Every once in a while I find myself thinking about the passage in
Matthew 7:20-23, when Jesus is speaking to the multitude:
20. "So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will
enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who
is in heaven.
22. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did
we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in
Your name perform many miracles?'
23. "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew
you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'
(New American Standard Bible)
And then I think about another passage, John 14:12, which quotes
Jesus as saying:
12. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works
that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;
because I go to the Father.
(New American Standard Bible)
I also think about the hardness that I see in so many church folk,
and immediately I remind myself of the much quoted “Judge not that you
be not judged.” (It seems as though this saying is especially popular
with those who are only interested in shutting someone up.) It would be
easy to sit back and join the “cowardly submissive” (Revelation 21:8 of
The Amplified Bible), but you know what the Bible says about them: They
end up in the lake of fire!
When I put all this together, I come to the conclusion that “the
greater works” may have to do with helping “the least” (Matthew 25:45)
among us, both humans and other animals. Perhaps the “greater works” are
the love and concern that are expressed in the courage to step out of
our comfort zone and use our God-given abilities to bring positive,
compassionate change to this weary, blood-drenched earth. Perhaps the
works of those who will cry “Lord, Lord” in vain are done for motives of
greed, ego, and showmanship, instead of heart-felt kindness and
compassion, with no strings attached.
Further, I notice that in Matthew 7:22 the “Lord, Lord” people
recount dramatic (self-aggrandizing?) acts (“fruits,” Matthew 7:20)
performed in “your Name” [the Name of Jesus], not things done privately,
quietly, or unobserved by others.
Continued tomorrow…
