In Matthew 6:1-6, Jesus warns against two ways that hypocrisy manifests itself among religious people. The word “religious” often gets the automatic pushback, I’m not religious, I’m just a Jesus follower. This kind of unwillingness to assess our actions, practices, and motives, is a big open door through which hypocrisy enters. If you’re still reading this, I invite you to set aside any self-justifying, catch-phrases that pop into your head and consider that this could apply to you.

Unlike many illustrations in the gospels, giving financially and praying in public are two things religious people still do. Financial gifts and prayer were good then and they’re still good now. They are also both areas in our Christian life that can be a source of personal pride.

Keep Your Giving Secret

Tithes and offerings are a Christian practice of giving financially to the church. Tithing comes from the Jewish laws to support the temple priests. Now, this cherry-picked law is currently taught as a Christian duty. Paul tells us that financial gifts should be given from a desire to give. The topic of why this law is one of the only laws emphasized by church leaders as non-negotiable should be a whole different article. So, for the sake of this article, I will assume when you give to the church, it’s from a place of freedom and joy.

This first warning talks about people who let others know what they’re giving. This isn’t something I’ve witnessed firsthand. It seems like this would appear crass, but I have seen a kind of ownership after giving. This might play out in a church business meeting with an attitude of, we’re not getting rid of [cherished church item]—my tithes paid for that! That’s not bragging as much as it’s using gifts for leverage. It’s different, but that attitude seems just as unhealthy.

The instruction to not announce your gifts reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. In that text, Paul talks about practicing our faith with love. If we have motivations other than love, our good actions are worthless. Paul’s letter echoes what Jesus tells this audience in Matthew. If you’re giving gifts with the motivation of receiving approval, that approval is the only reward you will receive. The act of giving has lost any benefit for your spiritual growth.

Public Prayer

The second area Jesus addresses is: praying to be heard by others. This is something that I believe happens all the time–at least in American Christianity. Walk into a chain restaurant on any Sunday around 1 pm and you will probably see what I mean. Right after the food arrives, around the time the waitstaff is approaching to see if they need anything else, the table will close their eyes and “say grace” loud enough for all the nearby tables to hear. Sometimes the group holds hands. The waitstaff may seem unsure whether they should leave and come back or wait until the group is done praying. Often, saying grace out loud before a meal is expected by Christians. It may also be thought of as a “gospel witness” for anyone in the room who isn’t “saying grace.”

If you do this and you’re still reading, try to consider all the reasons you participate in this public show of prayer. Consider that saying grace is different than an actual opening prayer at the beginning of a worship service or public event. Saying grace in this way is making a personal prayer public. I personally find it awkward and sometimes manipulative. Even so, I believe it’s done out of a sense of duty, or even routine, but what would it look like to not say grace out loud in public?

Is There Any Hypocrisy In Me?

This might cause people to jump to the other end of the spectrum. You might think I’m suggesting people stop praying altogether. I’m not suggesting that. I’m asking what it would look like to follow the heart of Matthew 6:5-6  when you say grace in public. Obviously, you wouldn’t go find a closet to pray in, but you could thank God for your food silently, in your thoughts, and in such a way that doesn’t draw attention to yourself. Does that kind of prayer lose its appeal? A result of praying silently might be that other Christians assume you’re not praying at all. It’s in this moment of tension that you will learn a lot about your motives. Are you thanking God for the food, or are you praying for others to see? Are you meeting other people’s expectations of what Christians are supposed to do?

Try this experiment just to see what happens and what goes through your mind. If you find hypocrisy within yourself, this is the time to deal with it.

Misunderstood and Judged

If you pray silently, you might be judged. Your explanation might be ignored. Remember, I’m not saying to “not say grace”. I’m saying to not let other Christians “see that you’re saying grace” as a faith-building, and character-building, exercise. If you are misunderstood or judged, remember that Jesus was misunderstood and judged. Many people who don’t fit the American Christian status quo, for one reason or another, are misunderstood and judged. This could be a compassion-building experience.

Do you say grace in public places? Does it depend on who you’re with? How do you feel about trying this experiment as an act of discipleship? Let me know in the comments.

