g o s p e l of m a t t h e w |
Book of Matthew See page on original site
What Jesus said in . . .
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Matthew 23: 8 ( King James Version )
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| v.1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples
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| verse 8 > But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren. |
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| Matthew 23: 8 ( New International Version ) |
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| Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: |
| verse 8 > But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have only one master and you are all brothers |
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| Text Quoted in Spirit of Prophecy |
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| There is coming in among us a spirit which God will not suffer to rule. Never should Christians feel that they are lords over God’s heritage. There should not be among Christians a spirit which makes some patrons and some proteges. The commandments of God forbid this. “All ye are brethren” ( Matthew 23:8 ). No man is to think that he is the owner of the minds and capabilities of his brethren. He is not to think that others must submit to his dictation. He is liable to err, liable to make mistakes, as every man is. He is not to try to control matters in accordance with his ideas. { TDG 192.3}
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| At this time God’s cause is in need of men and women who possess rare qualifications and good administrative powers; men and women who will make patient, thorough investigation of the needs of the work in various fields; those who have a large capacity for work; those who possess warm, kind hearts, cool heads, sound sense, and unbiased judgment; those who are sanctified by the Spirit of God, and can fearlessly say No, or Yea and amen, to propositions; those who have strong convictions, clear understanding, and pure, sympathetic hearts; those who practice the words, “All ye are brethren;” [ Matthew 23:8. ] those who strive to uplift and restore fallen humanity.—Testimonies for the Church 7: 246-249. { GW 424.2}
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| “The head of every man is Christ.” God, who put all things under the Saviour’s feet, “gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.” 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:22, 23. The church is built on Christ as its foundation. It is not to depend on man or be controlled by man. Many claim that a position of trust in the church gives them authority to dictate what other men shall believe and do. The Saviour declares, “All ye are brethren.” Matthew 23:8. Upon no finite being can we depend for guidance. The Rock of faith is the living presence of Christ in the church. Those who think themselves the strongest will prove to be the weakest, unless they make Christ their efficiency. See Jeremiah 17:5; Psalm 2:12. { DA 414.3} also { HLv 279.5 }
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| In the name of the Lord I would say to the teachers in our schools, Attend to your appointed work. You are not called upon by God to engage in politics. “All ye are brethren,” Christ declares, “and as one you are to stand under the banner of Prince Emmanuel.” “What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? ... For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His name. He is thy praise, and He is thy God.” { FE 477.2 }
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| “Who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? “One is your Master; ... and all ye are brethren.” “Why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?” “Let us not therefore judge one another: ... but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” 1 Corinthians 4:7; Matthew 23:8; Romans 14:10, 13. { MH 166.3}
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| The Lord will have faithful men who love and fear Him connected with every school, every printing office, health institution, and publishing house. Their wages should not be fashioned after the worldling’s standard. There should be, as far as possible, excellent judgment exercised to keep up, not an aristocracy, but an equality, which is the law of heaven. “All ye are brethren” ( Matthew 23:8 ). A few should not demand large wages, and such wages should not be presented as an inducement to secure ability and talents. This is placing things on a worldly principle. The increase of wages brings with it a corresponding increase of selfishness, pride, display, self-gratification, and needless extravagance that the people who do their utmost to pay their tithes and present their offerings to God do not have. Poverty is seen in all their borders. The Lord loves the one just as much as the other, with the exception that the self-sacrificing, humble, contrite souls who love God and strive to serve Him, are ever kept nearer to the great heart of infinite Love than the man who feels at liberty to have all the good things of this life. { 2SM 192.2} also { PM 239.4}
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| Human sympathy should be cherished in every heart. It is an attribute of God, and is never to be banished. “All ye are brethren” ( Matthew 23:8 ). God has laid upon men the responsibility of giving sympathy to their fellow men, of helping the needy, the wounded, the bruised. Many are demoralized by their own course of action, but who of the human family can understand, as God understands, the cause of their misery? { TDG 183.4}
