Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus teaches about knowledge and actions
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5"Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'
8"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Jesus teaches us what the teachers of the law and Pharisees "said" was good...However we are not to do what they do...He says we must obey them and do everything they tell one to do, but they do not practice what they preach...
So the knowledge they learned from the Scriptures was good, but the teachers and Pharisees did not practice it in their everyday lives...Sometimes men want to give out rules and then not follow them and not help others to follow them...Sometimes, we forget and want other men to look up at us (at what we have or what we know) instead of us looking up to God...One might ask did these men want to serve, or want to be served???...
Jesus tells us we have only one Master...Jesus tells us that we have one Father...Jesus tells us that we have one teacher, the Messiah...
The teachers and Pharisees were not servants of the people and were not humble...Jesus tells us that we are to live humbled lives...And if we live humbled lives, on our judgment day we will be exalted...