New Thoughts (08/27/08-09/01/08)
While I have broken this part of Jesus’ response out as a separate study, it must be heard in connection with what He has just said. It is, after all, one response, one message. The message, as we saw in the preceding verses, has to do with the Truth and with true teaching. The rabbinical leaders have raised the issue of Jesus’ sources. They know all the schools extent in Israel at this time, and they know who is enrolled under each of the teachers. This Jesus is not to be found on the lists. So, they take issue with Him, not on the content of His message, but on His lack of apparent ‘covering’ as one hears it called today.
I don’t know if this is a specifically Charismatic concern, or a means by which the so-called non-denominational churches seek to validate themselves. But, the term has come into play. A ministry today, given that it will often have no lineage to point to, no denomination to back its claims to represent Christ, will point instead to some larger ministry under whose covering they operate. What does that covering cover? Very little, from what I can see. Our church, in the interest of full disclosure, is one that operates under just such a covering. What does this mean to us? Well, I am not privy to the counsel of the elders here, but from what is visible to the layman, almost nothing. It means we have an occasional guest speaker, perhaps two or three times a year, who is more highly placed in the ranks of this covering organization. I do not see that they have any great bearing on our beliefs, our format, or our organizational structures. They might be supposed to share a certain perspective on matters of theology, but I cannot even vouch for that. We are, after all, pretty unique within the spectrum of the Charismatic movement, else I probably would not remain.
The potential downside of this concern for covering is that we find ourselves right back where these temple authorities are. We don’t consider the message. We look for the credentials. Now, that’s not entirely a bad thing. There is good cause and sound basis for checking out the source before one buys their message. However, we can become lazy, complacent, and begin to simply assume that the covering vouches for the veracity of the covered. What Jesus has been teaching here should dissuade us from becoming overly concerned with such matters, though.
His whole counter to the argument of the elders in this section has been that one ought to measure by the message delivered and by the clear motivation of the messenger. If the message is all about, “I did,” and “in my church,” and “my accomplishments” it’s time to be very, very careful of what is being said. If it’s all about ego, it’s none about God. Look to the contrast that Jesus provides: the one who is solely concerned with the glory of God, that one is telling you truth. Furthermore, if you are really set on pursuing God’s way, you’ll know it without having to check the messenger’s sources. You’ll know it because it is cut from the same cloth as what you have been pursuing all along (Jn 7:17-18). Deep speaks to deep (Ps 42:7). Line upon line and precept upon precept (Isa 28:10), the Law of God, the nature of God, the essence of God is revealed to us as a cohesive whole. He is not some prism presenting a fractured view of Himself and His Truth. No! What is True in Him remains True, regardless of the passing years, regardless of the messenger through whom Truth is delivered, regardless of what language it is transmitted in. Truth is Truth.
Now, proceeding into this current piece of His response, Jesus is providing an example of this true message delivered. It begins right there in verse 19: You are so concerned with the Law of Moses, yet not one of you can seriously claim to have carried out what that Law requires! And yet, you would exact the full punishment of the Law from Me. There is a great deal left unsaid there. One might follow upon that by asking, “are you prepared to exact the same punishment of the same Law for yourselves?” After all, the only legitimate reason man can ever have for taking the life of man is a breach of God’s Law. By the same token, any breach of God’s Law draws that same legal penalty.
Key to recognizing what Jesus is saying here, and what He is doing by so saying, is to see what He is forcing these legal experts to face: they’re own conviction under the same Law by which they seek His death. Here is a matter we must come to grips with daily as we seek to walk with Christ. Every day we should recognize afresh that we are all sinners, we are all guilty, we are all under penalty of death should we be forced to stand before the Law upon our own merits. It is this recognition that will give us a heart of mercy when we deal with unbelievers. It is this recognition that will give us a heart of compassion when we are faced with fellow believers whose behavior belies their professed faith. People will fail us. This is the first recognition. We will fail people. That is the second. That God has allowed us to continue our existence in His presence is mercy beyond measure. That is the third. That such mercy forbids us ever to complain of unfairness again, though! That is the place we need to reach. That is the place we need to abide. That is the place which will empower us to abide as a people who demand no rights, who recognize we have no rights, only the incredible mercy of God by which we stand and by which we serve.
