Honesty & Humility in Faith
When Our Lives Reflect the Faith We Proclaim
Scripture: Matthew 23:1–12
There is often a difference between knowing what is right and actually living according to it. We may understand the importance of honesty, compassion, generosity and humility, yet find ourselves struggling to practise these values consistently. We can speak convincingly about our faith, share meaningful Scripture passages and encourage others to follow Christ, while sometimes discovering that our own actions do not reflect the beliefs we proclaim.
This tension between what we say and what we do is not new. It has been part of religious life for centuries, and it lies at the heart of one of Jesus' strongest confrontations with the religious leaders of His time.
In Matthew 23:1–12, Jesus challenges the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, exposing the difference between their religious teachings and the way they conduct themselves. His criticism reaches beyond individual acts of hypocrisy to confront a deeper problem: religious authority had become a means of gaining recognition, honour and status rather than an opportunity to serve God and His people.
Yet Jesus' words are not simply a historical criticism of religious leaders. They confront everyone who claims to follow Him, challenging us to examine the relationship between our faith, our motivations and our everyday behaviour.
Are we living the faith we proclaim, or have we become more concerned with appearing faithful than actually following Christ?
When Faith Becomes a Performance
To understand the seriousness of Jesus' words, we need to consider where Matthew 23 fits into the Gospel's account of His ministry.
In Matthew 21, Jesus enters Jerusalem, welcomed by crowds as He rides into the city on a donkey. Over the following chapters, various groups of religious leaders repeatedly confront Him with questions intended to challenge His authority and undermine His teaching. These encounters become increasingly tense until Jesus turns His attention toward the conduct of the religious leaders themselves.
What follows in Matthew 23 is one of Jesus' most forceful speeches. He openly criticises the hypocrisy, pride and spiritual failures of those responsible for teaching God's people.
His opening words are especially interesting. Jesus acknowledges that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees occupy Moses' seat, referring to their responsibility to teach the Law of Moses. In the religious practices of the time, teachers would often sit while explaining Scripture, making the image of Moses' seat closely associated with the authority to teach God's instructions.
Jesus does not simply dismiss everything these leaders teach. He recognises the importance of the Law and instructs His listeners to take seriously the teaching that faithfully reflects what Moses had given.
His concern is that the leaders themselves are not living according to those teachings.
"They do not practice what they preach." — Matthew 23:3
In their desire to protect the Law, religious leaders had developed additional rules and expectations intended to guide people toward obedience. Yet these requirements could become overwhelming, placing heavy burdens upon ordinary believers.
What particularly concerns Jesus is that those imposing these burdens are unwilling to help others carry them.
Their approach to spiritual leadership had become one of demanding obedience without demonstrating the compassion, humility and practical support that should accompany it.
This reveals an important distinction between authentic faith and religious performance.
Genuine faith seeks to bring our lives into alignment with God's will. Religious performance, by contrast, can become more concerned with how others perceive us than with whether we are actually living faithfully.
Jesus illustrates this problem through the religious symbols and practices of His time.
He refers to phylacteries, small containers holding passages of Scripture that were worn during prayer, as well as the tassels attached to religious garments. These practices were rooted in the biblical tradition and served as visible reminders of God's instructions.
Such symbols were not inherently problematic. They could help believers remember their relationship with God and their responsibility to live according to His Word.
We use similar reminders in Christian life today. A cross displayed in a home may remind us of Christ's sacrifice, while other Christian symbols can direct our thoughts toward God's presence and promises.
The difficulty arises when the symbol becomes more important than the faith it is intended to represent.
Jesus criticises religious leaders who enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels to attract attention, presenting themselves as particularly devoted and worthy of admiration.
What should have reminded them of God's instructions had become a means of displaying their own importance.
The same desire for recognition appeared in their preference for prominent seats at religious gatherings, places of honour at banquets and respectful greetings in public. Their concern was no longer simply to teach and serve, but to be seen and acknowledged as important religious figures.
Their spiritual identity had become closely connected to public recognition.
This is the danger Jesus exposes: when the appearance of faith becomes more important than the practice of faith, religion begins to lose its purpose.
Leadership That Points Beyond Itself
Jesus' challenge becomes even more direct when He addresses the titles and positions of honour that religious leaders sought.
He reminds His disciples that they have one Teacher, one Father in heaven and one Instructor, the Messiah.
At first glance, His instructions against calling someone rabbi, father or instructor may seem to prohibit these titles entirely. Yet elsewhere in the New Testament, we encounter references to teachers, spiritual fathers and those entrusted with leadership responsibilities within the Church.
The central concern is therefore not merely the use of a particular title. It is the attitude toward authority that those titles can represent.
