In our world these days we hear a lot about FAKE NEWS indeed this week the Collins English Dictionary editors have included the definition of Fake news immortalised by President Trump in their updated dictionary. Having said all of that our Readings this weekend are all about fake leadership in the gospel for this Sunday Jesus warns against this kind of leadership. The atmosphere of hostility towards the religious leaders of Judaism is evident in this Gospel reading. The scribes and Pharisees are presented as bad examples of religious leadership, not to be followed by leaders of the Christian community. Jesus is presented as engaging in violent caricature, arousing the crowds to condemn the scribes and Pharisees. It is a tense and angry scene in which Jesus makes sweeping generalisations: “Everything they do is done to attract attention…”. Obviously, there were many scribes and Pharisees who were upright and extremely holy men. Matthew is warning against attitudes and practices which are not peculiar to any religious group. The scribes and Pharisees happen to serve as useful examples – especially since at the time of writing they represent the religious leadership opposed to Matthew’s church and the style of leadership Matthew is opposed to within his church.
Authority in any organisation, the Church included, is meant to be a gift. It is meant to be shown in loving service in support of others, not in domination and control. It’s just not good enough to make people simply comply and obey. People may do that on the outside, while on the inside they are seething with rage and resentment which always boils over. The challenge for all church people is to get others onside, to win their hearts and minds, to persuade and convince them that this or that is the right thing to do in the various situations of life. Again and again in his teaching Jesus insists that we must not dominate, lord it over, or oppress others! He teaches over and over that God invites, calls, attracts and charms, rather than controls, directs, and regulates! He teaches too that the greatest in any group are those who love and serve the others! Jesus challenges us along the way of humility because, whether we are mindful of it or not, as baptised Christians we represent Christ in the world of today. How we present ourselves is how we represent him. Jesus challenges those who believe in him because he has high expectations of us. Even though the Gospel for this Sunday is addressed to the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, it is also addressed to all of us who call ourselves disciples of the Lord.
We must be willing to put everything behind us that prevents us from living in the humble way that Jesus modelled for us. The true style of any Christian must reflect the style and life of Christ, the servant of God. Matthew is unambiguous about Christian leadership: if it is not humble service, it is fake. So today as we reflect on the various things that are so called Fake News let us remember that we are called to be the agents of the Good News of Jesus Christ where we are and not be afraid to pass the good news on.
Fullerton T 