This is well and good. However, we know human nature (for it is our own nature) well enough to know that no man willingly looks at the Law and sees himself convicted. We must have our noses rubbed in it before we will acknowledge the Truth. So, Jesus proceeds. The issue they have against Him is His activity on the Sabbath. Well and good, let us look at this Sabbath. Let us look at the actions of His accusers on the Sabbath. Look at the example of circumcision. (Here I but pursue the argument Jesus is laying out.) You attribute this to Moses, but really it’s older than that, and you know it. It finds its roots in Abraham, long before Moses was born. But, the command is for a newborn to be circumcised on the eighth day. Fine. You are not in control of the day of that child’s birth any more than you control the day of your own death. So, if his eighth day falls on the Sabbath, it is a matter beyond your control. But, what you do about that eighth day, that is under your control, and what do you choose to do? You break the Sabbath to maintain the covenant. Nor is there any fault in your doing so. Yet, you have become a Sabbath breaker, have you not? Are you not just as guilty of the very transgression you accuse Me of? If the mark of the covenant is sufficient cause to transgress the day of rest, isn’t the preservation of life?
Many other arguments could be made atop these. One that is often made is to observe that the priests in the temple, or the pastors in their churches, are all but required to work of a Sabbath. The psalmists, the Levites, these must work on the Sabbath, yet it can be no sin, can it? For they serve the Lord of the Sabbath. At any rate, Jesus reaches a concluding lesson: Don’t judge by appearances, for appearances aren’t what matters. Judge righteously. But, this is a thing that can only be done with a view to the heart, to the motivation. If I take the whole of this lesson, I must recognize that this is a thing I can only do for my own condition, and even there, I cannot do so with any great perfection, for I know that the Word is true when it says that the heart is deceitful (Jer 17:9-10). It requires the LORD to search it out, test it, and reveal to me what my heart would prefer to hide away. Oh! But, apart from Him, I must recognize that even repentance is impossible, for my heart would never let me see me as I am.
It shall remain for subsequent sections of this study to note how these leaders respond, and how the crowds. It strikes me, though, that their reaction to His message is largely going to be predicated on their understanding of sin and the Law. If, like the rich young ruler, they feel that they have truly been observing the Law by all their painstaking habits, then they shall doubtless remain untouched by this message. If, on the other hand, they perceive as Martin Luther would later perceive that there must be something more else religion was of no use to save, then they shall hear the way His message echoes what God is saying to them. Yes, there is more. It’s not about being ever so careful to look right. It’s about a God who graciously deals with our wrongs. It’s not about doing everything we can to avoid even approaching a breach of the Law, although this is worthy of every effort. It’s about the recognition that our every effort will never prove enough. We are already law breakers and without hope of pardon apart from Messiah. It’s not about being the perfect man. It’s about believing on the Perfect Man.
The example Jesus gives us of Law run amok by man’s handling is that of the Sabbath. This was, after all, one of the major points of contention between Jesus and the legal experts. We must recognize first and foremost that the establishment of the Sabbath is part of that same Mosaic Law that establishes our moral obligations to God and to man. As the encyclopedias remind, the Sabbath must therefore be recognized as being at root a moral issue as well. Since it is found amongst the first portion of the Law, it would be reasonable to suppose that it applies more to our duties towards God than towards our fellows. Yet, later expositions on the matter of the Sabbath seem to indicate that it is indeed concerned with our fellows, for we are told to see to it that those who work with us or merely stay with us for a time are granted an observance of the Sabbath as well.
