Bible reading: James 3:1-2, 13-18.

My friends, not many of you should become teachers. As you know, we teachers will be judged with greater strictness than others. All of us often make mistakes. But if a person never makes a mistake in what they say, they are perfect and able to control their whole being.

Are there any of you who are wise and understanding? You are to prove it by your good life, by your good deeds performed with humility and wisdom. But if in your heart you are jealous, bitter, and selfish, don’t sin against the truth by boasting of your wisdom. Such wisdom does not come down from heaven; it belongs to the world, it is unspiritual and demonic. Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is also disorder and every kind of evil.

But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy. And goodness is the harvest that is produced from the seeds which the peacemakers plant in peace.

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Bible reading: Matthew 23:1-12.

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi.

“But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father – the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted”.

Message.

Flowering plants of the ‘Amaryllidaceae’ family are a familiar sight in our gardens and parks. The Royal Horticultural Society describes them as “bulbous herbaceous perennials with linear leaves and leafless stems bearing flowers, which may be solitary or in umbels, with six spreading perianth segments and a cup or trumpet-shaped corona” – no, I don’t know what all of those words mean, either! There are now over 26,000 different varieties of these plants, which bring us joy in the springtime. Have you  guessed what I’m talking about? Yes: daffodils or, to give them their Latin name, narcissi: the RHS says that there is no technical difference between the two, although ‘narcissus’ is often used to describe the smaller varieties.

Of course the word “narcissus” doesn’t just refer to plants: it’s also the name of a character in Greek mythology, a youth of remarkable beauty. He loved no-one until he saw his own reflection in a pool of water and, not realising what he was seeing, was instantly smitten. That love could never go anywhere so he pined away, died, and was supposedly turned into the narcissus flower. Today we use the word “narcissistic” to describe people who are completely self-absorbed and focussed on themselves. The prestigious Mayo Clinic in America describes narcissism as “a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them”. The Clinic goes on to say that people with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others.

It’s been said that one of the prime examples of narcissists in the Bible are the Pharisees – which isn’t to say that the title fitted all of them: just think of Nicodemus and possibly Joseph of Arimathea. In the passage we read together we met Jesus criticising the Pharisees as men who love to set themselves up as petty dictators who will be noticed by everyone else, as legislators who make rules which apply to everyone except themselves, as teachers who love to browbeat others but aren’t willing to learn themselves, as public figures who are able to say, “Listen to our words” (and are commended by Jesus, because they certainly knew their Bibles) but unable to add, “Watch what we do and copy it”. The Pharisees – laymen rather than priests, by the way – could never, it seems, resist an opportunity to publicly preen themselves or put other people down by showing off their knowledge.

I think it’s this arrogance which so offended Jesus. The Pharisees, who wanted to take Judaism back to its roots, called themselves teachers, but brooked no deviation from the party line. They – or, at least, most of them – craved status and recognition; this may have been because they were what we’d today call “middle class” and felt that they were looked down upon by the Sadducees, their upper-class rivals. The Pharisees didn’t seem to possess an ounce of humility nor have any sense that their teaching’s content might have to be modified as fresh insights emerged through Rabbinical debate. Above all, they didn’t seem to recognise that God might actually want to teach them: they’d thrown away their L-plates long ago and were never likely to say, “I’m sorry, I got things a bit wrong”. That kind of humiliating climbdown was out of the question.

This passage does rather give the impression that Jesus was against teachers. However a moment’s thought will make us realise that he couldn’t have been, for teachers were necessary if children were to read and understand Scripture and learn the history of their nation; they also had to pass on the skills required for daily living. Quite apart from this, Jesus himself was a teacher, so he surely couldn’t be condemning himself or suggesting that his disciples should ignore him! I think the passage we read from James (who may well have been a half-brother of Jesus) helps us here: religious teachers are responsible both to their students and to God, they should readily own up to the mistakes they will inevitably make, they must prove their wisdom by their lifestyle, they need to be free from all hypocrisy and jealousy and (in a section of the passage that we left out) they need to be in full control of their tongues. That’s a tall order; clearly James was having to confront people in the churches who liked to see themselves as teachers but didn’t live up to the necessary standards.

I’ll come back to teachers in the church – and I have to count myself among their number! – in a few moments. But, as I prepared this message, I discovered that narcissism is regarded as a common trait among politicians. An American psychologist says that, although these folk claim to have strong ethical values, they are actually “moral relativists”. In other words they like to tell people what is unacceptable yet feel that they have the right to do those very things themselves; they believe they can impose rules and standards on others yet think they are above obeying them. The psychologist also says that these figures have an inexhaustible appetite for flattery, praise, and adulation and expect to be treated as superior beings. He concludes that many of them end up becoming “career politicians”, not because they have idealistic aspirations of changing the world but because the role helps to massage their inflated self-regard. This analysis does sound critical and there are of course many excellent and selfless people in politics. Nevertheless (especially in the light of this week’s revelations at the Covid Inquiry) we can all think of politicians who do fit this description and we can remind ourselves of the unkind quip that says “politics is show business for ugly people”.

But let’s go back to teachers and leaders in the churches – for Matthew knew that his Gospel would be read throughout the Christian world. One uncomfortable aspect of modern Christianity has been the rise of priests, pastors and ministers who have achieved celebrity status and abused it. I’m not going to mention any names, but there have been several (itoo many) well-documented cases in Britain, America and elsewhere. The stories seem have a weary similarity about them: one charismatic and entrepreneurial individual starts a church which grows into a large congregation – no mean feat today, at least in America, Britain or Australia. As time goes on, the founder tightens their grip on the organisation and become less accountable to its members. Every word they say is automatically treated as ‘report’ they appoint subordinates who report to them, they make decisions which can’t be challenged and so on. Alongside this they adopt a lavish lifestyle, all paid for by the peoples’ gifts.

Things go from bad to worse. Rumours of harassment and bullying begin to circulate. Suggestions that the Great Leader is using church money to fund his own business interests rise to the surface. There are whispered allegations of sexual impropriety. The speculation is of course hotly denied – until one incontrovertible fact emerges. The leader tearfully (but possibly insincerely) confesses their ‘error’ and is banished from the church; an inquiry later establishes the true extent of corruption; people who have invested huge amounts of time, energy and money into the church become disillusioned and turn their backs on the Christian faith; the reputation of all churches is tarnished. Clearly these leaders, who I’m sure started out with the intention of serving God, have allowed status and success to go to their heads. Like those Pharisees, they are more concerned with receiving human applause than divine approval. They have forgotten what it is to be a servant. They want to be exalted but are ultimately humbled. That wasn’t Jesus’ pattern, for he didn’t come to be served but to serve and was willing even to die in pain and humiliation on the Cross.

It’s so easy to become possessed by a desire for power and prestige – yet Christians, of all people, should do all we can to resist it. There’s a story in Acts 12 which shows us what God thinks of people who seek to take the glory that is rightfully his alone. It says this: “Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration. The people shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man!’ Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory. He was eaten by worms and breathed his last”. What actually killed Herod is open for debate, but the story is both gruesome and memorable! Let us all, whoever we are, not seek status but, with God’s aid, cultivate a humble, generous and teachable spirit. That may fly in the face of today’s culture of success and fame, but I’m absolutely sure that’s the kind of person he wants us all to be.