Why Do You Call Attention To Splinters In Your Brother’s Eye?

Matthew 7:3-5, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

Sometimes we direct this reprimand of Christ toward the Pharisees, but this particular reproof was a general one. Let us accept the question as though it was directed to us. We have no good answer to His question. We cannot even claim concern for our neighbor as motivation for this behavior. He constructs an idea with this question that makes the operation of “mote removal” a dangerous one. His metaphor implies that we are performing eye surgery while blinded.

This question begins with the statement, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1) Whenever I hear this verse quoted by the ungodly I envision one of those little “promise boxes” on their breakfast table. Every morning they open it and remove a card and read the verse for today, only, in their box, it is the same Scripture everyday. For people who live their own way, it is the Scripture of choice! It is tirelessly quoted by everyone from the heroine addict in the alley to the deacon called before the church board, but is it truly understood by any of us?

Are we really never to call into question the behavior of anyone? Are we never to voice God’s displeasure about the sinful acts of anyone? How will those who never their lives in the light of righteousness understand the judgment that is upon them? How will they ever come to know forgiveness? Furthermore, if our duty is to reprove or correct one another, as the Scripture plainly teaches, how do we honor the clear command to “judge not?”

As in the days of Christ, we are occasionally found in the company of those who judge us unfairly. In Luke it is written this way, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven…” (Luke 6:37) This is more complete in thought than the Matthew account.

This verse teaches that we must keep in mind our own condition as we help or guide others on their way. We should judge like we want to be judged, condemn as we wish condemnation for ourselves and forgive as we desire forgiveness to be granted us. That should take the edge off of our high and mighty tone.

It Is Love That Is Lacking

In harsh judgment, it is the love that is lacking. The purity of empathetic love can enable a counselor to say, without reprisal, things that no one else would dare even approach. When I was involved in the children’s home ministry, I instructed my teachers and staff in this concept: a child is only to be disciplined or corrected if he is absolutely sure that he is loved by the one who disciplines him. A great test for loving involvement in the child’s life was questions like, “Do you know the child’s middle name? Do you know his best friend? Do they have brothers and sisters?” If they are sure you love them, you can say nearly anything, but if they doubt your love at all, you can offend with the most delicate of correction.

Love is not the only thing missing in counsel to our brethren; it should also be noted that the standard by which we judge is deficient. We can only speak from our own perspective. As much as we would like to be the holders of all truth, we are not. Things change, people change, and situations are viewed assorted ways by different people at various times. We cannot know all, to finally and completely judge anyone. After all, are you the same person today you were 10 years ago? Did you have an opinion then? Did you offer it to others? Did you not demand that you were right? Are there things you understand today that you didn’t understand then? All these things should be considered when you find yourself offering differing or judgmental opinions.

Humility will serve well in this situation. Love will present common ground. As you live, you learn. As you look back, you may see that you had a “beam” in your eye, or actions that displeased God, which were never revealed to you. As they came to light and you dealt with them, you were amazed that God had tolerated them (and you) for all those years! Have you come to realize that you should do the same for your brothers and sisters in Christ?

Let God reveal the faults of your brethren to them. We can count on Him to do so clearly, distinctly and mercifully. Meanwhile, if you have not created a situation of enmity between you and those with whom God is dealing, they may come to you for guidance.

Also, consider that if you have recognizably grown in the Lord, it is probable that you will continue to do so. Ten years from now you may have “beams” removed, that today, you are not even aware that you have.

As these beams are removed, you become a better Christian, a better person, and a better counselor. You may then see clearly and be in a better position to help your brother with his “mote.” Remember the Scripture didn’t tell you to be unconcerned with your neighbor’s mote, it asks why you are attempting to remove it while blinded by a “beam.” As the verses continue: “…first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

Notice how the language has changed from “beholdest the mote” to “cast out the mote.” To “behold” is an Elizabethan term (King James) used to call attention to something. To behold is not simply to notice or to know of its existence. It is to expose, to uncover, or bring to the fore.

It is obvious the person who is only beholding the mote is more interested in framing the flaw for exposition than in helping to make positive changes.

It goes without saying that when the flaw is put on display, it is an attempt to compare –to make someone look better (or worse) than someone else. Our responsibility is clear that we must not judge, condemn, or neglect forgiveness. But, as things are discovered in our brother that will eventually condemn him, if we are keeping vigilant watch over our own life and remaining clear before God we must, in humility, help him to remove it, but only as the need for its removal is revealed to him and he seeks our assistance. As we find there, things for which we feel God’s judgment will be incurred, we are obliged to keep our own life free of that which blinds us and hinders our helping him.

Judgment that is beneficial, and that is not condemned in Scripture, is done in love and humility and order. You must love those you evaluate. If you do not love them, they will know it – whether consciously or sub-consciously and they will despise your assessment and suggestions. You cannot fake it, so don’t try it.

The humility factor is made plain by the apostle in the book of Galatians (6:1), “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” We are never far from possessing the very same fault we find in another; we are indeed all in the same precarious condition.

The order, that is so necessary, is clear in the words of Jesus Christ, “…first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” The words “first” and “then” show the order. It would seem simple but it is easily forgotten. Many hours of self-examination, prayer and comparison of your life to the examples in Scripture and to the yardstick of the Spirit need to take place before you reach for the splinter in your brother’s eye.

You must remember that you are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, not the x-ray machine. You are to add and enhance – to enlighten what is already visible. Not discover and reveal what is hidden. When you judge, you are assuming an office that is to be occupied by God alone. As Christ was leaving this world, He told of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. He will lead and guide and He convinces the world of sin. It is simply not your job.

Jesus asks, “Why do you call attention to your brother’s problem?” If you are doing this you need to examine why. It may be that you are becoming aware of a shortfall in your own life. The revealer of men’s hearts may be convincing you, at this moment, of a problem. If you are to fulfill Christ’s order to “see clearly” so you can help your brother, you will have to remove your ocular barrier. Perhaps this is why Jesus called the Pharisees “blind guides” and “blind leaders of the blind.”

Your brother’s splinter is aggravating him. It hurts and hinders his ability to see. He only thinks it is normal by comparing his tiny sliver to other’s two by four boards.

There is no good answer to Christ’s question. It is your board you are trying to conceal when you make your brother’s splinter known. A confession of this is the only honest answer to Christ’s question, “Why do you call attention to splinters in your brother’s eye?”

Why reason ye in your hearts?

