Scripture - Matt. 23:7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’ 8“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Observation - Jesus was instructing his disciples about their conduct, while using the improper conduct of the Pharisees as a teaching tool. One of the huge shortcomings of these religious leaders were their unquenchable thirst for position, especially as it related to the greater visibility of their spirituality. Not only did they love their position, they loved to be addressed by the title of their position, and no doubt demanded it. They loved for others to hear them addressed by their title, as this established greater resepect amongst those who overheard. Jesus following comments are to dismantle this erroneous motive of the heart. Jesus instructed them to stay away from the title rabbi, and even father. Interestingly, he goes on to instruct them to stay away from the title teacher. Of course, we know that the position of teacher is legitimate because it is mentioned as one of the five-fold ministry positions within the church. Jesus named these titles because of their misuse in that cultural setting. The specific issue of our time is not necessarily the title, but the abuse of any title and/or position.
Application - while it is an honor to serve, and certainly an honor to hold position amongst people, especially within the Church of Jesus Christ, I think our attitude toward positions needs to be similar to Jesus and his position while on earth. I respect that Jesus didn't announce to anyone who he actually was. I love that once they figured it out, he told them not to tell anyone. I especially love that wether or not people knew, he still fulfilled the responsibilities of that position.
I was at a camp meeting almost 20 years ago and we had a special musical guest singing/preaching in these outdoor/pavilion services. Her entourage arrived 20 minutes after the service began with two white Cadillac's (renatals which she demanded as part of her contract) which completely distracted the 500 people attempting to worship at this semi-outdoor venue. The pomp with which she entered the room, and later ministered with was very similar to her arrival. She especially loved to use the term "prophetess" when speaking of herself, and loved to be addressed with the same. I could go on about her "it's all about me" narcissistic approach to ministry, but I'll leave it at that. She had a modern day Pharisee approach to her position.
Here is the real problem - people who become "that big" eclipse Jesus!
Prayer - Lord, help me to serve, and serve humbly, to make you famous. In any success, may I decrease so that you may increase.
