Luke 12:1-7

Romans 4:1-8

Psalm 932:1b-2, 5, 11

Luke 12:1-7

At that time:

So many people were crowding together

that they were trampling one another underfoot.

Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,

“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,

nor secret that will not be known.

Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness

will be heard in the light,

and what you have whispered behind closed doors

will be proclaimed on the housetops.

I tell you, my friends,

do not be afraid of those who kill the body

but after that can do no more.

I shall show you whom to fear.

Be afraid of the one who after killing

has the power to cast into Gehenna;

yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.

Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?

Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.

Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.

Do not be afraid.

You are worth more than many sparrows.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you lovingly care for me as my Heavenly Father. Help me to experience this truth more deeply in my life. I am tempted to trust in myself and my abilities rather than you. Do not let me fall into this temptation. May I see all good things as coming from you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Pharisaical Hypocrisy: In the Gospel, Jesus has just left the Pharisee’s house, where he delivered a blistering warning. Now, with his disciples gathered around him, he focuses in on the heart of the matter and also how it applies to his disciples. This prevents his disciples from getting puffed up with pride and thinking that they were better than the Pharisees and scholars of the law. In just a few words, Jesus identifies a real danger for those steeped in religious practice – the sin of hypocrisy. He compares it to leaven or yeast that inflates dough. A person can easily become inflated about how good they are and how pious they are and how they are better than everyone else because of their pious practices. The Father, Jesus teaches, sees everything. Nothing is hidden from God, especially the real intentions driving our actions. God the Father is not fooled by the hypocrite. The Gospel concludes not with another condemnation of Pharisaical hypocrisy, but with how to overcome it – filial trust in God’s loving care for us.

2. The Justifying Faith of Abraham: In the First Reading, Paul is going to show from the Old Testament that we are justified and made right with God, not through the works of the old law, but through faith. His prime example is Abraham. Paul alludes to the fact that Genesis 15 says that Abraham was made righteous through his belief in God. And it is only in Genesis 17 that Abraham was circumcised. This means that Abraham was justified by faith apart from one of the works of the law – that of circumcision, which incorporated a man into God’s covenant family. If Abraham was justified by faith and not by such works, then the same would apply to us. Paul emphasizes that our initial faith and grace of justification are a gift of God and not something we earn like a wage. We do need to build up spiritual and heavenly treasure, but we cannot do this without the initial empowerment and continual sustenance of divine grace. 

3. The Psalms of David on Blessedness and Righteousness: After referring to how Abraham was justified by faith, Paul then quotes the Book of Psalms to show that it teaches the same doctrine. Paul refers to David as the author of Psalm 32 and says, “So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record’” (Romans 4:7-8; Psalm 32:1-2). The one who is forgiven is the recipient of God’s mercy. Paul here teaches that the Psalm means that justification includes divine forgiveness and that our transgressions are no longer held against us. What is more, this initial justification and forgiveness is an unmerited gift and not a wage that we earn by our human efforts. God’s actions in justifying us include crediting righteousness, forgiving iniquities, and covering and not recording our sins. God truly cleanses us through justification, but the sins we commit cannot be undone and remain forever as events of history. “God can remove the guilt of our sins; likewise, God can without the punishment that our sins deserve. But their occurrence remains forever inscribed in the annals of past time. This is something that God’s mercy must simply overlook” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 62).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for warning me about the danger of hypocrisy. I only seek to be a humble servant and child in your vineyard. May I attribute any success in extending your kingdom to the power of your grace and the work of the Holy Spirit. I am a poor vessel of your divine grace.

Living the Word of God: Are there any manifestations of pharisaical hypocrisy in my life? Is my business plagued by hypocrisy? Do I present it as serving others, but in reality it is primarily focused on making money? Am I presenting myself as holy and righteous but internally struggling with sin, envy, pride, and self-righteousness? How can what I believe and what I do come into better alignment?