Those who humble themselves shall be exalted
This week’s Gospel is a lesson on leadership. The Gospel writer has Jesus offering a very strong criticism of the religious leadership of His day as exemplified by the scribes and Pharisees. He accuses them of not practicing what they preach – a rather familiar criticism often leveled at politicians, teachers and church leaders in our own society today. When the criticism is used today it often implies that if the person fails to practice what they preach then what they have to say carries little weight. But rather than totally rejecting the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus cautions His listeners to take notice of what they have to say – as their teachings were always grounded in scripture and tradition – but not to follow their example of behaviour.
Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, we encounter criticisms of the scribes and Pharisees. This example is of the same nature: they were too caught up with rules and obligations and did not approach life with compassion and concern for the individual. The community for whom Matthew’s Gospel was intended was struggling with being both Jewish and Christian. They were coming to realise that to be followers of Jesus’ way they needed to cast aside some of the attitudes and behaviours of their Jewish tradition. That applied particularly to the model of leadership that they had inherited from Jesus: a model of leadership through service, not power and authority. This Gospel passage makes it very clear for that original community, as well as ourselves, that true leadership is provided through service to others and through humble action. Unlike the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, Christian leaders are called to do away with the trappings of power and prestige and, instead, be of service to those whom they would lead.
Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as the new law-giver, the new Moses. The five-part structure of the Gospel reflects the five books of law that make up the Torah. This week’s Gospel is the beginning of an extended passage of criticism against the Pharisees (all of Ch 23). The sustained criticism is about how the Pharisees have actually ‘got in the way’ and made it more difficult for people to come to know God. Jesus, as the new law-giver, tells the people to put aside the distractions of the Pharisees and to recognise that God alone is the source of what is right and wrong; that Christ is the only teacher.
The Christian model of leadership often flies in the face of societal concepts of leadership. Many of the models of leadership we witness in society focus on exerting power over others. People are praised for showing ‘strong’ leadership when they manipulate situations, bully less powerful people and bulldoze their way through others’ opinions. Whilst this model of leadership may have a certain effectiveness in the short term, there is certainly nothing ‘Christian’ about its operation and ultimately it forces a wedge between the leader and the led. Christian leadership focuses on empowering all parties and rather than power over others, it embraces power through and with others.
Jesus’ description of the Pharisees’ behaviour offers a stark contrast to his own way of bringing about the Kingdom of God. By their actions, the Pharisees place burdens on the shoulders of others – burdens of guilt, shame, duty and punishment. Throughout His ministry, Jesus acted to lift such burdens from the shoulders of the downtrodden and marginalised. Jesus accuses the Pharisees of being motivated by drawing attention to themselves – the way they dress, the way they like to be addressed, even where they sit in the synagogues. In contrast, Jesus’ ministry was typified by His humility and focus on others.
In his book The Name of God is Mercy, Pope Francis encourages us ‘to return’ to this chapter of Matthew’s Gospel in order ‘to understand what the Church is and what it should never be.’
Regarding what the Church should not be, the Pope offers the example of people who lose perspective and begin to see themselves as pure. They become obsessed with strict rules and complex regulations and have little humility, which leads to a lack of mercy towards others. Jesus characterised such people as attention-seekers who ‘do not practice what they preach’. They get trapped in a world of their own making, lost in their own self-righteousness. They try to project an image of holiness that everyone else seems to see straight through.
Jesus insists that humility is central to Christian discipleship, and Pope Francis does much to encourage it. By his clothing, his apartment, and most of all by his gestures, the Pope exerts his authority humbly. Whether washing the feet of prisoners or smiling when children wander up to him on the sanctuary, Pope Francis shows us how to be the message. His actions, as much as his words, remind us that we’re called to proclaim the Gospel by the way we live it.
Prayer from the Gospel Reading
Lord Jesus, fill us with your Holy Spirit and transform us into the Christ-like holiness you desire.
Teach us to be humble as you are humble and to love others generously with selfless service and kindness. Increase our zeal for your kingdom and set us free from the tyranny of selfish pride and self-concern. Instil in us, O God, your Holy desire to live for your greater glory.
Amen.
