A REPENTANT HEART SEEKS GOD’S GLORY, NOT YOUR OWN.
In the name + of Jesus.
The words of Jesus which we heard read
from St. Matthew’s gospel are directed to Jesus’ disciples. Jesus tells us what it means for us to be repentant
disciples. While we want the whole world
to repent and turn to Jesus, we are only to be concerned with ourselves. Each person will stand solo at the judgment
to answer for himself. I cannot vouch
for you, and you cannot vouch for me. So,
Jesus’ words are for you, and he tells you that a repentant heart seeks God’s
glory, not your own.
The repentance that Jesus seeks is
contrasted with that of the Pharisees.
The Pharisees are often regarded as villains by us. We have good reasons for this. They slandered Jesus. They tried to ensnare him with cleverly
devised “gotcha” questions. They plotted
for his arrest. They demanded his crucifixion. And they mocked him as he died in agony. However, if you had seen a Pharisee go about
his daily business, you would not have thought that he was evil at all. A Pharisee was, generally speaking, a moral
and pious man. We think of the Pharisee
in Jesus’ parable who went up to the temple to pray. After congratulating himself for not engaging in
the brazen sins which others had committed, he boasted, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:12). Chances
are, all of these claims were true. The
Pharisee was a praying man, a faithful attendee at the synagogue, a diligent observer
of religious rites, and a generous giver of offerings.
But Jesus revealed the problem of the Pharisees. Jesus noted that they had one goal: “that they may be praised by others” (Matthew 6:2). It was all for
show. When they gave alms to the poor,
they made a public demonstration of it.
When it came time for the hour of prayer, the Pharisees made sure that
the public saw them doing it. When it
came time for fasting, they made sure that their faces were disfigured. You can imagine them walking around groaning
with their hands on their bellies so that other people could take note of their
practice. And no doubt, the people were
impressed. “I wish I had their
zeal. If only we could be as good and
godly as they are.” The common people
gushed over the Pharisees and praised them for their piety. And the Pharisees soaked it up.
Jesus exposed the Pharisees for all their religious
posturing, and then he rendered his judgment: “Truly, I say
to you, they have received their reward” (Matthew 6:2). They wanted the praise of the people? Well, they got it. But that is all they got. The Lord was not impressed, and he certainly
was not pleased no matter how impressive the Pharisees looked to everyone
else. That is because a repentant heart
seeks God’s glory, not your own.
Jesus spoke of several practices that were
done as acts of repentance—fasting, alms-giving, and prayer. Fasting is the body being engaged in the act
of repentance. You withhold food from yourself
and discipline your flesh. Perhaps it is
not food that you need to refrain from because you are not controlled by your
belly. What seems to control your time
and attention? Perhaps you need to fast
from social media or shopping or sporting events. None of these is inherently evil, but they
can all take control of our lives.
Anything can become an idol. Fasting from them is discipline that we put
our bodies through so that we do not become mastered by them. The time that you had given to these other
things can now be dedicated to prayer.
The money you save because you are refraining from these things can be
given to people who need it. These
practices are good for your spiritual discipline and also provide a benefit to others. And of course, regarding your sins, you don’t
merely fast from them for a season. You
fight against them daily and put them to death.
A repentant heart seeks God’s glory, not
your own. Since your works are done for
the glory of God, you don’t need to flaunt them or broadcast them as you are
doing them. “Thus,
when you give to the needy, … do not let your left hand know what your right
hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. When you pray, go
into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. When you fast, anoint your head and wash your
face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who
is in secret” (Matthew 6:2-4,6,17-18).
Anyone could do the works that Jesus talked about. Outward acts are easy, especially when they
are just for show. But God does not look
at the outward acts; he looks upon the heart.
Therefore, the prophet Joel declared, “Rend your hearts and not your
garments” (Joel 2:13). Fasting,
prayer, alms-giving, rending one’s garments, and even getting marked with ashes
are outward acts. Anyone can do those
things, and it looks impressive.
But if it is all for show, God assures you that you have no reward.
