The Greatest 11-5-23

The Greatest

Josh 3:7-17; Mt 23:1-12

Josh 3:7-17

The Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God.” Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.” When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.

Mt 23:1-12

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 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. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

Prayer – Everlasting Lord, you have called us to be your followers, to live our lives as servant leaders rather than seeking out places of honor where others may look up at and to us. Remind us once again that those who are humble, those who serve others gracefully and gratefully are truly the greatest – amen.

How do we measure greatness? In the sports world, this seems to be a constant topic of sports talk radio and cable sports programming. Ask anyone today, or this week, and they will certainly mention the name Corey Seagar as reflecting greatness. I remember at the turn of the century, ESPN had a list of the greatest sports players of the previous century. There were names on the list who were familiar by reputation if not observation like Ty Cobb, Jim Thorpe, and Joe Louis. Part of the interest and controversy of the list was that the comparisons were made across sports disciplines. The list also had nearly as many horses as it honored women who excelled in their respective sports like Wilma Rudolph and Bonnie Blair.

One of the most memorable remarks at the unveiling of this list was that there were athletes that were considered higher in rank on that list than they had been in comparison on a similar list generated at the half-century mark. Our perspective changes based on proximity. If that list were generated today, nearly a quarter of a century later, many names would drop off and there would be overrepresentation of modern athletes. Because these programs need content, they rarely address the critical issue: is measuring greatness a legitimate exercise?

The gospel reading is not the account of the disciples engaging in that debate. That happens earlier in a section that precedes the exchanges between Jesus and the religious leaders. In that instance, Jesus asserts that to attain greatness in the kingdom of God requires one to assume the posture of a child. The lesson of this week’s passage is consistent as a child would have held little stature or prominence in that culture even more than in contemporary society.

The stimuli raising Jesus’ concluding remark is his extended debate with the elders, Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes–in other words, those who held religious power. His argument is not with Jewish people, it’s with those who cloaked themselves in religious hyper-piety and hyper-righteousness in order to lord over others without their position and power. Jesus is done talking to them and directs his remarks to the assembled crowd who may be influenced by them. Jesus distinguishes between what they preach and how they behave – on whether they walk the talk. The distance between the two marks their hypocrisy. Unsaid but inferred is the tragedy of choosing the power, position, and privilege of this world rather than receiving the invitation and inclusion of the kingdom of God. These leaders did not start this way, and their descent into a false piety and righteousness serves as a cautionary tale:

The Pharisees were part of a “lay reform movement” within Judaism, and the scribes were leaders among them. Their good intention was to breathe new life into the practice of Judaism by extending into the life of the ordinary Jew the laws of purity usually reserved to the priests.” They attended to issues of cultic purity, tithing, and Sabbath observance. Their reforms “were intended to renew Jewish piety and to provide a stronger sense of Jewish identity in the face of incursions by Hellenistic culture.” Jesus shared the concerns of the Pharisees. He was closer to their thinking than to that of the Sadducees or the Essenes. However, he differed from Pharisees in his understanding of the relative importance of such things as ritual purity, tithing, Sabbath, and what he considered to be the “weightier matters of the law” (23:23). Anna Case-Winters

Those differences were made apparent in the confrontations explored in the preceding chapters of Matthew. Jesus clarifies the basis of the similarities by evoking Moses, who represents the Law. As he asserted earlier in his ministry, Jesus does not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. Faithful adherence to these guidelines for right living in relationship to God, neighbor, and self is not the problem but is commendable when done with humility and devotion. The religious leaders who have consistently challenged him have lost their way – they have focused more on following the Law rather than understanding that the Law is based on divine love and that servanthood is the best way to live out the Law. His words indict their behavior; it does not repudiate their religious tradition. Judaism is not the problem; after all, Jesus was a Jew. Hypocritical arrogance is the issue at hand – that is, not walking the talk.

