Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:1-12)

In order to understand and apply this passage, we must take note of the surrounding chapters. Jesus utters these words during the few days in Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion. 

In the previous two chapters we see the authority and teaching of Jesus challenged several times by the religious powers of that time (21:23, 22:15-17, 22:23-28, 22:34-36). In response to the question in Matthew 21:23, Jesus told three parables which dealt with challenges to those in authority (Father/Son, landowner/tenants, king/subjects). 

After our key passage for the day the remainder of Chapter 23 consists of seven “woes” that Jesus places upon the religious leaders in Jerusalem who have challenged Him (23:13, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29). He condemns those leaders for being blind guides and hypocrites, accuses them of being clean on the outside but filthy on the inside, and cites them for rejecting the prophets. 

In the middle of these two sections Jesus pauses to speak with “the crowds and his disciples,” sharing the counterintuitive principle for today, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12) (The rest of chapters 21-23 was directed at the religious leaders.)

Throughout these three chapters (21-23) we see the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes seeking to exalt themselves over Jesus. When Jesus stops to speak to his followers he points out two dangers in their behavior. 

First, they do not practice what they preach. They are very willing to place oppressive requirements on their followers but not follow these requirements themselves. They give the impression that observance of these rules is the pathway to being loved and accepted by God. As a result, people come to see God as a tyrannical judge looking for reasons to condemn people.

Unfortunately, this is the impression that many people have of God and Christianity today. Outsiders to Christianity view it as a litany of rules to be followed in order to gain the favor of God and the leaders of the Church. Such an oppressive system turns them away from the Gospel. This is the exact opposite of the true message of Christianity that the Most High God already loves us more than they can imagine. Instead of requiring strict obedience to a heavy load of requirements, He has done the work to make us acceptable and heal our relationship with Him. 

Even many believers do not have a firm grasp on this truth. They live in fear of not pleasing God and feel the need to “obey the rules” to be pleasing to God and the Church. We need to realize that the Christian life is a life of freedom from the burden of carrying the heavy load of religion. Instead, it is life of joyous friendship with a loving God which leads to honoring Him through our submission to His guidance.

The second danger is that when they did practice what they preached they did it only to be noticed by people. Obedience to God was not from the heart but for show. Jesus teaches about such hypocrisy many times in his ministry. (Mark 12:38-44, Matthew 6:1-5) In Luke 18:9-14 where Jesus tells a parable of a Pharisee who compares himself to the “evildoers” around him and says “God, I thank you that I am not like other people.” 

Attitudes like this Pharisee are exactly what turns many people away from the Church. They see Christian leaders who condemn the evil of the world and preach about all the rules of Christianity, but then observe those leaders not loving others, or even following the rules they place on others. What a shame that these examples lead people away from Jesus!

Rather than condemning the actions of others, God wants us to be like the tax collector in the parable in Luke 18:13 who says, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

In other words, we humble ourselves before God and those around us. The best way to do this is to live as a servant to others. (Matthew 23:11) Philippians 2:3-4 calls us to, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

The people who put this passage into practice are often not the well-known pastors and leaders who appear on everyone’s podcast or write the books. They are the humble servants who quietly go about meeting the needs of others, serving the less fortunate, and witnessing one-on-one with their neighbors, friends and co-workers. Thank God that the Church is full of people like this even though we are not often aware of the ways they serve and love others. God will exalt these humble servants at the proper time!

Contrast Jesus’s and Solomon’s attitude toward self-promotion: “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12) “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2) What makes this truth counterintuitive in the WORKPLACE?

What makes this truth counterintuitive in politics?

What makes this type of humility foundational for Christ’s “Kingdom of priests on the earth”? (Revelation 5:10)