The Lord Jesus calls us to repent of our
sins. It is right to feel sorrow over
sin. Our sins have grieved the Lord and
have severed the harmony between God and mankind. But neither cries of sorrow nor promises to
do better can restore what sin has broken.
Therefore, the Lord himself has come to restore all that has been broken
and to reconcile the relationship that has been severed.
Jesus came to do the will of his heavenly Father. Nothing Jesus did was for show. Not that he wasn’t tempted to do that. Jesus’ own brothers told him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your
disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one
works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to
the world” (John 7:3-4). It sounded reasonable. He could gain quite a following with displays
of miraculous power. But God the Father
had not sent Jesus for that. Jesus was
committed to the glory of his Father in all that he did. He gave his life to holy obedience and to
humble service according to all that God has commanded. Jesus sought the glory of his Father, not of
himself.
Therefore, everything Jesus did was in
accord with the word of God. Some people
praised him for it. Even so, Jesus was
not motivated by their flattery. Some
people did not care. Even so, Jesus
remained committed to doing his Father’s will.
Some despised Jesus for it, accused him, and mocked him. Even so, Jesus was not discouraged from
seeking his Father’s glory. He continued
to preach, teach, and deal mercifully with the diseased, the doubting, the
misguided, and even the malicious.
But the greatest glory that Jesus sought
to give to his Father was to save sinners.
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. And the Son came to make himself the offering
that pays for the sins of the world.
Yes, Jesus did this for your good.
But his motive was first and foremost to glorify his Father. So, in perfect obedience to his Father, Jesus
delivered himself up to a cursed death by crucifixion. In that death, Jesus paid for your sins. He paid for your sins of being negligent in
prayer, of being stingy with alms for the poor and needy, of being lazy in your
fight against your sins. Jesus paid for your
sins of seeking glory for your ego and of being angry when you didn’t get the
praise you were expecting.
Jesus has paid the price for all your
sins, and that is why God the Father is pleased with you. And this is also why you reflect God’s
glory. You are the ones he has
saved. You are not saved because you
pray often enough, give generously enough, or fast during the Lenten season. You are saved by Jesus’ sufferings and
death. Jesus did this to set you apart
from sin and death. While I cannot vouch
for you, Jesus does. He declares you
forgiven of all sin and delivered from death.
And the repentant heart wants to remain free from sin and death. Therefore, we daily put to death the sin that
tries to seize us, and we flee back to Jesus for his forgiveness. Our desire is to be like Jesus and to be with
Jesus; for he is our comfort and our hope.
His gifts are the only ones that last.
This is why Jesus encourages us: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where
thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew
6:19-21). If your goal is earthly
glory, you will lose it. If your goal is
God’s glory, then you will always have God’s blessings. If you seek God’s glory, your life will imitate
the goodness of Jesus.
A
repentant heart seeks God’s glory, not your own. No matter what you do—whether acts of
penitence, acts of worship, daily chores, or the daily grind of work—all of it
is to be done seeking God’s glory. We order
our lives according to God’s word because it is the Lord we are serving. Now, as you serve the Lord according to his
word, your neighbor will benefit in the process. You love your neighbor because you want to
honor the Lord who has given you your parents, your spouse, your children, your
co-workers, and the various other people you meet. You strive to be like God who is patient,
kind, and merciful. It is done out of
love for God and for his honor. And if
your neighbor benefits from it, God be praised for that, too.
If people
gush over you because of your works, then consider it praise to your Father who
is in heaven. For, as St. Paul reminds
us: “It is God who works in you, both to will
and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). If your
neighbor does not care about your good works or notice them, so be it. Your works are done for God’s glory, not for
their praise nor for your ego. And if we
get to the point that you are vilified for upholding and doing God’s will, do
not become discouraged. You are simply
becoming more like Jesus. Besides, God
sees what you do. Your reward will come.
A repentant heart seeks God’s glory, not your own. After all, it is God who saved you. It is Jesus Christ who has reconciled you. It is the Holy Spirit who works in you the faith that makes your works pleasing to God. Therefore, we repent of ourselves. We seek God’s glory. We rejoice in God’s grace. For, the Lord has done all the work, and you and I receive the reward.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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