But seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.[1]
Set in its context of not worrying about temporal needs this
injunction has been used to encourage better attendance at meetings, more money
for missionaries, and generally to guilt people into great compliance with
Church programs. But, taken in the greater context of Jesus’ teaching the
statement suggests a form of discipleship foreign to Judaism and foreign to
modern Christianity.
Beware of false prophets, who come to
you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by
their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the
same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A
good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you
will know them by their fruits. 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 deeds of power in your
name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you
evildoers.'[2]
The good fruit in Jesus’ teaching is generally interpreted
to be the accomplishment of those functions that support the Church and are in
line with its teaching. That would be good if it were not for the denunciation
of religious activities at the conclusion of this section. It is not
recognizing Jesus as Lord, not prophesying in Jesus’ name, not exorcizing
demons in his name, and not performing miracles. Jesus appears to contrast
those functions with doing the will of God. This poses a huge problem for me,
since I, like everyone else, grew up being taught that righteousness was in the
Church, and if the very religious activities done in Jesus’ name are not
acceptable as God’s will, what is? There is another of Jesus’ teachings we
should consider before trying to form an answer.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All
the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the
sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to
those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and
you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick
and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the
righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave
you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw
you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was
it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer
them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who
are members of my family, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his
left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no
food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you
did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison
and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that
we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and
did not take care of you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as
you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And
these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life.[3]
The righteous acted out of love, the help they rendered was
based on the need before them. They were not following a program, but
compassion. The wicked in this parable didn’t live spontaneously out of love
for fellow humans, but would have offered help to Jesus if they had seen him.
There is one other aspect of Jesus’ teaching to include before going on:
"Teacher, which commandment in
the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This
is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love
your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets."[4]
The essence of Jesus’ teaching would have been overlooked by
most religious leaders in his day, they might have given lip service to the
concept of loving their neighbour, but little more.
Just then a lawyer stood up to test
Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal
life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read
there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your
mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have
given the right answer; do this, and you will live." But wanting to
justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"[5]
We have all heard the parable of “The Good Samaritan” and
silently castigate the religious people for their lack of sensitivity. The two
going about their religious duties with fervour are likely more the norm than
the helpful Samaritan. When considerably younger I was on my way to a rural
town to give the morning lesson when ahead of me I saw a car with its hood up.
The first thing that came to mind was, “drat, I’ll have to stop and help, which
meant I’d be late for my appointment. Fortunately the driver closed the hood
and took off. My reaction has stuck with me as an annoying lesson. I was on my
way to teach about life in Christ, and more concerned about being late than
acting as Christ. I know that I’m not the only “Christian” to be more concerned
with rite than right. Now back to where I started.
…seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness…
I get the message that we should be more concerned about
spiritual things than material needs. I believe as I have indicated that there
is more to this statement than just the contrast of spiritual and material.
What did Jesus mean by, “God’s kingdom” and “God’s righteousness”?
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was
called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he
set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the
land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac
and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward
to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.[6]
All of these died in faith without
having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them.
They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people
who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they
had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had
opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a
heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he
has prepared a city for them.[7]
For the kingdom of God is not food and
drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.[8]
Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not
from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be
fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my
kingdom is not from here."[9]
If we follow the teaching of Jesus we will hear what he said
concerning the kingdom. One thing is clear to me, “the Church is not the
kingdom, nor does it represent the kingdom!” The Church is the result of human
pride and interference, it is fragmented, distorted, and human. God’s kingdom
Jesus taught was from out of this world, it is spiritual and Godly. Matthew
more than any other writer focused on the kingdom, as a Jew writing to Jews he
catalogued Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom elevating its spirituality and
simplicity in contrast to the kingdom of Israel. God’s kingdom does not come
from the imagination of man, nor the misguided interpretation of scripture.
By faith Noah, warned by God about
events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his
household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the
righteousness that is in accordance with faith.[10]
Yet whatever gains I had, these I have
come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything
as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For
his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish,
in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness
of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ,
the righteousness from God based on faith.[11]
The righteousness of God is not achieved through activity,
it is given through grace. This concept is difficult to comprehend because as
humans it seems it is more important to feel good than do good. By that I mean
we are so entrenched in the ritual of religion we cannot see that we are
blindly following traditions handed down through the ages. We are content to
tweak the knobs of religion to fool ourselves into thinking we are closer to
the truth than those who went before. Paul yearned for and sought the
righteousness of Noah; righteousness based on faith. We need to recognize that
ritual righteousness is the same as self-righteousness, and not the
righteousness of God.
Now it is evident that no one is
justified before God by the law; for "The one who is righteous will live
by faith." But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary,
"Whoever does the works of the law will live by them." Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is
written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"-- in order that in
Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we
might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.[12]
I wonder about how we are to understand Paul’s writing. Some
commentators point out that “the Law” is actually “law”, more inclusive than
just the Law (of Moses). Paul vigorously fought for righteousness based on
faith, not the ritualistic working for a righteousness under a system of law.
Some Jews went back to the system they had known which had been around for
centuries and was the foundation of Judaism. It is easy to be critical of Jews
who gave up on Jesus, going back to what was a more comfortable religion.