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For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

1 Cor. 12:12-18

One of the ever-present barriers to church unity is the unspoken (sometimes spoken) expectation for uniformity. When other Christians believe or behave differently than us, or when other churches apply the Biblical text in a way in which we disagree, we’re all too eager to charge them as fake Christians. The conversation ends when we do this. There are times when we need distance. Sometimes the toxicity is so thick that we have to care for our mental health. I’ve had to do that. Generally speaking, the lack of unity we create in the church is usually over the need for correct beliefs.

Preserving our Traditions

Many times we simply hang around people who practice the faith like we do because it makes sense and it’s comfortable. Churches also carry various rich cultures from one generation to the next. We wouldn’t want to lose those traditions in favor of one neutral practice–that would be uniformity as well. So what does unity look like?

First, let’s set aside the analysis of all the reasons the church self-segregates. It should still be possible to have different roles in society, a different look and feel, and still have unity. Let’s look at the body metaphor itself.

How Does a Real Body React?

When my son was three he graduated to a twin bed with no rails. One night I woke to the sound of him crying. In my half-sleep state, I believed he had fallen out of bed (he hadn’t) and was hurt (he wasn’t). I ran to his room in the dark and as I entered his room I whacked my little toe on his drum set. I immediately fell to the ground, cradling my foot in both my hands, rocking back and forth trying not to scream.

The next day my toe still hurt and I was limping. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I tried to put my shoes on for work. My foot had swollen, so I found my roomiest shoe and tried to stuff my foot into it (I was part-time hourly, and we desperately needed every dollar I could earn). I was determined to get that foot into that shoe, but my whole body rebelled–I became thoroughly nauseated from the pain. It wasn’t going to happen.

I think about this event often when I think about the Christian church. Part of us is broken and inflamed, and another part of us is determined to keep plugging away, business as usual. Most likely, we all see ourselves as the “broken and hurting” part and “the other person” as the ones trying to move forward, “business as usual”.

The Body of Christ

What we really need to do is respond to each other like my body’s first instinct the moment I broke my toe. My toe didn’t have to convince my body it was hurt. My body was in enough communication with all its parts that it knew the moment my toe broke. I fell to the ground, my hands covered my toes—a self-protective instinct to prevent further harm. My voice held back a scream. At first, I was holding my breath, my body rocked to dissipate the pain that my whole body felt.

Now, I know that Paul’s point in describing the church as the “body of Christ” is that we all belong, we all have a part to play. Yes! The Christian church hasn’t been good at realizing that to this day. That topic will be another post for another day.

We Start By Caring

Before we can appreciate the reality that we have different roles in the Body of Christ, that we look and act differently, that we believe and practice differently, we first have to care about each other. We need to acknowledge that we are all a part of one body, whether we like it or not.  When we act as a body, we will know each other, we will be there when the other is in pain, and we will care. We will weep with those who weep, whether or not they interpret the Bible the same as we do. If one part exacerbates the pain, the rest of us should react to stop the damage that’s being done.

We are all imperfect. We are being transformed, so this is messy work. Even in the midst of the messiness, we can care and empathize, maybe even help, our brothers and sisters who are in pain. We can stop trying to press on as if nothing’s wrong, expecting people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. How we treat each other is the gospel in action.

Reflection

Do you see your sisters and brothers with whom you disagree as part of the same greater body–the body of Christ? Would this perspective change how you interact with people? Do people around you care about your pain like it was their own? How would you feel if they did?

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Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Phil. 4:4-7

At the time of this letter, Christians were being arrested and put to death for their faith. Paul started this church, but some time has passed and he hasn’t been there. He’s most likely writing this letter of encouragement from jail. The two women Paul mentions earlier in this letter, Euodia and Syntyche, were his co-workers—they worked alongside him when he started this church. He finds out these women aren’t getting along, their disagreement is significant enough that Paul hears about it from another city. He’s asking the church to help them work it out.

Paul mentions the peace of God in verse seven. This church probably doesn’t feel like peace is possible if two of their founding members are in conflict. This is possibly the most relatable part of this text. Disagreements happen all the time. People disappoint us and make us angry. It’s easier to just avoid the people we disagree with because distance can feel like peace. Don’t get me wrong—sometimes moving on is the only way to move forward. It takes wisdom to know the difference between a toxic relationship and one that can be salvaged. I believe this text is talking about a strained relationship that can be restored.

It’s Only Human

Disagreements are the reality of being human alongside other humans. Being a Christian doesn’t take that away. It’s hard to work out our issues the way Paul is encouraging these sisters to do. Out of context, it can sound like a simplistic answer–that and the admonition to “be anxious for nothing”.

