Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets

 

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. 

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

 

- Matthew 7:1-12 

 

Currently we are reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'   For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." 

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments that we will be judged with our own level of judgment because we are guilty of the very things we judge in others (Romans 2:1).  We ourselves have failed in repentance and in fleeing from sin.  To pass judgment is to assume God's authority.  Jesus also uses these terms, "with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you," in Mark 4:24 and Luke 6:38.   Each is in a different context, as no doubt Jesus repeated this important message many times.  

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."   We should remember that this message is directed to those who would be disciples, and regarding the practice of discipleship.  How can one possibly correct or instruct others in spiritual growth unless one already has the rigorous experience of seeing, knowing, and correcting one's own spiritual "blind spots"?  It's also a warning about our own capacity to overlook our own flaws, and an admonition for this kind of self-knowledge and correction.  The language here follows Jesus' earlier teaching, "The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (see Saturday's reading).  

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  My study Bible says that dogs and swine are references to heathen peoples (Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15), but this would also include Jews who do not practice virtue.  According to patristic sources, "dogs" are those so immersed in evil that they show no hope of change, and "swine" are those who habitually live immoral and impure lives.  The pearls are the inner mysteries of the Christian faith, including Christ's teachings (Matthew 13:46) and the great sacraments.  These holy things, my study Bible explains, are restricted from the immoral and unrepentant, not to protect the holy things themselves, for Christ does not need protection.  Instead, we protect faithless people from the condemnation that would result from holding God's mysteries in contempt.  The words of Christ also warn us about the response of those who cannot or will not understand.  Again, Jesus is still speaking in the context of discipleship, correction, and spiritual growth.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  Once more, Jesus is speaking of spiritual growth in discipleship.  My study Bible says that the verbs ask, seek, and knock are present progressives, which can be rendered "be asking," "be seeking," "be knocking."  There is a synergy here, it asks us to note:  our effort is commanded, but never apart from the immediate help of God.  We ask in prayer, we seek by learning God's truth, and we knock by doing God's will.  Here, human beings are called evil not to condemn all, but rather to contrast the imperfect goodness in human beings (where our goodness is also mingled with sin) with the perfect goodness of God (see Matthew 19:16-17).  My study Bible further comments that if imperfect and even wicked people can do some good, all the more will God work perfect good.  

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." My study Bible says that this "Golden Rule" fulfills the demands of the Law and the Prophets, and is a practical application of the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:39-40).  It's a first step in spiritual growth.  There is a  negative form of the Golden Rule ("Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you") which was well known in Judaism.  Christ's form is positive:  this is the action that begins to draw us toward God, my study Bible says.  

This "positive" form of the Golden Rule is illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, found only in Luke's Gospel (Luke 10:25-37).  In that parable, the Samaritan is the one who gives aid and help to the injured Jewish man, and so it is the Samaritan who was his true "neighbor."  In the language of the Gospel, the one who was the true neighbor was the one "who showed mercy" on the hurt man.  So this positive form of the Golden Rule applies to all acts of mercy, of charity, in whatever form that takes.  This ties in Jesus' statement at the beginning of the reading, concerning judgment.  Our positive acts toward others, embodying the things we'd want done for ourselves, become a way to heed Christ's teaching, "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  Interestingly, Jesus also speaks of what we call "projection" in modern psychological terms.  That is, we're blind to our own flaws ("And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is your own eye?"), and we often accuse others of the very same thing we ourselves are doing.  This seems to be particularly true in the public eye, in which it's often observed.  We can see this on the smallest scale, such as an argument between child siblings, to the grandest scale, in which those committing war crimes will often accuse their opponents of the same crime.  Clearly Christ calls us, if we would be His disciples, to do otherwise, and to rise above this common human flaw as part of spiritual discipline.  One thing is certain, Jesus does not entertain those who would claim their character is written in stone or that human nature cannot be changed.  On the contrary, what He teaches is that our own minds are malleable and capable of the greatest transformation, for this indeed is the very essence of salvation, of repentance (in the Greek of the Gospels, the word for repentance literally means "change of mind").  What we are asked by Christ to do then, in our own discipleship, is to be aware of our propensity not simply to overlook or be blind to our own faults, but to project them onto others -- and to do something about that.  We're meant to shift our focus onto ourselves, and instead to follow this positive Golden Rule.   Good judgment, Jesus tells us, is impossible when we have no clear understanding of ourselves and our own faults, and hypocrisy leads to our downfall.  Indeed, the greatest condemnation Jesus gives will be in Matthew 23, when He rails against the religious leadership for their very hypocrisy.   We remember that the word "hypocrite" originally meant "actor" -- the Greek literally meaning "below the mask," as in the masks worn by actors in ancient plays signifying the character they play.  Many today would seem to replace religion as a guiding light for practices of mercy in public life, with the tools of political ideology and persuasion.  Yet there we also observe that many seem to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the powerless even as they pose as champions of enlightened policies and human rights.  So neither blindness to our own shortcomings nor hypocrisy has left the world, and perhaps the modern day power of propaganda and communication technologies make such masks that much more powerful and oppressive. Let us, then, look to our Lord to guide us in our lives, despite the hypocrisy we see.  In such a time, many would say that the light and truth of faith -- which shines from the inside to the outside -- is now more needful than ever.  For where there is hypocrisy there is surely hardness of heart.