Before we censure those early defectors, we might want to review our own
religious position. The Church is a replica of Jewish institutionalism – of
course not so easily recognized because of its façade. The temple was the
centerpiece of Judaism; the basilica, cathedral, or Church building is the
centerpiece of Christianity. The Law of Moses was the foundation of religion
for Jews, doctrines and dogma are the foundation of Christianity. Righteousness
via ritual was paramount under the Law, compliance with doctrine and programs
is fundamental to the Church. There is very little difference between Jews
defecting from Christianity to Judaism, than Christians surrounding themselves
with the trappings and traditions of the Church.
…seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness…
There were four major sects of Judaism at the time of Jesus,
Herodian, Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes. Jesus did not attach himself to
any of those. There were two great institutions, the temple and the synagogue.
Jesus attended both. A most obvious feature of Jesus’ life was his personal
relationship with God his Father. Prayer was his link to God, and his work on
earth was to glorify God. He chose ordinary men to be his disciples, associated
with common people, reaching out to the disenfranchised and marginalized people
of society. Jesus the man, was God on earth. Jesus complied with the
regulations of the Law, but lived godliness. The first Christians were admonish
to look to Jesus at all times.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by
so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that
clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before
us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake
of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.[13]
Another version writes, “…fixing our eyes on Jesus”, like a
missile locking onto its target. The scripture doesn’t use the word religion
very much – five times in the New Testament. Obviously then looking to Jesus is
not practicing religion, it is a life focus.
But one who looks intently at the
perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a
forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he
does. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his
tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this:
to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself
unstained by the world.[14]
True religion according to James is caring for others, the
marginalized and vulnerable. A dictionary definition of religion is:
People’s
beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a deity
or deities, and divine involvement in the universe and human life.[15]
It seems to me that our relationship with people is as
important as what we believe; true worship is when we exercise love toward
people, especially to the vulnerable. Throughout time in the biblical records
God has required his people to provide support and assistance to widows,
orphans, and foreigners in their midst. Our service to God through Christ
cannot be institutionalized, it is personal and individual. Each person
represents Christ in the way he or she lives and interacts with others. Jesus
was God on earth, he showed people what the Father was like, how he loved and
how strongly he loved. God has instructed people to live in Christ and reflect
his love toward all.
Concerning ritualistic religion Paul has much to say:
Jesus
…having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us,
which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it
to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public
display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Therefore no one is to
act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a
new moon or a Sabbath day--things which are a mere shadow of what is to
come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of
your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels,
taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his
fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body,
being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a
growth which is from God. If you have died with Christ to the elementary
principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit
yourself to decrees, such as, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not
touch!" (which all refer to things destined to perish with
use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are
matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion
and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value
against fleshly indulgence.[16]
Conditions today are obviously quite different to when Paul
penned these words. As long as we consider the cultural and period differences
we are still able to glean from the passage principles which should be applied
to religious activities in our own time. The practice of asceticism, mysticism,
or spiritualism as means of “worship” comes from the human mind; egocentric
people puffed up with their own importance have no fellowship with Jesus. That
form of religion is usually associated with cults and avoided by mainstream
Christians. Paul however, included the aspect of Judaizing teachers; the
imposition of laws from the Torah. Those regulations Paul insisted were nothing
more than shadows of true worship. In Christ there is freedom, and Paul put
forward menial ritualism and legalism as an affront to Christ. Regulations in
whatever form summarized by Paul as, do not handle, do not taste, and do not
touch, are the mechanism of self-righteousness. Manmade religion is of no value
against human excess.
As seen by the defection of Jewish Christians, people find
legalism and rituals comforting. Whether or not we are so crass as to admit it,
we find security in keeping score. Church is ideal for that, it sets out goals
and requirements, keeps attendance record, and honours those invested in its
programs. Good members attend all meetings, they listen attentively to whatever
is told them from the pulpit, generously contribute cash, and shake hands with
the right people; on a score of 1 – 10 they claim 11. I believe that Paul would
say that was a waste of time. And maybe Jesus was warning people that just
being religious doesn’t cut it. There is nothing in scripture that supports or
remotely resembles the modern day Church. Except maybe that which Paul
denounced as manmade.
…seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness…
Somehow I don’t think Jesus said, find a kingdom, and try be
righteous. Rather it might be said that Jesus pointed to the singular kingdom
of God, and, as opposed to the myriad of ways we as humans find to make
ourselves feel good, Jesus told us to seek God’s righteousness. God’s kingdom
is in Christ; Jesus the man, Christ the king. Righteousness is in Christ; the
righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. God didn’t set
up a new system of regulations and ceremonies through Jesus, the law was to
fade away and grace would abound. There is no actual value attributed to Church
other than maybe as a club for members, there is no intrinsic spirituality in
Church, it’s what you make of it. In my thinking Church has syphoned off
loyalty and commitment to Jesus. It has placed itself between people and heaven
insisting on its own necessity. It has obscured the simple spiritual life of
believers, entangling them in its web of traditions and rituals. The Church
claims to be the only expression of Christianity, but Jesus call us to follow
him.
Come to me, all you that are weary and
are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,
and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.[17]
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