When I was a few years out of university, one of my closest friends decided to relocate to England to advance her career in the finance industry. She popped back to Australia for a short visit and amongst other terrific gifts, gave me my first Louis Vuitton handbag.
It was dark chocolate, with the distinctive caramel LV logo and print all over the exterior. Of course, it wasn’t the real thing. A genuine bag would’ve cost her more than her plane fare back to England.
But even if I had an authentic Louis Vuitton in my possession, I’d always be worried about absentmindedly leaving it behind on a train seat or having it snatched from me in broad daylight. (My martial art skills are sadly limited to giving a thief a swift knee to his nether regions, and then bravely running away.)
I loved using my fake Louis Vuitton handbag. In fact, it was perfectly acceptable amongst my set of friends at the time. We were all on starting salaries and paying off our ever-growing student HECS debts, car loans, rent and board. Faux designer handbags were hugely popular; no one was flush enough to own the real thing.
And there was a bit of reverse snobbery going on as well. Who’d be crazy enough to part with 2000 hard-earned dollars on some leather and a bit of hardware, when you could buy a knock off for peanuts at the markets or a bargain store?
So how do you spot a fake?
First things first. You need to get up close to it.
From a distance an imitation can look amazing, but on closer inspection, the telltale signs are there. Eyeball it and the stitching’s uneven and crooked. The hardware will feel light or poorly constructed.
The lining of the bag will look substandard. And the genuine cow hide leather substituted for polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane. It will not smell of leather, but instead give off feint or strong notes of chemical dyes and plastic.
Can you spot a religious fake?
Here in Part 1, we’ll be looking at Matthew chapter 23 and what Jesus had to say about the scribes and the Pharisees.
Scribes were scholars of the Torah or the first five books of the Old Testament. They were highly educated and served as judges or lawyers in religious matters.
Pharisees were academics whose focus of study was on Jewish religious law.
Numerous oral traditions stemmed from their understanding of the Pentateuch (another name for the Torah). As a result, they had a tremendous influence over the minute details of day-to-day life for the average Jew.
If there was an activity of any sort, the Pharisees were there to enforce a law for it.
Teaching on the staircase
Some commentators suggest that when Jesus was addressing the crowds and his disciples in Matthew 23, it was on the wide-open staircase leading to the Hilda Gates—an entrance to the Temple.
Writings from ancient rabbis tell us that rabbis sometimes taught their disciples on these stairs. It was a place where a teacher could easily draw attention and gather a crowd.
From the vantage point of this broad staircase, the people, and the objects Jesus used to compare the scribes and Pharisees, were within close range or were highly visible.
For instance, the whitewashed tombs, the altar, the synagogues, and the men clothed in religious dress. These local and immediate visual aids helped clarify and cement the lessons he taught.
Christ’s warnings to his disciples
Jesus encouraged the disciples to obey the scribes and Pharisees when they preached messages that aligned with the truth of God’s Word.
Yet, Jesus for the most part, declared specific woes upon the scribes and Pharisees for misconstruing the truth, for hypocrisy, and for distorting the voice of God. All of which damned them and their followers to hell.
Moses’ seat and twisting the truth
The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat Matt 23:2
According to the Archaeological Bible, evidence of these seats has been discovered in ancient synagogues at Hammat, Tiberius, Chorazin, Dura-Europos and Delos.
Moses’ seat was a chair reserved for the highest-ranking authority in the synagogue. It was located at a highly visible position. There a rabbi would take his place and teach.
. . . But do not ye after their works; for they say and do not. Matt 23:3c
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. Matt 23:4
From Moses’ seat the scribes and the Pharisees declared their strained interpretations of God’s word. They incorporated additions to the law that were difficult to carry out, but they excluded themselves from having to follow these new rules.
They had the opportunity to demonstrate compassion by lessening the load, but they didn’t. Instead, they chose to oppress their own people through their religious traditions.
Christ loathed religious hypocrisy.
He warned His own disciples of the dangers of being two faced, because many of them would become the leaders of the Christian church.
Fame, phylacteries and fringes
The Jewish religious leaders were easily identifiable through their religious clothing. However, their desire for greater recognition led them to enhance certain aspects of their garments.
But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, Matt 23:5
Phylacteries were small leather boxes made of leather containing strips of parchment, on which portions of the Torah were written. These boxes were strapped to the forehead or the back of the right hand.
They were normally worn only during prayer, but the Pharisees wore them for show even when they weren’t communing with God or interceding for the people.
Enlarged Borders
Sewn on the edges of their outer garments were fringes or tassels to remind them that they were God’s special people and to follow God’s commandments.
However, the scribes and Pharisees were not satisfied with ordinary sized tassels. They drew more attention to themselves by wearing bigger tassels.
Their egocentric actions suggest impoverished inner lives. To fill the void, they presented themselves to the public as men of superior virtue, in stark contrast to their true spiritual condition. They were lost. They were corrupt. They needed to be rescued.
Had they known Jesus Christ for who He really was—the Lord God, the Redeemer, and Saviour of the world, they would have abandoned their pursuit of finding their sense of worth from public praise and attention.
True believers find their security and identity in Christ and live to glorify Him and not themselves.
Rabbi, Rabbi
And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. Matt 23:6,7
The scribes and the Pharisees received places of honour and privilege at social gatherings and religious meetings. It takes strength of character not to be corrupted by fame. But these men reveled in rubbing shoulders with the elite and garnering the best seats, best food, best wine, and the best of everything.
The title Rabbi, which is from a Hebrew word meaning “my great one” or “my teacher”. It was given to spiritual instructors and for these men it was status symbol they proudly accepted.
But be ye not called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. Matt 23:9,10
Was Jesus banning the use of these titles? Not exactly. Rather, Christ disapproved of using these spiritual titles for show or pretense.
What can we do?
Don’t be led astray by someone who appears to be a spiritual lighthouse. Be on the lookout for inauthentic leaders, false teachers and wrong doctrine.
Study the Word of God.
Rest assured, if you can’t spot a fake, Jesus can.
The Archaeology Study Bible, 2017, Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois.
Henry, M. 1961, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Zondervan, Michigan.
Macarthur, J. 2019, The Macarthur Study Bible 2nd Edition, Thomas Nelson Publishers, China.
Pawson, D. 2015, Unlocking the Bible, William Collins, UK.
Pfeiffer C,F. 1990, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Moody Publishers, Illinois.
The Quest Study Bible, 1994, Zondervan Publishing House, Michigan.
Keener, C.1993, The IVP Bible Background Commentary New Testament, IVP Academic, Illinois.