The Pharisees overheard Jesus say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee” and asked among themselves, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies?” “And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?” (Mark 2:8, Luke 5:22)

As Jesus went about doing good He perceived from time to time that someone would tune in to His mission or purpose and indeed start to realize who He was. This time, with the Pharisees, was different than the others. Usually when the scribes or Pharisees mumbled to themselves, Jesus blasted them for being treacherous to the Kingdom of God. But this time He was pleasant, as if He saw in them a glimmer of hope. For a moment they asked within themselves, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” … They thought, “Maybe this is Messiah.”

Jesus perceived this and was willing to take them a little farther, and so to accomplish this, He showed them a miracle. The Mark 2 account records no negative reaction, but rather a response as “…insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.”

Why reason ye in your hearts? Do you have an opinion about the motivations of Jesus? Was He a performing a true miracle? Was it just hypnotism? Was it fraud or deception? Why have you formed that opinion? You must never underestimate the power of the Scriptures on this regard. When these stories are read, they demand an opinion. Information creates an opinion. You must decide whether to believe or not. Jesus perceived they were approaching faith as they watched Him. He gave them more information to process as He asked, “What are you thinking?”

We must ask ourselves what are we thinking as we listen to Christ make assertions, such as, “I am the door… anyone climbing up some other way is a thief.” (John 10:1) When we hear Him plainly say that He is the ONLY way, what reason ye in your hearts? What about when He says, “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30) When Jesus makes Himself equal with God, what reason ye in your hearts? Do you search for or invent ways for His message to be different than it is written, or do you accept it as an accurate record? Why are you reasoning in your heart?

When our Lord makes demands like, “Take no thought for your life,” why reason you in your heart? What about when He says, “No man can serve two masters,” or “Judge not, that ye be not judged” or “…depart from me, ye that work iniquity, I never knew you” Consider to yourself what Christ asks, “Why reason ye in your hearts?”

Listen closely as you study your Bible, or as you meditate, or as you listen in prayer, or as you listen to others minister the Word of God. Listen to what you reason in your heart. We may be dismissing God’s Word, His revelation, or His miracle by lack of sound reasoning. Is your reasoning carrying you toward Christ or away from Him? Is your inclination to believe and follow, or doubt and prove in order to hold to your own way? “What reason ye in your hearts?” “Why reason ye in your hearts?”

When demand is made on us by way of the Scriptures, ministry, or revelation, or even by life’s burdens, we may be prone to excuse our behavior. For some reason of incompatibility between the source of this demand and our “peculiar” circumstances we dismiss it as impertinent. We must be very careful with conviction. Our consciences are the ONLY natural sense that can keep us along the way and recover us when we falter. We must consider the care of our convictions and promptings as important or more so, than the care of our sight or hearing, knowing that when it’s gone there is no second chance[1].

Sometimes in traumatic situations the human psyche has the ability to block out facts seen and heard, skew them into fantastic illusion and believe them. We have all disbelieved what we saw or heard in some painful or frightening situation.

Disregarding Our Consciences

We know it is possible to DISREGARD what we take into our five senses. We also know that a constant disregard can lead to a numbing or in some cases an atrophied condition of the senses that can cause a dangerous situation. So it is with our consciences. If we disregard or explain away our discomfort, we run a risk of losing the most valuable sense we have – the sense of right and wrong – the sense that our acts are hurting our God, thwarting His purposes, short-circuiting His plan, or breaking His Commandments.

The conscience is more than knowing. The word is a Latin cognate (com- + scire) that means exactly that – more than knowing. The Scripture mentions it, using the Greek word suneidesis {soon-i’-day-sis} to know within. I am convinced that it is “the light” John spoke of. “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9) It is the lamp to our path – the Word of God to our heart to lead us to Christ. John recognized it, Paul protected it, and Peter saw it as a guide toward righteousness.

And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (John 8:9)

And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. …And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Acts 23:1 – Acts 24:16

Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: (1 Timothy 1:19)

For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. (1 Peter 2:19)

Your conscience is protected by your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. You protect it by never grieving your guide (the Holy Spirit), by remaining pliable, willing, and subject to the subtlest movement of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the force by which you are sealed unto the day of redemption. To interfere with, frustrate, or grieve Him is a dangerous action.

The apostle warns in Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” It would behoove us to cultivate this sense, attempt to increase our sensitivity to that which displeases God so that our actions would be more in line with His will and way.

As this sensitivity improves, it starts to merge with our other physical senses and soon we can know good and evil by sight, by touch, and intuition. The writer of Hebrews claims this intuition is the mark of one who has come to full age in Christ. “… even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)

The Pharisees in the story were on the verge of recognizing Messiah and possibly believing on Him and changing their entire destiny. They were playing games of rationalization, justification and in their own minds, they finally decided that if someone was wrong, they reasoned, it had to be this carpenter’s boy. Alas, they reasoned – they reasoned incorrectly. They toyed with their better judgment – their conscience. They ignored the truth that was becoming apparent to them. They turned from the light given them that day. They shunned their conscience and in doing so, they shunned the God of the whole earth. Maybe the Spirit would deal with them again, possibly once more, twice perhaps – who’s to say?

You must protect your conscience. It is your only defense against an insincere conformity to religious codes. It is your first defense against sin. It is your lifesaver when you stumble. Remember 1 Timothy 4:2, and the use of the phrase”… having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” A sinful man with no conscience is in a condition of little hope – a religious man without one is likely a hypocrite.

The Pharisees moved, slowly but surely, through this time of reasoning to final and total rejection of the Messiah. Although total apostasy may be remote for you, you may find yourself with severe gaps in theology, understanding, or comprehension of spiritual concepts and values.

When you encounter pricks in your conscience, don’t reason it away. When you feel leadings of the Spirit, convictions of displeasing behavior, you must be quick to respond.

When at the crossroads of decision, see clearly in your mind the Lord Jesus, perceiving the movement of the Spirit in you, looking your way, and asking, “Why reason ye in your hearts?”

Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

Luke 11:11, “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?”

We are often reluctant to pray “Thy will be done.” It is even taught today that it is a sure sign of a lack of faith to pray, “Not my will but as thou wilt” although that is a quote from the Son of God, Christ Jesus. Many use this phrase out of obligation to the commandment or fear of rejection. After giving God the list of needs and wants, “Thy will be done” is added to offset any disappointment of not receiving our selfish petition. More thought must be given to prayer than this.

If we have no assurance that the things we desire are the will of God for our lives, we have no business asking for them. It is a basic distrust of God as a “good father” that causes us to hold aloof the words, “Thy will be done.” “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?”

Prior to this question in Matthew 7, Jesus was teaching that we are to ask for God’s will to be done, here, just as it is done in heaven; and that an honest, seeking person will not go away empty-handed. He was assuring us that we need not fear asking for God’s will to be done. To make the point clear He asked the following question:

“…what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

When Luke recorded this, he added, “Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?” (Luke 11:10-13) This further makes the point that this is a rhetorical question, because it evokes the response, “Of course we would not do that!” He wants us to know that praying for God’s will and our good are not crossed purposes.

