The crowds are larger than ever. So large, in
fact, that people are being trampled. Jesus has recently come from a very
contentious dinner with a group of Pharisees and lawyers that has left Him
angry about hypocrisy and its prevalence within the religious establishment.
Don’t worry, say the disciples, when the
revolution comes, we’ll sweep all that away and start new. Trust us! We were
hand-picked for this – by You!
Jesus looks at the disciples askance and throws
down a lesson in group dynamics.
Don’t belittle or underestimate the extent or
degree of the problem, says Jesus. Hypocrisy – the kind the Pharisees practice –
is just like leaven. The tiniest bit of it will leaven an entire batch of
dough. It infects everything and everyone. That’s why we purge our homes of chametz (yeast) every Passover. It’s
not enough to just put it away in a cupboard somewhere. There is no place for
it in your lives – get rid of it!
You can live like the Pharisees – doing things for
show, working hard to present a perfect façade to the people you meet while
hiding (and denying) all the sin and darkness within. But you have to know that
the light will shine and you will be exposed. It’s a law of
nature – like “what goes up, must come down.” It’s going to happen; it’s just a
question of when.
And then Jesus gives them a lesson in social
media.
“Nothing is covered up that will not be
revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore, whatever you have said
in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private
rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.”
Jesus warns us that, like it or not, a redeemed
life is a public one – a life on display. However, when we live it in humility
and integrity – transparently, with an open, honest acknowledgment of our
failings (past and present) – we are transformed and we draw others to
ourselves by the power of a changed life.
The crowds first responded to Jesus because He taught them with authority and not as the scribes.
Here, He teaches the disciples that the crowd will respond to them if they approach
them from a similar place of authority – the power of a life changed by Christ.
A truly changed life, Jesus tells us, is full of compassion and love. Who can
resist that?
For the last several weeks, Jesus has given the
disciples a glimpse of His future. Now it’s time for a peek at theirs.
Living humbly, transparently, and dependent on
God is going to come in handy, Jesus warns, because you are going to be following in My footsteps. You’re going to be dragged in front of the
authorities and examined. You may be beaten and flogged. Who knows? You may be
killed. But know this: if you only speak the truth, you never have to remember
what you said (and that makes testifying under oath a lot less stressful).
So get your ducks in a row! Jesus urges. Look at
things with true vision and true insight. It’s not a question of if the authorities will arrest you and
try you but when. Start preparing for that day now by living openly, honestly, and
transparently. Don’t boast about your past, but don’t cover it up either. Stop looking
at what’s behind you and focus on what’s ahead. Live in such a way that people will
see God working in you for His glory so that they, too, might glorify Him.
And if you don’t? If you spend all your time and
effort spinning the lie that you (like the Pharisees) are righteous, holy – a
shining white monument to the prophets! – yet hide your sin and deny your greed
(filled with dead men’s bones!)? You won’t need to fear the authorities. In
fact, they may even applaud you.
No, it’s not the authorities or the crowd you
will need to fear, but Him who can cast both body and soul into Hell. But tell
me, if you rebel against God and deny the work of His Holy Spirit, who
is left to save you from the fires of Hell?
