Phylacteries & the Power of Humility

For several weeks we have been studying the book of Matthew at church. Sunday’s sermon was based on Matthew 23: 1-12. To condense a 45-minute sermon, Jesus was warning his disciples and the crowds gathered that the religious leaders of that time were hypocrites. In Matthew 23, verse 3, Jesus said, “Do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”  

During the sermon, I was re-acquainted with a word I had not read or heard in quite some time: phylactery. A phylactery is a small box that contains scripture and is typically worn on the forehead and arms. The religious leaders of the time were more concerned with the size and beauty of the phylacteries they wore than the messages contained within. Are we different? Interesting how vanity, position, and title haven’t changed over the years.  

I couldn’t help but think about how relevant the message is to society today. People will do anything to achieve rank and status. We are constantly searching for the latest and greatest. We wait for the next car to come out that can go from 0-60 in half a second, the next designer bag or shoe, or in the example our pastor gave this weekend, to tell our friends about what we found while thrifting. Cost aside – the title and position aren’t what most of us are after…it’s the recognition of others we crave. 

Society would have us put everything in the public eye. Recognition from others has become a badge of honor, and we wear it proudly. “How many likes did you get? I have 1 million subscribers! My watch is worth 4 times that car. I gave $20,000 to this person to help them when they needed it.” In Matthew 23, verse 12, Jesus says, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”  

What a timely sermon. We are on the back end of one of the world’s most popular spectacles – the Duke vs. Carolina basketball game…you thought I was going to write the Super Bowl! Jokes aside, both are huge events – the Super Bowl certainly has more eyes on it. My question to those of you who watched is rather simple and, of course, rhetorical – though I encourage you to think deeply and move beyond a simplistic answer. How many phylacteries did you see?  

To utilize our pastor’s analogy over the weekend, wearing a refrigerator sized box on his forehead would look goofy. There is power in humility. There are benefits to keeping things private, particularly in the realm of finance. Your neighbors don’t need to know how much money you have in your bank accounts or investment accounts…and your kids probably don’t need to know either. Your income, your annual expenses, and/or your annual gifting do not equate to success. It isn’t the size of the box that matters; it’s the content within. 

Read Matthew. Then, today and every day, attempt to live your life that way.