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The Rev. Frank
Logue A Bunch of Hypocrites The reading for this morning always makes me nervous. Jesus warns against people who sound a lot like me. Notice Jesus’ words about someone who loves to have the best seat in the synagogue. As the one who sits in the only carved wood chair at the front of our church, that comment hits home. Then Jesus says these hypocrites like to be called “Rabbi” and goes on to warn against calling anyone “Father” except your Father in Heaven. Doesn’t this make “Father Frank” a hypocrite? Maybe. But at least Jesus says to do as I say do, even if you do not do as I do. To confront the issue of hypocrisy head on, I do think there is a reason why non-Christians refer to Christians as a bunch of hypocrites. They say this because we are hypocrites. Hopefully, not all the time or even intentionally. But a hypocrite is, after all, someone who says one thing and does another. Well, we Christians are want to say they we want to live as Jesus lived. We want to lead Christ-like lives. Then in our all too human ways we fall short of that lofty goal. So, of course, someone will occasionally cry foul and someone will be there say that we are living hypocritically. It happens. So, yes, I am a hypocrite. But I hope it is not because I sit in a seat of honor or because some folks who attend church here and the kids in the Preschool call me “Father Frank.” To better understand what is going on in this passage, I think it helps to know a bit more about the practices Jesus to which Jesus is referring. Then we can look back on his words to see how they may apply in practical ways to our own assembly. Jesus specifically targets the Pharisees and Scribes in his critique. The Pharisees taught how to follow the details of the 613 commands found in Moses’ Law. This is why Jesus would say that “They tie up heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on the shoulders of others.” And yet because they did not help others in the practical details of carrying out that Law in their daily lives, Jesus also said that the Pharisees and scribes would not “lift one finger to assist someone.” In particular, Jesus seemed most upset that they practiced their faith in such a way as to get others to notice them. For example, Jesus said that they made their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. A phylactery is a ritual object tied to one’s forehead and arm when praying Morning Prayer. Phylacteries come as a pair of small black boxes containing a parchment of scripture within them. The words of Exodus 13:3-10 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11-16 and 11:13-21 were written on the parchment, to follow the words of the scripture itself. For example, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Originally taken metaphorical, these passages came to be taken literally as Jews bound the Word of God to their foreheads and arms, just as they came to place a Mezuzah on the doorpost containing the same scripture. Both the Phylacteries, are typically called tephillin today, and the mezuzah are to be a daily reminder to put this scripture into action. In a course I took in seminary on Judaism, the Rabbi put on the tephillin in front of us saying the prayers as he went. Wrapping the straps around his hand in a pattern he created the letter shin on his hand, shin as in Shaddai, one of the names of God. As he made this pattern, the Rabbi prayed words from the Prophet Hosea, And I will betroth you to Me forever. I will betroth you to Me through righteousness and justice, through lovingkindness, mercy and faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord.
Today, Orthodox Jews still wear the prayer shawl daily to keep this command about having fringe on your clothes as a reminder to keep God’s commands. Though the only sin it still serves as a reminder not to commit is now adultery as the shawl is worn by the Orthodox as an undergarment day to day and only as an outer garment when taking part in prayer services. Historically women did not pray using phylacteries or wear a prayer shawl in prayer, though in contemporary times many Jewish women have added these practices to their prayer lives. I bring all this up to let you know that the tradition Jesus talks about is a living tradition in which many people find their connection to God strengthened. Jesus never taught not to wear phylacteries or to have fringe on your garments. And as Jesus Jewish opponents never publicly accuse Jesus of dropping these important forms of Jewish piety, we assume that Jesus routinely wore a prayer shawl and that he would have prayed using phylacteries at some points. Jesus specifically preaches against having a Holier-than-Thou attitude through literally wearing your faith on your sleeve. To make your phylacteries broad is to make sure everyone knows what a Holy Person you are. The same applies to fringe as long fringe was another way of showing yourself to be a Pious Person. Those who bought big honkin’ phylacteries and long-fringed prayer shawls were cultivating a lifestyle that cried out “Look how Holy I am! God asks me for advice.” So in this context Jesus also warned about taking seats of honor in the synagogue and taking on titles that put you in the place of God. This may be a bit of