From the Daily Lectionary for Monday in the Fifth Week of Easter
Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18
‘Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’
I have said often from the pulpit at All Saints (remember?) that salvation is not about “me,” but it is about our neighbor. Salvation in the context of the Gospels is about well-being and dignity, the well-being and dignity of those without… the outcast, the oppressed, the poor, the sick, the imprisoned. Remember that Jesus in his life and ministry, in his preaching and teaching, is opposed by the Jewish power structure, the scribes and Pharisees, the councils… the leadership that are in cahoots with the imperial overlords. They are in league with the Romans because it is a way to guard their self-interests. It was an odd alliance among the elite and powerful between, ironically, occupied and occupier.
Remember that Matthew’s overarching theme is justice for the marginalized; that the way of Jesus is about fulfilling God’s vision for the world which is an egalitarian society under the auspices of justice. On the surface this passage appears to be an exhortation to how we followers of Jesus are to act: how we pray, how we fast, how we give alms. I’ve heard it preached that this is a passage about humility, and certainly humility is a virtue, but this passage is in truth a sharp critique of the power structure, the rich and powerful who, again ironically, ‘act in secret’ for their own benefit. The elite are characterized by their hypocrisy… they say one thing, and act in another. They are, in short, dishonest and self-serving. We see this in our own day, in our own elected leadership. Some things never change.
We are different, we people of the Way. We are counter-cultural. We are not about appearances. We are about serving the greater good, and that service requires rigorous honesty: an honest and studied analysis of our world; and an honest accounting of our world view. Falsehood and hypocrisy are enemies of the faith, and therefore enemies of a just society. Our faith demands that we hold to the truth, the truth of our humanity, that is to say, why we are here; and how that truth intersects with God’s vision for the world. All else is for the sake of appearance.
The way of the cross is the unequivocal submission of the ego for the good of the whole. That is true humility, and that is our vocation, good people… all appearances aside.
A Collect for the Holy Cross (BCP p. 252)
Almighty God, whose beloved Son endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption: Give us courage to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one god, for ever and ever. Amen.