A Part of Our Model

Jesus places this concept into the model prayer and therefore puts it into a category of richness beyond the first glance. As with all of the Lord’s model prayer, it demands we make personal changes. To make the prayer comfortable or natural, you must either change it, or you are forced change yourself. When you see your life not conforming to the words of the prayer, it shows that you are out of sync with the life that Christ intended for you. Who, but a few, could honestly pray for “daily bread” with a week’s supply of food on hand? Who can say, “Forgive me because I forgive everyone who sins against me?” You must therefore make your life fit the prayer.

We have, rather, attempted to change the prayer, or at least made it impotent. We set aside the power of this prayer by teaching it as a nursery rhyme and saying it with the cadence of a limerick. But for this prayer to truly have its intended effect, we must make “Thy will be done” as easy to pray earnestly, and in truth, as it is to say from memory.

When you say the first words “Our Father,” these words should truly reflect your feelings of community with other believers and your place in family of God. “Thy Kingdom come” should roll from lips truly desirous to see the His Kingdom established. “Forgive us our debts,” ought to be said in full assurance of being granted because no grudge or debt is being held by you toward anyone. Then, “Thy will be done” can be said and felt sincerely, clearly, and confidently. After all, “…what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?”

The imagery in the words used by Jesus is astounding. Notice all the desired articles mentioned: bread, an egg, a fish – all items of sustenance and nourishment. Notice the articles we assumed to receive from God were a stone, a scorpion, or a serpent – items that are common, useless, dangerous, and even deadly. Is this how we consider His will for us? Are these the “gifts” we presume to avoid by evading the prayer, “Thy will be done?” Shame on us for thinking our God to be such a father.

As you become increasingly aware of the goodness of God, and understand that His demands are not unfair, that His commandments are not grievous, and that His way is not arduous, you will accept (and soon even desire) His will above your own. Yes, you will wonder why you avoided His will before.

You will find that it was your idea of bread that should be considered a stone when compared to His bread; much like a hungry child may want cake over potatoes or candy over vegetables, your desire for the poison of your own will is only a misunderstood hunger for true sustenance.

From God’s viewpoint, the eggs you ask for may in fact be scorpions, and although you ask for fish with your mouth your fingers are pointing at serpents. Let our loving heavenly Father feed you from the table of His will and you will never reach for serpents, stones, or scorpions, while hungry for bread.

Good Things

In Luke, we find that the author replaced the words “good things” with “the Holy Spirit.” “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13) Many who interpret this to mean a “gift” of the Holy Spirit, seem to miss the point. “…to them that ask Him”… ask Him for what? The Holy Spirit? No, the Holy Spirit is not a gift given to anyone who simply asks for it as a gift. It is a state of being, an indwelling, set aside for those who surrender their will to Him and those who can honestly pray “Thy will be done” without reservation, without hypocrisy, and with a sincere heart. Can you say, “Lord, don’t give me what I want…give me what you want me to have, no matter what”? It is then that you are able to be indwelled.

It is then that you are qualified to receive the “gift.” As you make an inhabitable home for the Holy Spirit, by humility and surrender, you become capable of receiving the good things that He desires you to have. The Holy Spirit of God would not, indeed could not, be in harmony with simultaneous distrust of YHVH as a good Father.

When you doubt His will and disbelieve His good intentions, when you are skeptical and distrusting about praying, “Thy will be done,” and when you think that your desires are honorable and His are suspect, you make an antagonistic environment for the Holy Spirit.

For the Spirit of God knows God only as thoroughly good[1] and appreciates no will other than His. In this condition of doubt and fear of an untrustworthy God, you can expect never to experience in fullness the indwelling Christ, nor the warmth of the Comforter, nor the uninhibited fellowship of the Father. The Holy Spirit, spoken of by Jesus, will never be a gift to you.

Why do we distrust Him so? Why do we fear to say, “Thy will be done?” Why, in our deepest distress, when loss of life or a loved one is before us, when life’s tragedies are imminent and sorrow seemingly unavoidable, can we not cry out to God in full assurance that our good and ultimate joy is considered when we pray “Thy will be done?” Do we really think that what He offers is more grief, more sorrow, and more heartache? If His will is so far from ours, should we not make the changes necessary to reconcile the two?

He loves you more than you can know. You can only trust Him as much as you love Him and love Him as much as you trust Him. As you inch your way by faith to more love and more trust, isn’t it a lovely thought to contemplate the question, “If a son shall ask bread…will a father give him a stone?”

1 Corinthians 2:10-11, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”

Why take ye thought for raiment?

Matthew 6:28, “And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin…”

If we are going to answer this question honestly, we must first accept the premise that we do take thought for raiment. Could there be anyone who does not agree with this? Clothes are some of the most important things we use in judging status in our society. Clothing is a major visual clue we use to decide “who” we are talking to, what place in society he or she holds, what they may do for a living, and into what financial bracket they fall.

These clues are apparent to us, whether consciously or unconsciously; by the clothes we see them wear. Secondly we may look to the face and expression, third to the conversation and deportment, and fourth to the claims they make with their words, but for the most part, we judge and decide, criticize and condemn, or justify and idolize by the clothes a person wears. With objective consideration, we would discover this behavior to be shameful at least, and at worst, insane.

The Clothes Make The Man.

Or so it is said. We are all subjected to this “Dress for Success” mentality in one form or another. Any of us will feel different, and indeed, be different to one degree or another, if given a different outfit of clothes.

We all look for the clothes to be, at least congruent to the station in life to which that person lays claim. Imagine a policeman with no emblem of authority, no uniform, without anything to separate him from the crowd and nothing to show his authority? What could he accomplish? Imagine what respect a stockbroker would get at an investment strategy meeting who was dressed in tatters. Or conversely, wouldn’t an employee who dressed better than all his peers be considered first for promotion? Consider what changes would come over even a homeless man with a new suit of clothes. We must concede – there is power in appearance.

In our society, we are trained to look at the cloth with which a person is wrapped, from Barbie dolls to CEO’s. Life and society has taught us that we are no greater than how we appear, we are no more noble, no richer, no more intelligent, no better, than the clothes on our back.

Although nearly all of society judges and is judged by dress, is a Christian to participate in this masquerade party? Opinions are many on this subject, so let us defer to the Scriptures.

