Musings on the Daily Lectionary

Today's gospel reading concludes the Sermon on the Mount. But for the life of me I can't figure out why those who set the verses for the Daily Lectionary started todays reading where they did. These words, "On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers,' " make a lot more sense when you add the verse that comes before. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."

As Jesus concludes his sermon he insists on the necessity of living according to God's will. No amount of pious behavior or religious grandiosity will make any difference if it is not in service to what God wants. Or as Jesus says in the verse that follows, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock."

I'm sure I've recalled this in some previous blog, but I can't help thinking about that old saying that was popular in the 60s. "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" And based on what Jesus says today, such evidence would be found in whether we followed his teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. Those teachings include not being angry with fellow believers, not retaliating when injured or hurt, loving your enemies, realizing that you cannot serve God and wealth, not worrying about what tomorrow will bring, not judging others, and doing to others what you would like done to yourself. And Jesus concludes all these teachings by saying, "Calling me your Lord and Savior doesn't amount to a hill of beans if you don't do what I told you to do."

As a pastor, I have job that allows me to be busy with religious stuff all the time. I spend my days living out a call to follow Jesus. But am I doing God's will? Or am I just going around saying, "Lord, Lord" all the time? I suppose those are questions Jesus thinks we should all ask ourselves.

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