Of Greater Value (Luke 12:7)

 


Wednesday, March 12, 2025


Psalm 31

Genesis 41:1-36

Luke 11:45-12:7


Of Greater Value (Luke 12:7)


As much as I love reading through the lectionary, it has to be pointed out that our break between yesterday’s and today’s second reading misses the divine humour. Jesus, worked up in his condemnation of the Pharisees, hears the voice of a lawyer: “when you say these things, you are hurting our feelings too, you know.” Turning around, Jesus doesn’t skip a beat: “thank you for reminding me! And as for you lawyers…”


There is an admirable confidence that comes from someone who, in their spirit, knows that they are speaking the truth. We all have ideas in our heads; when they come out into reality through our words and deeds, the cooperation between the two creates something sublime.


Plainly stating what we know to be true is sometimes not as easy as it sounds, however. We cannot always trust what is in our head, because it might not be rational thought, but a strong gust of emotion. And so we are exhorted in several places in scripture to be careful with what we say. (e.g. Matthew 15:11; Proverbs 21:23; James 1:19, 26)


Jesus gives us a good guiding principle to help make sure that, on the one hand, we always speak the truth, and on the other, don’t follow our words into our own ruin: beware the leaven of hypocrisy. Keep consistency between what we say in private and what we say in public.


A beautiful thing about following Jesus is that we can trust that what Jesus says, he also thinks. There is a perfect one-to-one relationship between his words and his thoughts. We know exactly how he thinks of us because he has told us, and we know that what he has told us is true. He speaks a lot about God’s love for us, and how as God, he is in perfect agreement with that love for us.


He also speaks to us about hell. No-one speaks about hell more than Jesus; and today we get a perfect example about why he speaks about it so much: don’t go there, he says, because you are of great worth to God. Not only does he tell us how much we are worth to God, as he does here, but he demonstrated it when he bore the punishment of our sin.


Jesus sets us an example to follow, by saying what he thinks. He is also our saviour, in that he went to the cross in order to make up for the fact that we can never perfectly follow his example. We have a wonderful lesson, and an even greater assurance.


Where do your thoughts and your words conflict? Where do they agree? How does Jesus’ experience of speaking the truth give you confidence to follow him?


Lord of all truth, whose very words have the power of creation: amend the crookedness of our lips and our hearts, so that we may be free of the leaven of hypocrisy, and boldly follow you, trusting that we are of great worth to you.



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