“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? …If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.” (James 2:1-9)

Some may argue that this Scripture only deals with our attitude toward the way someone is dressed and says nothing about whether we should give so much care to the way we dress ourselves. But consider this: When we dress ourselves in clothing finer than our peers are we not respecting a person’s outer appearance? Albeit, we are respecting ourselves, are we not expecting others to have respect toward us and hold us in higher esteem because of our clothing? Are we not guilty of creating in others, the very sin we are admonished to reject in ourselves? A few moments of consideration will reveal the convoluted reasoning we have used to dress according to our pride and avarice while simultaneously condemning “respect of persons” as sin. When we expect others to respect us, or form opinions about us, by the way we dress, we are cultivating characteristics in others that are unwelcome in ourselves.

Another consideration is mockery. When we drape our body with garnish, gold, and finery, do we not mock God? After all, clothes are only a necessary part of our life because of mankind’s sin. Can you see the connection in sin and clothing? These elements, present at the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, are consistently appearing in our list of present-day struggles with righteousness. Clothes, food, pride, and every lust of the eye, are all present in our daily quest to avoid sin and please God. To take pride in our covering, indeed in our atonement, is a strange (if not evil) behavior, is it not? None put it better than did the Quaker apologist, Robert Barclay speaking on simplicity in dress…

“In the first place, the use of clothes originally came from the fall of Adam, and otherwise man would apparently have had no use for them. But his miserable state made them necessary to cover his nakedness and keep him from becoming cold. Both are good and sufficient reasons for wearing clothes, and the principal reason we do so. But it can in no way be lawful for a man to delight himself with the fruit of his iniquity and the consequences of his sin. Any superfluous additions or extensions beyond their real use are clear abuses of the creation and therefore they are not lawful for Christians. Those who love gaudy and ostentatious clothing demonstrate little concern for mortification or self-denial. They apply themselves more to beautifying their bodies than to improving their souls. Those who have so little regard for their mortal condition are more nominal than real Christians.”[1]

“…let it not be that outward…”

What waste we would avoid and what equality we would enjoy if we were to gain mastery over this insidious flaw in the character of man. What thrift, what humility, what reality would we be brought to if only we evaluated each other as God does?

“…for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b)

“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Jesus said, Behold, [for example, let me present] the flowers. They don’t work until they’re weary so they can wear the best fashions. They wear what is provided and eat what is provided. What outstanding examples of faith in their God, and what great examples of health and beauty.

If our lives reflected such health, beauty, and faith, what excellent examples we would be to behold.

Clothes have a power far beyond their basic and intrinsic ability for weather protection and obscuration of nakedness. This power must be respected and held in check. Do you place more value upon clothes than is just and right? Do you judge God’s children by the cut and price of the mere cloth draped over their shoulders? Are you more concerned with a garment’s fashion than its function? You should consider, the question of Christ, “Why take ye thought for raiment?”

[1] From Barclay’s Apology in Modern English edited by Dean Freiday p. 406 ã1991 Barclay Press

5. Is not life more than food?

Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”

The ad says, “Eat all you want and lose weight.” We should be ashamed that we are so willing to lay aside common sense (not to mention unchangeable laws of physics) to embrace a lie conceived in avarice, propagated by greed and believed only by the selfish and foolish. Why do we do this? In an interview with a confidence man convicted of bilking older people out of their fortunes by wild investment promises, he was asked how he could convince his victims of such ridiculous schemes. He stated, “We all believe in what we want to be true.” It could be added that if the plan involves indulgences, count us in; if it involves abstinence, count us out.

We are willing to do anything that adds to us, whether to our bank account, our indulgent lifestyle, or our circle of friends. We are awash in advice and counsel on how to live longer and have more and we take it into our heads, our homes, our Meetings, and our hearts. We have become obsessed with the prospect of having all we want to eat and still looking thin.

We are fascinated with schemes of being paid more and more for less and less work. We are sold toys and gadgets making impossible promises of less work and more enjoyment.

Because of this philosophy, the average American is manacled to credit card debt. The mail, delivers monthly the tenacious reminders of reality left over from the accumulation of things he was convinced he wanted and needed (or the things he convinced himself) that he “could not live” without. The fact that our spiritual subsistence and our physical proliferation are at opposite ends of the scale of our care, our attention, and importance, seems to elude our thinking. We know it; we just can’t seem to remember it when we see something we want. We need to reassess our condition and consider the question Jesus asked here, “Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”

Granted, some of our sloth in these areas is due to weakness but some is due to plain inattentiveness. You would likely be surprised at the difference in the portion of your fortune that is given toward the advancement of the Kingdom of God and what portion is allotted to restaurants. What is the difference in time devoted to preparing the soul and mind by meditation, worship, and prayer, and the time devoted to dressing, preparing, and feeding the body? An evening with a calculator and your credit card statements can be very enlightening. (These figures more than surprised me— I was ashamed.) We simply have not paid attention. Where a man’s treasure is (or is spent) there is where you will find his heart. This is elementary, but a lesson from which many seem to have never graduated. “Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothes?”

Aahhh… This Is The Life!

It is interesting to note that Jesus asks, “Is not THE life… more than food…etc. I like the way He asks us about the life. Not life – but the life. In our vernacular we use this same term when things are as we think they should be. When all is in place, and life is working well, when we are comfortable and happy, we sigh and look to our companion and say, “This is the life!” Contrarily, when things are not so great, when our toys and machines break down, when we hear our neighbor or our companion complain about the way things are, we answer with futility and say, “Well, that’s life!”

Somehow, there is a message in the words of Jesus here for us Americans. “Is not the life more than food?” Sure, life, subsistence, survival, basic biological propagation is hardly more than the acquisition of food, but the life is a different question altogether. Life in its basic and biological form is continued by what we can add to it, food, water, shelter, all the basic necessities, but, the life, where all is as it should be, I am convinced, is obtained by what we can leave out of it.

This may be the most difficult of all paradoxes in life to apprehend. I have seen the idea pass through the minds of many, but I have seen it take root in few. I have seen envy on the face of men worth millions when they meet a man with nothing more than basic necessities, but it was just a fleeting notion. I am sure this idea of simplicity and minimalism was being considered by the rich young man who came to Jesus and asked Him, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus said, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven… But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” Many days in this young man’s life, he likely said, “Aahhh… this is the life!” – but, he knew it wasn’t.

The saddest part of the question posed by Jesus, too, is the answer. When we consider in full, our lives, how they are spent, the things over which we worry and complain, we must answer His question with a resounding, “No.” He asks, “Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” “No, dear Savior, it is not,” our answer must come back. “Our life is no more than an opportunity to acquire our delicacies and our body, only a hollow mannequin with no other purpose than to display our fashionable clothes. Our bank accounts are there only to hold in store for us our treasures and to serve our wants and desires at our beck and call.

Our pantries store goods for many days and as in the Bible story[2] we say to our soul, ‘Soul, eat drink and be merry!’” Indeed, an honest answer would be shameful one.

