The chair of Moses
Published Mar 15, 2022 12:05 am
REFLECTIONS TODAY
Jesus uses the phrase “the chair of Moses” to signify the place of authority that the scribes and the Pharisees have in interpreting the Law. The allusion is not to the chairs in which the Sanhedrin sit in trying and determining cases, but to those on which “doctors of the Law” expound the Law. In the synagogue service, the “rabbis” would stand when they read the Law and the Prophets and would sit down when they preached to the people, explaining what Moses “meant” for the hearers. The word in Greek is kathedra, and today the cathedral seat symbolizes the authority of the Bishop over his flock.
Jesus does not question the authority of the scribes and the Pharisees to teach and he acknowledges the binding force of their teaching. But he warns the people on following the example of these teachers who are arrogant in their exercise of authority. Moreover, they are hypocrites, teaching one thing and doing another.
FIRST READING • Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Hear the word of the Lord, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah!
Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.
Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; but if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken!
Gospel • MATTHEW 23:1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2022,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
Jesus uses the phrase “the chair of Moses” to signify the place of authority that the scribes and the Pharisees have in interpreting the Law. The allusion is not to the chairs in which the Sanhedrin sit in trying and determining cases, but to those on which “doctors of the Law” expound the Law. In the synagogue service, the “rabbis” would stand when they read the Law and the Prophets and would sit down when they preached to the people, explaining what Moses “meant” for the hearers. The word in Greek is kathedra, and today the cathedral seat symbolizes the authority of the Bishop over his flock.
Jesus does not question the authority of the scribes and the Pharisees to teach and he acknowledges the binding force of their teaching. But he warns the people on following the example of these teachers who are arrogant in their exercise of authority. Moreover, they are hypocrites, teaching one thing and doing another.
FIRST READING • Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Hear the word of the Lord, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah!
Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.
Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; but if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken!
Gospel • MATTHEW 23:1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2022,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.