From Sticky Souls to Transformed Hearts
God’s command—from the glorious clouds overshadowing the Transfiguration of Jesus in the gospels—reminds us: when we listen and do whatever the Son of God says he will lead us from barrenness due to selfish living into righteous fruit-producing living for the glory of God. Self cannot satisfy self. We must hunger for God.
This is basically our journey for Lent, because sinful attitudes and actions try to stick to our souls and destroy our Life with God. Jesus wants us to produce righteous fruit that bring glory to our King’s rule and reign.
“It seems that what St. Basil identified as danger lurking behind some of the practices of late antiquity, namely the dangers of isolationism, individualism, and self-pleasing, still remain. The temptation of our own time seems to be the same, a spirituality focused upon the self as its ultimate telos [purpose].” —George Kalentzis
Day 20: Fasting the Yeast of Hypocrisy
As human beings, we can act in ways that contradict what we say we believe—hypocrisy. Jesus referred to the sin of hypocrisy as having yeast infected hearts—in Scripture it is the sin corrupted practices of the world [Egypt] that must be left behind. Our lives are like gardens that have the potential to plant and grow both righteousness and unrighteousness. I pray for us to be mindful of what we are growing in thought, word, and deed. God is not mocked; we harvest what we plant (Gal 6:7).
We can practice hypocrisy by looking down at the sin of others, even when we know our hearts possess the yeast of sin. We can look at religious activities as righteous even when our hearts are filled with deceit. We can see ourselves as holy, but our actions actually reveal the Lord is not welcome on the throne of our hearts. We can say we wholeheartedly honor the commands of our Father, but never produce the fruit of integrity—wholeness. All of this is like putting on a religious mask and pretending to be righteous when we are actually focused on self.
Jesus told a variety of parables and many of them were pointed toward the religious leaders. Because these leaders could never see their own sin and repent, Jesus told them prostitutes and tax collectors who were willing to repent, would enter the Kingdom of God before them. After hearing several of Jesus’ parables about the sinful fruit of hypocrisy, the religious leaders eventually knew he was talking about them. Jesus ended with, “I tell you the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to the people who will produce fruit!” (Mat 21:43). To his disciples, Jesus said, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).
Today, we will fast the yeast of hypocrisy, because Jesus makes it clear we will be judged by how we live and the fruit we are willing to produce. When we repent and turn toward God, the world just can’t stick to our souls. May God continue to transform us!
John 17:20-26 NLT
20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
25 “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”
Prayer: Lord, we pray for our hearts to be free from the hypocrisy, corruption, and the bondage of sin. We confess our sinful thoughts, words, and actions; we have failed to glorify you. It is so easy to say one thing and do another. May we seek to live in you—our sinless Bread of heaven—and the grace you provide to keep our souls cleansed. In Jesus’ name. Amen.