I usually hear the phrase, “Rejoice in the Lord” by itself and I forget that its context is within a time of turmoil—both inside and outside the church. It’s a good reminder that it’s possible to find a way to still rejoice even in the middle of conflict.

Paul isn’t condemning these women, he’s pleading with them to get along for their own sake. He cares about them and their relationship. Paul is giving them practical advice on how the whole community can share the same vision. Something to note: the Greek word used here for rejoice is plural. Paul is suggesting that the community rejoice in the Lord together—and this will build up the community.

Paul also gives them some practical advice right after this section to “think about these things”. He then gives them a list of things on which to meditate. Things that are true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy . . . think about these things. Think about “whatever is true” versus imagining the worst, which creates anxiety . . . think about these things.

Peace of God

The joy of the Lord is our strength. Rejoicing in the Lord, in community, builds up the whole church. The God of peace will be with them within the presence of the Holy Spirit. We can also have faith that God’s peace will be with us, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, as well.

God’s peace isn’t like the world’s peace—it’s not a peace that requires agreement. God’s peace doesn’t require a lack of conflict. This is why Paul refers to it as a peace that surpasses, or transcends, all understanding. It brings us joy and calms our anxiety even in the middle of our disagreements, conflict, and danger.

Where do you need peace? Can you find a way to rejoice in God’s goodness within community, as a way to find your strength?

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I thank my God for every remembrance of you, always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, for all of you are my partners in God’s grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the tender affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what really matters, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Phil. 1:3-11

Neither Paul nor Peter were pure and blameless in their actions. None of the people of faith listed in Hebrews 11  were pure and blameless. Some even did atrocious things and yet still “made the cut” as a person of faith. So, is the goal to try, try, try, to become perfect? No. As we see in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we don’t grow in our faith through our own efforts to be good. We cannot be perfect.

A Work of God

In verse six of this text, Paul alludes to his intent. He tells them, “the one who began a good work among you” will bring that work to completion. Our spiritual growth doesn’t happen through gritting our teeth and trying really hard. Our transformative growth is a work of God within our hearts. There’s a level of cooperation in which we participate, but as I wrote in Faithfulness, if we make “right living” our primary focus we lose sight of what really matters—our relationship with God and each other.

Paul hasn’t lost sight of his relationship with the Philippians. They also embrace their relationship with Paul. Prior to this letter, the church in Philippi collected money to support Paul while he was in prison. Nobody in this story is wallowing in guilt or shame, which is why I believe this church understood what Paul meant with his encouragement to be found blameless. It’s an encouragement to continue in the faith and, as they do, they will continue to grow in wisdom and maturity.

As you focus on developing a healthy relationship with God and your community, may love and wisdom increase! How is God already working in your life? Who are the people growing alongside you?

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My favorite part of Paul’s letters is the heartfelt way he writes to the communities, with such warmth, and recalling personal memories. He’s not afraid to speak with gushing affection. It seems sincere too, because Paul doesn’t pull any punches elsewhere in his letters. Almost all of the letters of Paul contain this kind of love and personal encouragement that signifies trust and a deep relationship.

Overall, Paul’s letters to churches were direct and sometimes difficult. He was often correcting some behavior or belief, and the second part of this text starts to have that corrective tone. In this text, Paul isn’t telling them to be blameless so that they’ll pull themselves up by their bootstraps to shape up. He’s drawing a connection between the strength of their communities and the mutual love they share. As they grow in their ability to love each other, God will strengthen them in their relationships and their faith. Paul is giving them hope for the transformation that he trusts God is doing in their lives.

We Need Community

Community is a powerful aspect of our faith. Today, it seems like our involvement with our Christian community is only for a couple of hours on Sunday. People in our lives come and go for various reasons and that makes it difficult to build this kind of closeness. Even with those we’re close to, knowing who we can really trust takes time. How can we hope to build these kinds of relationships that seem so integral to our faith?

Community is one of the foundations of Christian life and we need it. While the church at Thessalonica might have been a close-knit church, many of the early churches had similar trust issues that we experience today. It does take wisdom, but it’s worth taking the small steps of vulnerability to start building connections.

Close Relationships Over Time 

In building this connection, I don’t suggest that you overshare from the most sensitive areas of your life. Start by daring to take the social facade off in the low-risk moments. Thank someone for something they did, and go further to explain what their actions meant to you. Find a reason to tell an acquaintance what you appreciate about them. It will probably feel awkward at first because positive vulnerable interactions aren’t built into the social contract. Some people may avoid you, but others will be drawn to genuineness. As your relationships build, you will have people to turn to in difficult times, as I wrote about in Will You Be There When I’m in Pain.

Do we desire this kind of community? I think we’re starving for this kind of love in our relationships. It will take time, but we can grow in our expression of love within our communities the way Paul does. Who will you let into your real life?

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And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Chapter 10 of the book of Hebrews has a lot packed into it. This text explains the significance of the crucifixion of Christ and how that event brings about the forgiveness of sins. It’s also a call for love and encouragement. Rather than being used to encourage others, it has been used by church leaders to hold people “accountable” for their perceived sins.

This text tells us to encourage each other, toward love and good deeds, and to not give up meeting together. This can be used as an encouragement, but in my experience it’s been used more as a means of guilt. The bit about encouraging each other to love and good deeds is the part that gets turned into “accountability”. There’s a lot of focus on sin among Christians—mostly other people’s sin.

It’s not healthy to put everyone’s actions under our microscope for analysis. This causes us to miss the point. This chapter is leading up to the point, “let us hold fast to the confession of our hope . . . for he who has promised is faithful”.

A Power Play

In reality when Christians push “accountability” it really means the most power-hungry people control the most dutiful people. If someone stops attending church the rumor mill wonders if they’re even still a believer. If someone is uncomfortable with being held “accountable” for potential future sins, they are surely hiding something.

In writing this I did a fact check on my own assumptions with a search on the phrase “Christian accountability”. I opened seven pages from the page one of results. Five of those seven referenced this text and focused on addressing sin in each other’s life. One article insisted that nothing, even thoughts, should be kept from an accountability partner. The abuse dished out in the name of Hebrews 10  could be its own article.

Joy and Liberty

No! Following these instructions should be just like it reads on the surface. As I wrote about in Rules Much?, approaching spiritual growth as a checklist misses the mark. We should approach each other looking for the good, the grace. If there’s a setback in your sister’s life, that’s an occasion to sit with her through that hard time, rather than lecture. If there’s wrongdoing that affects you, that is what needs to be confronted. Although, the sin police will often switch over to verses on forgiveness if it’s their wrongdoing that’s brought to light.

Supportive Community

If churches were a place where I could meet people who were my biggest encourager, a non-judgmental shoulder to cry on, or people with whom I could celebrate, nobody would have to tell me to keep meeting together. Maybe this instruction exists because as far back as the early church, Christians were already experiencing the need to distance themselves from controlling and abusive Christians.

The author reminds the original readers that we don’t have to keep atoning for our sin, Christ did that. Instead, we should love and encourage each other. I find it sad that these verses are used to guilt people when that’s the social condition that this text is addressing.

What creative ideas come up for you when you “consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds?” Have you spent time considering for yourself how you might encourage people—truly encourage them? Has someone used these verses to shame you?

Let us hold on to our hope, for Jesus is faithful!

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Then He said to them in His teaching, ‘Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.’ Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.’

God doesn’t need us to be God’s venture capitalist. Maybe that’s so obvious as to be comical. On the other hand, some may see their acts of charity as crucial in the grand scheme of things. The rich might go so far as to publicly deride the generosity of the poor for their inability to do much financial good with their meager donations. That contrast is the point of this lesson.

More than just a philosophical mind-game, this story reminds me of an experience I had in seminary. In 2015, one of my required classes was an immersion trip and I chose to go to Mexico. We didn’t go to “luxury vacation” Mexico. We went to very poor cities, that had a mixture of dirt roads and paved. There were modest, but nice, houses not far from houses cobbled together with plywood. This trip changed my outlook on many things. I also met some of the most gracious, and generous people along the way. I received the kind of generosity that Jesus is talking about in this text.

Poverty and Faith

With each person we visited, I heard about the work my hosts did, or used to do. We shared many meals, and we heard many stories of hardship. Some themes came up over and over. Embedded in the stories of hardship were the proclamations of their faith. Many of those in poverty were doing something to help those poorer than themselves. The sharing of the meal itself was an experience of receiving abundant generosity.

