Jesus called out the hypocrisy of those who follow God’s commandments with hate and judgment in their hearts
Several themes thread their way through Jesus’ life and teachings, and they are difficult to miss. One of those has to do with practicing God’s commandments even with hearts filled with envy, jealousy, judgment and hatred. Jesus called people like that hypocrites or whitened sepulchers.
These words should have us on our toes, especially those of us who are Christians, who practice the faith. By that, I mean that we go to church, pray, give regularly and look for the good in everyone. This should challenge us to look at whether or not these words and God’s commandments are actually how we live and not just the words we parrot because we know other people expect them from us.
“Love your enemies and be good to those who hate you.” Most of us think that this is, at best, an old saying that doesn’t apply to modern life. At worst, we may think that Jesus is out of His mind and doesn’t know how we as human beings exist. It’s almost as if God expects us to be superhuman and to act as He would act in every situation.
It is such a comfort to know God has committed to love us forever and it’s not dependent on the choices that we make. What changes is the power of the witness of our lives. If you were to ask people who have been turned off by the Church, they would likely say they are put off by the example of some Christians and the hypocrisy that they see. They may say that those who are holy people don’t really live up to that kind of life. They don’t see us loving those who hate us. They don’t see us welcoming the stranger. They often times don’t see us feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. If they were to ask us how often we visit the sick or imprisoned, we would mostly be found wanting.
It is difficult to hear challenging words from Jesus. It is difficult to be called a hypocrite, especially by Jesus whom we love so much. But often, the truth is what sets us free. Instead of feeling guilty and ashamed, allowing challenging words to dishearten us, we should instead use this as a time to renew our commitment to live as the people that Jesus would want us to be — a great time to do some self examination and to truly look at where our hearts reside. Does Jesus’ commitment to love rule our lives or not? Is Jesus the center of our lives? Do we settle for the cheap grace of being held in high esteem because of our outward appearance, or do we seek the difficult grace of truly loving who we are called to love?
Purity codes are only good if they have to do with not just what we eat or drink or how we cleanse bowls and cups, but also the purity of our minds and hearts. Have we dismissed the teachings of Jesus as unrealistic, or do we allow His lifestyle to challenge us to be more and more like Him every day? The end of summer and the time of going back to school are natural transitions. We can use this transition as a time to become different in other ways. Most of us have a renewed spirit when we come back from a vacation because of our refreshing break. What would it be like if we don’t simply fall back into the same old habits of divisiveness and discouragement? What if our voice is the voice that calls our friends and neighbors and colleagues at work to be one with each other, no matter what it costs?
Father Donald Wester is retired and serves as lecturer of homiletics at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.