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“All ye are brethren.” ( Matthew 23:8. ) “Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price.” ( 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.) Our owner is God. The same blood that purchased one brother, purchased the next also, and the next. All are born of God by the same Spirit. All are members of the same body, and are worked by the same Spirit. All feed on the flesh and blood of the Son of God, the Word, which is Spirit and life. The sustenance of all comes from the same source. We must not think it a virtue to differ. We are in close bonds of relationship one with another. If the same vitalizing current is flowing through our minds and hearts, we shall act in harmony. In failing to do this, we deny the Source of all spiritual life. { 8MR 69.1 }
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| Men often commit wrong through ignorance or want of judgment. In many instances there is no premeditated wrong; it is caused through a lack of thoughtfulness. The one who treats this as sin is himself a sinner. There is with many a keen imagination that makes them offender for a word or action. But often the one judged is innocent in the sight of God. The accuser, who has permitted the tempter to ruffle his feelings, needs to humble his soul before God, to be purified and refined by the Holy Spirit, to love as brethren, be kind, be courteous. The promise to all is, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you: ( James 4:7). If one errs, remember that this is no more than you yourself have done. Put away evil surmisings. Christ says, “All ye are brethren” ( Matthew 23:8 ). { 11MR 371.2 }
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| “But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 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. But be not ye 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 master: for One is your Master, even Christ.”[ Matthew 23: 6-8 ] In such plain words the Saviour revealed the selfish ambition that was ever reaching for place and power, displaying a mock humility, while the heart was filled with avarice and envy. When persons were invited to a feast, the guests were seated according to their rank, and those who were given the most honorable place received the first attention and special favors. The Pharisees were ever scheming to secure these honors. This practice Jesus rebuked. { DA 613.1} Red entire Chapter 67 |
| The Lord is displeased with the want of harmony that has existed among the workers. He cannot impart His Holy Spirit, for they are bent on having their own way, and the Lord presents to them His way. Great discouragement will come in from Satan and his confederacy of evil, but “all ye are brethren,” and it is an offense to God when you allow your individual, unsanctified traits of character to be active agencies to discourage one another. — Letter 31, 1892. { Ev 101.3}
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| In our churches the pews should not be rented. The wealthy are not to be honored above the poor. Let no distinction be made. “All ye are brethren.” [ Matthew 23:8. ] { GW 432.4}
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All Ye Are Brethren — God has made men responsible beings, and placed them in circumstances favorable to obedience to His will. In the dignity of their God-given manhood, they are to be governed and controlled by God Himself, not by any human intelligence in our world. Man is ever to acknowledge that God lives and reigns; men are never to become lords over God’s heritage. They are to consider that “all ye are brethren.” In the very fact that men are free moral agents, God teaches us not to be forced or compelled into any course of action, also that as responsible beings in copartnership with God we are to represent God in character. We are to have an interest in our brother, in our neighbor, in all around (Letter 65, 1895). { 5BC 1098.1 } |
| If a man is sanguine of his own powers, and seeks to exercise dominion over his brethren, feeling that he is invested with authority to make his will the ruling power, the best and only safe course is to remove him, lest great harm be done, and he lose his own soul, and imperil the souls of others. “All ye are brethren.”.... Those in authority should manifest the spirit of Christ. They should deal as He would deal with every case that requires attention. They should go weighted with the Holy Spirit.—Letter 55, 1895. ( Special Instruction Relating to the Review and Herald Office, and The Work in Battle Creek, 32, 33.) { PM 139.3}
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All Ye are Brethren - - No one man is ever to set himself up as a ruler, as a lord over his fellowmen, to act out his natural impulses. No one man’s voice and influence should ever be allowed to become a controlling power. Those who oppress their fellow workers in our institutions, and who refuse to change their manner of treating helpers under their charge, should be removed. As overseers, they should have exerted a superior, refining influence for the right. Their investment with power makes it all the more necessary for them to be models of true Christianity. { MM 165.3}
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| Those who occupy important positions, who are brought in contact with souls for whom Christ has died, should place upon men the estimate God has placed upon them and regard them as precious. But many have treated the purchase of Christ’s blood in a harsh manner, in harmony with the disposition of men instead of according to the mind and spirit of Christ. Of His disciples Christ says, “All ye are brethren.” We should ever keep in mind the relation which we bear one to another, and remember that we must meet those with whom we associate here, around the judgment seat of Christ. God will be the Judge, and He will deal justly with every individual. { TM 224.1} |
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| Speaking to His disciples, the Savior said, “All ye are brethren.” God is our common Father, and each one of us is our brother’s keeper.— Review and Herald, January 21, 1896. { BLJ 149.6}
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