Practice what you Preach

First, I just want to let you know that this blog is still under construction.  Unfortunately, at this point, you still cannot comment.  And if you do, you will be given an error message.  But keep trying back ... we will get the kink worked out soon.  (professionals ... not me ... are working on it.)

For the sermon, Practice what you Preach (2/8), I felt that there was a lot of explanation needed for Matthew 12:6-12 that was outside the scope of the sermon.  So, I wanted to pass on some words from a great commentary I use.  Hope it helps you in your study! -- Russ  

23:4-5. “Phylacteries” are tefillin, small boxes affixed by a leather strap to one’s head and left hand during morning and evening prayers; Scripture passages were inserted in these boxes (the practice is based on Deut 6:8). These passages were then recited as part of the prayers; rules concerning this later became stricter under the rabbis. For the tassels, see Matthew 9:20 and 14:36.
23:6. Seating was critical at banquets; those seated in lower-status places frequently complained, as ancient literature amply attests. The most prominent seats in the synagogue probably varied in this period before synagogue architecture was standardized; one first-century synagogue seems to suggest a lack of seating rank. But honored seats would have normally been in the most visible place, probably nearest the bema, the platform for the reading of the Law; perhaps distinguished guests were given chairs in synagogues while most hearers remained on mats on the floor. Seating was according to rank in the Qumran assemblies, the Sanhedrin and rabbinic schools.
23:7-8. Greetings (“Peace be with you”) were so important socially that specific rules developed how to greet whom when; greetings were an essential courtesy in Greek and Jewish cultures. Not to hail a person superior in understanding the law was a grievous insult. Marketplaces were the most crowded places in town. “Rabbi” means “my master” and came to be commonly applied to teachers as a title of respect (something like “Reverend” or “Father” today); they were especially “masters” of their pupils. They were venerated in a variety of ways.
23:9-11. Rabbis were also affectionately and respectfully called “Abba,” or “Papa”; they addressed their disciples as their children, and the rabbis’ authority and honor placed them on a higher level than the disciples. Jesus says that only God is to receive such superior respect; all other Christians are peers.
23:12. The principle stated here occurs in Proverbs 25:6-7 with reference to seating at banquets, and elsewhere the principle refers to the future time when God equalizes everyone (Is 2:11-12; 5:15; cf. Ezek 17:24; 21:26.

Dictionary of New Testament Background
InterVarsity Press, USA
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