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets

 

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  

 

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

 

- Matthew 7:1-12 

 

We are presently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." 

 

"Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  My study Bible comments here that we will be judged with our own level of judgment because we are guilty of the things we judge in others (Romans 2:1).  We ourselves also have failed in repentance and in fleeing from sin.  To pass judgment is to assume God's authority.  The second part of this verse is found in Mark 4:24 and in Luke 6:38, each in a different context; no doubt Christ repeated this particular message many times.  It teaches us, also, how basic this concept is to our faith and our lives.  There is yet another important message here, and that is the means whereby we seek to clarify our own perceptions, to cleanse ourselves of false beliefs and values through repentance, and whether or not we have practiced our own spiritual learning and discipline in order to properly help others.  For without the discernment that only comes from one's own experience of repentance and spiritual growth, one fails to perceive clearly or properly.

 

 "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  My study Bible explains that while dogs and swine would refer to heathen peoples in the context of the time (Philippians 3:2, Revelation 22:15), they also would include Jews who do not practice virtue.  According to patristic literature, "dogs" are those people who are so immersed in evil that they show no hope of change, while "swine" are those who habitually live immoral and impure lives.  Of course through continual evil behavior, this is possible for any one of us.  The pearls are the inner mysteries of the Christian faith, which includes Christ's teachings (Matthew 13:46) and the great sacraments.  These holy things are restricted from the immoral and unrepentant, my study Bible explains, not to protect the holy things themselves, for Christ needs no protection.  Rather, we protect the faithless people from the condemnation that would result from holding God's mysteries in contempt. 

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  My study Bible points out that the verbs ask, seek, and knock are, in the Greek of the Gospel, present progressives.  In other words, Jesus is saying we are to "be asking," "be seeking," and "be knocking."  It asks us to note the synergy:  our effort is commanded, but never apart from the immediate help of God.  We ask in prayer; we seek by learning God's truth; and we knock by doing God's will.  Human beings are called evil here not in order to condemn all of us, but to contrast the imperfect goodness in people (our goodness is also mingled with sin - fallibility and imperfection), with God's perfect goodness (see Matthew 19:16-17).  My study Bible comments that if imperfect and even wicked people can do some good, all the more will God work perfect good.

 

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  This is the "Golden Rule" which fulfills the demands of the Law and the Prophets.  It is also the practical application of the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:39-40).  My study Bible says it is a first step in spiritual growth.  The negative form of the Golden Rule ("Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you") was well-known in Judaism.  Jesus' form here is positive:  this is the action that begins to draw us toward God (see Luke 6:31).

My study Bible calls the Golden Rule ("Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets") the first step in the road toward God.  That is, when we simply begin to consider treating others as we'd like to be treated, we are making a first start on Christ's road of perfection, of being His disciples.  I daresay there are times when we'll find, in this practice, that there are others who don't like being treated as we'd like to be treated (that is, they don't necessarily want the same things from others that we do), but this becomes part of the learning curve of spiritual discernment and proper boundaries.  It is part of the learning curve of discipleship, even of how to deal with those who don't love or appreciate or treasure the "pearls" that we do.  Nonetheless, that very basic understanding of proper respect for other human beings becomes a first step in the journey of discipleship; it sets out a sense of what we might call boundaries, and lays down a foundation of how we approach Christ and neighbor.  It will teach us also that there are limits to what "doing good" means; what is good to us is not necessarily what others think of as good.  Moreover, it is the first step to discerning those who do not wish to receive the "pearls" which God has given to us.  On another level, it is important to understand that the road to Christ is the long learning curve of love.  What is good for people, what they truly need, may vary from person to person.  Sometimes love asks us to let go; sometimes love is reaching out.  Sometimes love means having to say "no" to what another person wants from us.  All of these things are integral to the spiritual life of discernment, the level of discipleship we have integrated and towards which we wish to move.  Jesus says earlier in today's reading, "First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  He emphasizes that it is this spiritual experience, this discipleship journey, that makes us qualified to even begin to help another:  not only to recognize the "speck" in another's way of perceiving, but even to understand our own difficulties in perceiving and doing away with the flaws in our ways of seeing, the places where we are blind.  In terms of how we treat others and the Golden Rule, the more blind we are in our own way, the more we seem to project our flaws onto others, and fail to see where we also need change and repentance.  The things we fail to see about ourselves on this road of discipleship become the places where we fail to "change our minds" in repentance, and so to correct our own spiritual sight.  In the midst of all of this, Jesus promises great help:  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."  We do not do spiritual seeking on our own; the level of change we need is one that is addressed through asking, seeking and knocking.  It is through a life of prayer that God can help us to know our way; this is not a journey that we judge nor undertake ourselves.   It is only God's love -- and the help of Father, Son, and Spirit and the saints and angels with whom we pray -- that can lead us on this journey, teach us, guide us, refine us, and help us to know what we need to cast away.  And this is where real discernment comes in, when we realize our dependency upon God, and that we cannot undertake this journey without the practices of our faith and the loving hand of the Helper (and other helpers) always there, and the communion we find in the great cloud of witnesses, both seen and unseen, by which we are always surrounded.   We are taught to "judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."   It's only with God's help that we can seek good judgment, and discernment -- for everything begins with the Golden Rule.

