Wednesday, 11 March Seeking the Messiah. Matthew 7:13–29
We are now at the end of this long extended ‘sermon’, which we have identified as being like a Kingdom Manifesto. These are Jesus’ concluding words on the matter. We might anticipate that they will be very important, as anyone would make the final words of a major document very significant.
Jesus gives us four warnings in this short passage, each of which we need to hear. As I look at my own life, I do not think that I am immune to any of them. I had better take note.
The four warnings are against the Broad Way, False Guides, Presumption, and Wilful or Careless Rejection.
The Broad Way: Jesus warns us that the road and gate to his kingdom are narrow. Of course, he is using figurative language – he is not talking about physical roads. We have to exercise a little imagination, here. He tells us that there are two roads. One is broad which we might assume reflects a large number of travellers, and one narrow, which reflects a smaller volume of traffic. It is only the narrow road which leads to his kingdom. By logical extension, the broad road must lead somewhere else!
This will not be a popular warning in today’s generously inclusive Western Christian climate. There is a general idea afoot that God is so loving that he wouldn’t condemn anyone to an eternity without him. He ‘takes us as we are’ and ‘loves us unconditionally’. Unfortunately, Jesus does not appear to share that view, and today’s passage is full of his reminders of this uncomfortable fact.
Despite preachers and popular books often telling us to the contrary, the fact is that Jesus doesn’t ‘take us as we are’ – he requires us to repent. And he does not love us unconditionally – but he does love us faithfully. When God entered into a covenant relationship with Israel, he demanded that they live up to certain standards of holy living. In the New Testament, it is no different. When Jesus forgave sinners, he told them: ‘Go and sin no more’.
‘If a man remains in me and I in him,’ said Jesus, ‘he will bear much fruit. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers’ (John 15:5-6). Actually, when we say that God loves us unconditionally, we are re-making God in our own image. It is we who should love God unconditionally. We don't love God only if he makes us healthy or wealthy. We don't stop loving him if our child dies or if we get cancer, or someone at the church offends us.
The reason we can and should love God unconditionally is because he is always reliable. He is always good, always love. God doesn't love us that way precisely because we are not. He loves us faithfully, because he is able to, being God. But our fickleness causes him to place conditions on us in his covenant of love with us.
False Guides: Jesus warns us that it would be naïve of us to trust everyone who comes along looking religious. Good trees bear good fruit, he says, but bad trees do not. Remember what he said to us about responsible assessments (if not judgements) on what other people do in the name of Christ.
Elsewhere in his teaching, Jesus is quite clear about what good fruit might look like. It will include such things as charity, humility, willing service, mercy and faithfulness. Bad fruit will include greed, a love of money, hatred, violence, deceptiveness.
Presumption: The warnings in vv21-3 ought to strike a proper sense of awe into all of our hearts – they certainly do into mine! Jesus is quite clear that dramatic claims of miracles and claims of power over demonic influences are no guarantee of a genuine saving faith.
It is not necessarily un-Christian to thoughtfully and spiritually assess the works of those early morning television preachers who promise miracles while amassing staggering personal wealth of tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars from the offerings of their faithful followers. It is not unreasonable to expect that our spiritual guides, our church leaders, will produce good fruit.
There are dire warnings here, but let us, as always, not just point the finger at others, but rather ensure that we ourselves are in a safe place.
Wilful or Careless Rejection: It is not clear, in Jesus’ concluding examples, whether the foolish man who built his house on the sand did so out of a carelessness about ensuring solid foundations, or out of a deliberate rejection of good engineering advice.
Certainly the foolish man had heard the words of Jesus, but chose not to follow them (v26). It would be hard to argue that virtually everyone in the West has had an opportunity to hear the words of Jesus. I know well, from my own teaching career in State schools that there are young people who have heard almost nothing of the truth of Jesus. But most of our Western cities are full of churches. The internet and the world of music and film are full of references to God and Christianity. The Bible is still the world’s best-selling book.
C. S. Lewis used the illustration in a brilliant, short essay entitled ‘Man or Rabbit’, of a person who comes across a door on which is written the words: Behind this door lies the Secret of the Universe. It is the responsibility of a human being, as a human being, argues Lewis, to open that door and look inside – to seek the Truth. A rabbit may be forgiven for nibbling at the grass that is growing nice and green around the bottom of the door; but a human has the dignity of responsibility to seek out truth. It comes with the role. Rabbits are not held accountable to truth, but human beings are.
Jesus adopts a similar view here. We are free to build our house where you like. But the winds and rains will come; the storms will beat upon our house – and we will bear the responsibility for the foundations on which we chose to build.
If this all sounds a bit grim – well, perhaps it is. Jesus has told his hearers clearly what they must do. He has staked out his claims as King. He has freely invited us to seek his kingdom. But he does not seem disposed to make us citizens of that kingdom against our will.
After he had said all this, the crowds were astounded at his teaching. Not because of its novelty, but because of his authority. This message, they seemed to think, came with real authority and would only be ignored at one’s own peril.
Prayer: This has not been a comfortable reflection, today, Jesus. But I have to acknowledge that you are the Lord. You are the King. Forgive me for the cheap grace that I have sometimes been tempted to peddle in the marketplace. Help me to know the truth. Amen.