It occurs to me this morning, that, poised as it is between our duties to God and our duties to man, we might look upon this particular Law as our duty to self. It is, as has been noted in one of the texts, a law which establishes proper balance in us: keeping us from getting overly caught up in dead religious observance on the one hand and from deadly negligence of spiritual concerns on the other. Whether in matters of work, of family or of church, it seems we are a people far too capable of becoming overly busy. It all becomes work, all chore, and none of it joy. No room is left for thankfulness because we are busy doing, doing, doing. It leads to a terribly sour perspective. We find work to be truly toilsome. We find family life a burden. Worst of all, we being to find God troublesome as well, demanding too much of our time and not worth the effort.
Enter the Sabbath, the day of days. What are we called to do with this day? It is, of course, a day of rest. However, rest, if it be made a matter of careful observance of this restriction and that, is no longer restful. But, don’t overbalance the matter! It’s not a day for sloth. It’s a day for rest. At risk of getting a bit ahead of myself, I love what is said of this rest, that we ought model ours upon God’s. If we consider God’s activity since the sixth day of creation we do not find God has ceased from all effort. No, but the nature of His effort has changed. He is no longer creating, for creation is complete. But, He functions to preserve and uphold that which He has created. He continues to sustain the life that He has brought into being, and ever shall.
We are told that the Sabbath day is the day which sanctifies daily life. By this day of grateful rest, of ceasing from our daily labors and enjoying what labor has produced, the labor of the other six days is made holy. Isn’t that something? We, too, are called to uphold that which we have created by our efforts on the other six days, and to sanctify that produce. But, look back to God for just a moment, and the propriety of what Jesus is saying here is that much clearer. What God created in His six days of labor was life in all its variety. What He sanctifies by His continual provision and care ever since is life. Here is a fine foundation for recognizing the sanctity of Life, for it is God Himself who sanctifies it, having created it! How fitting, then, that the Son of God should be found upholding life on this day of life’s sanctification, and how wrong headed are those who saw it otherwise.
What we see in these sadly misguided leaders is an absorption of the surrounding culture. Other peoples found themselves in a continual need of appeasing their gods. Blessings were not things that gods naturally bestowed on people, but things that must be cajoled out of those gods. Gods were not to be loved, but to be feared, not to be obeyed so much as appeased. This is what had become of the Sabbath. God had lovingly blessed mankind whom He created with a rest from their labors. But, these leaders had made that blessing into a curse of rules and regulations designed more to appease God’s wrath than to manifest His blessing.
We look at them and shake our heads. But, we really need to look to our own situation and our own habits. We are hardly immune. We are forever setting up our rules and regulations regarding what a Christian may or may not do. We can find churches today that are just as concerned with people driving on the Sabbath. Just look back at the foundations of this country. What was the primary reason for establishing a new township? Too far to travel to get to church on Sunday. It would require people to work on the Sabbath if they couldn’t set up a new town with a new church that was closer to home. More than 2000 steps, don’t you know.
Fine, so most of our churches no longer get too caught up with that particular matter. But, what about dancing? What about smoking? What about wine? We have a thousand and one varieties of things that some part of Christendom would consider too sinful to be borne, and yet they are inconsequential in themselves, best left as matters of conscience for each man to consider in his own right. Some of these issues might be health issues, certainly, but moral? That’s far harder to make a case for. It’s not even limited to denominations or regions, for all that. If we can find means to be honest with ourselves, we shall find that we have our own little checklists. Mostly, I suspect they consist of our own habits, at least those which we have developed as reflective of our faith. These are the things that mark out true Christianity to us. Those who deviate from our personal pattern we may view as suspect. How could they call themselves Christians and not reach the same conclusions we have? Why, they still watch television all the time! You know, we heard they went out to see a (gasp!) secular band the other night! Backsliders!
Yet, we could look at our own observances and practices and discover ourselves as worthy of a prophetic rebuke on the Old Testament order as ever Israel was. Yes, there were periods where the problem in Israel included a complete failure to observe the Sabbath at all, but more often the issue was with the attitude and motivation of the observance. Where was the love of God? Where was the gratitude for His provision day in and day out? It was buried in a deadly, choking grave cloth of dutiful observance. Yes, they stopped working. After all, what would the neighbors say if they didn’t? But, there was nothing of God in their thoughts, except perhaps resentment that they had to do this.
