In his letter to the Jewish Christians, St. James exhorted them to be “doers of the word.” This is a
pretty good encapsulation of what Jesus is teaching us in today’s Gospel. But being doers of the
word—walking our talk—isn’t always as easy as we think.
Once I was driving in a business district in Sacramento. A young, aggressive driver roared up
behind me and began tailgating. He was accelerating and braking to telegraph his impatience to
this knucklehead who was impeding his urgent progress. Of course, I responded by doing what any
good Christian would do. I passive-aggressively slowed down and glared at him in my rearview
mirror, muttering some things that could not in any way be classified as intercessory prayer.
Naturally, this made him all the angrier, and he redoubled his creative driving techniques. One of
your vicar’s finer moments.
As it turned out, we both were driving to the same destination—a Christian bookstore. In retrospect,
it’s pretty comical how we scrupulously avoided any eye contact with each other in the parking lot
and in the store. I have a feeling God taught us both a lesson that day. How we behave as
Christians is pretty important. This is something we need to remember at all times (and in all
places!) and ask for God’s help to do the right thing in challenging situations.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus gives a corrective teaching to those who minimize the importance
of walking our talk. Mainly, He makes it clear that there’s more than just the correct words involved
in the Christian life. Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” On that day (meaning the
Day of Judgment) many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out
demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I
never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’”
Jesus is apparently addressing his teaching to people who attribute their deeds of spiritual power to
His name. So then why is Jesus issuing this ominous warning? Why is He upbraiding those who
many would see as the “good guys?” After all, they seem to be speaking in harmony with that most
basic of creeds, “Jesus is Lord.” They’re calling Jesus “Lord!” They’re prophesying and casting out
demons in His name.
So what’s the problem? Well, as is generally a good thing to do when reading the Bible, it’s
important to look at the context. In the verses just prior to these, Jesus is warning against false
prophets, and saying that the gate to destruction is a wide one, and the gate to life is a narrow one
which few will find. It appears that Jesus is saying that it takes more than just the right words, or
even correct beliefs, to enter the kingdom of heaven. The gate is narrow. Perhaps some of the
false prophets Jesus is referring to were misleading people into believing that it’s simply a matter of
saying the right words or believing the right things, with no bearing on how they live their lives. And
Jesus will have none of this.
It seems to me that there are two central aspects of what Jesus is telling us in this little section of
Matthew’s Gospel. The first is that the things we do are more important than the words we say. Or,
if you prefer, actions speak louder than words. This has to do with obedience. Jesus insists that a
genuinely changed life will manifest itself in changed actions. In other words, if Jesus is truly Lord,
obedience to his teachings will follow.
To get a complete picture we need to consider today’s other readings from Deuteronomy and
Romans. There the Scriptures weigh the whole issue of obeying the law versus being justified apart
from the law. Now at first glance, the teaching in our Deuteronomy lesson appears almost to
contradict St. Paul’s teaching in his letter to the Romans. In Deuteronomy, God says, “See, I am
setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of
the Lord your God that I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the
commandments of the Lord your God, but turn away from the way that I am commanding you
today.” It’s pretty clear. Obey the commandments and you’re blessed; disobey them and you’re
cursed. There you have it, case closed.
But then, in Romans, Paul writes, “Apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been
disclosed. And a couple verses later he writes: “…we hold that a person is justified by faith apart
from works prescribed by the law.” Or, if you prefer to go by Mark Twain’s paraphrase, “Heaven
goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out, and your dog would go in.” Those of us with
faithful canine companions at home might relate to that sentiment, especially if our dog has been a
good dog.
But which is it? Is it faith or actions that are important to God? And, of course, the answer is, “yes.”
To understand Paul’s words, which seem at first glance to minimize the importance of the law, we
need read only as far as Romans 3:31, which is just three verses beyond today’s reading. It says,
“Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”
This tells us two things. First, It tells us how “righteousness” plays out. The God-given law tells us
how we’re supposed to be and what we’re supposed to do and not do as God’s people. That’s
basically what righteousness is.
And second, for the Christian, faith is the door through which we become righteous. We become
righteous by grace through faith, and we’re expected to respond to that grace by upholding God’s
law.
