“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 obey them and do everything they tell you.
But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 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.’” (Matthew 23:1-4)
Hypocritical teachers, that’s what the
Pharisees were. Jesus was willing to
call them hypocrites right to their faces.
He would do that several times before this chapter is finished. Yet, the hypocrisy of the teachers did not
invalidate what they taught. Jesus still
challenged the people to obey their teachers, not because of the quality of
their lives, but because of the truth of what they taught.
We still have hypocritical teachers
today. There have been all too many
times when American pastors of large churches have been accused of immorality
or embezzlement. The truth of the
charges has been evident. The church has
been faced with many such scandals over the years. Hypocritical teachers are not confined just
to the days of the Pharisees -- nor just among large churches.
It is tempting, then, to ignore everything
we’re taught by someone else. Who knows
whether or not that teacher will be revealed as a hypocrite someday. And, in truth, every teacher could be
revealed as a hypocrite at some level and in some area of life. There has never been a sinless and perfect
teacher, except Jesus!
But it is not the quality of the teacher that
makes what they say worthy to be followed, rather, it is the truth of the
message. If it is from the Word, the
message is true and should be followed, despite the inadequacy and failure of
the messenger.
Focus on the Divine Message, not the human
messenger.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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