A Great Seat

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

A GREAT SEAT

Luke 11:44

43 "Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

NIV

Matthew’s record of these words includes the wearing of the phylacteries and that everything they do is done for men to see. This greeting in the marketplaces is being called Rabbi. But this wanting the seat of honor in the synagogue gives us this sense of men being all puffed up about themselves. The tassels on the edge of their garments were longer and the phylacteries were very important in making them appear holy and righteous. These were small squares of parchment with verses from the law in Deuteronomy. They wore them like amulets or charms. The idea was they were supposed to ward off evil. We found it comes from Exodus 13 when God told them that all that happened in their deliverance from Egypt would be a sign on their foreheads for their sons. Although we could spend much time going over all the details of these things, the Pharisees were so impressed with themselves rather than living as God intended them to. Although we do not have the most important pews or seats in our churches, we might get caught up in thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. We do like our titles, whatever they may be. Depending on which denomination, we have Pastor, Reverend, Doctor, Elder, then all the distinctions of assistant, associate, youth, children’s pastors, and other titles in the church like elders and deacons, treasurer, board member, and the list of titles goes on and on. We also must be careful not to make too much of our educational levels or boast about what kind or how many degrees we might have, although it seems to depend on the denomination, they make a big deal about educational level more than the call of God upon a person life for qualifications for ministry. This being puffed up is extremely dangerous both to the individual who is puffed up and to the church they are in. We have seen it happen to the point that people have put these individuals on a pedestal, assisting them in their pridefulness which may have been the case with the Pharisees. The holier one looks, the holier they are treated, unless the opposite effect occurs where their puffed up, prideful, boasting in themselves causes harm in the church, which could very well have been the case with the Pharisees and that is why Jesus gave them that woe to you. Let us not wait for Jesus to give us a woe, and see ourselves for who we are, children of God, born-again, Spirit-filled followers of Jesus. Let us not be concerned about that great seat.