Am I for real or just pretending?

Quite often in our crowded world we find ourselves listening to a mother trying to teach her child how to behave. We can’t help it. Sometimes we even flinch at her harsh words – but then we realize that the mother truly knows what her child is like inside and what he or she needs by way of training.

The extract in bold above is from Matthew’s eye-witness first century biography of Jesus. It was directed solely at Jesus’ disciples – his close followers. Just like a mother disciplining a child whom she knows.

If you’re not a Christian this extract doesn’t apply directly to you. Don’t stop reading it though. Whilst Jesus was speaking only to his followers – today we’d probably call them church-goers – others were listening to him.

If Jesus was here in Jersey today what child-training would he want you to learn this morning? Here’s what he said to his close followers a day or two before he went to the cross for you. “Who among you is a faithful and wise bond-servant of mine? It’s the one whom I’ve put in place to provide for those who live in me. Happy – truly happy – is that particular bond-slave whom I’ll find doing just that when I come back.”

“Truly,” Jesus added, “for sure I’ll put that person in charge of everything I have!” 

 

Although he would shortly die on the cross, Jesus’ focus was not on himself but on other people. Has Richard Syvret really taken on board that, to Jesus, people matter more than things? That taking my body to church is nothing compared with providing for other people? Jesus came for people.

But there’s more for followers of Jesus to take on board from Jesus. If you’re not a Christian please realize again that this is not for you – but please continue to eavesdrop. Jesus thought it essential on one of his last days on earth to speak about the way Christians actually behave. 

He said, “But, if a particular bond-slave of mine says inside that I’m delaying coming back and starts to hit out at other disciples of mine and starts to eat and drink with those who are intoxicating themselves – then I will have arrived for that bond-slave totally unexpectedly and at an hour he knew nothing about. I’ll separate him and place part of him with the play-actors. Where the play-actors are - the hypocrites – in that place, there are tears and remorse.”

For followers of Jesus those are pretty tough words, aren’t they? Have you seen Christians hitting out at one another? Have you seen them living the good life like everyone else - but neglecting needy people, harming them and others, and therefore not being like Jesus?  Have you seen Christians in the West ignoring persecuted Christians in the East? Above everything else followers of Jesus should be people-people, providing for people, looking after one another in every possible practical way. 

But what do you make of Jesus’ warning – just like a mother warns her child – that some of those who call themselves Christians will be placed with the play-actors - the hypocrites? Would that be a just outcome for them inasmuch as they would in fact have been play-acting their Christianity?

 

When I play-act I’m maintaining to the outside world something which, deep inside, I know only too well is not the real “me”. Richard Syvret needs to see this today. He needs to dread ending up in a place where all play-actors are together play-acting and deceiving one another. A place where there’s crying and great unhappiness because nothing is real and everything is false and all is a veneer.

Are some Christians, in effect, play-acting today. Jesus thought so in AD 30.