Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
The Pharisees had secret inner lives and desired that these would remain concealed. Yet although they hid the true sinful nature of their aspirations, their pride, envy, jealousy, and greed, these were nevertheless a corrupting influence on those around them. By being concealed they were able to continue to exert this influence that might have been mitigated by being exposed.
There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
It is better to work toward a consistency between our inner life and how we present ourselves here and now rather than continuing to hide in the shadows. This is a twofold effort. We must work to allow God's light to shine within us so that our motives will be purified and our sinful tendencies healed. But we must also allow the seed of the word of God within us to work its way out to full expression in our actions. The word of God grows in the darkness of our hearts. But it is meant to break through the soil and be seen. We are not meant to be embarrassed by it or keep it hidden out of a misplaced desire to protect ourselves. We may not actually shout it from the housetops in fact. But we should having the willingness to do even that if God made it clear that it would be productive.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
When we fear bodily death above all else we tend to continue to conceal our sinfulness rather than come out into the healing light of God. And at the same time the word of God is stifled and remains hidden within us so that we can avoid the potential ramifications of being identified with Christ.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
When we fear God above all else we find that we are able to properly order our lives and live as we are meant to live. Fearing him does not limit our flourishing in any way. It only makes us cautious not to offend him or to take his love for granted. It makes us careful to live in the way that God knows is best for us, and helps us to recognize that he desires even more for us than we do for ourselves. This fear, which is not a servile fear, actually gives us great depths of peace.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.
We don't fully appreciate our own worth. The only way to value ourselves as God does is to fear him enough to trust his perspective. Then his love can cast out all of the our lesser worldly fears, allowing us to become all we are meant to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment