Epiphany 8 / Ordinary Time 8 / Proper 3
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
Why do you call me "Lord, Lord," and do not do what I tell you?
-- Luke 6:46
Given the frequency with which surveys suggest that there is no significant distinction between the behavior of those who attend church and those who do not within our society, this verse stands as a disturbing challenge to the church. It is not a new problem for Christianity. Some have tried to resolve it by suggesting that there is an invisible church within the visible church. That is, the real church is made up of the invisible faithful who exist in the midst of the larger group that makes up the visible church. The problem with such a suggestion is that the line that separates the faithful Christian from the unfaithful one often cuts right down the middle of each of our hearts. The question of how to distinguish the true people of God from those who merely go through the motions is one that has plagued both Judaism and Christianity from the beginning.
Jesus' response to such a question was both simple and profound: "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit." Jesus had already warned about the problem of being too quick to judge others while having a blind spot to your own deficiencies. Now he suggested that we discern good from evil in terms of the fruit or results of our lives. The true church does not consist of a few perfect people in the midst of the larger society. Rather the true church, the body of Christ, is made visible at those moments when we do act in response to the word of Christ in our lives.
While each of us will have faithful and unfaithful moments in our lives, rather than spending energy judging others, we are invited to act on Jesus' word as a means of developing a solid foundation for our lives that will help us withstand the storms that are bound to occur.
-- Luke 6:46
Given the frequency with which surveys suggest that there is no significant distinction between the behavior of those who attend church and those who do not within our society, this verse stands as a disturbing challenge to the church. It is not a new problem for Christianity. Some have tried to resolve it by suggesting that there is an invisible church within the visible church. That is, the real church is made up of the invisible faithful who exist in the midst of the larger group that makes up the visible church. The problem with such a suggestion is that the line that separates the faithful Christian from the unfaithful one often cuts right down the middle of each of our hearts. The question of how to distinguish the true people of God from those who merely go through the motions is one that has plagued both Judaism and Christianity from the beginning.
Jesus' response to such a question was both simple and profound: "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit." Jesus had already warned about the problem of being too quick to judge others while having a blind spot to your own deficiencies. Now he suggested that we discern good from evil in terms of the fruit or results of our lives. The true church does not consist of a few perfect people in the midst of the larger society. Rather the true church, the body of Christ, is made visible at those moments when we do act in response to the word of Christ in our lives.
While each of us will have faithful and unfaithful moments in our lives, rather than spending energy judging others, we are invited to act on Jesus' word as a means of developing a solid foundation for our lives that will help us withstand the storms that are bound to occur.
