The Eight Woes – Part 3
Matthew 23:23-28, NRSV - “Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected
the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you
ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but
swallow a camel!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you
clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of
greed and self-indulgence. You blind
Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become
clean.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you
are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside
they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to
others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matthew 5:7-9, NRSV – “Blessed are the merciful,
for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see
God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they will be called children of God.”
The practice of mercy. Purity of heart. A heart to make peace. The hearers of Jesus’s first public teaching,
the Sermon on the mount, heard the vison of those who sincerely follow God. In Jesus’s last public address, the so-called
leaders of the followers of God called out for living out and teaching others
the total anthesis of God’s vision. The Pharisees
stress tithing while taking advantage of the poor – a total repudiation of
mercy. They maintain a spotless image of
piety that hides widespread corruption in their ranks – their hearts are far
from pure. They have not brought peace
to God’s people, for they are only looking out for themselves and their position.
It’s
important to remember the setting here. Jesus is speaking in the temple in
front of many people with the various groups of leaders present. This polemic against the religious establishment
is directed at leaders, but clearly, Jesus wants the people to hear it. Just
before he turns to the leaders, he talks about them to the people. Jesus instructs them to do what they say, but
avoid doing what they do. Then the Eight
Woes talk specifically about those “doings” that people should avoid. This is the word for us today as well. This
is easier said than done.
Our
tendency as humans is to expend a much energy in “image management.” We all want to be seen as “good people.” There’s nothing wrong with that desire. But what God looks for in us is not our
surface image, but the condition of our hearts, a condition that is often hidden
from others because external image would be “tainted.” People who are truly merciful are often seen
by others as weak. People who work to
keep their heart pure are often accused of being “goody two shoes.” The great peacemakers of this world often
endure much vitriol from the very folks with whom they are seeking to make
peace. It’s much easier to appear
merciful, pure in heart, and peacemaking than it is to actually BE those
things. So, all too often, we settle for
appearances.
God
cares much more about the real condition of our souls and the real substance of
our living than the public appearances we maintain. Jesus points out in the Beatitudes and Woes that
there is blessing in the real work of faith and there is misery in the never-ending
quest for the perfect image. Jesus message
to the people standing in the Temple that day (and to us) was to aim for the
blessings, not the misery. Be merciful even when it’s not popular. Keep your heart pure even though it means you might
have to say no when everyone else is saying yes. Do the
work of making peace even when it’s runs against the tide. Align your heart and action with the heart
and action of God. God does not promise to
do so is to avoid pain, but God does promise there is blessing in the Beatitude
life and misery in living the opposite.
Questions: How much
energy do you expend “keeping up appearances?” How might some of that energy be
better used?
Prayer: Lord, help me
see the ways in which I am only “going through the motions” for appearance
sake. Help me rediscover the your ways
of blessing. Reinstall the beatitudes in
my heart and action. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for people you know who are fighting discouragement right now.
Song: Act Justly,
Love Mercy, Walk Humbly – Pat Barrett
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