Jesus taught that taking thought for these things will hinder your ability to let go of your life, a necessary action for true conversion. This focused concern for your belly causes you to be able to see no further than the plate of food in front of you, and when it is gone your thoughts can extend no further than the source of your next morsel. It causes difficulties for faith as related in Luke 12:29, “And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.” The stories of Jesus mention an activity common among the unjust, the faithless, the doubtful, and the wicked.

Can you guess what it was?

Drunkenness And Gluttony

They were nearly always eating and drinking. Matthew 24:49, “And shall begin …to eat and drink with the drunken.”

Luke 12:19-45

“And I will say to my soul…take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”… “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin…to eat and drink, and to be drunken;”

The Church has done poorly at keeping the words eating and drinking linked together as equally wicked sin. Eating (or better called gluttony) is a favorite pastime of those who profess Christ. It is a behavior accepted by the conventional church while emphatically condemned by the Scriptures! It is no different than drunkenness. You will be hard pressed to find many Scriptures that do not show these two horses in the same harness.

A staggering alcoholic and a body laden with fat are as near kin as are thieves and liars. The religious say nearly nothing when the health of a friend is taxed from excessive eating and if something were said, it certainly would never equal the stir that would come from a churchman with alcohol on his breath.

A drug addict, whose health stands in jeopardy and whose wellbeing is set aside as he purchases and prepares another fix, is not a whit different than anyone who ignores their palpitating heart, their shortness of breath and their ever-increasing size to sidle up to the table and swallow another mouthful of unnecessary food. Although they are equally wicked, and equally dangerous to body as well as the soul, the fact that they are both blatant sins against God and good sense, has somehow escaped us.

Jesus taught that overeating could cause the day of Christ to overtake you while you are “unaware.” It is the “unawareness” that is so dangerous. When you understand that it is the “unawareness” that you seek when overeating and it is the “unconsciousness” provided by indulgence that you are looking for, you will treat overeating with the same disdain as drunkenness. Perhaps you will avoid overeating as you avoid intoxication in other forms. “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” (Luke 21:34)

Have you a problem with dullness of mind? Do you anguish over your indifference to spiritual things? Surfeiting (overeating) is the main cause of apathy and ennui.

When was the last time a fast of several days found its way into your schedule? You know that your heart, your spirit, even your very soul is affected by indulgence in any form, yet, as helpless as any alcoholic or drug addict the behavior continues. Perhaps you may gain strength in contemplation of the question of Jesus, “Is not the life more than food?”

Matthew 19:16-22,

“… Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him …if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. …The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?”

Luke 12:16

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

“. . .Don’t overlook your opportunity to suffer. To place your life in God’s hands is a frightening choice to be sure, but how else will the world around you see that this world is not your home – that the comforts of this life hold little sway in your enjoyment of life – that you need not have an abundance of goods to give to others – that death does not end your life – that your hope is not in this life but in life everlasting – that you need not live constantly in sunshine to smile and continue your life of faith in God?”

Q. 4 How do you make salt, salty again?

Matthew 5:13, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”

How do you make salt, salty again? Our fallen nature causes us to turn our ear from this statement because there is a sound of impossibility in these words of Christ. It is, in fact, quite impossible to make salt that has lost its savor, salty again. How many of us have opened a new package of salt and, with it, over-salted our food? “WOW, that is salty!” we say. Actually, the salt we had used before had lost its savor. We used more and more of it as it became less and less effective. How can you make old salt salty again? You can’t – it is, from then on, good for nothing. In Jesus’ question there is a sound of futility – in His answer there is negativity, finality, permanence, and condemnation.

Modern-day man wants options. Go to any store, any car dealer, or anywhere that caters to mankind’s self-indulgence and you will find lists of options. We like options. Contrarily, impossibilities, narrowed choices, vanishing opportunities, and immutable consequences cause us to shrink and fear. The sober person must admit, though, that all opportunities do not stand permanently open and that some consequences cannot be avoided.

Christ’s teaching was popular with the desperate and destitute. It is the man who has everything, who has never befriended Christ – nor will he. A man in charge of his life wants options, not dead ends; he wants a wide range of broad avenues, not a straight, constricted path through a narrow, unrelenting gate. A man in control wants more control, not to relinquish control to someone else. A man in control does not want to hear anything about finality and everlasting, unchangeable damnation.

Not only have options been made plenteous in our society, the risk of loss and unavoidable penalties have been nearly eliminated as well. With insurance, and 24-hour police, 24-hour emergency care, warranties, guarantees, contracts, safety equipment, lawyers begging in advertisements for lawsuits, the list of “consequence eliminators” could go on and on. We have become near strangers to harm and loss. (Consider the first questions asked when someone’s house burns down?)

There is even a modern Gospel message that “guarantees” us an eternal home. But our Lord Jesus spoke of impossibilities and narrow ways, unchangeable outcomes and desperate consequences. Dangerous situations exist on this way we have joined, situations that can cost men their souls. Jesus taught to fear God’s judgment and to live as though judgment was swift and sure and soon. He calls us the salt of the earth then asks us to seriously consider, “Once salt loses its flavor, how do you make it, salty again?”

Many theories have been put forth on the idea of Christians being the salt of the earth and exactly what this means. By the context (as the concept of us being the “salt of the earth” appears only in Matthew) our “salt” is our witness, or how we appear to the world. (Matthew 5:10-16) Other passages connect the idea of “having salt” with character and fortitude. The salt mentioned in Luke 14:34 and Mark 9:50 is tied to our “cross“ that we must bear after Christ and the persecution of the righteous.

However, the broad and obvious message is clear in all of the passages, that this salt is within our control, that we will stand judgment for the retention of its savor, and that the consequences are unchangeable and everlasting. We should earnestly seek God for an understanding of this salt, what it is, and what our responsibilities are to the world as a witness. We should pray that we retain the savor left to us.

In our world of options and choices, we have become spoiled children who think that there are always options. If we go this way or that, if we make this choice or that, we will always be able to make a fresh start, or get a second chance or that we will all come out at the same place no matter which way we go. After all, “it’s never too late,” God is infinitely merciful and He will always forgive…right?

Your Salt Is Your Reputation

We have become careless in our lifestyles because of risk reducers like insurance and lawsuits. Who among us fear losing our possessions by theft or fire? Do we not rather think to ourselves, “I’m insured” when we wonder about whether we left a heater plugged in or a door unlocked?

Now that loss has been placed under control, and options abound, it is difficult for the American mind to grasp, in totality, the warnings of Christ about permanent, irreparable, unchangeable damage and loss.

