Matthew 23:1-12 Part Three (Verse 3b-Integrity)

Matthew 23:3b…but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.

Integrity is not only the way one thinks but even more the way one acts. Simply put, integrity is doing what you said you would do. It is as basic as keeping your word, fulfilling your promise… Ted Engstrom, Integrity

We continue on in our discussion of the Scribes and Pharisees and how their example should influence the way that we look at those that lead us. Yesterday we talked about the responsibility that we have to know God’s word so that we can identify when we are being led astray. Today we’ll talk about the character of those that deliver the message.

Christ tells us to do what the leaders say as long as they are true to God’s word but to not model their life if they are not God’s man. It is the example of the life lived that really shows us if someone is a true leader, that’s how you can tell if someone is really God’s man. What kind of person are they when they are out of the spotlight? Do they hold to the same truths that they espouse from the pulpit or do their actions fly in the face of what they say?

Look with me at Matthew 21:12-15:

12Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” 14Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant

I know the focus of this verse is the driving of the money changers and vendors but look a liitle closer. Who came into the temple once it had been cleared - the blind and the lame. Why is that significant? Did these people suddenly appear out of the vapor? Nope – they were there, right there outside of the temple hoping someone would show them compassion. In my opinion, those coming to worship in the temple that day had literally stepped over those that needed God the most.

They knew what the greatest commandment was didn’t they? They knew that the greatest command was to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and all your strength. They also knew what the second greatest command was to love your neighbor as yourself. Who was outside of the temple? The sick, the poor and the blind and they were not being ministered to. What were the religious elite doing? They were stepping over these people to go to worship weren’t they? Its as if there were someone laying on the steps of our church in obvious need and we looked down and said “Oh poor soul, I wonder what the offertory reading is going to be today?” and we just walked on by.

What should the Scribes and Pharisees have been doing? They should have ministered to those people that were lying outside of the temple. They were instead more concerned with being seen inside. They were more concerned what people thought about them. They had no compassion and no integrity. Contrast that with what Jesus did. He cleansed the temple and then ministered to those that were seeking God.
The Pharisees revealed their hearts by their actions, no matter what words they had to say. Look at what Jesus says about them in Matthew 23:27

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

Jesus says look at you. You look beautiful from the outside, beautiful like a mausoleum. It’s pretty, its white, its ornate, there’s cherubim and angels and all kinds of things printed on these things. But you know what’s inside of them. Death, decay, destruction. He says that’s the way that you are. You look good on the outside, you’re very pretty. You’re very spiritual looking on the outside. But inside, you’re dead. You got nothing. They lacked integrity.

Let me share a thought with you here. Remember the account of the woman caught in adultery? A group of Pharisees bring her to Jesus and ask Him what should be done? Jesus agrees with their condemnation of her and asks the one of them without sin to cast the first stone. We know how the story ends, right? Jesus doodles in the dirt and one by one the men walk away and Jesus sends the woman away with a command to sin no more. I heard a preacher a few years ago posit an interesting thought about one of the men in the crowd. He felt that the man who was caught in the act of adultery was in the crowd also standing there with a rock. How would you catch somebody in adultery in the middle of the day? Are you going along peeking in windows? Remember – the goal of the Pharisees was to discredit Jesus, if they can catch Him in a trap they can have Him removed. It’s not too far out of the realm of imagination to think that perhaps one of the religious elite that wanted Jesus to be removed “took one for the team” as it were and committed this adulterous act.
They did not know who God was. They did not have any integrity. They were only concerned about themselves. So what do we do with that truth? How can we apply that to ourselves today?

Aren’t all of us, as Christians, teachers of the Word? Isn’t the Word supposed to be in our mouth at all times and aren’t we supposed to be ready to share it with those around us? All of us may not be called to step into the title of teacher but all of us are called to teach.

The admonishment here for us is for us to be the same all the time. Are we the same person we are in the church building as we are on a Tuesday night when it’s just us and hammer and a nail doing whatever it is we’re doing? Do we have integrity? Are we real in our relationship with God, or are we just real good at playing the part of being a Christian. It’s real easy to play the part on Sunday for a couple of hours. We can all clean up real nice and dress real pretty and come to church can’t we? We can shake each other’s hand and we can bow our heads and pray and either mouth or sing the songs and we can put some money in the plate. We can get real good at playing the part for a couple of hours can’t we?

But when we leave this place what kind of person are we? Are we Christians all the time?

Please take some time to reflect upon your relationship with God today – is it real? Are you the same all the time?

Pray for me, pray for each other, pray that we will all be broken in our pride and will turn from our hypocrisy and toward the Christ.

Grace and peace to you all…