You know, when we consider offerings and the like, we are reminded that God loves a cheerful giver. We may even be reminded that if we are giving out of some sense of obligation to church, or out of concern for our reputation, we are throwing our money away. Don’t you suppose it’s the same with the Sabbath? It is after all, a giving of our time in a very real sense. There are other things we could do with the day, profits that could be made, and so on. We could probably even justify it to ourselves by tithing on that income and congratulating ourselves on further blessing the work of the kingdom. But, it’s only justifying ourselves.
Look, there may be those who have no real choice but to work on the day we call the Sabbath. And, let us be absolutely clear, there are professions that by their nature are not only needful on that day, but fully in accord with the principles of God’s heaven. What sort of hospitals would we have, for example, if the staff all took Sunday off? What would become of the patients? There are plenty of other examples where it may not be direct support of life that justifies the labor, but perhaps simply good stewardship. When it comes to agriculture or raising livestock of any sort, for instance, the crops and the animals are not likely to be terribly observant of the Sabbath schedule. The wheat ripens on the day of its choosing, and the harvester must avail himself of good weather for harvesting. Cows will not well tolerate a day without milking. Animals in general will continue to need their upkeep; feeding, mucking, and what not. Many industries cannot really tolerate a weekly shutdown, either. Some of these we would consider life-supports, such as the power plant or the water works. But, I have heard it noted that things like steel mills are just as much in need of around the clock maintenance, even if it can be at lower levels on the off days or off hours.
That does not say, though, that those who must labor on the Sabbath cannot have their Sabbath observance on another day. It is certainly not to suggest that these Sunday workers have no cause for gratitude, no reason to set time aside to thank God for His constant provision on their behalf. But, as Jesus reminds, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. And, this is at the root of all forms of Sabbath abuse.
What is it, then, that God requires upon the Sabbath? I recall that the Westminster Confession, in covering the Decalogue, makes a point of noting not only what is explicitly stated in each commandment, but also that the exact opposite is likewise incorporated in the Law. Thus, to refrain from murder, or even from verbal abuse, does not fully satisfy the commandment against taking human life. To actively pursue an opposing course is likewise enjoined. In other words, we ought to be actively pursuing everything conducive to a blessed life in those we encounter. More generally, every ‘thou shalt’ implies a ‘thou shalt not’ and every ‘thou shalt not’ implies a ‘thou shalt’. So, we have the explicit declaration of the ‘thou shalt’ in regard to the Sabbath. Arguably, you have both a shalt and a shant. Do keep it holy. Don’t labor (Ex 20:8-11).
The focus tends to be upon the “don’t work” part, and perhaps we see this as satisfying the first part, as well. But, let us take that “don’t work” as the root of the commandment. We have the ‘thou shalt not’. What shall we say is the opposite? That’s pretty easy, right? Do rest. Well and good, but we must retain the setting and we must come to grips with what it really means to rest as God would define the matter.
First, the setting. The commandment comes encased in reminders that the day is to be holy. We are commanded to keep it so and we are told that God made it so. He rested on that day Himself, (and continues evermore to do so), so He blessed the day and made it holy. What does it mean to be made holy? At root, in the Hebrew, this speaks of keeping the day ceremonially and morally clean. It is to be set apart, consecrated, in particular, set apart for the Lord’s exclusive use. It is critical to understand that, else we make the day to be nothing more than a chance to laze about. But, as we contemplate the full extent of God’s requirement for the Sabbath, we will need to keep this end in sight: that it’s all about setting aside this day as devoted to the Lord, set apart for His use and not our own. It is a day to pursue His good pleasure, not our own. It is a day to prosper His kingdom, not our own. Hmm. Put it in those terms and it begins to feel like every day should be a Sabbath.
