November 5, 2023
St. Andrew Church
Rev. Anne McAnelly
First Lesson: Micah 3:5-12
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against those who put nothing into their mouths. 6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without revelation. The sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them; 7 the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God. 8 But as for me, I am filled with power, with the spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. 9 Hear this, you rulers of the house of Jacob and chiefs of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity, 10 who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wrong! 11 Its rulers give judgment for a bribe, its priests teach for a price, its prophets give oracles for money; yet they lean upon the Lord and say, “Surely the Lord is with us! No harm shall come upon us.” 12 Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.
Second Lesson: Matthew 23:1-12
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They 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. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
Before I read our gospel lesson there is a word you might not know, phylacteries. Phylacteries are small black leather cube-shaped cases containing Old Testament texts to remind the wearer of God’s law and commands. These Torah texts are written on parchment which is rolled up within the phylacteries. Jewish males wear them on the forehead, the arm or the hand. They are worn as a reminder of God and of the obligation to keep the Law during daily life. The name phylactery is derived from a Greek word meaning amulet. Listen now for God’s word Matthew 23:1-12
The phylacteries and fringes worn by the Pharisees got me thinking about how we wear our faith. Is it something we put on when it suits us. Is it what we put on every Sunday morning? Or is it like our undergarments, something we wear every day even when the rest of our clothing changes. How do you wear your faith? (Is it an amulet that is adorned on occasion, only to spend most of its life in the box? If you take off your faith is that a form of hypocrisy?)
Jesus notes the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. Not their religious practice per se. Instead, he is highly critical of their misplaced focus upon human accolades. It is their motivation to be seen and gamer respect that Jesus takes issue with. Here is how The Message, a contemporary translation, recounts our passage. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.” I would say they wear their faith with hypocrisy. The Message continues about the Pharisees, “They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.”‘ Ouchf They wanted all the attention from their position, rather than living the faith their position was to reflect. Jesus warns about titles like “rabbi” and “instructor.”
“Someone once wrote Ann Landers a letter asking if a person who receives an honorary doctoral degree should use it publicly. She said, yes. He should make it known and put the title before his name. Everyone should be expected to call him Doctor. All the rights and privileges therein should be enjoined. He should frame the degree and put it on the wall. And at the end of the day put it in a drawer and never take it out again. My friends …
It is ok to be called teacher if you are a teacher in deed.
It is ok to be called father if you are a father in deed.
It is ok to be called doctor if you are a doctor in deed.
It is ok to be called mother if you are a mother in deed.
For it is not the title but the deed that makes it so” (Sermons.com, Brett Blair).
The Pharisees would have done well to abide by Ms. Landers.
The Pharisees wore their faith with hypocrisy. But Micah reminds us we can wear our faith without justice too. Reading about the house of Israel who built Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wrong, I could only think about what is happening to the Palestinians right now. This week I was on a call with Mosaic of Peace colleagues hearing from people in the region. As of Tuesday, Palestine had over 8,000 deaths in response to the 1,400 killed in the terrorist attacks on Oct. 7th. That day our tour guide from Bethlehem shared that 400 people were killed in Israel’s bombing of the refugee camp. That same camp has been bombed again. Israel blames those deaths on Hamas.
But there is no justice there. Not allowing fuel, food and supplies into Gaza is just another way for Israel to kill Palestinians. Yet everything I hear on the news is Israel saying like was said by Micah “Surely the Lord is with us! No harm shall come upon us” (11 ). But that was not how it played out during Micah’s time, when they would soon go into exile. I wonder what will happen now. Remember Micah is the prophet who declared what God requires, “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (6:8). I wish there was more justice now for the Palestinians. When Jesus says, “you have one instructor, the Messiah” he is reminding us that Jesus is a teacher par excellence because he interprets God’s law demanding God’s justice and mercy. When you wear your faith, is justice part of your attire? We can wear our faith with hypocrisy. We can wear our faith without justice.· But Jesus invites us to wear our faith with humility!
There are many things that humble me. I am humbled in the presence of the starry firmament.
I am humbled in the presence of a skilled musician.
I am humbled by an act of love that seeks nothing in return. I am humbled at the birth of a newborn child.
I am humbled by the knowledge of a great teacher.
What is humility? A dictionary will tell you it means: Not proud or arrogant. Low in rank, or importance, or position. Jesus told us, “The greatest among you will be your servants” (11). A servant’s heart is a foundation piece in our wardrobe of faith. An amulet we always wear as we seek to be the Christians Jesus calls us to be. We don’t exalt ourselves. We don’t brag about what service we do. We don’t think we are better than other Christians. We don’t seek to hold power and then finagle to keep that power. We wear our faith with humility. We serve with humility. Returning to The Message translation, “Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty” (11-12).
“In the Kingdom of God (faith) is marked by servanthood. If you want to rid your life of hypocrisy, if you want to foster justice, find a place to serve. A servant’s word will carry far more weight in the end than the word of a great teacher who does not follow through.
The American Poet Edgar A. Guest wrote:
I’d rather see a sermon than hear one, any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way;
The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear.
Fine counsel is confusing, but examples always clear,
And the best of all preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs” (Sermons.com, Brett Blair).
When we wear our faith with humility, we put our faith into action.
And I can think of no greater example than when the Lord of the universe, on the night he took the bread and broke it, took a servant’s apron, tied it upon his waste, knelt before the disciples and washed their feet. That was the incarnation of full humility. As he invited his disciples to table that last time, so Jesus invites us to his table now. He invites us to be fed by his love, his grace, his forgiveness, and his humility. He asks that we wear our faith without hypocrisy, wear our faith with justice and wear it with humility! Amen.
