Matthew 23:1-12
23Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach. 4They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,* and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi. 8But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.* 9And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.* 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
What impacted me today from this passage was the importance of humility. That is a safe way of saying something about this passage, but reality shows that if we find ourselves in positions of authority, the temptation to exalt ourselves is always present. It is intoxicating to be at the front of things and have people notice you and have people come for your advice. They give you the place of honour at banquets and the best seats - but it is not a gift. It is a temptation to overcome - so said Henri Nouwen in In the name of Jesus.
Humility is something that I saw practiced by my father. He was aware of who he was and most of the time, of his limitations. He cared deeply for my mother, and now that he is gone, today I remember him and his example. He worked in a plywood factory, he was an assistant foreman at the end of his career. I like to think he was known as someone who was good to work for.
Humility means to not look down on someone else but to see all as part of God's creation. Immediately some will assert that equality means to fight for one's rights, for one's position, and that may be true for those who are oppressed, but if someone who already has authority begins fighting for their rights to have that authority, it just ends up putting other people down or keeping them down. All you can do in leadership is to try and create space to be who creator made us to be. Leadership is about humility, not about exalting ourselves.
My daughter, Catherine, shared with me that it struck her that her Grandpa (my dad) had lived a great life, not because he tried to change the world but because he cared about people. People came to celebrate his life because he was loved by most who knew him. He wasn't a political force, or someone who was trying to change the world, but he was a wonderful human being. I like to think that in this way he did change the world and now he is being exalted in the presence of Christ. This day I purpose to live out the legacy handed on by my father.
