Have you ever wanted someone to notice something good you have done? Perhaps you have worked hard to help someone, or served faithfully in church only to feel disappointed when nobody acknowledged your efforts. Most of us appreciate recognition, and there is nothing wrong with receiving encouragement. But sometimes our concern about how others see us can distract us from why we serve in the first place. In Matthew 23, Jesus challenges this danger in religious life. He criticises the teachers of the law and the Pharisees because their religious behaviour had become a performance designed to gain recognition. They made their religious observances conspicuous and enjoyed titles that elevated their standing. Their outward displays of devotion had become a means of promoting themselves rather than reflecting God’s heart.

Jesus is not condemning sincere worship, faithful service, or spiritual leadership. He is exposing the temptation to use these things to establish our importance, prove our righteousness or gain admiration. Religious performance asks, ‘How do I appear to others?’ Genuine participation in Christ’s life asks, ‘How can I share his love with others?’

The good news is that we do not need religious achievements to establish our worth. Our identity and value are grounded in God’s grace, revealed in Jesus Christ. We are loved because of who God is and what he has done for us, not because we have earned his approval.

In Matthew 23:8–10, Jesus tells his disciples not to seek titles such as Rabbi, father or instructor, because they have one Teacher, one heavenly Father, and one Instructor, the Messiah Jesus. He is not denying the importance of earthly fathers, teachers or Christian leaders; rather, he challenges the use of titles and positions to establish spiritual superiority. His disciples belong together as brothers and sisters, sharing a common dependence on God. No human leader can take God’s place or claim the ultimate authority that belongs to him. Christian leaders, like everyone else, are recipients of grace. Their calling is to help people know Jesus more deeply, not to make themselves indispensable or demand unquestioning loyalty. Leadership is not about establishing personal importance but participating in the ministry of Jesus, who leads through humility, truth, compassion and self-giving love.

Jesus shows us what true greatness looks like: he is the eternal Son of God, yet he came not to be served but to serve and give his life for us (Matthew 20:28). In his humility and self-giving love, we see the heart of the Father. Jesus has already acted for us and for our salvation. Through his life, death, resurrection and ascension, he brings us into fellowship with the Father. Through the Holy Spirit, we are drawn into the Son’s relationship with the Father and enabled to share in Jesus’s life and continuing ministry.

We do not serve to become worthy of God’s love: we serve because we have already received that love in Christ. Our service is not an attempt to earn God’s favour or prove our spiritual worth. It is our participation, through the Spirit, in the love Jesus continually shares with others.

Today, we might ask ourselves: ‘Am I serving because I want to be noticed, or because I want others to experience the love of Christ through me?’ As we keep our eyes on Jesus and depend on the Holy Spirit, we learn to share more fully in his humble, self-giving love. Freed from the need to prove our worth, we can serve joyfully, knowing that our identity rests securely in God’s grace.

Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead 
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA

Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm

Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:  
wordoflife@gracecom.church