Matt 23:29-39 / Cor. II 8:16-24, 9:1-5
These readings are bound in irony – in the gospel we see Christ reprimand the Pharisees for what they will do to the ones whom he sends, while Paul speaks to the Corinthians about how they are to receive the apostles in joy and with generosity.
Examining the Matthew passage, Christ exposes the hypocrisy of the Pharisees – how in claiming to have pulled together a righteous society in the wake of the failures of their fathers, they have themselves fallen into the same trap – killing the prophets sent by God, yet claiming to be righteous.
St. Paul warns the Corinthians against the same issue – saying that if the people are going to boast about Christ, and about how much he has given them and how much they are willing to give, then they must contribute to the collective gift with a generous heart, not one that feels oppressed by duty.
St. Paul even goes so far as to say, “Now I thought I heard you say you had benefited greatly from the gospel, and since I heard that I went ahead and sent some folks to collect some of what the gospel has won for you so as to bring about the equality I had spoken about earlier (between wealthy and poorer communities)... so if my buddies the Macedonians show up and you aren’t really ready to give – that doesn’t say much for the gospel you claim to have received so much benefit from!”
To quote, “We (not to mention you) should be ashamed of this confident boast!”
That’s not to say it is about the money – for St. Paul, as it is for Christ, the relationship with the Lord cannot be something one boasts of without putting their livelihood on the line.
That is to say, if we are going to claim that Christ has saved us and made us whole, we can’t remain slaves to our addictions. We cannot boast beyond our measure of faith. The Pharisees did, and when Christ judged their hearts he found that their insides were dirty, despite their clean exteriors. We should not try to claim our relationship with Christ is stronger than it is – the impression you gain by doing so will make a mockery of you when the truth is revealed.
At the same time, someone who is true in their receipt of benefits from the gospel will manifest and share their wealth generously – this is an extension of another important concept – “Freely have you received. Freely give.”
Be generous in what Christ has brought to your life. Be humble in where you lack and require His attention. But above all, be honest about where you are in your spiritual walk. No one will think less of you if you are true to where you are. If you try to fake it, the consequences of discovering your boast are beyond the personal – you risk making God look bad to those who may otherwise have wanted to let Him into their life.
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© 2006 Jacob Gorny