Matthew 23:1-12

¹ Then Jesus told the crowds and his disciples,

² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat,

³ so practice and obey whatever they tell you- but not what they do. Because they preach right, but do not practice.

⁴ They bind up heavy loads, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move those loads with their finger.

⁵ They do all their works to be seen by others. Because they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,

⁶ and they passionately seek after the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues

⁷ and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

⁸ But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.

⁹ And do not call any man your father on the land, because you have one Father, who is in the sky.

¹⁰ Don’t be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.

¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant.

¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

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hypocritical workaholics

Jesus condemned the religious elite of his day for being hard-working fakes. They worked hard at making it hard to obey God, but did not obey God themselves. All of their exertion was a means of exalting themselves.

Those of us in spiritual leadership and who have access to people to influence them should examine ourselves and our actions regularly. Everything we say and do should be scrutinized to make sure that we are not falling into that trap. If pride is entangling us, it will destroy our ministries, and damage our spiritual lives.

It is OK to work hard. In fact, hard work can be a way of keeping ourselves spiritually fit for ministry. But we have to be careful about the nature of our work, and keep it balanced. Taking short breaks for reflection and assessment is a good prescription for continuing spiritual health. Building a team of co-workers who can keep us accountable and share the load is also a good idea. It is a good reminder that we are all brothers and sisters. We have only one Father, and he created us all equal in his sight.

LORD, thank you for the check in our zeal to produce. May our passion to serve you not turn us into hypocritical workaholics.