25 August 2015 - inside and out

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.

We are called to sincerity and integrity. We are warned to avoid the way of the Pharisees who only worry about the outside of the cup and dish. They only worry about what people see. Their concern is with what can build their own pride. They do only the work which others will acknowledge. They ignore the inside full of plunder and self-indulgence.

We realize that it is tricky for anyone to avoid this trap. We are incentivized to seek incentives. It is a risk that Paul faces. Especially after a struggle in which he and his company are insolently treated we might expect that their motives would be imperfect. When we are just returning from something difficult, some struggle in our lives, aren't we willing to let some impure motives creep in? At such times, don't we make more room for self-affirmation and even self-indulgence? We feel as though we must present this deceptive version of ourselves to the world if we are to be credible. But Paul does none of this. He tolerates none of it. How does he manage?

But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.

Paul remembers that his mission doesn't start with him. It isn't something he makes up. And because of that, it isn't something which he has to manage on his own. If he did he might have to resort to flattering speech. It is likely that the mission would become a pretext for greed and for seeking the praise of men. But his mission is entrusted to him by God. It is first and foremost about pleasing God and not men. But, oddly, the result is that Paul behaves in a way which is far more pleasing to men than the self-indulgent hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

Rather, we were gentle among you,
as a nursing mother cares for her children.
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well,
so dearly beloved had you become to us.

After all, God knows us top to bottom, inside and out. We can't fool him with well manicured lawns when the houses of our spirits are a mess. He searches us and he knows us entirely. But he isn't here to condemn but rather, and here is the heart of the matter, to help us clean. There is more work than we can ever do alone. We end up focusing on the wrong things. Let's invite God inside to help, knowing that he knows us, trusting in his love.

Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
too lofty for me to attain.