This example (the impossibility of replacing the savor of salt) is used by Christ to describe the immutability and permanence of the damage done to ones character, ones witness, and ones life from bad choices and wrong roads taken. You must take great care in your choosing. You must exercise caution in developing your lifestyle and character. You are capable of wasting the precious and irreplaceable savor given to you, leaving you only to lament the foolish choices of your past.

Don’t overlook your opportunity to suffer. To place your life in God’s hands is a frightening choice to be sure, but how else will the world around you see that this world is not your home – that the comforts of this life hold little sway in your enjoyment of life – that you need not have an abundance of goods to give to others – that death does not end your life – that your hope is not in this life but in life everlasting – that you need not live constantly in sunshine to smile and continue your life of faith in God? How else will they taste the “salt” in you if your calamity is always arrested, your loss always insured, and your health and happiness held in highest regard? You may be shortcutting your opportunity to witness and test your faith for yourself.

Christ’s message is that options do not always exist. Our sovereign God offers THE way, not A way. Christ Jesus described that way as “straight” and the gate at the end of it as “narrow.” There are consequences that love and grace and kindness and mercy will not erase. The boundless love of God, the mercy that endures forever, the kindness and compassion of an infinite heavenly Father full of grace and forgiveness will not step over and ignore your stubborn and rebellious heart to save you. When you fall down, He picks you up in loving arms till you get your footing again. When you sit down He waits with His mighty arms folded and head slightly turned to the side, not looking at you, but listening for your repentant cries.

The pliability of your temperament, the humility in your character, the accepting nature of your will, is the briny flavor the world “tastes” in you. The conformity to mistreatment, the suffering of undeserved contempt, and the daily bearing of this “cross” of Christ’s is the salt that you need to protect and retain.

You should know from Christ’s admonition that once it is gone, once it loses it savor it cannot be restored. You will be trodden under the foot of men, held in disrepute, scorned, and lampooned. Be careful. Be cautious of your reputation. Once it is gone…it is gone forever…for how can you make salt, salty again?

What will we do with this feeling of defiance? We can add sobriety to our decision-making by answering the question: “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” The obvious answer is that none of us can. The truth is, when we do “take thought” for the things of this world, we are doing for ourselves what our God wants to do for us.

Q 3. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

Matthew 6:27, Luke 12:24-38 (Combined) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment? Behold the ravens and fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Without a doubt, to carry out the advice in this passage is difficult. If you are like me, you feel a sense of disobedience as you read these words. I want to live in that elusive place of love and plentitude and pick the fruit of God’s providence as I stroll through this life without a care, yet, in defiance of YHVH’s command, I fall dreadfully short of my desire.

What will we do with this feeling of defiance? We can add sobriety to our decision-making by answering the question: “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” The obvious answer is that none of us can. The truth is, when we do “take thought” for the things of this world, we are doing for ourselves what our God wants to do for us.

It is His desire to be in daily communion with His children. Since the beginning, when He walked with Adam in the cool of the day, He has missed this fellowship with man. Listen, as He speaks in Isaiah 1:2-3, “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.” The owner and crib are symbols of care and feeding, the very things of which we are admonished to beware not to become the agents of acquisition.

Notice that this particular Scripture is not speaking of preparation for disaster or disease or mayhem, it is speaking only of the daily things – those things that demand our attention three times a day. Three times a day we could be reminded to commune with God and three times a day we could thank Him truly for the food provided. Unfortunately however, because we provide our own food, our “thanks” or “blessing” said at mealtime has become a hollow act of ritual if compared to one that we would offer over food known to be provided by God alone. We can almost hear in the song of the birds every morning, “Give us day by day our daily bread” and “Thank you” as they find and gather for themselves and their young.

We must live in God’s pleasure to be able to have this kind of confidence in His provision. Most of us provide our own food as surely as we guide our own lives. We know within ourselves that God’s provision comes to us as we are submissive to Him as our Lord provider, and we rightfully link the action of our submission to His supply. We know that we must strive to be in His pleasure to enjoy His provision. This is borne upon other Scripture that immediately follows the one we are examining now. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

 Beware Of Ambition

We have a streak of God-like ambition in us that must be curbed. This desire to “increase our stature” by taking thought, by taking our life into our own hands, is a most dangerous one. It can only lead to self-exaltation no matter how much we pretend to dress it up in humble clothes and insist that we “thank God” for our self-gotten increase.

Your exaltation or advancement (if you are to have any at all) or your debasement must occur only by God’s divine providence. This is the only way you may be assured that you are not out-running your guide, or taking a seat higher than you deserve. This point is clear in the parable from Luke 14:8-11, “When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Jesus would ask again, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?”

Some have translated this Scripture to read, “Who, by taking thought, can add one hour to his life span?” If this translation were true, we would have, in our century, an opportunity to challenge this Scripture. (Or do we?[1])

Some claim to be alive and well only because a doctor, somewhere in their past intervened with the natural progression of death. Doctors today are praised for adding, not only an hour, but possibly years to their life span. Some will credit their health and years to a regimen of exercise and vitamin supplements.

Unfortunately, the years added are, in most cases, lived out in nursing homes, attached to machines, or with umbilicals of drugs, hospitals, and doctors, all parasitically draining their savings from them, along with the quality of their lives, till both are gone. The effort of immortality is a futile one. The sober consideration of this proposition as an impossibility is to be our impetus to accept the futility of trying to take thought in order to advance our lives as well. We must not push, we must not strive, and we must be content.

So how do we accomplish this idea of living for now, with no care for the inevitable needs of our future? It is clear in this advice, “… seek ye first the kingdom of God… and all these things shall be added unto you.” Relax your hand on the wheel that steers your life. Hold the course He set for you. As you find yourself making your own provisions, let go. Make an opportunity for life to take another course. When you set your mind on gaining something, relax your effort and risk losing it. Let it come from another source, or let it not come at all.

Do we really want to live an hour longer than God’s plan provides? Do you really want an inch more stature than He sees fit for you? How much of what you have now was gained only as a result of your efforts and not His?

Remember, the saying, “The Lord helps those who help themselves” is not Scripture, nor can the idea be supported by Scripture. Little by little you can let go of your way and fasten to His way. How fast you go should be none of your concern. If you are moving at all, no matter how little, you need only make sure of your direction. For, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?”

[1]

Although, contrary to the explanation offered about increasing man’s life span, statistics indicate the apparent increase is due mostly to the improvements in birth viability and not length of years.

We must expand our circle of inclusion to take in the uncomplimentary, the uncouth, the unlovely, and yes, even the unclean, if we are to live to honor the words from Christ’s sermon. We must be honest and admit that the level of love under which we operate is insufficient to include those who don’t like us, or those who won’t tolerate us, or those who don’t hold us in the high esteem that we have developed in our spheres of familiarity.