We were told by our tour leaders that most people we would visit can’t afford to buy meat regularly. This would be something they would only do for a special occasion. Our visit was a special occasion. We ate knowing this meal was a luxury. I’ve eaten much fancier meals that didn’t fill me with as much gratitude. Meals were a gift and they were given with a kind of welcome and hospitality that I found everywhere in Mexico.

Stories of Hardship

We heard stories. We heard from farmers who can’t compete with American corporations. These corporations create a monopoly by flooding the market with low-priced produce. As it turns out, our anti-monopoly laws don’t apply in Mexico. Then farmers are offered pennies on the dollar to sell their coffee beans to American distributors. We heard stories of farmers who can’t feed their children.

We heard stories from people who worked in local non-profits. They were teaching people marketable skills. Some of these were displaced people, some were former farmers, some were women, all were unable to make a living wage. These stories impacted me. I started to buy direct-trade coffee through a Mexican farmer’s co-op.

We heard stories of people who were “getting in line” to immigrate to America the way immigrants from other countries do. After paying hundreds of dollars they find there is no line for Mexicans who don’t have money, or a job already lined up. Instead of finding this out in a straightforward way, they pay money every year to not lose their place in a line where they will likely never advance.

We worked alongside the non-profit that received people who were newly deported. Some of these recently deported people had their belongings stolen by the private prison or the border agents. There were people who had been intentionally separated from their family, who were simultaneously being deported miles away. Some of these people weren’t Mexican, didn’t speak Spanish, had no money and no way to contact their family. This non-profit worked daily to help people reconnect with family, translate when necessary, and advise people on how to get home.

Beyond Partisan Politics

This was in 2015. To me, these stories aren’t about partisan politics, they’re about people. Yet, our politics, our monopolizing capitalism in their country, our criminalization of a people group who are trying to survive, are oppressive. Their poverty is in part due to our trade practices. They’re not taking our jobs as much as our corporations are taking their jobs.

The most memorable part of this trip was the hospitality, the laughter, the tears, and sharing meals with people. These meals were delicious, but they were expensive to those who provided them. Yet, the meals were offered generously without any hesitation.

Generosity of the Widow

Bringing this back to our text, the widows of that day were also in poverty. They should have been cared for, instead they were left to beg or fend for themselves. They were probably economic victims of the money lenders that Jesus so memorably drove out of the temple. Once again we see that God is a defender of the poor.

Jesus is pointing out that although this widow has nothing, she’s still giving, and it’s a more meaningful sacrifice. He’s lifting up this act, but it’s also an indictment on a society that doesn’t care for those in need.

We should care for everyone without regard for race, social status, or imaginary lines drawn in the dirt. This woman represents one of the “least” of their society. The people of Central America represent one of the “least” from the perspective of our society. Jesus tells us that whatever we do for the “least” of his brothers, we’ve done it to him.

How will you respond?

How are you doing? Fine?

Of course the answer is “fine.” When people ask us how we’re doing, the automatic response is fine. Sometimes when discussing this sociological phenomenon, people say they actually want an honest answer. I never know if I should believe them. In the past, I’ve given a more honest answer and found myself in an awkward moment, realizing that I’ve just overshared. I’ve also had very real, impromptu conversations about real pain that left me feeling more connected to my friends.

I think it’s natural to want to blend in and not be noticed. It can make the pain feel worse if the other person is doing fine, or if they don’t understand what we’re going through. It takes discretion to know when to go along with the expected norms or when to break them. I think this goes beyond social norms. We need to have trusted friends because suffering is harder when we’re doing it alone.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. [ . . . ] Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirits intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:18-27

This passage talks about our present suffering, it talks about how things ought to be. It also tells us that one day we will be free from our suffering. Not only us but all of creation. This got me thinking about how the whole range of pain will be redeemed.

A Universal Problem

Everybody experiences suffering at some point in their life. Some of the pain we experience results in good things, like childbirth. Sometimes it makes no sense and never will until we’re looking at it from the other side of eternity. Sometimes our suffering is from our own pain and sometimes it’s over the pain experienced by those we love.

We are in a fallen world and because of this, we experience the effects of sin, which also causes suffering. When Jesus ascended, God sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, to counsel us. Here we see that the Holy Spirit prays for us in our pain. God doesn’t need to ask how we’re doing. We can be honest with God about everything that’s going on. When our pain is so great or confusing that we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit prays on our behalf in ways we don’t even understand.

