Thomas J Parlette
“A Wake-Up Call”
Matt. 23: 1-12
11/05/23
If you’re involved in the leadership of the church in any way, whether it be as a pastor, church staff, elder, deacon or committee member – it’s hard not to squirm a bit upon hearing Jesus’ words today from Matthew 23. They are a wake-up call in no uncertain terms.
In the previous chapters, Jesus has been engaged with a series of debates with the religious officials – the Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees. Whenever we hear those groups mentioned, we immediately think – “Oh, the bad guys!” But in reality, these religious officials were the faithful, devout, church-going people of their day. They were not the priests, working in the Temple, they were the teachers of the Law. They are actually very much like us. It’s tempting to hear Jesus’ words as applying to someone else. But that is not Jesus’ intent. Notice that right there in verse 1, Jesus addresses the crowd, but also his own disciples. This wake-up call is meant for us, as well as the Pharisees and the scribes.
Jesus starts out by acknowledging that the Pharisees and scribes are legitimate, they have authority – as they sit on Moses’ seat. Think of Moses’ seat as you would the endowed position at a major university. For instance, one of the authors we’ve studied during our Lenten study is Amy Jill-Levine – she occupies the Mary Jane Werthan chair as Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Moses’ seat was similar – those who sat in the seat had authority to teach and explain the meaning of God’s law. Jesus acknowledges this and says “do whatever they teach you.” BUT – and it’s a big BUT – do NOT do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
We’ve all been in that situation. You say one thing, but end up doing another. Anybody who has kids has probably been caught in that trap. You forget to use a turn signal when changing lanes, go a bit over the speed limit or coast through a stop sign, and a voice comes from the back seat – “Dad, I thought you said to always come to full stop at a stop sign.” Yes, yes, I know. Do what I say, not as I do. It happens to all of us.
History is littered with examples of people whose actions do not match their words, in good ways and bad. The starkest contrast might come the time of the Crusades. As described in John Mann’s book from 2017, Saladin: The Sultan Who Vanquished the Crusades and Built an Islamic Empire, during the First Crusade from 1095 – 1099, the Christian knights who sought to free the Holy Land from the infidels did not at particularly Christlike.
On July 15th, 1099, the months long siege of Jerusalem ended when the Crusaders, led by Godfrey of Buoillon, breached the defenses. Once they were in the city, the men who bore the sign of Christ on their breast plates mercilessly slaughtered all the inhabitants – men, women and children, Muslims and Jews. Eyewitness accounts tell of streets running with the blood of the dead. Even at a time of brutal warfare, the atrocities committed by the Crusaders drew criticism.
Fast forward 90 years, and Saladin, the great Fatimid general, defeated the Crusaders in the Battle of Hattin in 1187. Saladin then moved on to take Jerusalem and, after a short siege, entered the city. The Christian inhabitants of Jerusalem were terrified; they remembered what the Crusaders had done in 1099 and thought that Saladin would take his revenge.
However, Saladin was merciful. He granted amnesty to the Christians and set a low ransom price, which enabled the residents to leave the city. For those who were too poor to pay, Saladin forgave the ransom or paid it himself, much to his advisor’s chagrin. The Jews, who had been banished by the Christians, were invited to return to Jerusalem. Saladin did not even destroy the Crusader churches; instead, he repurposed them. Anyone who has been to Jerusalem and stood under the medieval arches of the Church of St. Anne has witnessed the work of Saladin. Though largely forgotten in the Muslim world until the 20th century, Saladin was hailed as the epitome of chivalry in medieval Europe and celebrated for his bravery, his wisdom, and his generosity. (1)
Both the Crusaders and the Muslims talked a good game when it came to following God’s laws and showing mercy, but actually practiced what they taught. The Christian faith is more than a set of words or ideas – it is a way of acting in the world. That is the wake-up call Jesus is talking about here. Yes, listen to the teachers, but do not do what they do, because they do not practice what they teach.
After a long list of examples of the kind of selfish activities that he’s taking about, Jesus offers up the real kicker – “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
There is a fine French restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio, called EDWINS. The place is known for its duck confit and rabbit pie, but it is not just the food that is extraordinary. Brandon Chrostowski is the owner and head chef; he is also a convicted drug dealer. Chrostowski discovered for himself how difficult it is to get a job when you have a criminal conviction. Many employers simply reject any applicant with a record. So Chrostowski decided to open a restaurant that would serve more than food. He wanted to open a restaurant that would also serve his fellow ex-convicts. The mission of EDWINS is to give formerly incarcerated adults a foundation in the culinary and hospitality industry, while providing a support network necessary for their long-term success. Thus, EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute was born.
Chrostowski struggled to get financial support for his venture. Many foundations thought his business model was too risky; turning convicted criminals into chefs and waiters seemed like a recipe for disaster. After years of rejection, Chrostowski finally cobbled together enough money to launch the Institute, and it has been a wild success. Since 2013, hundreds of people have graduated from the EDWINS program. They have a 97 percent employment rate and a 1 percent recidivism rate. The Institute has won dozens of awards and has been hailed as a new model for social entrepreneurship, but the statistics and awards don’t tell the whole story.
The story of EDWINS was turned into a short documentary called Knife Skills, which was nominated for an academy award in 2017. The film follows a group of students from the first day of class to graduation. At first, the students tell depressing tales of poverty, incarceration and rejection – but by the end of the course, they have a sense of accomplishment, pride and hope. The final scene in the graduation ceremony, and one man leans in to Chrostowski and says, “Thanks for believing in us.”
At first, no one wanted to invest in EDWINS, and now it is hard to get a table on a Friday night. Chrostowski doesn’t claim to be a Christian, but it’s hard to deny that he is displaying the kind of humble servant leadership that Jesus talks about. He often says, “Everyone has a past, and everyone deserves a future” – sounds a lot like grace to me. (2)
As we gather around the table on this All Saints Sunday, we are not alone. A great cloud of witnesses joins us, witnesses that tried to live life in humble servant leadership. Let us strive to follow their example – for the greatest among us will be a servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
May God be praised. Amen.
1. Shawnthea Monroe, Connections, Year A, Volume 3, Westminster John Knox Press, 2020, p 351.
2. Ibid… p 370-371.
