Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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The antidote to hypocrisy

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ViperI have to admit my discomfort with John’s approach to speaking to the Pharisees and Sadducees. Beginning a sermon with “you brood of vipers . . . “ does not seem to be a good idea; it’s not the way I am wired to approach people.

But that is exactly what we have recorded in Matthew 3:7-10 which quotes John the Baptist as saying:

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:7–10, ESV)

Jesus was also hard on the Pharisees, so the lesson I learn from this is that God has a low tolerance threshold for religious hypocrisy.  He doesn’t like it whether it is in the Pharisees of Jesus’ day or in you or me.

The antidote to hypocrisy is a deeper understanding of how deeply we are flawed and how deeply we are loved. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (ESV)

The “joy set before him” is you and me and everyone else who believes. Jesus wanted a relationship with you so badly that he was willing to endure the Cross to have it. That is very strong love.

In the assurance of the strength of Jesus’ love we can find the strength to face our deepest flaws. It is by facing them and helping others to face theirs that we can avoid hypocrisy.

Would John the Baptist address your church with the opening words, “you brood of vipers . . .?” Would he address you that way?

If you are like me, there are times when he would rightly do so. We are all works in progress.

Herod vs. God

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Boxing GlovesFor those of us raised in democratic countries, it is difficult to image life under a despot like Herod. When the despot is upset, the people will feel his wrath. This is why, in Matthew 2,  it says that Herod “was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:3)

Yet, behind and above the throne of Herod stands one who is greater. Herod sought to eliminate a threat to his power, but that threat represented God’s plan for the salvation of humanity, a plan that God would not allow to fail. God protected Joseph, Mary and Jesus by revealing Herod’s plan to them in a dream.

Kings and governments have power, but it is limited and that power cannot overrule God’s plan for bringing us into relationship with himself.

In the United States, we are heading into a presidential election year. Starting soon, we will be bombarded by ads in print, television and radio letting us know that if we do not vote for a particular candidate, life as we know it will end. From my vantage point, it seems that each of the political parties is more interested in increasing its power than they are in solving the problems that are staring them in the face. They give the politicians far too much credit in their ability to fix or break the government. But I digress.

The point of this is that no matter how corrupt or despotic the government may be, God remains in control and will work things out according to his plan in his timing.

Jesus made that clear during his interview with Pilate when Jesus said to Pilate,

“You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”” (John 19:11, ESV)

Paul tells us that governments have been given authority by God to keep order in the world. But even when this authority is abused, God’s will cannot be thwarted.

Because we are limited to a particular place at a particular time, it sometimes appears that evil will triumph. The lesson we can learn from Matthew 2 is that when Herod fights against God, God  wins.

I am reminded of some lines from This Present Crisis by James Russell Lowell:

Scaffold

Why I write Attempts at Honesty

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Labor of LoveWe have gotten a decent amount of traffic so it appears that people are getting something out of reading these posts. With new readers discovering the blog all the time, I felt that it was necessary to articulate some thoughts about why I keep up the blog and some items that are not reasons that I do it.

First let me list some items that are not reasons why I keep up Attempts at Honesty:

  1. I do not write this blog to make money. The only real advertisement that is on the blog is for Covenant Eyes, and any revenue from that ad goes directly to my blog host, Davis Services Group, to offset the cost of hosting this blog.
  2. I do not write this blog because I am an authority on any aspect of Christian living. I’m fumbling through my Christian walk just like everyone else.
  3. I do not write this blog because I want to create controversy or disharmony. If anyone is to be offended by what I write, I hope that I have accurately reflected what Scripture says and it is Scripture by which they are offended.
  4. I do not write this blog because I have lots of time on my hands and little else to do.

Here are some reasons I do maintain the blog:

  1. I have a sense of calling to be used by God to point to the Cross and bring people into deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
  2. I find that writing is a good way for me to work out my thoughts about the various issues and Scriptural observations.
  3. These posts are a good reminder to me of lessons that I’ve learned and constantly need to keep in mind. In many of these posts, I am preaching to myself and letting others listen in.
  4. I want to encourage others who feel that they don’t measure up to the standard that their church seems to promote. The one central truth is that none of us measure up on our own. The only holiness we have is given to us by Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21).
  5. I want to be encouraged by the responses of people (whether they agree or disagree) and provide a place of dialog so that we all can come to a better understanding of The Truth.
  6. I want to provide a forum for others who are interested in giving blogging a try to see if it something that they would like to pursue. If you are interested in doing this, see the guest post guidelines.

The bottom line is that Attempts at Honesty has been a labor of love to which I am committed as time allows.

After reading this, if you have any thoughts or feedback, I’d love to hear it.

Keep pressing on (Phil. 3:14) . . .

Joseph the Grinder

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RumorIn sports, a player who is not spectacular but always gets his job done is sometimes called a “grinder.” The grinder can be counted on to do the right thing.

In reading about Joseph in Matthew 1 this morning, the term “grinder” is what came to mind. Joseph could be counted on to do the right thing.

First, when he found out that Mary was pregnant, rather than make a spectacle of her to clear his name, he looked to get the matter resolved privately. (Matthew 1:19)

Second, when the angel explained what really happened, Joseph did what the angel told him to do. He followed through and took Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:24)

One aspect of small town living is that people know what is happening in their neighbors’ lives. It would have been no different for Joseph and Mary.

If Joseph knew that Mary was pregnant, it would not have been long before the rest of the town would have figured it out. Mary was pregnant before their marriage had been finalized. This was a scandal that would have tongues working overtime sharing the sordid details of what must have happened. Rumors of what had happened would have worked their way through the entire community.

When Joseph decided to do the right thing and marry Mary, he was taking on a lifetime of people whispering behind his back about the timing of Jesus’ birth. Therefore, Joseph became Mary’s husband and Jesus’ father at some personal cost. He willingly bore the stigma of the timing of events surrounding his marriage and Jesus’ birth. The birth would continually have had the stigma of illegitimacy attached to it.

To readers in 2015, this may seem like less of a big deal than it really was. Our culture has a flexible view of marriage and what is permissible before marriage. So we need to work a little to understand how scandalous this really was.

My big takeaway this morning is that Joseph did the right thing in the right way even when no-one else knew or acknowledged that it was the right thing. Joseph was a grinder, getting the job done even when it is not glamorous.

Paul tells us that we are all called to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). This means that we are called to do the right thing even when it may cost us something or if it goes against the grain of our culture.

As I consider Joseph this morning, I am encouraged by his example. Are you? Please take a moment and share your thoughts below.

 

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