“Do As I Say, Not As I Do”

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Jesus often described the Pharisees as “blind guides”, “hypocrites”, and “broods of vipers”.  Yet, in Matthew 23: 1-4, He tells His disciples to obey them.

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 obey them and do everything they tell you.  But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.  They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Why would Jesus tell His followers to obey the very same people He railed so heavily against?  Did the Pharisees have real authority passed down through the generations from Moses?

Sincerely,
Mixed Signals

Dear Mixed Signals,

The Pharisees were the teachers and preachers of Israel (that is what Jesus meant when He said they “sat in Moses’ seat”) – but they didn’t follow the law that they preached.  Jesus was telling His disciples that they should obey God’s laws… regardless of who is preaching them.

The Pharisees were blind guides (Matt 23:16) and hypocrites (Matt 23:13).  The only godly authority that the Pharisees had was when they taught from the Bible – Christ told His followers to disregard everything else they said and did.

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