self-justification, so you are free not to but what I will say next. I grew up in the Church of God where everyone was bother or sister so in so. The idea of “Father Frank” was anathema in that tradition. Yet, the Apostle Paul referred to himself as spiritual father to those for whom he had care and there is this other tradition of referring to your spiritual leader as father, with the idea that they are a father, not The Father. I was uncomfortable with this when on my ordination I came to work here in Camden County. But following other traditions, kids started calling me Mister Frank and that did not seem right either. So after prayer, I realized that for me, “Father Frank” is acceptable as long as no one has to use that title and everyone is quite clear that Father Frank is not the Father as in the Trinity. I’ve never experienced anyone coming close to getting confused on that point, and have found it quite easy to be humble about having a lot of kids calling me father. And as I am charged with seeing that they are raised in the Christian faith, I find the use of the title consistent with Paul’s writings and Jesus’ teaching. The same goes with my fancy wooden chair up front. Sometimes referred to as the Bishop’s chair for it is the one our Bishop uses when he comes. The carvings even bear a resemblance to his hat, which is a pointed mitre. As an aside, we got that chair after I visited Bishop Louttit’s house. He and Jan use these chairs as dining room chairs. I told Jan I thought one would make a nice presider’s chair for King of Peace and she found me the catalog. So it’s not an antique, but a newly acquired dining room. The proper term is presider’s chair. We use it because it is good for the assembly to clearly know where the designated leader is sitting. Yes, it is a place of honor, but the honor does not belong to me. It is for whoever is leading the service for as long as they lead the service. When the Bishop or anyone else leads on a given Sunday, I move to another seat. More justification I know. But it also shows that the seat isn’t mine. It is not my place, but the presider’s place. I say this to show how we do need to think through our traditions when they seem to be at odds with Jesus’ teachings. What we really need to see is that though we don’t wear phylacteries big or small or fringe, long or short, what Jesus warns against can still be a problem for a bunch of hypocrites like us. Remember we are still the ones who say we want to live to be more and more like Jesus. So what can we learn? First we must note that Jesus did pray using phylacteries and did wear a shawl with fringe. So Jesus is not preaching against forms of piety, of having ways we show devotion to God. What Jesus is clearly preaching against is practicing your piety, which is personal, in a way intended to show others what a great Christian you are. A more up to date example, might be for Jesus to warn against carrying around a really big Bible. Jesus would certainly advocate regularly reading the Bible, but that would not justify waving around a big, ol’ Bible to show everyone what a great Christian you are. The problem would not be the Bible anymore than it was the seat of honor, the title of Rabbi, or the fringe on the shawl. The problem is an in-your-face holiness designed to convey to others that your real address is heaven and you just slum around here to do a favor to God. In contrast to that Jesus taught, “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” This is really just fair warning from Jesus. Wave the big Bible in someone’s face to tell them how far from God they are, and you will find yourself humbled and the person you got all red faced at may well be calling you a “hypocrite.” Or you could more humbly live out your faith by living the best way you know how, reading your Bible as you can, praying and trying put that scripture and life of prayer into practice. Then when God creates natural opportunities, you can speak of your faith and even bring the Bible into it. But that is a more humble approach and one that is more likely to be compelling to co-workers rather then repelling. Don’t put yourself ahead of others, as you are no better than they in God’s eyes anyway. Don’t chase after honors, for the sake of making yourself look big or important. In God’s eyes you are already important and the only way to place yourself ahead of others is by becoming their servant. If you want to become more Holy, to become more like Jesus, the path is through service. Look not only to your own needs, but also to the needs of others. This is what Jesus taught and lived and he calls us to follow in his path of service. Amen. |
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The prayer shawl, which is called a Tallit in
Hebrew, follows the command from Numbers 15:39 which called for fringe on the
corners of you garments to remind you to follow God’s teaching. Specifically,
when you see the fringe you are to remember to follow what God has taught,
“and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes.” The tzitzit or
fringe are knotted in a particular way to symbolically represent the number
613. Originally these fringe were on regular clothing. In time they were
attached only to the prayer shawl as people ceased to make their robes with
corners on which to tie the fringe. 