Jesus is challenging a religious hierarchy in which some individuals begin to regard themselves as spiritually superior to others.
Within the Christian community, there may be different responsibilities, callings and spiritual gifts, but these do not make one believer fundamentally more important than another.
The Church belongs to Christ, and He remains its ultimate Teacher and Head.
This places a significant responsibility upon those called to leadership.
Pastors, ministers, elders and other leaders are entrusted with opportunities to teach, guide and encourage God's people. Yet their authority is not intended to draw attention toward themselves. Its purpose is to help others grow in their relationship with God.
A healthy spiritual leader therefore continually directs people beyond themselves and toward Christ.
This raises an uncomfortable but necessary question for anyone serving in ministry: Am I helping people see Jesus more clearly, or am I becoming an obstacle through my own desire for recognition?
It is possible for religious leadership to become so focused on influence, reputation and authority that the leader begins occupying the very space that should belong to God.
A congregation may become more concerned with the personality of its pastor than with the teachings of Christ. Members may feel pressured to demonstrate loyalty to a particular individual rather than being encouraged to develop their own mature relationship with God.
Jesus challenges this understanding of leadership.
The Church is not intended to become a religious hierarchy in which people compete for status or importance. It is a community of brothers and sisters who belong to the same Father and follow the same Lord.
Those entrusted with leadership responsibilities should therefore approach their calling with humility, recognising that the gifts they have received are opportunities to serve rather than reasons to consider themselves superior.
This is particularly important when young adults begin looking for new spiritual homes after graduating, moving to another city or entering a different season of life.
Choosing a congregation involves more than evaluating its music, programmes or preaching style. It also means paying attention to the character of its leadership.
Do the leaders practise what they teach? Are they willing to serve others, including in ways that bring little public recognition? Do they encourage people to grow in their relationship with Christ, or does the community seem to revolve around the status and personality of its leaders?
These questions matter because the example set by spiritual leaders shapes the communities they serve.
A leader who values humility and service creates space for others to grow. A leader who continually seeks recognition may unintentionally teach the congregation to pursue the same things.
The Greatness of Servanthood
Jesus concludes this section of His teaching with a statement that challenges ordinary human assumptions about importance and success:
"The greatest among you will be your servant." — Matthew 23:11
Today, Christians may be familiar with the language of servant leadership. We hear it in churches, leadership workshops and discussions about organisational culture.
Yet within the social world of Jesus' time, servanthood was not something most people aspired to.
A servant occupied a position of relatively low social standing. Those regarded as important expected to be served by others, while those considered less important were expected to provide that service.
Jesus reverses this understanding of greatness.
Rather than encouraging His followers to pursue positions of honour, He teaches that true greatness is found in the willingness to serve others.
This was not merely an instruction Jesus gave. It was something He demonstrated through His own life.
In John 13, Jesus washes His disciples' feet, taking upon Himself a task normally associated with servants. Peter initially objects because the action seems entirely inappropriate for someone he recognises as his Teacher and Lord.
Yet Jesus insists upon serving them, revealing a different understanding of authority.
The One who holds true authority does not regard service as beneath Him. Instead, He demonstrates that love expresses itself through a willingness to meet the needs of others.
This provides the foundation for Christian leadership and discipleship.
Service is not simply an additional activity that committed Christians might choose to undertake. It belongs to the very character of following Christ.
A life shaped by His example seeks opportunities to support, encourage and care for others, even when those actions do not bring attention or recognition.
Jesus then adds another important principle:
"For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." — Matthew 23:12
The relationship between pride and humility appears throughout Scripture, but Jesus gives it a particularly practical expression through servanthood.
Greatness in God's kingdom is not achieved by placing ourselves above others. It is found in the willingness to humble ourselves and serve.
Humility Is Not Thinking Less of Yourself
Humility is one of those Christian virtues that we frequently speak about but do not always understand correctly.
We sometimes imagine that being humble means thinking poorly of ourselves, minimising our abilities or refusing to acknowledge our own worth.
But this is not the humility Jesus calls us toward.
As people created in God's image, we possess dignity and value. We have been given abilities, opportunities and gifts that can be developed and used for good.
Recognising these things is not arrogance.
A person can be confident in their abilities, appreciate their achievements and maintain a healthy sense of self-worth while remaining genuinely humble.
The difference lies in what they do with that confidence.
A helpful way of understanding humility is that it involves thinking about ourselves less, rather than thinking less of ourselves.
A humble person does not need to be the centre of every conversation or the most important person in every room. Their sense of worth is not constantly dependent upon the attention and approval of others.
Because they are secure in who they are, they are able to direct their attention toward the needs and experiences of people around them.
