Good morning…
After hosting in my home our Friday Bible study, I turned on my TV to watch the inauguration coverage. I caught the end of President Trump’s speech, followed by words from a rabbi and two ministers. In the thirty minutes of air time I witnessed, God’s name was spoken repeatedly. Then my mind drifted to this thought, “What would Jesus say if he stepped onto this stage, leaned into this microphone, and addressed this crowd?” I envisioned him repeating his speech from Matthew 23:1-12, recorded here in the New Living Translation.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.
“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’
“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Jesus’ invitation to all of us is clear: “Will you serve in humble obedience to God or will you exalt your self, putting on a show for people?” We are all designed to depend on our one Teacher, our one Father, our one Instructor, our one Messiah. The greatest among us will practice what we teach, serving God as we serve others. Any one of us who tries to exalt our self will be humbled, but if we humble our self in service to God, we will be esteemed.
In the crowd of humanity, all of us are equal as brothers and sisters. President Trump. Rabbi Marvin Hier. Rev. Franklin Graham. Bishop Wayne T. Jackson. You. Me. As equals, we are given the opportunity to answer Christ’s question, “Will you humbly serve, lifting your fingers to ease life’s burdens, or will you exalt your self, crushing people before you are humbled?”
“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,” (Matthew 23:11-12, MSG).
…Sue…
