Hypocrites in religious groups are nothing new. For that matter hypocrites in any human organization or relationship are nothing new.
This weeks New Testament passage, again, takes place during Holy Week. There have been a series of increasingly tense exchanges between Jesus and the religious elites. But now, Jesus and the religious elites have finished talking to each other. Jesus shifts his attention to the crowds and the disciples and has some stern words about hypocrisy in leadership .1
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’s 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 other, 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 brothers and sisters. 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. Matthew 23:1-12 NRSVue
This text is deeply culturally and religiously specific. And it continues to be relevant across time, religion, and culture. Jesus called out leaders who “do not practice what they teach”. They wanted to stand out and be revered. They wanted all the perks of leadership and the social privileges it brought.
This, of course, happens today also. There are too many examples to mention of religious leaders seeking wealth and power. Religious leaders who make strict demands on their followers, particularly women followers. Religious leaders who are more concerned about their social media empire than living lives committed to the poor and marginalized. We don’t need to belabor this point.
Jesus’ way of leadership is completely different. As we have read Matthew’s gospel we have seen Jesus’ strange way of leading over and over again. Once again Jesus teaches that, “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
After warning about the dangers of elites who abuse their position, Jesus also has a word for the rest of us. He is again talking about a non hierarchical way of relationships. One teacher, one Father, one instructor – the Messiah. Don’t elevate yourself over others. And don’t let others elevate themselves over you. No hierarchy.
I don’t think Jesus means that no one should be a teacher or a leader. But I think he is saying to be careful how and to whom we give authority and power. The ability and the skills to teach or to lead do not make someone better than anyone else. We all have different abilities and skills. Mine are not better than yours. Yours are not better than mine. They are different and we each have contributions to make to our community. This is power used together. It is shared power not power over others.
Jesus is calling leaders and teachers to examine their motives. Are you teaching and leading to be honored? Or to be powerful because you love being powerful? Or are you using the gifts and abilities you have for the good of the community?
Jesus is also challenging the rest of us to not carelessly give power and leadership away. A person’s position or job does not make them better or more valuable than anyone else. The Bible consistently teaches, from the early chapters of Genesis on, that all people are created in God’s image. It teachers that all people have equal value and worth. The Bible consistently and persistently teaches that we are responsible to and for each other. We are responsible for our neighbor and everyone is our neighbor.
In Jesus’ time there was not a clear separation between religious and political leadership. And so Jesus’ words do not apply only to religious situations. There are political implications in his teaching as well.
As I write this in the United States on Oct 30, 2026, we are four days away from an unusually important mid term election. I have been thinking recently about the relationship between being a Christian and being a citizen. Power and how it is used is something we ought to think about. For Christians, Jesus has a lot to say about power and how it is used.
Because we have a representative form of government, (and we live in a large and complex society) we elect people to make laws and to make administrative decisions on our behalf. We give them authority that is limited by elections and by statutes. The authority and power is temporary. People have it, by our consent, and at some point we give that power and authority to others.
As you think about what it means to be a Christian and a citizen, I encourage you to think about the power you and I have and how we use it. Think about who we give elected power to and how they will use the power we give them.
Think about how Jesus models and talks about power and our responsibility to each other. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
- As always we need to take care not to impose an anti semitic interpretation on this passage. Jesus was a Jew and his criticism is aimed at people – the religious leadership- in his own faith tradition. This is not a repudiation of his faith. It is a call to greater faithfulness for fellow believers. ↩︎
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