Daily D – Luke 12:1-3
Luke 12:1-3
Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!” (NLT)
By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other’s toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus’ primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, “Watch yourselves carefully so you don’t get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can’t keep your true self hidden forever; before long you’ll be exposed. You can’t hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can’t whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day’s coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.” (MSG)
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“You can’t keep your true self hidden forever.” – Jesus
The Who famously asked in one of their hit songs, “Who Are You?” (Who, who/ who, who?)
The leader of a construction crew I worked on one summer had the foulest mouth of anyone I have ever been around. His stories and jokes were not the kind you hear in Sunday School. One day, we ran into one another at the church he attended. He was a deacon there.
His eyes grew large in that moment of recognition. He looked away and never spoke a word to me. He was a different man in different contexts. Vastly different.
Pretend Piety isn’t pretty.
What if we behave and speak like Jesus is with us everywhere? Because you know . . .
Businesses like to avoid anything negative that would land them on the front page of the newspaper or hit the headlines on a news app. Businesses, nonprofits, and people like you and me can avoid most bad publicity by staying true to the will and ways of Jesus. His expectations are not burdensome. The results are quite often beautiful.
We can safely discard religious masks when we begin living what we say we believe. Work Dave, Home Dave, and Grocery Store Dave should remain pretty well consistent in what he says and does. He should be as kind and generous on Monday in traffic as he is at church on Sunday.
It’s too hard to live a double life. In one of his songs, Christian singer and cultural commentator Steve Taylor sang, “Double lives take half as long.”
Is the Real You safe to display where you live, work, and play? If not, you know what you ought to do today. Talk to Jesus about his better way. Shred your mask and throw it away.
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I will become who I ought to be.
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Our Father, make me a person who is appropriately presentable everywhere I live, work, and play. Amen.
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