But you see, it becomes all too clear when we try to obey the law under our own power, that it’s
impossible for us to do so. This is especially true after Jesus upped the ante and said that it’s not
just our actions, but even our internal thoughts that make us sinful and separate us from God. If we
were able to avoid sin under our own power, it would be just as Moses said in our Deuteronomy
reading, “You will be blessed.” But since we’re not able to do this on our own, we need someone
who has both the grace to forgive our sins, and the power to give us the ever-growing ability to
overcome sin. God the Father still wants us to be wearing clean clothes, but it’s Jesus Christ who
gives us the clean clothes to wear. So, knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord means not only that we
believe in Him and His power, but also that our faith is confirmed in our actions. “Not everyone who
says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my
Father in heaven. And it’s His grace that gradually empowers us to do so. John Piper writes,
“Grace isn’t simply leniency when we’ve sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace
is power, not just pardon. Therefore the effort we make to obey God is not an effort done in our
own strength, but in the strength which God supplies.”
It’s here that I find an illustration from the Rev. Brian Rathregon to be helpful. Mark Twain’s slightly
tongue in cheek observation about the family dog plays into this. For a dog, good behavior comes
about as a result of behavioral conditioning. We reward it when it does what we want it to, and
punish it when it doesn’t. This is not how God works with us. (In fact, it doesn’t always work that well
with dogs, either. When we’re not in the room, our dog, Freddy, has been known to furtively remove
a piece or two of sausage from the edge of the table. We sometimes lament that he has a fallen
doggie nature.)
But you see, God doesn’t use the metaphor of dogs to describe our relationship with Him. Instead,
he uses things like trees and vines, and talks about the fruit they bear. Why does a vine bear fruit?
It’s not out of fear of punishment or anticipation of rewards, but because it is in the vine’s very
nature to produce fruit. And here, I think, is where we come to the critical issue. Think of what it is
in the vine that is necessary to produce sweet fruit. Of course a vine needs healthy soil, sunshine,
and water. But what actually provides the food for good fruit is the sap flowing through the
branches. If the flow of sap is impeded, no fruit is produced. The presence and power of Jesus in
our lives provides that life-giving sap. If we’re not drawing on its nourishment, not only will we not
produce good fruit, but we’re in danger of spiritually dying and falling away.
In the Gospel of John Jesus uses that very image as a warning. He says, “I am the vine and you are
the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you
can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers.” Does
this mean that if we’re plugged into the vine, we need to instantly stop sinning or else? Of course
not. Remember that grace also assures us of forgiveness. Branches have flaws, and bearing fruit
is a long-term project. But it won’t happen at all if we’re not one with the vine.
And this brings us to our other major point in today’s Gospel passage. Because again, Jesus
continues by saying, “…many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy, and cast out demons,
and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them (listen closely), ‘I never
knew you. I never knew you! You see, it’s important to Jesus that we know Him and are known by
Him. The point is, it’s about relationship. In Matthew 12 Jesus says, “Whoever does the will of my
Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Obedience is connected to relationship. If
we live our lives in the Lord, we not only have the law written on our hearts, and the Holy Spirit to
help us to do the will of our Father in heaven, but it actually becomes possible to have a personal
relationship with our Lord and rescuer, Jesus Christ. The life-giving flow runs from the vine into and
through us. We’re in Him, and He’s in us. We’re one with the vine. Can you appreciate what a
remarkable truth this is?
This is so much more than just believing that Jesus exists, or even believing all the right things about
Him. He won’t let us get away with being satisfied with that. He wants to be our Lord and our guide,
and for us to obey His life-giving direction. But He also wants to be our brother and our friend, and
grow in relationship with Him. He wants us to learn more about Him by reading, marking, learning,
and inwardly digesting the living Word of God. He wants us to share with Him our joys and come to
Him with our problems. He wants us to walk with Him as He leads the way into a life that truly
harmonizes with His priorities, which are the same as those of God the Father, and are meant to
bring us into fullness, purity, and life the way it was meant to be lived.
Perhaps it sounds strange when someone talks about a personal relationship with Jesus. (To be
honest, it used to give me the willies when people said things like that.) It seemed just too strange to
talk about a relationship with someone I couldn’t see. If that’s true for you, all I can suggest is that
you simply start and stick with it for a while. Get into reading the scriptures every day and sharing
your thoughts and struggles with the Lord. I’m willing to bet that if you pay attention, soon you’ll
sense the presence of the One who loves you more than you can imagine. He’ll remind you, guide
you, and encourage you as you endeavor to do the will of our Father in heaven. And as time goes
by you’ll know Him and love Him in the very deepest part of your soul.
I know there are many here at Hope whose relationship with the Lord is very close and personal. I
think this is a large part of the reason for the vitality of this very special congregation. My prayer is
that none of us ever take this for granted, and that we all strive for a closer and closer relationship
with our Lord. And that when the time comes for each of us to cross over to the other side, our
embrace with Jesus will be one of a friendship consummated in familiarity and everlasting joy.
