Wednesday, August 25, 2021

25 August 2021 - what do you want on your tombstone?


Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.

It doesn't matter if we appear perfect on the outside if we are lifeless on the inside. But there is a real risk that we might content ourselves with externals since it is possible that everything can look beautiful even when we are spiritually dead within. It is always tempting to focus on form over substance because form wins us praise and validation whereas substance typically goes unseen. We can deceive not only others but even ourselves if we are concerned about appearance rather than on being "obedient from the heart" (see Romans 6:17). 

Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

If we are too concerned about appearing righteous we tend to neglect those aspects of our inner lives that are invisible. And the parts that are visible tend to put us at a greater risk of pride. This is why we are to be concerned with loving God and neighbor in a secret and hidden way. We are called to pray in our inner room. We are called keep our left hand ignorant when we give alms with our right (see Matthew 6:3-6).

Does the hiddenness of the spiritual life conflict with the need to evangelize? It might seem that way as there is certainly an apparent tension between to the two goals. But spiritual hiddenness and humility only conflicts with a prideful evangelism that stems more from hubris than true humble desire to share Jesus with others. The fundamental hiddenness of our life with God is the deep soil from which true evangelism can emerge. We will be able to say the things that the Spirit prompts us to say without considering the potential risk to our own egos and avoid the temptation of merely saying those things which merely make us sound smarter or more spiritual than others.

As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,
exhorting and encouraging you and insisting
that you walk in a manner worthy of the God
who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.

The Pharisees performed acts that appeared righteous and praiseworthy, that appeared to show their allegiance to the God's revelation to Israel's prophets. But when they who were tombs themselves built tombs it could never be to in praise of God. Rather, they would welcome any who were spiritually dead like themselves, metaphorically speaking, into these tombs, allowing them to share in the spiritual pride of making them. Any who were not they would even try to drag down to this level by force, even to the point of killing the Messiah. Dead men build tombs to make space for more death, no matter how beautiful they make them seem.

Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!

The Pharisees received the word of God in some sense, but they received it as like unto any other words of men. They chose just how they would receive those words and used and manipulated as they sought fit to achieve their own goals. We must rather receive it as it truly is "the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe." This is dangerous, because it is not a static word with which we can ever be fully comfortable. It is always in motion to change us and make us better, always at work to transform us to more perfectly reflect the image of the Word of God himself. But this is a good kind of danger, like Aslan from Narnia, worthy of our full and wholehearted embrace.

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

Mr. Tumnus also says, "He's wild, you know. Not a tame lion."

- The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis


 


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