A Bold, Uncalculated Faith
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| "The Two Sons" by Eugene Burnand |
23When [Jesus] entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell Me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe Him?’ 26But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things” (Matthew 21:23-27).
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ!
As the
national election approaches, we see candidates calculate how they should answer
questions. For example: “What is your position on BLM?” The question is simple
and yet the process of answering it is complex. Opinion polls have given a
demographic picture of how certain answers will affect voting. So, the
candidates are careful, calculated, in how they respond. Those who oppose the
movement don’t want to be seen as racist. Those who support BLM don’t want it
to be thought they support riots and violence.
The
phenomenon does not just play out in politics. Businesses make important
decisions, based not upon established principles or code of ethics, but what is
best for the bottom line. Some add lip service to the latest social justice
cause because they’re afraid of current cancel culture. For most of us, this calculation
happens in our daily lives as well. In a toxic on-line environment, Facebook
profiles and timelines are carefully curated. We learn to keep our most
controversial comments and provocative posts to ourselves to avoid conflict. In
a tense social situation, conversation is carefully monitored. We self-censor:
“If I say this, then they will think this or do that, so I better say this
instead.”
We
live in a land of calculated responses. Which might seem necessary in the
everyday work-a-day world but can be dangerous to our faith. We become so
concerned we might offend someone when we confess what we believe that having a
true conversation about faith is rare.
Now,
such calculated measures of communicating are to be expected in politics. As a
matter of fact, candidates who don’t have this kind of filter disturb a lot of
people—even their own campaign staff and supporters. And, if we are wise, we
will also be discerning in our everyday conversations and social media
interaction. But, in matters of our faith, we must not be calculating, but bold.
Which
is why I love this Gospel for today. Jesus invites us to practice a faith that
is bold. He invites us to trust in Him, without calculations. You see, there is
a difference between believing something because it brings about a particular
result in your life and believing something regardless of the results it
will bring.
Let me
give you an example that Jonathan Fisk uses in his book Without Flesh. Imagine
you are shown a folder that presents study after study done by reputable, world-class
companies. These studies demonstrate beyond any reasonable doubt that preaching
the texts of the Bible in today’s market conditions guarantees the emptying of
the pews of your congregation. One hundred percent. There is no debate. The
evidence is irrefutable. Jesus’ actual words not only will not grow your church—they
will shrink it.
This
is hypothetical, of course. There isn’t this kind of proof. But I want you to
consider it a possibility for the sake of this question: If it were
shown to be true, what would you do? Would you want the Scriptures
preached anyway? It means your church will soon close. Do you still want to
stand firm?
Now,
let’s up the ante.
What
if there was another folder? In this folder, there is further clear proof that
this same tactic will not only empty your pews but will also put you on your
government’s watch lists. It shows that clinging to the Bible’s words will not
only put your local congregation in danger, but it will also threaten your
mortgage. Your spouse’s ability to receive health care.
What
if I showed you proof that continuing to attend your church’s services could
reasonably get you killed? Would you still go? Would you still insist that the
Scriptures be preached? Clearly? Irrevocably? Isn’t it amazing that this is a
question that can even give us pause as we consider it?
Jesus
invites us to believe in Him, regardless of the results that will follow.
We go
back to Tuesday of Holy Week. “The last full working-day of our Lord’s public
ministry to Israel ha[s] arrived... It [is] the busiest day of His life. It [is]
His last day in the Temple, the last day of His teaching, the last warning He [gives]
the Pharisees and Sadducees, and His last call to national repentance” (Fahling,
quoted by Buls). Representatives of the Sanhedrin come to Jesus with a double
question. What right does He have to preach as He does, do the miracles He did,
enter Jerusalem as He did, cleanse the temple as He did? Furthermore, who gave
Him this authority?
It is
a blasphemous question because they already know the answer. Several months
earlier, Jesus had told them, but they refused to believe (John 10:22-26). Now,
the Sanhedrin—these chief priests and elders—have a perfect right to check on
the religious life of the people and to question a religious teacher. But, on
this occasion, the question is plainly malicious, which becomes clear as they
proceed. They want to trap Jesus and thus bring a charge against Him. They
reject His divine commission. And they expect Him to restate it as He did often
before.
To their
surprise, Jesus asks them a counter-question instead. It is by no means an
evasion nor is Jesus turning them off. His answer is contingent on their
answer. The true answer to Jesus’ question is also the true answer to the
question of the religious authorities: “The baptism of John, from where did it
come? From heaven or from man?”