Though none of the Jerusalem leadership “dared to ask him any more questions”, Jesus is not finished attacking them. Jesus uses this teaching moment to instruct his followers about the way they are to live their lives, as humble servant-leaders and servant-teachers.  They must not imitate the example they see before them in the scribes and Pharisees. In the notorious chapter 23, he curses the hypocritical religious leaders with seven woes, while differentiating the practices of the community of disciples. Three factors indicate that Jesus directs his attack not to all Israel but against its Jerusalem-based, Rome-allied leaders. First, the chapter continues conflict with Israel’s leaders evident since Jesus entered Jerusalem in chapter 21. He has tangled with “chief priests and scribes” (21:15), “chief priests and elders” (21:23), “the chief priests and Pharisees” (21:45), “Pharisees and Herodians” (22:15–16), Pharisees (22:34, 41), and Sadducees (22:23). This sequence parades Israel’s leaders in accord with Jesus’ passion predictions (16:21; 20:18–19). Second, this animosity is usually understood to reflect post-70, when Matthew’s gospel was recorded, reflecting conflicts with leaders in a synagogue to which Matthew’s Jesus-followers belong. Chapter 23 details their unfaithfulness, and distinguishes Matthew’s supporters from them. It does not claim God’s rejection of all Israel. Third, the chapter employs common polemical language to identify these leaders as opponents. Just as modern political rhetoric conventionally paints opponents and their policies as too expensive, too late, and too little, ancient polemic had a standard lexicon. It was common to attack enemy groups as snakes, blind persons, hypocrites, sexual and socioeconomic offenders, deceivers, and murderers. We are not reading objective discourse about “all Jews,” but polemic against specific enemies. Warren Carter

With this setting in mind, we understand a little better Jesus’ harsh words about such respected figures of the community.  Indeed, those teachers, these core members and leaders, are responsible for holding the people and their traditions together even as they suffer under one empire after another.  They are charged with helping the people to remember who they are, whose they are, and how to live lives faithful to God – in a sense, theirs is a pastoral role.

Jesus offers a different way of greatness rooted in humility. The way of the cross is servanthood, understanding that serving others with humility and grace reflects the depth and breadth of God’s love. The root of humility, and interestingly humiliation, is derived from the Latin word “humus”, meaning “earth, ground.” In humiliation, we are brought low. In humility, we choose to lower ourselves. The difference between the two would seem to be agency. And yet, for Jesus the cross was a choice to endure humiliation because of commitment to solidarity with humanity and the human condition even unto death. In fact, for the Son of God, birth is a submission to humiliation. Jesus, in his humility, submits to humiliation. The One who enjoys the ultimate position at the right hand of the throne is brought to the lowly status of a helpless infant through the birth canal. His birth would have been as jarring as his death with both water and blood breaking forth.

At the same time, the way of the incarnation and the cross is exaltation. As Jesus comes into the world, Matthew accounts for the visitation of the wise people who recognize the birth of royalty and greet him with tribute and gifts. In his death, the sign atop his cross identifies him as sovereign. It attempted to mock him yet revealed the truth of him. And as he breathes his last, the temple’s curtain breaks open, the earth shakes, and the centurion proclaims Jesus as the Son of God. At the lowest moment of his humanity, his divinity becomes apparent.

For the Christian church that has too often compromised and even conspired with empire, we are all too vulnerable to the hypocritical position of the religious leaders who so responded to the message and ministry of Jesus with animosity and antipathy. We become the ones who exploit those outside the closed circles of hyper-piety and hyper-righteousness of our own creation.

In other words, as we rush to expose and stamp out the hypocrites in our midst, we become the new wave of phonies. In our war against violence, at times we merely shed more blood. So based on Jesus’ words I have to critique myself on a regular basis. As I condemn hypocrisy, do I hunger and thirst for righteousness? Jesus came to restore all things; is that my passionate desire for everyone—even the hypocrites? As I confront distorted spirituality, do I confront it with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat? As I critique others, do I allow my God, Jesus, to critique me for my unhelpful attitudes and words? Matt Woodley

“The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (vv. 11-12) This is not just a promise from Jesus; it is his testimony and his teaching. Jesus reminds his disciples, then and now, that the way to the kingdom does not come through power, prestige and privilege; it’s the road of love, service, and humility – in other words, walking the talk. That’s what makes one the greatest – and may we all find that we are the greatest – thanks be to God – amen.