Reflections on Ch. 6 -- Investing in the Heavens

The respectability trap

With his in-depth knowledge of who humans are, Jesus knows that we will continually be tripped up in our efforts to live in God's kingdom by two temptations -- the desire for social standing and reputation, and greed.

At a previous job I remember coming to Monday morning staff meetings to see a disturbing display. A number of my colleagues would start the morning by trying to outdo each other with stories of how many hours they had worked and how many projects they had tackled over the weekend. This sometimes spilled over into the round-robin where people would talk about their current projects. The point was that they wanted to be thought well of by the powers that be, whose own workaholism was well known and admired. And the point of that, of course, was that they would get better raises, perks and offices.

Jesus knows this behavior, and describes it in reference to the Pharisees in Matthew 23. He goes on to paint a very different picture:

8"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.^[b] 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Willard notes that we struggle with Jesus' reversal of roles here in all areas of our lives -- particularly the religious. Many examples of church life focus on holding one, or a few, up as "rabbi," teacher or leader. Often "serving" in those situations comes with many perks, if not actual power. And often the Christian who begins to show signs of great faith, or talent wrestling with theological questions, or is just a good public speaker, is advised to "go into the ministry," for we all know that is where the respectibility and prestige in the religion game is.

• How might religious life look different -- locally and globally -- if we took seriously Jesus' word about humbling ourselves? What would this mean for our own personal "leadership" in the church.
  

Jesus is clear that it is our motivations, not simply our actions or career paths, that are the problem here. In Matt. 6:1 he says that what we do in order to be seen will be ignored by his Father. If we are known by the quality of our work, by our sermons, by our serving, etc., that is as it should be. But if we are, as my former colleagues seemed to be, striving to be noticed rather than to do good work, it is a hollow investment that will not pay off in Jesus' terms.

• Of course, many people gain reputations and positions by trying to have a reputation or position, and many people play this game and are rewarded, financially for example. What does this imply about Jesus' teaching? What does it imply about how our world is structured?

Jesus' teaching to pray in secret is also about our motivations, not the observable result of our actions. There is a secret realm that God inhabits, quite outside the observable realities of the universe, and we must enter that realm to pray -- whether we are in a physical place where we can be seen or not. This prayer is, in Willard's words, "intelligent conversation about matters of mutual concern." This is far different from the common, public perception of popping a coin into the cosmic vending machine expecting a blessing -- which is how the visible world naturally sees this "secret" conversation.

This isn't Jesus' concern. His issue is that prayer is not a show or a set form of words (though there is nothing wrong with "thoughtfully used liturgy," Willard says). It is a matter of being completely open and transparent before the Father, of being in the secret world of the kingdom with our entire beings -- both in prayer and in ordinary life. This is a key "secret" of really living in God's kingdom.

The bondage of wealth

The traditional confession liturgy could open with an affirmation that "we are in bondage to wealth and cannot free ourselves." Our culture solves many mysteries by following the money, and it is impossible to watch TV or listen to radio, thanks to the retiring Boomers, without being inundated with advertisements about wealth management and global asset protection. This in a world where the average American has less than $25,000 in retirement savings and the average Tanzanian with a job earns $364 per year!

Jesus speaks not about our wealth but about our obsession with it -- accumulating it and keeping it. Treasures -- not just money, but prized possessions, etc. -- are an important part of our humanity, and are not bad in themselves, Willard says. But Jesus teaches that we run into problems when we look to our wealth, our reputation or other treasures as the source of our security. In God's kingdom, God's grace and mercy is the only source of security. All other of the things we trust in can be stolen, decay or devalued.

• How have you experienced trying to find security and safety in things we can own and control rather than in God? How have you experienced letting go of security to trust God?
  

Our true security comes from knowing our lives in the context of God's reality. If we are in tune with the secret world of God's kingdom, and its counter-cultural message of finding our own life and security by letting go of them, then we can rest in God's care even when it looks like we are not caring for ourselves in the visible realm. Conversely, holding onto things can separate us from each other and from God.