Shorter tassels, please

But they do their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. Matthew 23:5

Gotta love Google. A phylactery. I finally looked it up because the thought of wearing a box on your head seemed a little odd. And granted, it does look that way. Look it up. Sort of like a unicorn with a square box instead of a long horn. But I digress.

It is the day after Easter here. The day after a lot of people show up for church that never go any other time of the year. Those who attend regularly raise an eyebrow to this type of church attendance, but it is the people who Jesus describes in this verse that may make the idea of going regularly unappealing. Most people don't have as much of a problem with God as they do with His people. And these are the show-offs. They keep the law to the letter (all except the part about loving), they memorize verses and quote them with glee, not to edify the body, but to show off and brag of their “time in the Word.” They dress only in suits and ties, or in this case, in tassel-adorned robes. Yes, tassels were called for in scripture, as were the phylacteries. Well, sort of. They were told to write the law and bind it to their foreheads and tie it to their arms. I sort of think God meant to put it into their minds, and act them out in their actions, but they took it literally. They made boxes to store scripture in and tied them on. So now we have guys that think that size matters, and they make their boxes bigger than the norm, probably to indicate that they treasure the law more than the next guy. There may not be anything in them at all, but, by George, we have to look good. We have to make our religion show outwardly by building a better verse-holder. And the tassels...well, the longer, the better. See how we love the law!?! We are wearing the longest tassels we can make or afford. We are religious, dog gone it! How else are you going to figure that out when we walk the streets? How else are we going to have you respect us as we go about our daily business? How else will you grovel at our feet and think we have some great revelation from God?

Jesus was not fooled by their head/arm boxes (both if you were super religious)/ He knew their hearts. He knew that they did not keep the law. Oh, they may not have knelt to other gods, but they didn't kneel to their own God, either, in their hearts. They kept the law to prove their own goodness, not to honor God's. They were self-righteous, and nothing turns off God or others more than a good, self-righteous person. They are obnoxious. They are pompous. And they are far from the heart of God.

Here Jesus tells them to not look for the respect of men in church, but to serve. Not to have people call you Teacher or some other title, but to be brothers to one another. This is about not exalting yourself, but exalting God first, and others over yourself. Any pastor or teacher who is not willing to clean the toilets in the church (given the time and opportunity, which many do not have) should not be trusted. He is considering himself above the congregation he is serving.

This is not to say that we are not to honor those God does put in leadership over us. Quite the contrary. But it is pretty obvious on tv or in some churches you visit to see pastors who are just that – caretakers of the flock, and then there are those out for their own fame and fortune. The first are to be honored for their tender mercy and hard work among the sheep, those who wander and those who need guidance. The second should be avoided and ignored. They may get their recognition in this life, but the life to come may be a little more interesting. Jesus puts this in the context of us vs. them. Jesus, the greatest religious teacher ever, walked with the people, talked to the people, touched the everyday personal lives of those around him. He was as common as dirt. And the Pharisees dressed up, put on airs, and made sure everyone knew they were temple people that just happened to come out and check on this rebel speaker once in a while to catch Him saying something wrong. They had studied the Torah, but He lived it. They had training in spiritual matters, but He communicated the Spirit of God to everyone around Him. They made up little laws to expand on God's laws so that only they could keep up with the standards, burdening the people with so many details and never demonstrating in truth how they could be attained. Jesus said to do what they said, but not as they did. Obey the law in humble heart, submissive to God, and not man, but don't make a show of it. It is not for man that we obey God. It is not for approval and self-aggrandizement that the law was given, but to turn men's hearts to repentance and refocus on Who and what matters.

So if you don't wear the law on your body, it's ok, as long as you wear it in your heart. And that is the place where everyone WILL see it. When you wear the Word, it will be beautiful and men will see your godliness, with no tassels necessary.