Devotional: Matthew 23:6

Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:
Matthew 23:6: “And they love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues.”
It doesn’t take a study in ancient culture to understand what Jesus meant by in this verse when talking about the Pharisees and Sadducees.  He was addressing the issue of spiritual pride and arrogance.   In verse one Jesus speaks specifically of the Pharisees and Sadducees who sit on the chair of Moses.    This is an Aramaic metaphor speaking of those who carry on the tradition or authority of Moses.   Actually, there was such a seat in ancient synagogues.  Usually the spiritual leaders sat facing the congregation with their backs to Jerusalem and one chair was reserved for the most distinguished leader.  Many of us are familiar with this arrangement.   I grew up in  a Baptist church where there was a raised platform with two beautiful oak benches and a throne like oak chair where the pastor sat. The music director,  assistant pastor and head deacon would sit on the benches on either side of him.  If there were a guest speaker the pastor would often honor him by allowing him to sit in his chair (chair of Moses?).
Today, many of our churches have done away with such formalities, I presume and hope because they realize how this smacks with Jesus’s condemnation of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  I myself, when I am a guest speaking, will often opt to sit with the congregation while waiting to be called to the platform.  Not that I am so humble, in fact, quite the opposite.  On those occasions when I am expected to sit on the platform people often comment that I suddenly have this terrified, frightened look.  It is not that I am fearful of having to speak, actually I am quite enjoying the whole process and soaking in all the attention.  What brings on the sudden horrific look is that I cannot help but meditate on Matthew 23 and suddenly I have this picture in my mind’s eye (some would call it a vision) of Jesus standing in front of me, hands on his hips glaring at me: “And are you going to let them call you ‘my teacher’ when they are all brothers? (verses 7-8).”
But that is enough of my personal confessions.  Let me share with you something interesting.  In Matthew 23:6 Jesus says that these leaders “love” the uppermost rooms.  In the Greek the word for “love” is phileo which is more of a fondness.  But in the Syriac Bible the Aramaic uses the word “machar” in a piel form so this would be much stronger than simple fondness.  The Greek writers had only three choices for love, eros (sexual), phileo (fondness, friendship), Agape (unconditional and not self-directed).  Thus, the Greek’s only option here is phileo which would really not express what Jesus meant when he spoke this in Aramaic.  Putting the word Machar into a piel form would express intense love of oneself, complete self-absorption.
The expression “upper most rooms at feasts” does not fit a culture context as it would suggest these leaders found themselves an elite spot removed from everyone else to have their feast.  That is not what Jesus was referring to, nor did it fit the culture.  These feast offered what we would call the “guest table,” the table for the guest of honor or the VIP table.  Again, Jesus spoke these words in Aramaic but they eventually had to be translated into Greek.  The Aramaic text uses the words Resh Samek which in the Hebrew would suggest a raised place and is most likely why the Greek version ended up with the word protoklisian which literally means “before most down settles” or “front seats.”  The KJV translators might have been confused when they referenced the Syraic Bible or Aramaic text and found the words Resh Samek which would mean upper most rooms in Hebrew and assuming Jesus used the Hebrew words here they used that rendering. Actually, Resh Samek could have been a word play by Jesus to the Pharisees and Sadducees listening in on this conversation, for they would have been fluent in both Hebrew and Aramaic as well as the esoteric nature of the Hebrew language.  The Aramaic word is really Resh Samkeh.  The aleph at the end was considered an article by the KJV translators but in context would not be an article at all, but a part of the root word.  Hence the Greek would have the appropriate rendering of “front seats.”   Indeed in that culture they had a table for honor guest and only special important VIPs were allowed at that table. It was the first to be served, its guest received the best service, treatment and respect, not unlike our catered affairs today.  In fact I attended one Christmas church banquet where the caterers actually had the guest of honor’s table raised on a platform in the center of the room where the pastor and ministerial staff sat and the rest of the congregation sat around this table at a lower elevation.  This table was naturally served first.  In fact I was in charge of a ministry associated with the church and invited to sit at the table of honor but I could not do it, standing on the chair I was supposed to sit in I had that vision of arms at the hips and a glaring stare and suddenly I was not feeling too good and  decided to leave early.
You see the KJV translators were not entirely wrong to interpret the Resh Samkeh as a Resh and Samek.  I think Jesus intended for this little word play because the Resh represents  being judgmental and self-righteous and the Samek represents cutting yourself off from others.  When the Pharisees and Sadducees heard Jesus say: “Resh Samek” they heard in Aramaic that they love to sit at the VIP table but they knew their Hebrew and they also heard Resh Samek, that their judgmental self-righteousness cuts them off from everyone else.  Which may be why Jesus said in verse 8; “Don’t allow yourself to be called Rabbi for only The One is your teacher, the rest of you are all just brethren.”