Beware the leaven of the Pharisees...- Luke 12:1
I'm a little behind in writing. So this post is like a little dollop of creamy peanut butter - and I'm spreading it over a pretty big piece of bread (chapters 12-14).
Think about this for a moment: Jesus spent his days with the worst of the worst of his time. Outcasts, tax collectors (way worse in those days than what you're thinking), and prostitutes became part of his inner circle. He touched the untouchable; lepers with missing facial features, demonic mad men, corpses.
He didn't shy away from the ugly need in people. He didn't condemn. He addressed the wrong, the debilitating sin in the person. He gave grace. He offered hope. He brought change.
When I read these chapters, and the entirety of the Gospels, I am struck that for all of Jesus' acceptance, there is one thing he did not accept. There is one thing he condemned. There is one thing he would not tolerate... Gluten!
OK, not really gluten, that's word-play. He actually called it leaven, but again, that's just analogy for something that grows and festers and pervades. The true gluten/leaven Jesus' steers us clear of is hypocrisy.
The gluten/leaven/hypocrisy Jesus condemned - again and again throughout his brief time on the planet - was that of religious elitists who ACTED the part. Before I go on I should note it is easy to point fingers in labeling hypocrites. Be aware, sometimes our finger is more crooked than we know as we sit there on our high-horse, who strangely enough bears the name Hypocrisy. (I thought that was a fun way to write it, what I mean is: Look in the mirror first.)
I may be over-simplifying here, but I think the actors that Jesus time and time again rails against fall into two categories: 1) They are self-righteous; and 2) They misrepresent God.
Jesus calls them empty tombs, pretty on the outside and filled with decay. They have telephone poles in their eye sockets while railing on others for the specks of sawdust in theirs. They do things to be seen, to be noted, to be important. But they are frauds.
Worst of all, these actors misrepresent the heart of God. They always have and always will. They substitute rules for relationship. They add joy-killing lists that are unattainable and never ending. They kill grace. They say, "Do this... this... this... and be like me." And our hearts dull. And joy recedes. And hope dies.
The hypocrite seeks a kingdom of self-important glory. But he misses the Kingdom of Heaven around him. He seeks the adulation of people, while missing the joy and wholeness of community. He must be somebody. He is instead empty. And emptiness is breeding ground for bitterness, jealousy and all their ugly cousins.
Well, this has been fun, hasn't it? I want to wrap with this thought: There is hope even for the hypocrite. The actor. Grace is offered. God's loving grace is more powerful than hypocrisy. But grace must be received.
I attended a Christmas masquerade last night. One of the evening's conversation topics was how masks block vision. I continually bumped into chairs, tables, people. And when a handshake was offered - an extended grace - I didn't see it. I couldn't. Because of my mask. (By the way, masks are also hot and irritating.)
There are hypocrites everywhere. They are not my concern. The actor(s) in my mirror: they are the ones that must be de-masked.
God, help me see my masks for what they are. And by your grace help me remove them. I would rather authenticity over acting.
For now...
D
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