Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted

Matthew 23:1-12

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.

Everything they do is done for people to see:  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."

Jesus launches into a scathing attack on Israel's legalistic, but much respected religious leaders. The man who cared so deeply and had such patience with ordinary people - even the wicked, the weak-willed, and the stupid - could not stomach the religious sham, the self-righteous pride, the hair-splitting pedantry he saw in these Pharisees and scribes. Do as they say, he tells the crowd and his followers, but not as they do.

Why?

Most people in the world like to be the Pharisees for they have higher respective in the world, they always like to show their love action to honor their names.

Jesus taught his disciples and the crowds who followed him, what they should do after Jesus left them.

There is one Teacher, one Father, one Instructor, Messiah, we are all brothers, so we have to love each other. Be humble ourselves and this is the regulation to be a Christian.

This is a comparison between this world and the Christian life. So we are not welcome in this world. 

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要遵行他們所講的，但是不要效法他們所行的。他們說的與做的不同。

他們的身份是在教導人的身份，但是都是做表面。不要因為他們人有問題，而拒絕他所講的。我們先容易接受一個人，於是他所教導的認為完全都是對的。反之，如果有人我們不喜歡，他所教導的我們常常完全否認。人常常是能說不能行，例如大學教授，聖經熟的人，很會講道的人，很受歡迎。稱呼耶穌為拉比，不是稱呼父。只有上帝是我們天上的父。為何人喜歡坐高位，被稱讚?人一直容易落入行為主義，做了一些事情，應該有功勞。有人看到才有功勞，沒有人看到就沒有功勞。我們以為我們多做一點可以幫助神，所以我們要多得一點功勞。我們所做的只是回應神對我們的愛。

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How?

Be humble, love others for we have one  Instructor, the Messiah, and one Father in heaven.