel Reading|

Matthew 23:1-12 (NRSV)
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ²“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; ³therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. ⁴They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. ⁵They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.⁶They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. ⁸But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. ⁹And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. ¹⁰Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

|Gospel Commentary|
Jesus came not only as the perfect God-Man but also as a teacher, a rabbi.  In the 1st Century, Rabbis were respected teachers of Scripture and ethics.  There was an old saying about ‘walking in the dust of your rabbi.’  Disciples, the students of the Rabbis, were to ‘do as they do and say as they say.’  Jesus was called Rabbi not because of some degree he earned but because he was a man that demanded respect from his very presence.  So what Christ is telling us is to look at him as our example.
What does this mean to us today?
When I was younger the ‘WWJD’ bracelets were extremely popular.  Kids would wear them proudly but honestly, it never changed anybodies activities.  What was supposed to be a reminder of holiness turned into a fashion trend.  This is what Jesus is saying here.  The Jewish religious leaders that Jesus was addressing were making a show of what it meant to be God worshiper.  It wasn’t about God but about them.  They were taking things that were to humble oneself before God and using them to inspire jealousy among others.


This wasn’t the way God wanted them to live.  
This isn’t the way of the Torah or of the Living Torah, Jesus.

So Jesus tells the disciples to follow Him.  Imitate Him.  Become like Him.


And Jesus’ greatest example of this was how much he loved us by dying for us.  And sometimes that means we have to die to ourselves.  Jesus wants us to be baptized to come into Him.  Jesus wants us to love our neighbors that aren’t like us because that’s what he did.  Jesus wants us to speak truth but in love because that’s what He did.  So how can you live like Jesus this week in your school, family or around your friends?