This does not mean abandoning personal ambition or pretending that our gifts do not matter. Instead, it means recognising that our abilities can become opportunities to contribute to the lives of others.
Someone who is talented in music can use that gift to support congregational worship without needing every performance to become an opportunity for personal recognition.
A person with leadership abilities can help others develop their own gifts rather than attempting to control every decision.
Someone with knowledge or experience can share what they have learned without making others feel inferior.
Humility allows us to recognise our worth while refusing to treat that worth as a reason to place ourselves above other people.
It gives us the freedom to step out of the spotlight and allow love for our neighbours to become practical.
This is particularly relevant in a society where personal image and recognition have become central to so much of everyday life.
We are often encouraged to build personal brands, demonstrate success and make ourselves visible. Social media allows us to present carefully selected aspects of our lives to an audience that can respond with approval, admiration or criticism.
These environments can make it increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine self-expression and the desire to be constantly noticed.
Jesus' teaching invites us to reconsider what we are pursuing.
Are we comfortable enough in our identity as people created and loved by God that we can serve others without needing to receive the credit?
Does Our Online Faith Reflect Our Everyday Lives?
The religious symbols Jesus addresses in Matthew 23 may seem unfamiliar to modern Christians, but the underlying temptation remains remarkably relevant.
Today, our expressions of faith often look different.
We may wear Christian clothing, display crosses, share Bible verses on WhatsApp or post encouraging messages about Jesus on Instagram and TikTok.
These expressions can be meaningful. They may encourage others, create opportunities for conversations about faith and remind us of the values we seek to live by.
There is nothing inherently wrong with them.
Yet the question Jesus raises remains the same: Why are we doing these things, and do our lives reflect what we proclaim?
It is possible to fill our social media profiles with Christian content while treating people poorly in everyday life. We may share messages about forgiveness while refusing to acknowledge the harm we have caused someone. We may speak publicly about generosity while remaining unwilling to assist those in need.
We may present ourselves as deeply spiritual while privately becoming more concerned with how others perceive our faith than with whether we are actually growing in our relationship with God.
This is the modern equivalent of turning religious symbols into displays of status.
The concern is not the use of symbols or public expressions of belief. Rather, it is the possibility that we have allowed those expressions to replace the obedience, compassion and humility they are supposed to represent.
A Bible verse in a social media biography does not automatically make someone compassionate.
Wearing Christian clothing does not guarantee that we treat others with dignity.
And spending significant time at church does not necessarily mean that our everyday relationships reflect the love of Christ.
These things may be good expressions of faith, but they cannot become substitutes for actually living according to what Jesus teaches.
This invites us into an honest examination of our motivations.
When we share something about our faith, are we hoping that it encourages someone or points them toward God? Or are we primarily concerned with appearing spiritually impressive?
When we serve at church, are we motivated by love for God and His people? Or do we become frustrated when our contribution goes unnoticed?
When we give, volunteer or participate in ministry activities, are we willing to do so without public recognition?
These are not questions intended to discourage visible expressions of Christianity. Instead, they help us ensure that our public expressions and private conduct remain connected.
The goal is not to hide our faith.
The goal is to live so authentically that our actions give credibility to the faith we proclaim.
Building a Community Where Everyone Can Serve
Jesus' teaching also challenges us to consider the kind of Christian communities we are building.
A congregation can easily become a place where people compare their spiritual maturity, leadership positions or involvement in ministry. Certain individuals may be regarded as more important because they preach, lead worship, hold office or have been part of the congregation for many years.
But Jesus presents a different vision of the Church.
He reminds His disciples that they are brothers and sisters who share one Father and follow one Teacher.
This does not eliminate the need for leadership or different responsibilities. Rather, it places those responsibilities within a community where every person possesses dignity and where every gift has value.
The Holy Spirit has given gifts to the whole Church, not merely to those who stand at the front.
That means learning and growth should not move in only one direction, from a pastor or leader toward everyone else.
A pastor can learn from the members of the congregation. A young believer may offer an insight that challenges someone with many years of experience. A volunteer serving quietly behind the scenes may demonstrate a depth of compassion from which the entire community can learn.
A healthy congregation creates space for these gifts to be recognised and shared.
It does not require everyone to possess the same abilities or fulfil the same responsibilities. Rather, it values the different ways people contribute to the life and mission of the Church.
This understanding should shape how we treat one another.
Instead of competing to appear more spiritually mature, we can encourage one another's growth. Rather than seeking positions of importance, we can ask how our abilities might contribute to the wellbeing of the community.
Leadership becomes an opportunity to develop others, while fellowship becomes a space in which people can learn, grow and support one another.
