When I was a child I had a nugget of what I thought, for a brief while, was a piece of gold. I was such a happy little kid, that is, until someone older and much wiser let me know that it was not gold. It was a piece of pyrite, often known as “Fool’s Gold”. Just because it sparkled, didn’t make it real gold. We see this in many areas of life. Someone can put on a chef’s hat, but that doesn’t mean they can cook, and wearing a badge doesn’t make someone a police officer. Our Scripture today from the Gospel of Matthew highlights some people who were pretending to be something they weren’t. They were like that piece of fool’s gold. Let’s see what Jesus had to say about that.
Throughout His ministry, the Pharisees continually harassed and provoked Jesus, trying to negate all that He, the Son of God, taught. They were very critical of people who did not follow every single jot and tittle of the Law, and that especially included Jesus. The Pharisees and religious leaders presented themselves as good and holy, perfectly religious Jews. But were they really as holy and righteous as they appeared?
Frequently people like to give others the impression that they are good, holy, and devoutly religious. They wear oversized crosses around their neck, hanging on the outside of their shirt so others can see. They carry an extra-large Bible around, and if Catholic, a giant set of rosary beads. Sometimes this is just ornamentation, and it doesn’t have any real meaning to these folks, other than trying to make others think they are devout. The Pharisees were also like this. They showed off their piety, but they were not truly devoted to God. It was all show, all deception. They wanted to appear righteous, but they neglected what was truly important. They were filled with pride and self-importance, but God was not fooled. He knew they were pyrite, not real gold.
The Pharisees would make a pious show of wearing their phylacteries, just like some today make a show of wearing or carrying religious items (vs. 5). Phylacteries were an amulet that was often worn by devout Jews. It consisted of a strip of parchment with Scripture on it, rolled and placed in a small metal cylinder, which was then placed inside a leather pouch and worn on the Jewish man’s foreheads and back of their right hand. It was generally to be worn during prayer time. However, many of the Pharisees wore them all the time to look holy. They also would make the leather pouches very elaborate and ornate. Jesus challenged them as to how this was just all an act or show, and not true devotion to God.
Another thing that Jesus criticized was how they would enhance the look of their piety by enlarging the borders of their garments. Devout Jews would wear prayer shawls when praying, and these shawls would have tassels around the edge of white and blue threads. This was to remind them of God’s Law. The Pharisees would make them overly large and conspicuous, in order to be seen and appear holy.
Are we guilty of the same thing? True, none of us would wear a phylactery, or have fringes on our garments to represent the Old Testament Law. But do we do or wear religious things in order to be seen as pious, when in reality that’s all it means to us? Do we carry our Bible around because we truly desire to read it whenever we have a chance, or only so people see us with it and think we are devout. Is that the same reason we might wear a cross or crucifix? Is it because of our love for Jesus, or just so others see it? What is our real motive? God knows, and He knows if it is a true motive or not. He knows if we are pyrite or gold.
The Pharisees did not practice what they preached. They also added many things to the Law which were not in the Scriptures, things they required the people to follow, but which they didn’t even obey (vs. 3-4). They made their traditions, their man-made rules, more important than God’s Word. The Pharisees knew the Scriptures, but did not live by them. They didn’t care about being holy, but rather with appearing holy in order to receive the public’s admiration and praise.
This was Jesus’ last condemnation of the Pharisees. This was His final and official rejection of them, a group who made a pious show of religiosity, but who had no true faith in God. There was certainly nothing wrong with wearing phylacteries or tassels on the prayer shawls, just as today there is definitely nothing wrong in wearing a cross or crucifix, and in carrying a Bible or rosary beads. We must just be careful in examining what our motive is. Is it to be seen and appear holy, or is it because we truly are devout. Can someone take a closer look at our life, dig deeper than the appearance, and see a true and genuine faith in God? When God looks at us, does He see something genuine, something valuable, or just a piece of Fool’s Gold?
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