Sources of Hope

This is another example in the Bible of how we can have hope. We have hope in God who loves us and who prays for us. A God who will go to any length to act out God’s love for us. We need to remember that hope comes along with a restless feeling. How long will it be until the thing we hope for is here?

Sometimes when I’m in a painful situation I ask God, “why?” Instead of seeing pain as a way in which God has let me down, this text shows me a God who helps me carry it. God has entered our suffering through Jesus. These verses show us that God helps us in our suffering through the Holy Spirit. God stays with us in that honest, awkward, gritty conversation and is committed to walking with us through everything. Through the Holy Spirit God experiences everything with us, and it’s all an expression of God’s love.

Our Response

Let’s be willing to receive comfort from the Holy Spirit. We can know that the Spirit has already turned to God in prayer on our behalf. When we’re able, let’s be willing to walk with each other. Let us weep with those who weep. We should desire to comfort and pray for each other. Committed to passing the comfort we’ve received on to our sisters and brothers.

All Scripture quoted taken from the NRSV translation

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Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

The sad truth is, often you have to be your own advocate. Even when people can see the issue you’re facing, even when they can see the turmoil you’re in, they still might not care. The good news is, we can all approach God with our need. As I wrote in Approach the Throne of Grace with Boldness, God welcomes us. People might not take the time to know our struggle, and some people, once they know, might not care. Sometimes, as we see in this story, the powerful try to silence those in need.

In this interaction, Bartimaeus already knows that Jesus can heal him, and he knows that Jesus is passing by, so he petitions on his own behalf. He probably knew from experience that nobody would escalate his need—he was going to have to do it himself. This is his chance and he made his request known. The crowd is annoyed. They don’t just ignore him, they sternly order him to be quiet. 

Unwise and Untimely

They sternly order a grown man, who is in need, to be quiet. This is power and privilege in a nutshell. This unidentified crowd feels like they have the right to silence a man in need. They’re willing to hoard all of Jesus’s time and miracles for themselves, while knowingly denying this man the same benefits. The age-old scarcity mentality could be at play: if this man gets some of Jesus’s care and attention, there will be less for them. Or maybe they want him to be patient and wait for a better time to get healed—a time that doesn’t inconvenience them. Or it could be as simple as an imagined hierarchy of who deserves to spend time with Jesus. We don’t know why the crowd reacted as they did, we just know they tried to shut him down.

This didn’t reflect the heart of Jesus when he walked the earth, and it doesn’t reflect the heart of Jesus now. I see an appalling lack of mercy among Christians today, who take up the cause of so many culture wars, while simultaneously ordering the marginalized to be quiet. We are not called to a facade of peace by forcing everyone to act like us. We’re called to bring real peace and to interact with people in love. This means we know them rather than just categorize them from a distance. 

Priorities of Jesus

Jesus didn’t walk over and heal the man, or simply tell him that he’s healed. No, in this case, he involved the very people who wanted the man to stop making a scene. Jesus told them to tell Bartimaeus to come to Jesus. This isn’t just a “gotcha” moment, he’s helping them learn a new way of living in the world. 

May our lives reflect the priorities of Jesus. Helping those in any kind of need isn’t a distraction, an annoyance, or unimportant. This is the real work. This is being a Christian.

Let us hear and respond with mercy to the pleas for help all around us. 

Photo credit: by Corey Motta on Unsplash

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. Then they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them, and taking it in his arms he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.

Mark 9:30-37

People have asked this question as far back as Cain and Abel right up to our current news headlines. We still don’t understand what Jesus was teaching. The Christian life isn’t about dominating everyone who disagrees with us. We’re not called to crusade against other religions. Our lives shouldn’t be focused on creating a political regime that forces everyone to live by our tenets.

My Witnesses

We’re not even called to defend our faith, at least not in the way we go about it. We’re called to be a witness to our faith. A witness describes what they’ve experienced. It’s not the job of the witness to force the conclusion. No manipulation or retaliation. It’s not about controlling outcomes or hating those who disagree.

Jesus shifts the focus from “being great” to being “the least’. Be everyone’s servant. Take the place of the person who has no social impact on anyone. We may not be able to do this in a literal way because we might already have a place of power in society. More realistically, Jesus brings it around to saying that whoever welcomes a child, that act is the same as welcoming Jesus, and by extension welcoming God.

Welcoming and serving the people in society who have the least amount of social status. This is how we should measure our success.

Photo credit: Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash