Master- Teacher- Father
We have been reading of Jesus’ attack on the religious leaders. He eliminated the Herodians with his teaching on taxation, He proved from the Torah, the Bible, that the Sadducees have no biblical basis for their point of view. Now he turns to the Pharisees.
The basic teaching is this. Do what they say, do not do what they do. They occupy the Chair of Moses, so they must be obeyed. They do not practice what they preach.
Everything is done to attract attention. Attention seeking actions like dress and places of honour and front seats in Church and being greeted obsequiously in the market squares are all condemned by Jesus. Jesus is the centre, not any human.
Then Jesus addresses his disciples. They must not be called Rabbi, since they have only one Master and they are all brothers.
You must call no one father or teacher or Rabbi. We must not replace Jesus as our teacher and Rabbi and Father. Paul himself talks about being father to his community in the following quote. “…for even though you might have 10000 slaves to look after you in Christ, you still have no more than one father and it was I who fathered you in Christ Jesus, by the gospel.” 1 Cor 4:15.
We are not the Rabbi or Teacher or Father. Jesus is the Rabbi, the Teacher and the Father.
“Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted”.
We have been reading of Jesus’ attack on the religious leaders. He eliminated the Herodians with his teaching on taxation, He proved from the Torah, the Bible, that the Sadducees have no biblical basis for their point of view. Now he turns to the Pharisees.
The basic teaching is this. Do what they say, do not do what they do. They occupy the Chair of Moses, so they must be obeyed. They do not practice what they preach.
Everything is done to attract attention. Attention seeking actions like dress and places of honour and front seats in Church and being greeted obsequiously in the market squares are all condemned by Jesus. Jesus is the centre, not any human.
Then Jesus addresses his disciples. They must not be called Rabbi, since they have only one Master and they are all brothers.
You must call no one father or teacher or Rabbi. We must not replace Jesus as our teacher and Rabbi and Father. Paul himself talks about being father to his community in the following quote. “…for even though you might have 10000 slaves to look after you in Christ, you still have no more than one father and it was I who fathered you in Christ Jesus, by the gospel.” 1 Cor 4:15.
We are not the Rabbi or Teacher or Father. Jesus is the Rabbi, the Teacher and the Father.
“Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted”.
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