"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 many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.’"
Matthew 7:21-23 (NRSVue)
This can be a little difficult in that this teaching may leave us wondering if we are some of the people who think we have it right but really have it wrong. It would be kind of a bummer to live your life believing that you were doing the will of God but missing the boat.
This idea is repeated in the parable of the ten bridesmaids. The foolish who have no oil miss the arrival of the groom. When they show up late to the party, he tells them that he never knew them.
If we look at this in Jesus' day, the message seems pretty clear to be about the Pharisees. They were the most studious keepers of the Law in Judea. They were well-respected and most assumed that they would be the first ones into heaven. But earlier in the Sermon, Jesus tells us that our righteousness must exceed the Pharisees if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Pharisees were living in a society where they were under a slow cultural assault from Hellenization. The Roman influence was hard to miss and the Pharisees sought to combat this by doubling down on observing the Law. Those who wouldn't or couldn't observe it as they did were seen as unclean. Jesus asks us to offer them a little grace which is also a part of the law.
So as we try to figure out God's will, it seems that Jesus is asking us to prefer people over the rest of the rules.
The hard part of this passage is that it also can pit us against our fellow believers. We can imagine that we are the ones on the inside while those with whom we disagree are the ones who will be left outside of the party. This kind of thinking actually goes against the meekness or humility that Jesus refers to in the Beatitudes. And it actually puts us in the guise of modern-day Pharisees.
So today's passage doesn't seem to be as much about flashy faithfulness but rather being nice to the people who feel like they are on the outs. As we move through the Lenten season, how can we extend more kindness to those we meet today? In this way, we'll be known by God.
Prayer for the day: Gracious God, we give thanks for the life we've been given. We appreciate the times when we have felt loved and included by friends and family. We also are grateful for the strangers we've encountered who have made a positive difference in our lives. We confess that we have not always capitulated. Help us to see others as you see them and to respond as if we were making a home for Jesus. It is in his name we pray. Amen.
Photo by Steve Robbins via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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