Such a community does not need to revolve around a particular personality or position of authority because its identity rests in Christ.
He remains the head of the Church.
And everyone else, regardless of their role, is called to follow His example of humble service.
For Kopanong, this offers a particularly meaningful expression of our commitment to Faith, Fellowship and Service.
Faith should be authentic, extending beyond what we say into the way we live.
Fellowship should recognise the equal dignity of those who belong to Christ, creating relationships rooted in mutual care rather than spiritual competition.
And service should provide opportunities for every person to use their gifts for the benefit of others rather than personal recognition.
These are not three disconnected aspects of congregational life. They belong together as expressions of the same relationship with Jesus.
The Teacher Who Helps Us Carry the Burden
Matthew 23 is a challenging passage because it leaves very little room for comfortable self-justification.
Those entrusted with leadership must examine whether they are genuinely serving others or becoming preoccupied with their own importance. Every believer must consider whether their public expressions of faith are reflected in their everyday behaviour.
And every congregation must ask whether it is forming a community of humble servants or creating an environment where people compete for status and recognition.
These questions can be uncomfortable, especially when we recognise aspects of ourselves in the attitudes Jesus criticises.
But the passage should not leave us feeling that authentic discipleship depends entirely upon our ability to transform ourselves.
The Gospel offers something far more hopeful.
Jesus does not merely condemn the failures of religious leaders. He demonstrates a completely different way of living.
Throughout His ministry, His words and actions remain inseparable. He teaches love and demonstrates compassion. He speaks of humility and willingly serves others. He calls people toward faithfulness and models a life of prayer, obedience and dependence upon the Father.
He lives what He teaches.
And perhaps the most beautiful contrast comes when we place Matthew 23 alongside Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11:28–30.
In Matthew 23, Jesus criticises religious leaders who place heavy burdens upon others without being willing to help them carry those burdens.
Yet in Matthew 11, Jesus offers a very different invitation:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." — Matthew 11:28
Jesus describes Himself as gentle and humble in heart. He invites people to learn from Him and promises that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
Where the religious leaders demanded obedience without offering support, Jesus invites His followers into a relationship in which He guides and helps them.
He is not a distant teacher who merely hands us a collection of instructions and leaves us to fulfil them alone.
He walks with us.
Through His Spirit, He continues shaping our lives, helping us develop the humility, compassion and faithfulness He calls us to demonstrate.
This does not mean that following Christ will never be difficult or require sacrifice. Rather, it means that we are not left to pursue the Christian life through our own strength alone.
The One who calls us to serve is Himself our example of service.
The One who teaches humility is gentle and humble in heart.
And the One who challenges us to bring our words and actions together is willing to guide us as we learn to do exactly that.
A Faith That Can Be Seen in How We Live
Ultimately, the challenge of Matthew 23 is not that Christians should avoid all public expressions of faith, leadership responsibilities or recognition.
The challenge is that none of these things should become more important than faithfully following Christ.
Religious symbols should remind us of God's presence and instructions rather than become opportunities for self-promotion.
Leadership should help others grow in their relationship with God rather than draw attention toward the leader.
And Christian communities should become places where humility, mutual learning and practical service are more important than titles, status or spiritual superiority.
This kind of faith requires honesty.
We must be willing to recognise the gap that sometimes exists between what we proclaim and how we live. We need the humility to acknowledge our failures, learn from others and allow Christ to continue shaping our character.
Yet it also requires confidence in the grace of God.
We do not need to diminish our worth or pretend that our gifts are insignificant. We can recognise that we have been created in God's image and entrusted with abilities that can contribute meaningfully to the lives of those around us.
The difference is that we no longer need to make ourselves the centre of everything.
We are free to serve without constantly seeking recognition.
We are free to learn without needing to appear as though we have all the answers.
We are free to lead without treating leadership as evidence that we are more important than those we serve.
And we are free to express our faith publicly while continually ensuring that our everyday actions reflect the message we share.
As we reflect on Jesus' words, perhaps the most important questions we can ask ourselves are these:
Does the way I live reflect the faith I proclaim?
Am I helping others see Christ, or am I becoming more concerned with being seen myself?
Do I use my gifts and opportunities to serve others, or primarily to gain recognition?
Am I contributing to a community where people can grow together in faith, humility and love?
These questions invite us into an ongoing journey of discipleship rather than a moment of religious self-examination.
And throughout that journey, we are accompanied by the One who has already shown us what authentic humility and faithful service look like.
Jesus Christ does not simply tell us to practise what we preach.
He invites us to follow Him as He demonstrates the way.
May our faith be more than something we proclaim. May it become visible through lives of honesty, humility and service, continually pointing others toward Christ rather than ourselves.
Amen.
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