Amen.
pretty good encapsulation of what Jesus is teaching us in today’s Gospel. But being doers of the
word—walking our talk—isn’t always as easy as we think.
Once I was driving in a business district in Sacramento. A young, aggressive driver roared up
behind me and began tailgating. He was accelerating and braking to telegraph his impatience to
this knucklehead who was impeding his urgent progress. Of course, I responded by doing what any
good Christian would do. I passive-aggressively slowed down and glared at him in my rearview
mirror, muttering some things that could not in any way be classified as intercessory prayer.
Naturally, this made him all the angrier, and he redoubled his creative driving techniques. One of
your vicar’s finer moments.
As it turned out, we both were driving to the same destination—a Christian bookstore. In retrospect,
it’s pretty comical how we scrupulously avoided any eye contact with each other in the parking lot
and in the store. I have a feeling God taught us both a lesson that day. How we behave as
Christians is pretty important. This is something we need to remember at all times (and in all
places!) and ask for God’s help to do the right thing in challenging situations.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus gives a corrective teaching to those who minimize the importance
of walking our talk. Mainly, He makes it clear that there’s more than just the correct words involved
in the Christian life. Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” On that day (meaning the
Day of Judgment) many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out
demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I
never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’”
Jesus is apparently addressing his teaching to people who attribute their deeds of spiritual power to
His name. So then why is Jesus issuing this ominous warning? Why is He upbraiding those who
many would see as the “good guys?” After all, they seem to be speaking in harmony with that most
basic of creeds, “Jesus is Lord.” They’re calling Jesus “Lord!” They’re prophesying and casting out
demons in His name.
So what’s the problem? Well, as is generally a good thing to do when reading the Bible, it’s
important to look at the context. In the verses just prior to these, Jesus is warning against false
prophets, and saying that the gate to destruction is a wide one, and the gate to life is a narrow one
which few will find. It appears that Jesus is saying that it takes more than just the right words, or
even correct beliefs, to enter the kingdom of heaven. The gate is narrow. Perhaps some of the
false prophets Jesus is referring to were misleading people into believing that it’s simply a matter of
saying the right words or believing the right things, with no bearing on how they live their lives. And
Jesus will have none of this.
It seems to me that there are two central aspects of what Jesus is telling us in this little section of
Matthew’s Gospel. The first is that the things we do are more important than the words we say. Or,
if you prefer, actions speak louder than words. This has to do with obedience. Jesus insists that a
genuinely changed life will manifest itself in changed actions. In other words, if Jesus is truly Lord,
obedience to his teachings will follow.
To get a complete picture we need to consider today’s other readings from Deuteronomy and
Romans. There the Scriptures weigh the whole issue of obeying the law versus being justified apart
from the law. Now at first glance, the teaching in our Deuteronomy lesson appears almost to
contradict St. Paul’s teaching in his letter to the Romans. In Deuteronomy, God says, “See, I am
setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of
the Lord your God that I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the
commandments of the Lord your God, but turn away from the way that I am commanding you
today.” It’s pretty clear. Obey the commandments and you’re blessed; disobey them and you’re
cursed. There you have it, case closed.
But then, in Romans, Paul writes, “Apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been
disclosed. And a couple verses later he writes: “…we hold that a person is justified by faith apart
from works prescribed by the law.” Or, if you prefer to go by Mark Twain’s paraphrase, “Heaven
goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out, and your dog would go in.” Those of us with
faithful canine companions at home might relate to that sentiment, especially if our dog has been a
good dog.
But which is it? Is it faith or actions that are important to God? And, of course, the answer is, “yes.”
To understand Paul’s words, which seem at first glance to minimize the importance of the law, we
need read only as far as Romans 3:31, which is just three verses beyond today’s reading. It says,
“Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”
This tells us two things. First, It tells us how “righteousness” plays out. The God-given law tells us
how we’re supposed to be and what we’re supposed to do and not do as God’s people. That’s
basically what righteousness is.
And second, for the Christian, faith is the door through which we become righteous. We become
righteous by grace through faith, and we’re expected to respond to that grace by upholding God’s
law.
But you see, it becomes all too clear when we try to obey the law under our own power, that it’s
impossible for us to do so. This is especially true after Jesus upped the ante and said that it’s not
just our actions, but even our internal thoughts that make us sinful and separate us from God. If we
were able to avoid sin under our own power, it would be just as Moses said in our Deuteronomy
reading, “You will be blessed.” But since we’re not able to do this on our own, we need someone
who has both the grace to forgive our sins, and the power to give us the ever-growing ability to
overcome sin. God the Father still wants us to be wearing clean clothes, but it’s Jesus Christ who
gives us the clean clothes to wear. So, knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord means not only that we
believe in Him and His power, but also that our faith is confirmed in our actions. “Not everyone who
says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my
Father in heaven. And it’s His grace that gradually empowers us to do so. John Piper writes,
“Grace isn’t simply leniency when we’ve sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace
is power, not just pardon. Therefore the effort we make to obey God is not an effort done in our
own strength, but in the strength which God supplies.”