2. What good is it to love those who love you?

The question comes from Matthew 5:46-47 and its parallel in Luke 6:32-34 (Combined)

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye, what thank have ye? Do not even the publicans the same, for sinners also love those that love them? And if ye salute your brethren only, if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans and sinners so? If ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

This Scripture has had many applications, most of which have been applied to the duty of Christians to feed the poor and clothe the naked and destitute. The dedicated Christian has done well in these areas, but, however applicable these Scriptures may be, let’s look at it another way.

It must be admitted that we Christians like to play in our own backyard. We hang around those who don’t challenge us, we cling to those who accept us as we are, and we give a wide berth to those who are willing to criticize us. We claim we avoid those who find fault in us, because they do not love us. The truth is that we simply don’t love them. We can’t seem to love an enemy; we can only love our friends. We don’t love them enough to like them, nor like them enough to love them.

This deficiency is sometimes camouflaged as an enviable character trait. We pride ourselves on being easygoing, non-controversial, or a person who opposes confrontational issues, when in reality we lack an ability to love those who don’t readily agree with us, so we overlook the differences, redefine words and assume the kindest of motives on the part of our detractors. We cannot love someone who doesn’t agree with us so we don’t bring up certain subjects, or say that “it doesn’t matter” or that the disagreement is “majoring on minors.” We know within ourselves that we can’t love those who are different than us so we make efforts to avoid them. It that goodness? Is that kindness? Is that honest?

We must expand our circle of inclusion to take in the uncomplimentary, the uncouth, the unlovely, and yes, even the unclean, if we are to live to honor the words from Christ’s sermon. We must be honest and admit that the level of love under which we operate is insufficient to include those who don’t like us, or those who won’t tolerate us, or those who don’t hold us in the high esteem that we have developed in our spheres of familiarity.

You should ask yourself, “Do I like only those who like me? Am I willing to take social risks only with those who are familiar with my accomplishments or my social status? Do I have what it takes to hold my own in the world that doesn’t know ‘who’ I am?” Do you have within you the love required to love those who are not impressed by you – to love those who do not rate you above them?

Sometimes this character flaw shows in our speech, our manner of dress, our deportment or even more subtle behavior seen by others and not readily recognizable to us.

The refining of this behavior will not come easily, as so much of it is below the level of conscience thought. It may help you to think of the differences that God was willing to overlook in order to create and maintain a relationship with you. You are admonished in the Scriptures to love and forgive even as you are loved and forgiven of God.[1]

What good is it to love those who think you are great? Or, as Jesus put it, “What good is it to love those who love you?”

It is interesting that Jesus asks, “What good is it?” What good does it do; what good does it bring about? Then He adds, “Do not even the publicans and sinners the same?” When we find ourselves unable to love those who do not love us, we are discovering one of the dreaded attributes to our unregenerate heart and, perhaps, a soul yet in sin. When we can only love white, Anglo-Saxon, heterosexual, republicans, we advertise to the world that we have not known Christ.

When we only associate with those who have graduated from college, have a job on a certain pay scale, watch only public television, and only vote the democratic ticket, we are shallow and hollow and have little to offer the world. When we only socialize with those hold to our articles of faith, attain a certain level of righteousness, anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti rock and roll, types that insist on saying, “Amen” instead of, “I agree” at the conclusion of everything we say, we are purposefully closing our world into a tighter and tighter circle because our affection toward the men and women whom Jesus loved, is diminishing.

What good is it to love those who love you? It really does not matter with whom you choose to identify and whom you avoid; it is the fact that you cannot love that condemns you and renders your faith in Christ a pretense. John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

 Tolerance – The New “Love”

Many have made love an act of their will. Masquerading as loving, caring Christians, they are only tolerant of others. Tolerance is the new “love” among Christians. It is touted as a wonderful attribute, when in reality, it is a sinister replacement for the love that could be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit if we would only let go of our pride. Tolerance is peddled as a superlative capacity, available only to those on a higher spiritual plane, when, in truth, it is a baleful substitute for the love of God.

Who among us wishes to be tolerated? Who would not rather be loved? When we tolerate the homosexual we do him no service, we only appease our own prejudices and render the guilt we feel, innocuous to our conscience. When we tolerate the obnoxious sinner we lead him no closer to Christ, we bring Christ no closer to him. When we tolerate opposition to our view we will find ourselves no closer to understanding our adversary than before. But, if we love them…what power! If we love them…what witness! If we love them…what reward! Alas, but how?

The answer may be simpler than you think. If we can remember that we pity those below us, we aspire to those above us, but we love those beside us. It can be our pride and ego that make true love so elusive.

For whatever reason you convince yourself that you are avoiding the “unlovable,” you must first judge the person as unlovable. This is done by classifying him as different from you. (Whether we judge them above us or below us is of little moment in this analysis.) The truth we avoid is that we are but a few facts (and even fewer secrets) from being deemed as unlovable as any, as obnoxious as any, and as repulsive as anyone else. Again, think of the person that God sees.

It is when you see yourself in this light that you begin to understand that all you are doing, when you offer true love to those who do not like you, is providing them what you so desperately need yourself.

You do not want to be tolerated… you want to be loved. Love suffers long, and is kind, love envies not, love does not boast, love does not behave improperly, love will not allow you to seek your own way, love repels anger, love thinks no evil toward anyone, love never allows rejoicing when wrong is done but only when truth and justice are accomplished. Love “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13)

 He drew a circle that shut me out— Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in.[2]

The difference between the unregenerate one and you who knows Christ is that you have a capacity to truly love the unlovable. You have that ability because He first loved you.

When you love only those who love you, you deceive yourself into believing that you really love people. How do you respond to those who do not love you? How do you react to the unlovely or your would-be enemies?

If you exemplify the love of Christ, you bring hope to your community. Your supernatural love for those who do not love you is light – Light borne to a dark world, but…. “What good is it to love those who love you?”

[1]

Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

[2] Author :Edwin Markham

When we are outside of Christ and we determine to find him, we seek Him frantically, panicking and sorrowing that He is not found in the places we look for Him. We put our trust in others or in ideas that seem to point us to Christ, but as time goes by, we find that things were not as we supposed. People disappoint us, the authors of our books turn out to be profiteers, pastors prove to be only hirelings, and friends are only as actors in a play, we find no truth, no substance, no reality, no answers.

1. How is it that ye sought me?

Luke 2:49, “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”

There are many seeking Christ today. This book will likely share a shelf with many others, the presence of which testifies to the fact that man seeks a relationship with God. But are we seeking God or are we seeking a way into God’s favor? Though subtle, there is a difference.

