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Daily Devotions for the Advent and Christmas Seasons

Wednesday, December 9

Matthew 23:1-12

by Kimball Wong

Today, I have chosen the passage from Matthew. In this story, Jesus condemns the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses.

“Jesus said to the crowd and to his disciples, ‘The Pharisees and the teachers of the law are experts in the Law of Moses. So obey everything they teach you, but don’t do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something
else.’ ”

Our Asian identity teaches us sometimes to take the quiet road, but, however small, injustices need to be voiced. In my recent fight with a home­owners’ association which towed my vehicle, I decided to file complaints with the City of San Leandro, the homeowners’ association, and the local newspaper. In doing so, I was called names in some of the correspondence I got from the association, but I also found support from many people I did not know.

Technically, I had broken the law in how I had parked the van, but I did not agree with how the association manipulated the laws governing public use to fulfill their own needs.

Jesus calls us to listen to the Master Teacher, our Father in Heaven. This sometimes means going outside our comfort zone to fight for what God has asked us to do. There are many before us who have taken large risks, have fought for injustice in God’s name, even if it meant breaking the present law.

The last verses of the scripture reading say, “None of you should be called the leader, the Messiah is your only leader, Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down, but if you humble yourself, you will be honored.”

Prayer

Father in Heaven, help us to be your servant, to fight for justice, and to be humble. Amen.