Jesus had defeated the Jewish leaders in all their attempts to discredit Him. He had shown them to be unwilling to believe the Scriptures. Now He pulls back the curtain to expose what motivates them. Before leaving the temple for the last time, He reveals to the multitude and His disciples what keeps the Jewish leader from accepting Him as the Messiah.

His first words have perplexed me. “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do.” I have wondered whether He was serious or being facetious. I cannot imagine Jesus being facetious—it was not His style. But I have recently found out that Jesus was basically stating what was commonly believed. These teachers were considered to be just as inspired as Moses, and whatever they said was law. The teachings of these rabbis were later recorded in books such as the Talmud and Mishnah. A rabbi friend of mine recently told me that when an Orthodox Jew wants to understand prophecy, he first goes to the commentaries. They study the Scriptures only after they have first imbibed what the commentaries have to say.

To be sure, the rabbis have some good teachings. Many of the interpretations handed down in the “oral law” and recorded in the Talmud and Mishnah are valid interpretations of Scripture. But other teachings are confusing and contradictory. And it is virtually impossible to do everything they command. Because of this, they have left many loopholes in the law. They combine onerous restrictions with “loopholes” that contradict God’s law. (Compare Matthew 15:3-9.)

Jesus’ words show that He does not really believe that a person can do everything the scribes and Pharisees say. “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” We should obey the teachings that agree with Scripture, and reject what contradicts Scripture. (Isaiah 8:20.)

Jesus then enunciates the principle behind their teachings and actions: “Appear to be pious, without actually being pious.” To be fair, there are many Pharisees who actually desire to be pious. But the leaders who oppose Jesus are more concerned with appearances than with actual piety.

The Pharisees wore boxes containing portions of the law on their forehead. (See Deuteronomy 6:8.) But God was not really interested in them wearing boxes strapped to their foreheads and wrists. He wanted His law written in frontal lobe of their mind (the conscience) and affecting everything they do. (Compare Deuteronomy 6:6 with Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:25-27.) They had the law of God in boxes on their foreheads and their hands, but with their mind they decided to kill the Son of God, and with their hands they did it.

The second principle they lived by is “Get all the honor you can.” Jesus says, “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

Jesus taught that we should not seek the honor of men. We should not accept titles such as Father or Master. (Here He is not talking about the relationship between father and child in the family.) Many supposedly Christian churches regularly violate this teaching. The Catholic Church calls it leaders Father or Holy Father. Meanwhile, many Protestants call their leaders Reverend. These titles belong to God, not men.

The most qualified leaders are not those who seek the good titles and places of honor. The most qualified leaders are those who seek to emulate the humility and meekness of Jesus. Jesus slept on the ground. Jesus had no permanent home. Jesus did not put forward His title. In the end, Jesus taught in the temple unopposed not because He asked to be in charge, but because it was obvious to all that He had a message from God. The Jewish leaders were opposed to Him not because His teachings were wrong, but because they feared His way would remove them from their position of honor. They should have sought only the honor that comes from doing the will of God.

The point for me today: 1. I must carefully weigh what religious teachers say to determine whether it makes sense when compared with the Scriptures. 2. If I go about the work the God has given me to do, I need not worry about title. I can be happy taking the lowest title or position. God will exalt me when it suits His purposes.