As the feast drew to a close, the families that ate and played and worshiped together prepared for the long trek home. Assuming Jesus was with other family members of Joseph son of Jacob, they set upon their journey. Then, Jesus was nowhere to be found among the family! His parents sought Him desperately for three days; sorrowing all the while they were searching. They finally found Him conversing with the doctors of the Law in the Temple. He was so assured that they knew where to find Him, He asked, nearly surprised, “How is it that ye sought me? [Didn’t you know]…that I must be about my Father’s business?”

When we are outside of Christ and we determine to find him, we seek Him frantically, panicking and sorrowing that He is not found in the places we look for Him. We put our trust in others or in ideas that seem to point us to Christ, but as time goes by, we find that things were not as we supposed. People disappoint us, the authors of our books turn out to be profiteers, pastors prove to be only hirelings, and friends are only as actors in a play, we find no truth, no substance, no reality, no answers.

We do not find the true Christ in the experience of the people around us or their leadership, we do not find Him in churches or seminaries, we do not find Him in books or lectures, sermons or songs, He is neither to be found in philosophies new nor old. We finally collapse in discouragement and despair and can feel it is no use to search any longer.

We even entertain thoughts of conspiracy and sinister plots of illusion, or perhaps we surmise that God is not real at all; it is all fakery and a crutch to the hopeless and fearful, not for a thinking man or one who demands truth! This couldn’t be more mistaken. Just because the real Jesus is not where you look for Him does not mean He does not exist. What you, my friend, need to identify is “The Father’s business.”

One Sabbath day, not much different than any other, everyone gathered at the synagogue to hear the scrolls of Moses and the Prophets read. Men above the age of thirty were given, in turn, the opportunity to read from the Law and or Prophets, with the rest of the rabbis. This Sabbath was different only in that this week, it fell to Jesus, the son of Joseph, to read. He read from Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19) Then He closed the book and said, “This day this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears.” Jesus, by reading this and confirming it, here shows us the prophesied and fulfilled mission of Messiah. We may find here, “The Father’s Business.”

The Father’s Business

In our day, it is a little more difficult to “follow” Christ as He asked the disciples to do in Scripture. They simply had to physically follow Him around. By doing so they were shown His work and ministry and made familiar with His way. We must find His way and get in it. This is not difficult to do if we are not “helped” by well-meaning, but misguided persons who tell us what Christ requires of us in no uncertain terms. The problem is that they have no idea either what God expects of them, or us. You must depend rather on the Spirit of God to show you this way and when you find it, you will find Christ. His ministry is to be about the Father’s business.

The Father’s business is opening eyes blinded by hatred and sin, to heal the broken hearted, the life-trodden souls that are only “chess pieces” to the power brokers of the “real” world. The Father’s business is to justify, rectify and set in fair and proper order the heart of desperate man and to make him acceptable in the sight of God. The Father’s business is to preach the Jubilee of the Lord! The year that all is set right!

You will not find on Isaiah’s prophetic list of Messiah’s accomplishments, from which Jesus read, the erecting of church buildings, or the organization of denominations. You will find that God’s business has little to do with conventional Christianity and even less to do with doctrines, creeds, and liturgies. He is not interested in developing philosophies or trite maxims to live by, or in publishing “Seven Easy Steps to Salvation.” He is not wringing His hands over the latest and greatest preacher or songwriter, author or singer, hoping that they will do well and “touch many lives.”

The Father’s business is to seek and to save those who are lost and out of the way, those who seek Him and repent, and those who live without offense to their conscience and know the taste of humility. Why do we search for God in the new and clean buildings when His interest is in alleys and suburbs and wherever His called ones are coming to the light of Christ? When you associate yourself with those who “have,” you are farther from Christ than ever. When you get involved with those who “have not” and feeding the hungry, and helping the helpless, you will be closer to the ministry of Christ than ever before. You must come out of the convention, come out of the ordinary, do something for the one in prison, the one in bed with illness, and empty your closets for those who have needs. In doing so, you will find Christ.

Both of the examples in the story below were surprised when they found Christ was embodied in the poor, the sick, and the hungry ones.

There is sadness in the realization that Christ was in their own community and they did not know it. “Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Jesus was not found in the religions of the world, nor was He found in some deep meditative state; He was found by those simply doing the Father’s business. You can easily be cheated of His presence and power by running after the schemes concocted by modern teachers and preachers. All the while He may be easily found, in all His fullness, in repulsive places that these fancy, slick talkers and “spiritual guides” will not dare to go.

But fear not. When you do find the real Jesus, the true Messiah, the Son of God, He will comfort you and welcome you as though you had come from a long journey. You will tell Him of your horrible escapades, your close encounters with false prophets and liars of all sorts who told you where to search for Him. You will expound in detail how you almost gave up and thought He was dead! You will feel silly and ashamed when He looks at you and asks, “How is it ye sought for me? Didn’t you know I would be about my Father’s business?”

From time to time you may hear someone say, “That’s a good question.” This can mean a variety of things to the one who says it and to those who hear it. Usually it means, “I’ll have to think of an answer.” As I read the questions of Christ in the Gospels, I was constantly saying to myself, “That’s a good question…” and almost immediately I would add, “… and it deserves an honest answer.”

Then I endeavored to gather and examine all the recorded questions Jesus asked throughout His life and ministry and honestly attempted to answer them, or to apply their rhetorical truth, one by one, for myself.

The idea of this guide is for you, the reader, to do the same. You will find here, riches yet untapped, available by a simple honest approach to the questions of Christ.

Answers to these questions provide a sound basis to answer questions of life. A foundation of solid understanding awaits an honest seeker.

Much of our time and consideration is given to the questions that we ask God. These questions often go unanswered and leave us in a state of confusion worse than before we asked. Is it that they have no answer? As C. S. Lewis asked, “Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable.”[1]

But what about the questions He asked us? Because they were formulated in the mind of the Son of God they must be answerable and of inestimable value as well.

At the end of each devotional meditation the question is presented to the reader for consideration in new light. Let an answer formulate within and ponder it and its implications.

It is unfortunate, but the reader will find that today, many of the questions Jesus asked are never posed and certainly never honestly answered. What a waste of resource this is! Jesus was a master communicator.

In this day, we chase to and fro to find someone to help us, to motivate us, to guide us. Communicators we may have among us, but one with such a message, one with such pure motivation, one with pure caring and love for His audience, is more difficult to find.

To whom but Jesus could we ascribe our unrestrained trust with our very lives? Unfortunately, His Bible, though still a best seller, remains least read. Alas, Bibles bought, but not owned; stories read but not heard; questions asked but not answered.

[1] C.S. Lewis (1898–1963), British author. A Grief Observed, pt. 4 (1961).