Lenten Tour of the Gospels

Matthew 7: Letting the Inside Match the Outside

"Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Almost all of us live two lives: what other people see on the outside and what is really going on inside. In school we learn what outward signs of attention will please the teacher. At a job we learn to "put up a good front" whenever the boss happens to stroll by. As if putting on masks, we style our hair, choose our clothes and use body language to impress those around us. Over time, we learn to excel at hiding truly serious problems. People tend to judge by outward appearances and so can easily be fooled. Acquaintances are often shocked when a mass-murderer is arrested. "He seemed like such a nice man?" they insist. The outside appearance did not match the inside reality.

Chapters 5-7 announce that the time has come for us to change not just the outside, but also the inside. In Jesus' day, religious people tried to impress each other with showy outward behavior. They wore gaunt and hungry looks during a brief fast, prayed grandiosely if people were watching and went so far as to wear Bible verses strapped to their foreheads and left arms.

In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus blasts the hypocrisy behind such seemingly harmless practices. God is not fooled by appearances. We cannot fake behavior to impress him. He knows that inside the best of us lurk dark thoughts of hatred, pride, and lust- internal problems only he can deal with. Jesus goes on to present a truly radical way of life, free of pretense.

These three chapters (5-7) among the most analyzed in the entire Bible, present a fresh view of the world. In one sense, Jesus says, the truths presented here are not new: They fulfill, rather that abolish, the Old Testament law. In another sense the way of life Jesus describes is more radical than anything before or since. Jesus' words turn many normal assumptions upside down. With statements like, "Blessed are the poor in spirit...those who mourn...the meek...the peacemakers...those who are persecuted," Jesus attacks those who strive to build a good image by appearing powerful, successful, and assertive.

Perhaps most radical of all, the Sermon on the Mount introduces the possibility of living solely for God and not for appearances. At last we can get our inner and outer lives in sync.