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

 

 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 

 

In Saturday's reading, Jesus continued what is known as the Sermon on the Plain:   "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, and 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."  My study bible comments here that Christ does not judge anyone (John 8:15, 12:47).  Therefore, says Cyril of Alexandria, "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."   Christ's reference to the positive removal of the "speck that is in your brother's eye" is directed toward disciples, and the mutual correction He will recommend in the Church; it informs the tradition of the experienced spiritual elder who help those newer to the journey of faith.

"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 is a positive reference to the power of repentance, and its effect of creating a "good tree" which bears "good fruit."  It is an affirmation of the power of the heart and our need to guard our own hearts:  what we choose to cultivate and what we choose to let go.  This is what discipleship is for.

"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, because salvation is not based on hearing alone, nor on faith alone, but also on doing the things spoken by Christ (see James 2:24).  

In modern life we speak a lot about empathy, and in some important sense, Jesus' words here emphasize empathy in discipleship.  This happens in that very important passage in which Jesus says, "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."    What He is recommending here is that in order to be a good teacher, the disciple who really follows Christ has to have gone through his own discipleship, his own correction and repentance history of his own sins and imperfections, before he can instruct another.  These very words inform us about the tradition in the Church of an elder counselor, or a priest confessor.   Hypocrite! is probably the greatest consistent disparagement that Christ gives to people, and that goes especially for religious leaders.  In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus' repeated condemnation of the religious leaders comes in this form.  Not only does Christ specify just what that hypocritical behavior looks like, He repeatedly says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"  If only for this reason, that this is what we read in the Gospels, and they are Christ's scathing words regarding the religious establishment, do we need then to take utterly seriously this admonition to His own disciples (and we who would call ourselves disciples among them).  What would the Church be, with leaders who have not themselves wrestled with their own sins and flaws, their own tendencies that lead to failure in discipleship, their own honesty about themselves?  What is a Church leader, if they cannot first lead by being one who has gone through the rigors and difficulties of discipleship, grappling with their own forms of selfishness -- and especially putting in correction on their own behavior as disciples of Christ to more conform to His teachings?  Without having first removed the plank in your own eye, how could one be an appropriate leader and guide to those who would strive to do the same and become true disciples of Christ?  Without empathy, "rules" simply become another form of legalism.  How would one be able to discern an appropriate use of mercy in teaching or leading others along a particular path of discipline?  For Christ, these words make clear that without one's own experienced path of correction, hypocrisy is the only outcome, and that makes unfit leaders for His Church.  We have only to look around us and see the result of a failure to take such discipleship seriously in cultivating those whom we would put in charge of our flocks, and I speak to no particular denomination but to all.  For Christianity in a modern context, we are often tempted to relax the rules we understand to be for our own good and self-discipline.  But the real truth is that these things apply to us each individually and as solemn personal responsibility so that in fact we not only understand through experience how our own faith works, but also how to help others out of messes in their own lives.  Many people turn to psychologists for help in understanding how to assimilate personal feelings and beliefs into social and personal life and relationships.  But an experienced person of faith already has struggled with this question on the deepest levels, and understands that this work consumes not only social dicta but also personal religious and spiritual grounds of the soul, and within the love of Christ.  For without that all-encompassing love, we cannot understand real empathy as a tool in personal growth, or the discernment between discipline and helpful correction which is meant to help someone grow and not to punish.  Christ's teachings to us come within this character trait of love, and we as faithful must understand that all discipline starts there and ends there, and is grounded in the place of faithful prayer and communion.  It is for the good the soul, and of the person, and ultimately of the social fabric of our world and our lives, that we learn discipleship.  But that all starts right here in the heart, and in the plank in my own eye first.  This is how we build the good treasure of the heart.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
 
"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do for you, do also for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

- Matthew 7:1-12

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:   "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which if you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study bible remarks that we will be judged with our own level of judgment because we are guilty of the same things we judge in others (Romans 2:1).  We ourselves have failed in repentance and in fleeing from sin.  It says that to pass judgment is to assume God's authority.  The second part of this verse -- with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you -- is found in Mark 4:24 and Luke 6:38.  Each is in a different context, as Jesus no doubt repeated this particular message many times. 

