Earlier I referred to the Sacred/Secular duality which tempts each one of us to see our lives as consisting of two unrelated spheres–one which is sacred and matters to God, and one which is secular and does not.
This morning I was reading through the Sermon on the Mount, and came across what to me is the scariest passage in the Bible:
“Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demonds in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart fro me, you workers of lawlessness.” Matthew 7:21-23
This passage has always haunted me. It’s sobering to think that there are those who will go to such an extent of compartmentalizing their lives that they are deceived into thinking that their “sacred acts” are pleasing to God, when really the vast majority of their lives was nothing but lawlessness. Perhaps I’m misinterpreting this text, but it seems that it is duality taken to the extreme–a life spent doing “sacred things” without ever truly living for God. A life spent looking spiritual, without truly consecrating one’s life to Christ.
Just recently I heard a horrific story. Growing up, this person’s father would force all the children out of bed at 5am for enforced Bible reading. They were forced to fast for long periods of time, as children. They made their appearance in church every week. He was Mr. Spiritual. And then he would proceed to beat them–beat them mercilessly, and make them count their lashes out loud. And afterward the children were forced to tell him they loved him. It makes my eyes well up even now as I write, as I cannot imagine such a hideous abuse of authority. This of course is an extreme case, but am I not committing the same sin, in a less degree, if I take take special care to “sacred” things and yet dishonor God in the rest of my life?
This was the very sin of the Pharisees that Jesus abhored. In Matthew 23 Jesus rebukes them for tithing the most minute amounts of mint and dill and cumin (can you imagine tithing your groceries?! Here’s 33 Cheerios and 4 tablespoons of milk!), but neglecting justice and mercy and faithfulness. It is what Paul warns about in 1 Timothy 5:8 when he says, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” What Jesus, and Paul, are saying is that our faith is only as real as it is demonstrated in the mundane things of life–working, loving, living.
Often it seems that right when I begin to teach/write about something, God tests me in it. Right now I am in a … challenging situation. Challenging is a gentle way to put it. It is a business situation, and frankly I would like to handle things the way the world handles things. Countless times I have found myself thinking about the “piece of my mind” I’d like to give, or the vengeful route I could take. And over and over God keeps reminding me that the relationship is more important than the business transaction. That how I personally choose to handle this is, even in the secret place of my heart, is of enormous importance. Why? Because the mundane is sacred. Because I am worse than an unbeliever if I do mighty works in His name and yet fail to respond to others in love, meekness, humility.
This passage in Matthew is sobering indeed. Please, Lord, keep us from the sin of separating our lives into sacred and secular. Keep us from straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! Keep us from the danger of duality.