The Real Deal

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.” (Matthew 23:8-10)

Yesterday, we talked about the importance of recognizing the core of a counterfeit, as well as the value in praying for wisdom and discernment. Today, I want us to look at two more challenges Jesus gives us in Matthew chapter 23 when it comes to dealing with counterfeits.

First, we must recognize the clues to a counterfeit. The mark of a counterfeit is that they value human applause more than divine approval. That is why Jesus goes on to say to the crowd and his disciples, “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah” (Matthew 23:8-10).

Jesus was saying, “It is not what people call you on the outside that gives you value; it is what God knows you are on the inside that counts.” Remember this, a counterfeit wants you to follow them. The real deal wants you to follow Jesus. A counterfeit will want you to give your money to their greed. The real deal will want you to give your money to further the gospel.

As Jesus wraps up His sermon, He shares that the final thing we must recognize, and that is the cure for a counterfeit. The cure for hypocrisy is humility. We all go through times where we need the humility to admit that we are hypocrite. We need the humility to admit that hypocrisy lies within all of us, and we need the humility to make sure that we always put others above ourselves and ourselves behind others.

All Jesus is saying here to us is very simple. Just be the real deal. Be humble and encourage others to look to Him rather than trying to get them to look at you. Jesus does not expect us to be perfect people. He expects His followers and believers to just be real. 

Dear Lord, I want to be the real deal. I want to be humble rather than a hypocrite. So I’m asking that you give me the humility I need to point others to you rather than trying to grab the spotlight for myself. I never want to be seen as a counterfeit, so I pray that you would help me as I strive to be real for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.