Unimpressed

Matthew 23:1-7 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. Jesus gave the Pharisees a backhanded compliment: They speak the truth of God and are to be listened to, but... they do not practice what they preach. Jesus had issues with the Pharisees, but the biggest one was this: they were to be God's servants, but instead they wanted to be worshipped. they wanted people to be awed by their wisdom, impressed by their dress, and intimidated by their "holiness". Jesus was none of the above. May we not be impressed by the same, and may we not seek to impress others by it.