An Italian newspaper recently carried a story about a young couple in Milan who seemed particularly devoted in their worship. The priest at a cathedral there reported that the pair spent an hour or more on a regular basis sitting before a statue of the Virgin Mary. Naturally, he assumed they were praying.
Turns out, this young couple was recharging their cell phone. They had noticed a stray electric cable sticking out of the wall behind the statue of the Virgin Mary. Whenever their phone's power supply dwindled, the young couple came to the church and re-charged it from the cable behind the Virgin Mary. The priest states that the young couple is welcome to use his church for this purpose. (1)
We talk about coming to church to "re-charge our batteries," but this is ridiculous. What looked to the unobservant eye like an act of piety was actually a self-serving ploy to save money. This young couple was using the church for their own needs. And we're shocked, shocked, I tell you--until we realize that we may be guilty of the same mistake.
In our Bible passage for today, Jesus asks us to examine our own motives for our seemingly pious acts. What's our real reason for doing the things we do? He says,
"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you . . .
"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (NRSV)
IN THIS PASSAGE, JESUS POINTS OUT A TENDENCY THAT IS MORE PREVALENT THAN EVER IN OUR SOCIETY, THE TENDENCY TO JUDGE EVERY ACT BY THE QUESTION, "WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?" How do I benefit from this? Human beings are naturally self-centered. This trait manifests itself early in life. Infants and toddlers expect, even demand, to be the center of attention. In fact, someone has written an amusing list that they have titled the "Toddler Rules of Ownership":
1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my hands, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
8. If I think it's mine, it's mine. (2)
Social commentators tell us that more and more Americans are judging laws,
social policies, careers, and the like by this one question: What's in it for me? As the world seems more complex and threatening, we are turning our focus inward. Fear causes us to focus on ourselves. Self-centeredness also stems from a lack of love. First John 4: 18 reminds us, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." Whatever the reason, no one can argue that much of our society chooses to "look out for number one." And this attitude eventually spills over into our worship of God. We want some return on our investment here! If we are going to pray, we want others to praise our eloquent speech. If we give money, we want a mention in the newspaper or a nice plaque in the entryway. If we fast, we want folks to point to us as a good example. What's wrong with a little pat on the back now and then? And then Jesus gets all preachy on us: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
What's he saying here? Jesus is telling us that it is possible to do all the right things for all the wrong reasons. He is telling us that if we strive for praise in this life, we will lose an infinitely greater reward in Heaven. He is challenging us to get real about our faith: are we self-centered or God-centered? Do we worship and pray and fast and give because of an overflowing gratitude that says, "Lord, I can't say "?thank You' enough"?
THIS QUESTION IS ESPECIALLY PERTINENT TO THE SEASON OF LENT. Can we confront Jesus' suffering, humiliation, and death on our behalf and remain self-centered?
Can we read these words about the Messiah in Isaiah 53 and still think that way? "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53: 5, NIV)
And remember Jesus' own prayer in the garden not long before his arrest, when he prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matt. 26:39, NIV) In his darkest hour, Jesus wasn't thinking about himself. He wasn't asking, "What's in it for me?" He had all the powers of heaven and earth at his disposal, and yet he laid them aside in order to fulfill his mission. Jesus knew what was in store for him. Suffering. Humiliation. Torture. Death. And he faced it all on our behalf.
It took Judy Wein four surgeries and many months of therapy to heal the injuries she sustained on September 11, 2001, as she escaped her brokerage office in the World Trade Center's towers. Wein owes her life to a young man named Welles Crowther. After carrying one injured woman to safety, Crowther charged back into the flaming, crumbling building and led Judy Wein to safety. Not long afterwards, Welles Crowther died in the collapse of the Towers. (3)
"No greater love hath any man than this--that he lay down his life for his brother."
Where will your focus be in this Lenten season? What question will you be asking? "What's in it for me?" Or, "How can I possibly thank You?" "How can I make my life a living sacrifice of praise for Your great love?" May we choose a God-centered focus for our worship and our life, so that we may experience the great riches of God's love for us.
1. From the Corriere della Sera newspaper. "Couple Gets Charge Out of Madonna Statue," Reuters, MILAN (July 15, 2002).
2. Rodney and Kathy @ RCJOKELIST.COM.
3. "A Survivor's Story--One Year Later" by Jennifer Hoppe, Ladies' Home Journal, Sept. 2002, p. 46.