Saturday 25 August
Matthew 23:1-12
One of the most challenging aspects of the preaching of Jesus is the importance he places on the attitude of our hearts. We may be able to deceive others and even ourselves by the image we portray to the world, but the workings of our hearts are known to God. If our words and actions do not arise out of a spirit of love within us, then our lives will not demonstrate the truth of the gospel. Rather we shall be living in hypocrisy.
It was for their hypocrisy that Jesus severely criticized the Pharisees. They were upheld by society as righteous because of their perceived obedience to the law, and the weight of their learning gave them an authority among the people that made their rulings difficult to contest. However, their motives were often questionable. They tended to equate righteousness with conformity to the letter of the law rather than its spirit. They also relished too much their status in society and the esteem in which they were held. Ultimately, in their hearts they were far from God.
Jesus sought to expose the attitude of the hearts of the Pharisees and preached unequivocally that love matters, the heart matters. He tells us that humility is the safeguard against hypocrisy. Humility is the attitude that will reveal the transforming power of love. Jesus does not condemn the struggle that we have in our hearts to love, but calls us to reject the unloving thoughts and desires that so often threaten to overwhelm us. We can bring these thoughts and desires to light and overcome them through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is not hypocrisy; this is God at work in our lives seeking to transform us, and in so doing manifesting his love to the world.
The world knows what we think of God by the way we treat others and ourselves. The witness of our love, our struggles to love, our repentance when we lack love, all proclaim the gospel. We are ambassadors of a message of peace and love. Let us be known for our love.
Lord, I kneel in repentance before your cross, the greatest sign of your love. Forgive me for the times when I have withheld my love from you and my neighbour. Inspire me with the indwelling of your Holy Spirit, that every word on my lips and every thought in my heart may proclaim your love.
Ezekiel 43:1-7 • Psalm 84(85):9-14
Matthew 23:1-12
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