Three
years prior, the chief priests and the elders had sent a delegation to John
asking about his person and his baptism. He gave them clear answers. All the
people knew precisely what the mission of John was—He pointed to the Savior Who
was about to fulfill all of God’s Messianic promises. His message was identical
to that of Jesus. Here, in holy week, these religious leaders already know the
correct answer to Jesus’ question.
But
they are not concerned about truth. Rather than answer immediately, they need
to calculate before they respond. Notice they do not take the time to discuss
what they believe, but what the polls indicate. That is, they do not discuss
whether John was sent from God or not. Instead, they discuss the merits of what
happens if they say they believe one thing or another. Faith, for them,
is a calculated social posture. What they truly believe doesn’t matter. What
matters is what happens when they appear to believe one thing or another.
So they
discuss it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to
us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are
afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” In other
words, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ we’ll have to admit we’ve been wrong. We’ll lose
face with the people. If we say, ‘from men,’ the crowd will have our skin.” What
is decisive for them is not the truth, but the consequences involved in the two
possible answers they could give. So, they answer Jesus, “We do not know.” And He
says to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
They seek
to entrap Jesus with calculated questions, He entraps them in their practice of
a calculated faith. Though He “wins” the exchange, Jesus cannot be happy with
the result. Jesus is not just engaging in a “power play” to ward off His
enemies. If they had answered His question, they would have had their answer to
Who He is and what He has come to do. Jesus’ question really is a call to
repentance, an eleventh-hour invitation to believe in Him as Savior.
As
social disapproval of Christianity grows in our nation, we are tempted to live
a calculated faith as well. We feel the need to be careful when we share what
we believe. Jesus, however, shows us where those who have a calculated faith
end up: Trapped. They are unable to confess because of the complicated social
situation and, therefore, unable to follow the Savior who comes to lead them
into His kingdom of grace.
To
such people, Jesus speaks a parable, a parable about words and deeds. The one son
who calculates and says the right thing (“I will go and work”) is judged. Why?
Because his relationship with his father is a matter of calculation. It is
about saying the right words in the right moment. But his actions do not back
up his words. He is a poser, a hypocrite.
For
Jesus, faith is more than having the correct calculated response. Jesus does
not want us to say we believe when we do not, to say we care for the poor when
we do not, to say we honor marriage when we do not, to say we speak truthfully
when we do not. Jesus has come to free us from the game of calculated responses.
Instead, He invites us to follow Him. To live with Him in a freely given life
of faithful response.
What
does that look like? Jesus offers us a glimpse. He points to the tax collectors
and prostitutes who are following Him. These are people that no one would expect
to be children of God. Their lives are an open testimony against the will of their
heavenly Father. But, by the power of the Spirit, something happens. They hear
a call to repent and they do. They hear a call to follow and they do. Jesus
brings a Word into this world that awakens people to life. It frees us from the
games of calculated confessions and opens for us a life of uninhibited
response.
In
Jesus, God has entered our sin and by His death brought about forgiveness and
by His resurrection given us a new life. This new life is transparent about who
we are in the kingdom of God. We are not here by our own merit. We are here by
grace and grace alone. Our lives then become an open witness to the grace of
God and the work of Christ.
Tax
collectors and prostitutes are suddenly role models in the kingdom. Those whom
no one would associate with are suddenly leading the way into the kingdom of God.
Why? They have experienced the working of God, the call to repentance, and they
have responded in faith. It is not calculated faith, but simply faith. Faith
that is not ashamed to be honest about one’s life and to believe the good news
of God that one is forgiven for Christ’s sake, not for what one has said or
done but for what has been done and said for you in Christ.
Christ
has died and risen for you. He forgives you your sin and claims you as His own.
This is the source of your life. Boldly make this confession, regardless of
what follows.
We do
not follow Jesus based on a calculation of the benefits. Rather, we follow
because He is Jesus, our Savior. He forgives us our sin. He gives us a new
life, a free life, a transparent life, a bold life, an uncalculated authentic
life in Him.
So, go
and speak and live as children of God. Not calculating what will happen to you
in this world if you say you believe but believing regardless of what happens
to you because by believing you have life in His name. Go in peace and serve
your neighbor with joy. You are forgiven for all your sins.
In the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture
quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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