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Do As I Say and Not as I Do!
a sermon based on Matthew 23:1-12
by Rev. Elizabeth Ann Quick

I've not yet experienced what it is like to be a parent, but I can tell you, from a child's perspective, that there's not much greater joy than when you can catch your parent doing something they've been telling you not to do. All along, your parent tries to teach you something, like to always tell the truth, or to stay away from alcohol, or to always clean up messes, or to be a responsible driver. And then, you catch them in the act - of going 80 on the thruway (in this I speak from personal experience), or of telling a white lie. And you know, as a child, you've got them right where you want them - your parents aren't even doing themselves what they've insisted you do! From a parents' perspective of course, the situation is a nightmare, and the best a parent can usually come up with is to remind the child: Do as I say, and not as I do! After all, parents know better, and in their wisdom, may have some good reasons, though mysterious and unknown to children, for their behavior. In reality, though, parents hopefully more often choose to lead by example. The best way to teach someone and convince someone of what is right is by living these behaviors ourselves. In the church, we call this "practicing what we preach" and we call failure to practice what we teach hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy is one of the topics Jesus frequently addressed in his teachings, and he was most likely to bring up the topic when he was talking to or about the religious leaders in the community - the Pharisees. The Pharisees were scholars of the law, or the commandments. They interpreted the commandments in the scriptures to see how they should be applied in everyday life. For example, if the scriptures say we should keep the Sabbath holy, the Pharisees would debate and discuss exactly what this meant - exactly what is prohibited and what is allowable to do on the Sabbath? The Pharisees sought to follow God's commandments, just as we today seek to interpret how the Bible guides us in our daily living, and in their study of the law, counted over six hundred commandments that should be followed for faithful living.

But Jesus accused the Pharisees of missing the mark, and losing the message in their quest for obedience to the law. He warns the crowds against them - he tell them, "the scribes and Pharisees are in the line of Moses, and know the commandments, so listen to them, and follow as they teach, but don't do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. Jesus then continues on to accuse the scribes and Pharisees of several faults in his words to the crowds. He accuses them of not practicing their own teachings. He accuses them of laying burdens onto others that are hard to bear, without offering to "lift a finger" to help ease the load. He accuses them of making a show of their faith. He says that they "make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. Phylacteries were boxes that were tied to the arm and forehead that contained words of scripture in them, and fringes were part of a garment worn by Jewish men. The long fringes and phylacteries would be worn not by common people, but by the Pharisees, as a show of their devotion. Jesus insisted that it was actually a show of pride in their own piety. And Jesus accuses the Pharisees of being obsessed with titles and positions and places of honor.

Jesus criticizes the Pharisees not for seeking to follow the commandments. Jesus himself said that he came to fulfill the law, not abolish the law, and so he urges us to follow the commandments as the Pharisees teach. But Jesus criticizes them for taking what is meant as a gift or a tool for our discipleship - God's commandments for our living - and turning them into something that is a weighty burden, or a point of pride that separates and elevates some of us above and beyond others. (1) Where does our obedience to God's commandments come from? From a sense of duty, or from a heart full of desire to love and follow God? When does our following of the commandments separate us from following God?

Jesus wanted the Pharisees to close the gap between their words and their actions. And it is not only the religious leaders that need this reminder. We must remember that Jesus had the most criticism for those who were inside the religious community - people like you and me who would consider ourselves generally obedient to the commandments. I think that we, like the Pharisees, make our own mental lists of commandments that are important to follow and interpretations of what God's commandments mean for us - I know I do it myself. Perhaps we do not have as many as the Pharisee's 600+, but I think that each of us has an idea of what we consider the essentials - the core beliefs you must have to be a Christian, or the core practices you must follow, or, perhaps more likely, the core list of things you can't do or believe and still count yourself as a Christian. What's on our lists? Perhaps it goes without saying to have things like murder on our list. Maybe we can put the ten commandments in general on our list, as long as we don't get too specific or worried about honoring the Sabbath, or coveting the things that others have. Maybe our list includes prohibitions against sex outside of marriage, or gambling, or drinking. And we can probably make a case for everything on our list, and find a verse in the Bible that tells us what we are and aren't supposed to do.

Be careful, Jesus says. Are we tying up heavy burdens on others? Are we, with our requirements for faithful living, making it impossible for others to live up to our standards? Are we proud of ourselves, and proud of our community of faith, and convinced that we live pretty good lives, not doing anything too bad, and in our confidence, do we make others feel overwhelmed with what it would take to become a disciple? In all their obedience, and all their efforts, even with the scriptures literally tied to them, the Pharisees still didn't practice what they preached. In the phylacteries, the words that Jesus calls the greatest commandment are printed: "Love the Lord you God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength." And Jesus taught that our love of God is best expressed in loving one another. Perhaps the burden of trying to follow these two commandment, follow them thoroughly, consistently, and frequently - perhaps that is enough of a burden for all of us to bear.

Thankfully, there is one teacher we know we can trust - in Jesus, we find one whose words and actions always match, who always practiced what he preached, and who promised to give us an easy burden that we could bear to carry, comforted in the arms of God's grace. So let us be content to be students of the law of love. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

Amen.

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(1) see Kari Jo Verhulst, "Living the Word,"