But, He says to rest. So, if we’re resting, how can it be that we ought to work for the kingdom? I like the answer we saw in Fausset’s article. Our rest is to be modeled on God’s rest. He has been resting since that first Sabbath began. Yet, it is a terrible mistake to suppose that He has stopped working. Had He done so, there would not be one creature remaining alive on the face of the earth. There would not be an earth to walk upon, nor a universe for that earth to roam in. There would be nothing at all, for all creation is upheld by Him. One brief lapse of His attention and the whole would cease to be. Yes, in His rest He continues to support and uphold life. He continues to provide for all His creatures. What has ceased, this article notes, is His act of creation. Everything is created. What remains is to enjoy the fruit of that creation.
Likewise, we are pointed to Jesus. At the moment of His ascension, His labor was completed. All that He had purposed to do had been done. All that the Father required had been fulfilled. He entered into His rest and has been there ever since. Yet, He also continues to work. He is daily there before the throne of God, fulfilling His role as Advocate for all believers, our defender against the constant accusations leveled at us by the devil. He has not ceased working, He has shifted focus to enjoy the fruits of the work He has accomplished.
This is our model. It’s not about kicking back and doing nothing. It’s not about whether one turns on lights or expends effort in any regard. It’s about focus. It’s a day to sanctify the other six. It’s a day to pursue God’s interests above our own. But, it’s also a day to enjoy the fruits of what He has enabled us to accomplish on the preceding six.
How does this fit with the shift of Sabbath observance from the last day of the week to the first? Symbolically, we have surely switched from looking back over what has just happened to looking forward on what is just starting. We shift from seeking God’s forgiveness for the failures of the last week to seeking His empowering blessing upon what we must do in the coming week. In a sense, I suppose we have shifted from reviewing our failures to anticipating His victories. It’s just that we now seek Him out in advance rather than begging His forgiveness after events. Or at least it’s reasonable to think we should.
But, the concept of rest and sanctification of the day must not be lost in our pursuit of New Covenant liberty. Whether we deem it a time to reflect on the week just passed, or to prepare for the week to come, the way to pursue our course is not simply by lounging about. The way to pursue our course is to devote ourselves to seeking God more fully than we do on other days. Certainly, the time set aside to attend services at our house of worship fits this purpose. But, what of the remainder of the day?
I know that this is a matter of contention within the Church at large. Some sects have held to positions not far removed from the Pharisees. Others have felt that enjoying the day was a fine expression of gratitude to God. They more or less satisfied themselves with refraining from anything that would count as pursuit of profit. It is often argued that Paul’s discussion of matters of conscience encompasses the case of the Sabbath. But, does it? Was that really his point?
The passage comes in Romans 14:1-8. Paul has just finished an admonition to reject the lusts of the flesh and act as the righteous people we are called to be. With that in mind, he tells us to accept the weak in faith without judgment. Then, he begins to expand on this topic so that we will know what he’s talking about. He begins with those who will not eat meat. Why is it that they reject meat? Were they vegans? No. It was an issue with where that meat had come from and why it had been slaughtered. More likely than not, it was part of an offering to some idol or another, and so, there were those who scrupled over eating it lest they be found idolatrous themselves. Today, you might hear that more in terms of, “I don’t want to be supporting their false religion by buying this.” Then, Paul moves to the matter of days. Some, he says, will consider certain days holier than others. Some see them all the same. It doesn’t really matter, he says. What matters is that you do with it as your conscience dictates, and that whatever you do, you do with an eye to God’s glory.
Is he thinking of the Sabbath, or the Christian Lord’s Day equivalent? I don’t believe so. I cannot find the reference this morning, but the words ‘forsake not the assembly of the saints’ come to mind. Apparently, this is not an accurate quote, but the sentiment is there somewhere. If I remain with the context Paul has provided, it seems to me he’s discussing those days that the pagans had devoted to this god or that, days that, like the meat he had been talking about, had a certain tinge of idolatry to them. Consider that in the early church there were those that advocated not fasting on Saturdays because that was the day the Jews fasted. I seem to recall there was at least one other day that they admonished their people to avoid fasting on, again lest they be misconstrued as honoring some god other than the Holy Triune God.
