But why do you call Me "Lord, Lord," and not do the things which I say?

 

 And He spoke a parable to them:  "Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they not both fall into the ditch?  A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.  

 

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit.  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.  

 

"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:  He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.  But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.  And the ruin of that house was great."

 

- Luke 6:39-49 

 

 On Saturday, we continued reading Jesus' Sermon on the Plain.  He taught, "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, for you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.  Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.   Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

  And He spoke a parable to them:  "Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they not both fall into the ditch?  A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye."  The Orthodox Study Bible comments that Christ does not judge anyone (John 8:15; 12:47).  So, therefore, St. Cyril of Alexandria comments, "if the Teacher does not judge, neither must the disciple, for the disciple is guilty of worse sins than those for which he judges others."  According to St. Cyril, this is meant to teach us to focus on our own holiness and spiritual journey, correcting our own flaws rather than diverting our attention to others and ignoring our own spiritual state (Sermon XXXIII).  After all, he writes, it is Christ to whom we turn, who heals and corrects.

 

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit.  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."  This teaching about the kinds of fruits which are borne from a tree revealing the essential state of the tree occurs in several places (see also Matthew 7:15-20; 12:33-35).  Moreover, in his preaching in anticipation of Christ, St. John the Baptist also introduces this imagery (see Matthew 3:7-10; Luke 3:7-9).  St. Cyril points out here that Christ teaches a way of discernment, even as He teaches us to "judge not."  For by what people do may be seen the reality of the spiritual life.  This is not judging by appearance, but by what people actually do that reveals themselves.

 

 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:  He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.  But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.  And the ruin of that house was great."  My study Bible comments that hearing the gospel alone is not enough, for salvation is based not on hearing alone, nor on faith alone, but on doing the things spoken by Christ (see James 2:24).  

 

 Looking at these verses of Christ's Sermon on the Plain, we are reminded once again of His consistent plea that we pay attention to what we do.  He asks us for deeds.  St. Cyril observes that Jesus' exhortations repeatedly suggest working for something, laboring toward something.  The saint points out the passage in which Jesus tells us, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14; part of His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount).  This teaching suggests great effort, a difficult way, meaning that we have to work at something. Jesus says to His disciples in today's reading, "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like . . .."  Again, St. Cyril writes of this distinction between simply hearing the Lord's sayings, and hearing them and doing them.  It is in both hearing and doing that we build a house upon a solid foundation that can't be shaken by storms.  But in simply hearing and not doing, we have no stability.  It's in the doing that we build a bedrock deeply within ourselves on which we can solidly remain despite the many things that come in life that will oppose Christ's way and seek to shake us off of it.  Passions and temptations can be resisted and endured securely with the kind of strength this builds up.  If we only hear the words, but fail to actually follow through, we can be easily shaken by all kinds of things that pass through us -- and carried away by them.  In the long history of the Church, the monastic way of life has been called asceticism.  This word comes from the Greek for "exercise" or "training," and those who so engage are historically called "spiritual athletes."  Even St. Paul lays the ground for this understanding when he speaks of faithfulness as having fought the "good fight" and finishing his "race" (2 Timothy 4:7; see also 1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12).  So what does Christ teach that we really need to do?  To what things does your mind turn when you consider your own faith and mission in obedience to Christ?  What have we neglected while focusing on others?  Let us tend to the ignored plank in our own eye, and tend to the business to which Christ calls us now (John 21:20-22).