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."   Later on in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus will offer a system of mutual correction in the Church as one that is good for the community (see 18:15-20).  So helpful corrective criticism is seen as a good, functional part of discipleship.  But Jesus here qualifies precisely how that works in discipleship.  We are not in a position to help others with correction if we ourselves have not been through the experience of correcting our own mistakes!  A hypocrite is the last thing Jesus wants and the first thing He repeatedly condemns.  It is only spiritual experience which has leavened and taught us that can help us to be wise enough (and humble enough) to help others in an appropriate way.  This requires the fullness of self-knowledge, and a constant seeking to be aware of and mindful of our own flaws.  Otherwise we really do not clearly "see" spiritually.

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  My study bible says that dogs and swine refer to heathen peoples (Philippians 3:2, Revelation 22:15).  However, this also includes Jews who do not practice virtue (keep in mind that Jesus is a Jew speaking to fellow Jews in preaching the Sermon on the Mount).  According to patristic opinion, dogs are those who are so immersed in evil that they show no hope of change, while swine are those who habitually live immoral and impure lives.  Let us keep in mind that in the context of offering helpful correction in discipleship, this most definitely applies to the error of teaching to those who do not desire nor value such spiritual wisdom.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."  My study bible points out that the verbs ask, seek, and knock are present progressives.  This means that they more literally would be translated as "be asking," "be seeking," "be knocking."    It remarks on the synergy contained in this teaching:  our effort is commanded, but never apart from the immediate help of God.  We ask in prayer; we seek by learning God's truth; we knock by doing God's will. 

"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  My study bible comments that human beings are called evil not to condemn the whole of our species, but to contrast the imperfect goodness that is in people (that is, our goodness is mingled with sin) with the perfect goodness of God (see 19:16-17).  It notes that if imperfect and even wicked people can do some good, so all the more will God work perfect good. 

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do for you, do also for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."   This is called the "Golden Rule."  It fulfills the demands of the Law and the Prophets.  My study bible calls it a practical application of the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (22:39-40).   It's a first step in spiritual growth.  It also reports that the negative form of the Golden Rule ("Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you") was already well known in Judaism.  But Jesus' form is positive:  this is the action that begins to draw us toward God.

The note at the end of the reading for today tells us that the negative form of the Golden Rule was already known in Judaism.  But Jesus changes it to positive action.  And we can read with consistency this emphasis by Jesus in the parable of the Good Samaritan, found only at Luke 10:25-37.  In that parable, a man -- who is a stranger and foreigner -- takes his own initiative to help someone who is hurt, incorporating the concept of "neighbor" to someone outside of his own community and in effect creates a "neighbor" relationship where there was none.  Sometimes there are times where we can't apply the Golden Rule literally, and Jesus also addresses that above.  If we would invite real spiritual correction (constructive and helpful), that may not be the case with everybody!  Hence, Jesus' warning about giving what is holy to dogs, or casting our pearls before swine.  Not everybody wants what is holy nor the wisdom of spiritual growth and understanding, and it is these of whom Jesus warns to maintain a distance in the context of the teaching.  So at all times what we have with Jesus is neither absolute "rules" to follow to the letter nor do we have esoteric and fuzzy idealistic philosophies or abstract concepts.  Instead, Jesus gives us pragmatic, simple, and wise down-to-earth advice that always bears a hallmark of experience.  And I think this is most important.  Jesus invites us also to discernment with His teachings -- He wants us to truly see and to learn how to perceive correctly.  Moreover, discipleship is a process of growing.  As is often said, our faith is a journey.  Throughout the Gospels, we are given a picture of the journey of the disciples as they become apostles and grow into their roles -- even through painful lessons --  as the pillars of the Church.   We are not simply offered abstract ideals and philosophies, nor are we given legalistic rules.  Our faith is a pragmatic one, which invites us to grow through spiritual experience and work at life in this blessed place of the Kingdom Christ opens to us.  Neither does it have impossible expectations, but rather offers us glimpses of the reality of the human condition:  both what we are and what we can be.  It doesn't flinch from the evil in the world.  It asks us to live and endure and to know for ourselves the Kingdom's blessedness, and to participate in Christ's life and sacrifice and resurrection.  Let us pay careful attention, step by step, and learn in God's love, where God's help is always at hand through it all.  So we ask, and seek, and knock, as He says.  Christ did not come into the world to fix it and be done.  Rather, He invites us into His life and the struggle for faith, with Him.  Above all, these teachings have stood the test of time and have not failed us in their truth.  Let us continue to learn and grow.

Whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops

 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

- Luke 11:53-12:12

Yesterday, we read that as Jesus spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of the all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus strongly criticized the lifestyles of the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers.  He called them hypocrites and proclaimed there would  be "woe to them" for their failure to uphold their positions as religious leaders of the people.  They were not merciful, and in fact hindered others from finding the wisdom of God.  This criticism has turned their feelings against Him, and they now plot to find accusations with which to charge Him.

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."  Here is the great enemy, so to speak:  hypocrisy.  It was this with which He condemned the practices of the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers.  Hypocrite, as discussed in yesterday's reading, is a word that meant "actor" in the Greek.  In the ancient plays, actors wore masks to denote their character.  The word literally means "under a mask."  Jesus proclaims here the work of God; it is the antithesis of hypocrisy.  Everything spoken in the dark will be heard in the light; what is spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.   We are to live our lives with this understanding.

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  This is  again a statement about what is known.  It is a radical awakening against hypocrisy.  The disciples are always to be aware of the vision of God, that nothing is lost to the sight of God.  Therefore what we fear is not the death of the body, but rather the One who watches our soul (see Proverbs 9:10).  My study bible says that the body will die eventually, one way or another.  St. Ambrose states that the death of the body is not itself a punishment -- instead, it is the end of earthly punishments.  But the soul continues for all eternity.  Since God is the judge of the soul, what we strive for even in the world is to please God alone. 

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."  Here is another exhortation against hypocrisy, a teaching on how His disciples must live.  My study bible says that to say a word against the Son of Man is to reject Jesus as the Messiah.  Before their conversion, Jesus seemed to be a mere man to many people.  The scandal caused by the Incarnation and Crucifixion of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:23) means that this sin is more easily forgiven.  But the Holy Spirit is without bodily form and works invisibly for divine goodness in the world.  Many Church Fathers, including St. John Chrysostom, say that even blasphemy against the Spirit would be forgivable if one repents; and Jesus never pronounces it "unforgivable."  But the truth Jesus teaches here is that those who knowingly blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure goodness "evil."  Therefore they are unrepentant by choice.  But there is more important teaching here, and it is about Judgment.  To do and speak the words given by the Holy Spirit is to bring a kind of truth into the world that is true testimony.  It then falls to every person who hears how they will respond.  Judgment is of course up to God, and depends on all kinds of things including repentance, as my study bible points out. 

So what does it mean to avoid hypocrisy?  What is it that Jesus is teaching that may be whispered in the ear in the dark and is proclaimed on the housetops?  I think there is a deep connection here to mystical truth and to the work of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus calls His followers to an entirely different awareness than that of the Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers.  His faith is not about only conforming to outward expectations and appearances, but that which must shore up the love of God in the heart.  This is not a passive love that declares itself loyal and is satisfied with confession or declaration.  This is an active love, one that translates into all wakeful activity, focused in prayer, and in the desire to please God.  An active love is one that is always present and always renewed, one that considers each action within the context of living prayer and communion.  What does that mean exactly?  Jesus places it in the context of something very active indeed:  testimony.  One cannot imagine a more "quickened" moment of life than being brought up before the the synagogues and magistrates and authorities.  But in His words, it is then they are not to worry, but rather trust in the Holy Spirit who will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.  This is an active love.  It's like a spouse whose ongoing thought and effort is about making a happy home, a good marriage.  So we are to think about pleasing and being in communion (and communication) with God.  We can't always know the thoughts of God, and we can't always be certain we understand where God is leading us.  But we can focus on our intentions and our love.  We can dwell in a state of active prayer and inner focus.  We can live our love the way love is lived in one who cares every moment for a beloved one.  This is what it means not to live as a hypocrite, to say from the housetops what is said in the ear in an inner room, to be true to a heart that is true.  Just like a marriage and a family, we don't know what is perfect -- and none of us is Judge.  But we can work at what He teaches, and most of all, we can trust as He teaches.

You shall not be like the hypocrites

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love the pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

* * *

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

- Matthew 6:1-6; Matthew 6:16-18

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount, which begins with chapter 5 of Matthew's Gospel.  (See The Beatitudes from last Monday, and subsequent readings.)   On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.  You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  Chapter 6 of Matthew's Gospel gives us aspects of the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus speaks about spiritual practice, and how we are to conduct ourselves:  in charitable giving, prayer, and fasting.  My study bible tells us that these three disciplines relate directly to God's righteousness.  Jesus begins in these verses with charitable giving.  In the Greek, hypocrite was a word for an actor:  in the ancient plays, the actors wore masks, and hypocrite means "under a mask."   Those who "play-act" for show seek to please other people more than to please God.  They love the praise of men more than the praise of God, as John's Gospel will put it.   Therefore, one can wear a mask of compassion, while inwardly remaining heartless.  My study bible says that their reward is the applause of other people and nothing more; God is not impressed with what others think about us, nor what we think about ourselves.   Some texts do not include the word openly at the end of verse 4.  Jesus defines a relationship in which love of God is the first priority; this, in turn, gives us righteousness, right-relatedness to others.  This is consistent with Jesus' subsequent teachings on the two greatest commandments. 