As to the Sabbath, it seems to me that the full record of the Church from inception indicates that it has always been observed by believers, and always considered a day set aside for the particular purpose of worshiping God. Recreational pursuits may or may not fit within our conception of that purpose. It seems to me that pursuit of profit is clearly proscribed with exceptions noted before. But, certainly avaricious pursuits have no place in setting the day apart for God.
Isn’t that the whole key to the matter? It is to be a day set apart for God, a day to give ourselves to Him to use as He sees fit. It is to be a day in which we set aside our own pursuits and our own interests and thankfully, gratefully put the reins back in His hands. It is this which sanctifies the day, in the sense that we are to work out our own sanctification. It is this which satisfies the call of the Law. At root, the LORD makes the day holy by His blessing (Ex 20:11). Our response is to keep it so by our practice and our attitude (Ex 20:8). If we can pursue recreational pursuits in a manner that allows our conscience to declare that it is done with an eye to God, then so be it. I suppose, if we can say the same for lying abed for the afternoon recharging, so be it. How one keeps the day holy is, in the end, between oneself and God. There are those things that I think we can agree are declared non-negotiable by what God teaches of the Sabbath. There are many others, though, that might be fitting for one but completely wrong for another.
However we choose to observe the Sabbath, let us choose to observe it with a heartfelt intent to honor God’s Law in our observation. Let us also keep firmly in mind that we are not to view His Law as so rigid in its application that we should ever make it an excuse to neglect the human condition. Therein lies the fundamental flaw in the Pharisaic approach. Therein lies the attack Jesus has leveled at them in this passage. It is of a piece with His teaching against the then-current conception of corban, which had been twisted from being a devotion to God into being an evasion of responsibility towards one’s family.
One last thought on this matter of the Sabbath: When I look at God’s delivery of the Ten Commandments, this matter of the Sabbath takes the most words of any. The only one that even comes close to being as lengthy is the commandment against idolatry. What should we make of this? Probably not a great deal. However, I would say this much: If God saw fit to take such pains with making the case for the Sabbath, we surely cannot afford to make light of it. We cannot set it aside as somehow less applicable or binding than the rest of the Law. Jesus Himself says that not even the least seemingly insignificant part of the Law will ever be abolished until everything has been accomplished (Mt 5:18). Clearly, the observance of the Sabbath is part of that Law which shall never be abolished, and we might suppose, given God’s expansiveness on the matter, that it is rather an important part of that Law in His sight.
I might also note that this is the only commandment delivered in the positive. It is the only “you shall”. It is the blessing that comes of observing all the others. In a sense, I could see it as the pinnacle of the Decalogue. By observing the other nine in earnest and with all their implications, we are fitted to enjoy this blessing of the seventh day. As God in heaven enjoys an eternal seventh day, resting in the enjoyment of what He created on the other six, so are we being fitted to enjoy an eternal seventh day with Him. Here in this life we labor, we struggle and yes, we suffer. So did He. Here in this life we but taste of the rest to come, and thanks be to Him that He has seen to it that we have that taste! By it’s flavor we learn of what we anticipate. By its enjoyment we are encouraged as we continue our pilgrimage towards the heavenly city.
Lord, I do indeed thank You that You have provided a day of rest amidst the business and trial of this life. I thank You that You give us cause to rejoice even in our labors. Today, as it turns out, is Labor Day here in America. One might think of it as akin to one of the greater Sabbaths of old Israel, an annual rest. But, even with this, it can be no more than a foretaste of that which You hold in store for us when we have come home to You. Father God, how blessed are we that we can take time to enjoy the benefits of this creation You have set us in. How ungrateful of me that I should so often allow myself to forget that it is from You indeed that all these blessings flow.