It’s here that I find an illustration from the Rev. Brian Rathregon to be helpful. Mark Twain’s slightly
tongue in cheek observation about the family dog plays into this. For a dog, good behavior comes
about as a result of behavioral conditioning. We reward it when it does what we want it to, and
punish it when it doesn’t. This is not how God works with us. (In fact, it doesn’t always work that well
with dogs, either. When we’re not in the room, our dog, Freddy, has been known to furtively remove
a piece or two of sausage from the edge of the table. We sometimes lament that he has a fallen
doggie nature.)
But you see, God doesn’t use the metaphor of dogs to describe our relationship with Him. Instead,
he uses things like trees and vines, and talks about the fruit they bear. Why does a vine bear fruit?
It’s not out of fear of punishment or anticipation of rewards, but because it is in the vine’s very
nature to produce fruit. And here, I think, is where we come to the critical issue. Think of what it is
in the vine that is necessary to produce sweet fruit. Of course a vine needs healthy soil, sunshine,
and water. But what actually provides the food for good fruit is the sap flowing through the
branches. If the flow of sap is impeded, no fruit is produced. The presence and power of Jesus in
our lives provides that life-giving sap. If we’re not drawing on its nourishment, not only will we not
produce good fruit, but we’re in danger of spiritually dying and falling away.
In the Gospel of John Jesus uses that very image as a warning. He says, “I am the vine and you are
the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you
can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers.” Does
this mean that if we’re plugged into the vine, we need to instantly stop sinning or else? Of course
not. Remember that grace also assures us of forgiveness. Branches have flaws, and bearing fruit
is a long-term project. But it won’t happen at all if we’re not one with the vine.
And this brings us to our other major point in today’s Gospel passage. Because again, Jesus
continues by saying, “…many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy, and cast out demons,
and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them (listen closely), ‘I never
knew you. I never knew you! You see, it’s important to Jesus that we know Him and are known by
Him. The point is, it’s about relationship. In Matthew 12 Jesus says, “Whoever does the will of my
Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Obedience is connected to relationship. If
we live our lives in the Lord, we not only have the law written on our hearts, and the Holy Spirit to
help us to do the will of our Father in heaven, but it actually becomes possible to have a personal
relationship with our Lord and rescuer, Jesus Christ. The life-giving flow runs from the vine into and
through us. We’re in Him, and He’s in us. We’re one with the vine. Can you appreciate what a
remarkable truth this is?
This is so much more than just believing that Jesus exists, or even believing all the right things about
Him. He won’t let us get away with being satisfied with that. He wants to be our Lord and our guide,
and for us to obey His life-giving direction. But He also wants to be our brother and our friend, and
grow in relationship with Him. He wants us to learn more about Him by reading, marking, learning,
and inwardly digesting the living Word of God. He wants us to share with Him our joys and come to
Him with our problems. He wants us to walk with Him as He leads the way into a life that truly
harmonizes with His priorities, which are the same as those of God the Father, and are meant to
bring us into fullness, purity, and life the way it was meant to be lived.
Perhaps it sounds strange when someone talks about a personal relationship with Jesus. (To be
honest, it used to give me the willies when people said things like that.) It seemed just too strange to
talk about a relationship with someone I couldn’t see. If that’s true for you, all I can suggest is that
you simply start and stick with it for a while. Get into reading the scriptures every day and sharing
your thoughts and struggles with the Lord. I’m willing to bet that if you pay attention, soon you’ll
sense the presence of the One who loves you more than you can imagine. He’ll remind you, guide
you, and encourage you as you endeavor to do the will of our Father in heaven. And as time goes
by you’ll know Him and love Him in the very deepest part of your soul.
I know there are many here at Hope whose relationship with the Lord is very close and personal. I
think this is a large part of the reason for the vitality of this very special congregation. My prayer is
that none of us ever take this for granted, and that we all strive for a closer and closer relationship
with our Lord. And that when the time comes for each of us to cross over to the other side, our
embrace with Jesus will be one of a friendship consummated in familiarity and everlasting joy.
Amen.
Doing the Word
Matthew 7: 21-29
Matthew 7: 21-29
June 1, 2008
Fr. Dan Tuton
Fr. Dan Tuton