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love the pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  My study bible says that the hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, which is an intimate and personal communion with God, leading to the vision of His glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy effectively blocks out this communion and this vision.  Indeed, one can see it is an active form of denial, truly "a mask."  True prayer, says my study bible, is not in telling God what God already knows and then telling God what God must do about it; nor is it appearing pious in front of others.  True prayer is first of all humble (go into your room), secondly it is personal (pray to your Father), and finally it is sincere (do not use vain repetition -- in verse 7, which will appear in tomorrow's reading).

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."   Today's lectionary reading skips over verses 7 through 15, in which Jesus teaches more about prayer, and gives us the Lord's Prayer (they will appear as tomorrow's reading).  Jesus' teachings on hypocrisy are consistent through to the practice of fasting.  Keeping a sad countenance is again "showing off" for external display, the response of others.  Fasting is not about evil foods or bad foods; it is a commitment to making room for God.  Moreover for the Church fasting seasons are not meant to be a legalistic practice, nor does it preclude hospitality, being a gracious guest.  Fasting is for spiritual growth and the glory of God, not for show.  It is seeking God's compassion, an exercise in self-mastery as it includes fasting from all kinds of things that get in the way of relationship to God; a way of building dispassion.  My study bible cites the words of St. John Chrysostom:  "What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brothers?"

What keeps us from a true relationship to God?  Hypocrisy, or wanting to be seen by others as "good" or "pious" as our top priority.  As John's Gospel puts it, loving the praise of men more than the praise of God.  Modern forms of "piety" seem to me to include many different kinds of moralism, public morality.  Whether we speak of "political correctness," or of an appropriate show of one feeling or another, a kind of regulation of what is considered group-appropriate behavior, none of these "rules" can really give us true relatedness to God as top priority.  This is why legalistic ways of thinking are not consistent with the teachings of Christ; we can't substitute a set of rules for relationship to God in the intimacy which Jesus envisions here.  Community, in Jesus' model, is that which is formed from sincere and deep connection to God as first priority -- and it is from this basic relationship that love is learned and in which one can grow in that love.  That is, community as distinguished from collective, in which human beings are no longer individual persons whose conscience and free will operate within that choice for relationship to God.  Too often, I find, when we start to define public morality there is too great a demand for conformity as top priority; and how we appear to others becomes the judgment of our character.   All too often, this becomes a problem within churches as well.   In the midst of a very rancorous election season in the United States, we should consider the difference between a political opinion we might not agree with, and a humble and sincere heart.  It really doesn't matter which group or which opinion we're talking about; sooner or later, it seems to me, we are all faced with this choice of whether or not we will please God or seek the approval of our "group."  Our Lord exemplifies this in His own life, culminating in the Crucifixion.  So, let us consider, what is real victory?  It begins in humility, not in the pleasing of the world.  We can cover up our own hearts all too easily by the latter.

Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets

 "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye;'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

- Matthew 7:1-12

We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  We began with the Beatitudes, then we read You are the salt of the earth, Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill, Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment, Let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No," Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, Pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly, Our Father in heaven and You cannot serve God and mammon.   In yesterday's reading, Jesus warned about the high cost of a material outlook, and its toll of anxiety:  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for to tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

  "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye;'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."   Jesus turns again to the theme of hypocrisy, which has already been touched upon in this Sermon (see Thursday's reading, Pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly).  Here, He emphasizes that with the same level of judgment we use, we will also be judged.  Romans 2:1 cautions that often we condemn ourselves, because we're guilty of the same things that we judge in others.  My study bible reminds us that we all need some type of repentance and to flee from sin.   Jesus repeats His second statement in Mark 4:24, and in Luke 6:38.  Notably, both are used in different contexts to this.  This assures us that Jesus' message was preached in a number of settings, and that this teaching remains applicable in all sorts of situations.  Here, the emphasis is again against hypocrisy.   Let us note, this isn't a blanket command to ignore what's wrong or cover up sin.  Rather, we're to take care of our own flaws -- and only then can we help others (to see their much smaller errors!).

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  It may seem a strange juxtaposition if we don't read carefully here:  how can Christ tell us not to judge, and then turn around and tell us not to give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast pearls before swine?   The real answer is that He's teaching us about real discernment, good judgment, and warning us against our own hypocrisy in order that we may be pure in heart enough to do so.  My study bible says that dogs and swine are terms used to refer to heathen peoples and also those who work evil and practice idolatry (Philippians 3:2, Revelation 22:15), but would also include Jews who do not practice virtue.  According to the tradition of Church Fathers, dogs are people so immersed in evil that they show no hope of change, while swine are those who habitually live immoral and impure lives.  The pearls are the inner mysteries of the Christian faith, including Christ's teachings (13:46) and the sacraments.   This is a strong warning to practice discernment.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"   What are these good things Jesus speaks about?  They are the very mysteries of the Kingdom and gifts of the Spirit, the pearls He speaks of above.   My study bible tells us that the verbs ask, seek and knock are present progressives in form.  That is, they tells us to "be asking," "be seeking," "be knocking."  This is a constant process, like prayer is a ceaseless endeavor (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17).   A note tells us to note the synergy here:  our effort is commanded, but never apart from the immediate help of God.  It says, "We ask in prayer; seek by learning Gods' truth; and knock by doing God's will."  When Jesus says "you then, being evil" He's not condemning all human beings, but contrasting our imperfect goodness with the perfect goodness of God (see Matthew 19:16-17).   My study bible says, "If imperfect and even wicked people can do some good, all the more will God work perfect good."

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  Here is the "Golden Rule."  it fulfills the demands of the Law and the Prophets.  It's a practical application of the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (see Matthew 22:39-40).  My study bible calls this a first step in spiritual growth.  In Judaism, it says, the negative form of this statement was well known -- "Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you."  Jesus' form is position; my study bible says that this is the action that begins to draw us toward God.

It's important to think of the "Golden Rule" in terms of focusing on what we want.  If we're messing up, do we want to be told?  How do we want to know these things?   What's our real goal?  It's important to keep in mind that Jesus is speaking to those who would be His disciples.  His focus is always going to be on our own spiritual growth, our growth in the image of God He gives us.  This is not about declaring ourselves or anyone else perfect as we are.  It's about being on a road somewhere.  Jesus teaches us about purity of heart, what we must do to really understand what discernment is, to judge appropriately.  He is teaching us love.  He is telling us what spiritual gifts (pearls) are for, how we might grow in such discipleship.  Hypocrisy is a key negative -- it's something no disciple of Christ can really afford.  What that teaches us is that God's beauty and goodness is always linked to truth, a love for truth.  It furthermore reinforces the idea that we can't do this on our own; there's always the synergy my study bible speaks of.  We work hand in hand -- or rather this is about God at work in us.  We are to grow in love.  Later on, Jesus will give a formula for self-correction in the Church; to remove a speck from the eye of another is to help someone else to see.  We are only going to be good at that with the experience of spiritual growth ourselves, casting out the (much larger!) plank from our own eye.  And we don't waste our time on those who don't want this.  Can we get on board this bandwagon?  Can we follow His commands for discipleship?  What do we really want?

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

 

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

- Matthew 22:15-22

Yesterday, we read that Jesus answered to the chief priests and parables in the temple, and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.   Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

  Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.  Of today's entire passage, my study bible says, "The distinction between the things that are Caesar's and things that are God's does not imply the division of a believer's life into the secular and the sacred.  Rather, God is Lord over all of life, including the secular.  We do, however, fulfill governmental requirements that do not conflict with our first responsibility to God (Romans 13:1-7; contrast Acts 4:19; 5:29).  Paying taxes and similar civil duties are not detrimental to holiness."

Let us contrast the images on the coins that were used in the temple.  The money-changers, whom Jesus tossed out of the temple on His first day after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, were those who were exchanging the coins of Caesar for temple coins, Jewish money, in order to purchase animals for sacrifice.  While these two worlds appeared separate, those who were exchanging the money and allowing the practices in the temple certainly were not objecting to using these coins (with Caesar's image on them) themselves.  This was a question of temple regulation -- not a profound rejection of Roman currency at any and all times.  The question here is, of course, designed as a trap.  If Jesus were to object to one or the other (paying taxes to Caesar, or not) He would be "framed" either way:  if He objected to paying taxes He could be arrested for treason (a charge that will be trumped against Him anyway).  Let us not forget that one group asking this question were supporters of King Herod Antipas, who ruled for Rome as Tetrarch of Galilee, although He was of Jewish lineage.  Although we are in Jerusalem at this point, Jesus is a Galilean subject.  On the other hand, if Jesus said that yes, it was lawful, He might be condemned as a collaborator by those who are waiting for some kind of  leader or holy man to lead them out from Roman rule and restore Israel.  Jesus, once again, answers very cleverly to confound His questioners.  I think it's important to understand that often, the "dilemmas" we tend to choose for ourselves might not be dilemmas in God's sight at all.  This is a very essential spiritual understanding:  that what we think are conflicts in our eyes aren't necessarily conflicts at all from a spiritual point of view, or rather, perhaps we could say from a prayerful point of view.  It is we who give labels to things, who believe that there are "narrow gates" through which we can't go.  But God's view is different; prayer may just give us that narrow gate through which we are to go when we are faced with dilemmas we don't know how to handle from our human perspective.  Yes, this question is designed to trap Jesus -- but there seem to be many questions in life that work in us like a trap, because we aren't seeing clearly what options exist as a whole -- because we frame life in limited terms.  We see conflicts and opposites where such things may not exist for God at all.  And this is why a life of prayer is essential to our choices in life.  We turn to Christ, to God, to the Spirit to help us find our way through each particular "narrow gate" of which we may not even be aware.  A narrow gate is an opening, in what might seem a totally closed situation or circumstance.  Jesus always finds that narrow gate; He does as He is taught by the Father.  His Gift to us opens up our own way.  Let us remember the wedding garment of yesterday's parable, and that it is the acceptance of this great gift of mercy, the Spirit who prays with us and in us, that enables us to move through -- even to perceive of -- the narrow gate He has in mind.

You load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers

 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.

"But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."

Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.   In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."  

- Luke 11:37-52

In yesterday's reading, a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But Jesus said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"   Jesus taught the crowds, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."

  And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you."  My study bible teaches us, "Washing the hands before eating was an important religious ritual for the Pharisees.  They are concerned about outward cleanliness; Jesus says internal purity is more important."  It also notes, "Deeds of love toward people, such as giving alms, purify the inward man.  External things like food and clothing cannot defile one who is inwardly pure."  It's important to understand that the root of the word for alms in the Greek is one that means "mercy."  The idea of almsgiving should really portray the practice of compassion.  And in the Greek, this verse more literally translates that one should give of things which are "within."  We're reminded of the words of the psalmist:  "You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,  a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise"  (Ps. 51:16-17).   So the focus is on that inside of the cup, what is inside of us -- and how we can practice mercy and compassion through our own internal giving; that is, from the heart.  Thereby the practice of purity - a clean heart - makes all things clean. 

"But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."    My study bible introduces the following verses with this note:  "After their testy attacks against Him, Jesus pronounces a series of denunciations against the Pharisees and scribes."  Here in these particular verses, we find the condemnation of religious practice for show, including tithing - which is in principle is a form of giving to the community.  But what is left undone?  What of the compassion in the heart?  A true practice of kindness?  Yes, tithing is good, but what is left undone? Jesus asks.  The rest of the accusations point out the hypocrisy:  to love the best seats in the synagogue and special greetings in the marketplaces, all forms of honor given for their places in the religious establishment.  But the next phrase takes us to something else He's taught a disciple:  "Let the dead bury their own dead."  What is it to be spiritually dead?  Here, Jesus links it with the failure to understand what inner purity of the heart is, and its rootedness in mercy and justice.

 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.   In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."    A lawyer here is an expert in the Mosaic Law.  So how do these practice the hypocrisy Jesus condemns?  They load men with burdens hard to bear -- but the last thing they will do is practice compassion for them, "even with one of their fingers."  Furthermore, they build the tombs of the prophets, those who warn of practices that avoid the true repentance of the heart, mercy and justice.  It is easy to follow an outward law, while the inside of the cup goes unnoticed and ignored.  The Holy Spirit, Christ Himself, works through prophets and apostles to teach people to turn back, come back to the justice and mercy and love of God.  But a heart focused on the outward appearance, of place in others' eyes only, cannot - it implies - also heed the work of the Spirit and of Christ Himself in their midst.  So these lawyers by their practice and hence teaching take away the key of knowledge - the preparation of the heart for the work of the Spirit; they fail to enter themselves, and hinder others from entering by their example and teaching.

Let's get to the bottom line here:  what is it to clean the inside of the cup?  What is it to practice an internal purity of the heart, to make room for the work of Christ and the Spirit, the work of mercy and justice?  We have many beautiful practices in all of the churches, things designed to help us to know and to worship God, and to love one another.  But when we fail to uphold and honor that work in ourselves, when anything becomes just for show, or appearance, we run the danger of becoming what Jesus reserves His scathing criticism for:  a hypocrite.  Hypocrite, in its original meaning in the Greek, is "actor."  That is, in the ancient plays, one who wears a mask, and plays a part, gives an image.  But what about the inside of the cup?  The place where we really meet God?  Jesus seems to say that if we are truly integrated and participating in God's love with the heart then whatever we give from the heart makes everything clean.  We think of images of Christ touching the ritually unclean to heal -- those possessed with demons, who need cleansing from leprosy, His honoring of the woman with the twelve years bloodflow as she touched the hem of His garment and was healed by her faith.  All of these actions give us at once the image of what it is to reach out from the heart with love and compassion, to do what we can to lift the burdens of others.  Jesus is not tearing down the law, but He's giving us evidence of how hypocrisy works, how we may lose the power of the Spirit and He Himself at work within us and among us -- or worse, actively work against it.  So what does it mean to clean the inside of the cup in order to fill it with God's love?  To give of the heart?