I look back on the week that has just passed and I rejoice. You have been so gracious to this family. So much stress was washed away in those short days. Yes, and I see already that so much of that stress seeks to return, and I pray, Lord God, that You would lift Your hand against that effort. Lord, ground was recaptured during this time of rest. Let it not fall to the enemy again. Let the gains that were made be solidified by Your power, that the terrors of this last year might indeed fade from memory and this coming year be qualitatively new for every one of us in this family.
I pray that You guide us, myself particularly, as head of this household, as we seek to establish a new balance and a new standard for our mutual relationships one with another. I pray that You would so move upon my daughter that she would recover a desire for righteousness, a measure of submissiveness yet not the submissiveness of a broken spirit. I pray for a healing of the relationship between her and her mother. I pray that her mother would somehow come to know peace even in letting go. And, I pray that as we try to let go the reins upon our dear daughter, we would not leave her so unguided that she would fall utterly. God, grant us the wisdom, the forbearance and the fortitude to make the changes that You see fit and to establish boundaries as You see fit.
I come now to the final note of Jesus’ reply. “Don’t judge by appearances. Judge with a righteous judgment.” Or, as I have rephrased it, “you form your opinions and judgments on nothing more than appearances.” This is our problem. We are hardly equipped to know our own heart and yet we are constantly assuming that we have rightly assessed another’s. Indeed, as I have watched the dynamics in this family of mine, I find that quite often our own heart colors our perceptions of each other. So, rather than judging righteously, we allow our own emotional colorings and assumptions to become the basis for our opinions. How often do I hear either my wife or myself rehearsing events from our own childhood as basis for our expectations or concerns when it comes to our daughter?
Yes, there is some wisdom to be gained from our own experiences, but to blithely assume that our child will necessarily seek the same path to the same mistakes if we don’t force her away from that path seems to overstate the case. If we have done anything right as parents then we should have instilled enough sense in her that she would choose differently. Frankly, if she has not gained that sense from our parenting yet, then nothing we do at this stage short of cages and chains is likely to make the difference. She will learn and we trust that God will protect.
My! This is not a direction I had expected to head in when first I left myself a note to look at this last sentence. But, it is a reasonable application. I dare not judge my daughter by appearances alone, nor my wife for that matter. Though I have been with them both lo these many years I still cannot really claim to know their inmost state. I still tend to react to outward things in both of them, and neglect to look deeper (as if I were capable)!
Yet, there is a sense in which we are able to ‘know the heart’ of those we are close to. I have a sense, for instance, of my pastor’s heart which allows me to see past some of the hyperbole that creeps into preaching, or those things where misunderstanding lends a sharper denunciation to his message than is fitting where men of good conscience can differ amicably. Within the marriage relationship, it is in some ways stronger, and yet in some ways far more difficult to ‘know the heart’ of our partner. Perhaps it is the constant closeness of the relationship that makes it harder. We are connected on far more levels, after all. It is more than just a shared faith. It’s a shared life. We see each other at our worst as well as our best, which is not something we can really say of church relationships.
Is it those ‘at our worst’ moments that make the heart harder to recognize? I think so. With our human limitations we tend to keep a much better record of the hurts and the hard spots than we do of the joys and the wonderful spots. So, over time, we begin to stop seeing the heart and instead react to the stimuli. It has become something of a broken record for us. Oh, there’s a phrase that’s rapidly becoming obsolete! A skipping CD? Doesn’t sound the same, but perhaps begins to recapture the idea, at least until they, too, become obsolete. The point is that it’s the same petty annoyance over and over again, never addressed and never changed. Perhaps an attempt has been made, but it hasn’t succeeded and we begin to build up resentment. But, unless and until it’s addressed it can only build. Unless and until it’s addressed, we will continue to judge by appearances rather than in righteousness.
