31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A 5th November 2023
Lectionary Readings: Micah 3 v5-12; Psalm 43; 1 Thessalonians 2 v9-13; Matthew 23 v1-12.
Hypocrisy.
In today’s gospel reading Jesus is talking about religious leaders who pay lip service to their own teaching and preaching. Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. So obey everything they teach you, but don’t do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.” (Matthew 23 v1-3).
Hypocrisy is also the subject of the prophet Micah’s rant against the religious leaders of his day.
Listen to my message, you rulers of Israel. You hate justice and twist the truth. You make cruelty and murder a way of life in Jerusalem. You leaders accept bribes for dishonest decisions. You priests and (false) prophets teach and preach but only for money. (Micah 3 v9-11).
In an age when illiteracy was the norm for the majority of people it was easy for unscrupulous religious leaders to turn their ability to read the scriptures to their own advantage. Twisting the Law of Moses to bolster their position within society and ensure a comfortable lifestyle for themselves and their families. Such leaders had lost sight of their calling to be the servants of the people.
The Psalmist said, “Send your light and truth to guide me.” (Psalm 43 v3a).
God did! Jesus told the crowds and his disciples that, “You only have one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters. Don’t call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven. None of you should be the leader. The Messiah is your only leader. Who ever is the greatest should be the servant of the others.” (Matthew 23 v8b-11).
In his letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul, is addressing the people of the church he founded. Paul is affirming their faith and his belief that the Holy Spirit gifted to them by God at their baptism is bearing fruit in their lives. We always thank God that you believed the message we preached. It came from him, and it isn’t something made up by humans. You accepted it as God’s message, and now he is working in you. (1 Thessalonians 2 v13).
The challenge to believers today is avoid the charge of hypocrisy by staying true to the teachings of Jesus. Ask yourself these questions, are my thoughts, words and actions worthy of my calling as a disciple of Jesus? Are they motived by love? Are they guided by his indwelling Spirit?
Hymn writer Graham Kendrick, wrote this hymn in praise of our Servant King.
(Singing the Faith 272 v1, 4 and chorus).
From heaven you came, helpless babe, entered our world, your glory veiled,
not to be served but to serve, and give your life that we might live.
This is our God, the servant King, he calls us now to follow him,
to bring our lives as a daily offering of worship to the Servant King.
So let us learn how to serve and in our lives enthrone him,
each other’s needs to prefer, for it is Christ we’re serving.
This is our God, the servant King, he calls us now to follow him,
to bring our lives as a daily offering of worship to the Servant King.
Bible quotations are taken from the Contemporary English Version.