When Action Leads the Way

When I think about following the teachings of Jesus, I think about love, justice, truth, non-violence, hope, generosity. These big ideas are irresistible to me, even on my most cynical days.

 So it’s weird to me when Jesus makes arguments for living life not based on ideals or morals, but base practicality.* Jesus looks around at his fellow dinner guests and suggests they conduct themselves with a little more humility, not out of kindness towards one another, but so they don’t get their egos handed to them on a platter – in front of a crowd no less. It’s an argument about personal advantages, appearances, saving face, not objective moral truths. It all seems a little… crass?

 I find myself wondering whether the nature of this teaching was influenced by the audience – this scene took place at the home of a “prominent” Pharisee. Everyone in the room had some proximity to power. Maybe doing the right thing for the wrong reason is the best that we can hope for from those who occupy the seats of privilege. (And maybe that is my particularly dim view of humanity based on the way our city and its most vulnerable residents are presently being treated by those in power.)

 But maybe Jesus was just speaking from the knowledge that sometimes change doesn’tcome from within. Sometimes our actions have to lead the way for our stubborn hearts. In my own life this is often true with generosity. I am not by nature a cheerful giver, and sometimes it is not until after I give that the begrudging sense of duty is submerged by the huge wave of gratitude for all that I have and all that I can share. So maybe doing the right thing for the wrong reason is the best that any of us can hope for, at least sometimes. The good news is that the Spirit is ready to meet us in that moment, using the truth of our action to change our minds.