Our reactions will prove the point. The righteousness of our response is a measure of the righteousness of our judgment. If our response is one of anger and lashing out we can be pretty certain that our judgment has been one of appearances, not righteousness. If we can truly respond in love, with concern and mercy foremost in our actions, then we have likely come to a righteous judgment. That does not mean we shall always simply take the other’s actions as benign. It does not mean we allow all our relationships to ride roughshod over us without consequence. It does, however, mean that we will need to recognize our own weakness of flesh and resolve when we deal with the failings of others, particularly those closest to us. Anything less would be gross hypocrisy.
As with family relations, so with church relations. Here, too, we can fall subject to the old adage that familiarity breeds contempt. Here, too, we can find ourselves clinging to unforgiveness. You know, I hear it said over and over again that by our unforgiveness we are imprisoning the one we refuse to forgive. Frankly, I don’t buy it. I think that reflects far too high an opinion of ourselves. No, the only one we have imprisoned is us. Self is the only being God grants me that power over. Yes, I know, ‘whatever you bind on earth’ and all that. But, as we saw in studying that passage (Mt 16:19), this is not a granting of authority so much as an assurance of accuracy. In other words, ‘you shall bind only as I have already bound in heaven’. God is not so foolish as to entrust the soul of one man to the tender mercies of another, for He knows the heart of man in its present fallen state. He knows that we are incapable of forgiveness as He practices forgiveness, and I dare say, He forgives us for that failing when we recall ourselves to our senses and ask it.
We have inverted our conception of forgiveness. We feel it ever so necessary to inform the one forgiven of what we have done for them. Yet, as often as not, that poor soul had no reason to suspect they had done anything to hurt. Had you simply forgiven and set it aside in the sea of forgetfulness, the relationship would have suffered no lasting harm. Instead, it seems to me that we have this tendency to seek to appear righteous by forgiving while actually just shifting the burden to another’s shoulders. Like the Pharisees, we bind a burden on their back which we are unwilling to bear ourselves. That’s not righteous. That’s self-seeking. You know, if they are aware of any barrier, will they not ask where the trouble lies? Then, by all means, let the cause and the forgiveness flow together and destroy that barrier. But, if they are not aware, then your making them so leaves them needing to forgive you for having such a low opinion of their own motives.
How often does this happen in relationships? We hear the impressions of the one who has been hurt and they reflect such a poor assessment of the one they think themselves hurt by. That one who has supposedly been the perpetrator in this case, hearing this misrepresentation of their character and motivation, is wounded to the quick! How can you think that of me? I thought you knew me by now! I would never act in such a way, never seek to cause you such grief! On the other side of the coin, I know, too, that we often are guilty of doing as it were unconsciously what we would never do were we thinking. Words slip out that ought never be spoken. Thoughts are voiced which should never even be thought let alone given word. Emotions best us at every turn. And yet, somehow, we think those we are in relationship with should be devoid of such problems. They are supposed to be perfect to balance our own imperfections! Oh, that we might counter such thinking with this corrective Jesus has given us! “Don’t judge by appearances!”
Stop before you react (and I speak to myself loudly, here!) Stop before you react and consider the one before you. Consider what you know of them above and beyond this present failing of their flesh. Consider your own flesh and its failings. Does the reaction you consider making fit better with the flesh or the Spirit? Are you reacting in righteousness or recognizing yourself in the mirror of their offense against you?
Oh my God! Deliver us from this reactive nature! Deliver us from our need to rub each other’s noses in each other’s failings. Grant us to measure through Your eyes, to speak Your words, to love Your love. Empower us, Holy Spirit, to judge with righteous judgment and hold our words until such judgment comes. Work upon us, Lord, to cease from demanding the instant response, that those we are with may have opportunity to pursue Your judgment before reacting, too.
That, I dare say, is the sum of the application for me. Stop judging by appearances and opinions. Hold your tongue until there is a righteous judgment. With Jesus, let me make it my goal to speak only as I have heard from on high, to admonish only as I hear the Holy Spirit delivering the words of admonishment. Let me once for all set myself down as being the standard and lift my Jesus up as the standard instead.
