2nd August Trinity
August 2, 2015
Matthew 7:15-27
Be on your guard against false prophets of healing. They
come to you in the garments of peaceful lambs, but inwardly are rapacious
wolves. You shall recognize them by the fruits of their deeds. Never will you
harvest grapes from a thorn bush, nor figs from thistles. Every noble tree
brings forth good fruit, but a wild tree only forms unusable fruit. A noble
tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a wild tree cannot form good fruit. A tree that
does not bring forth good fruit will be cut down and put in the fire. Therefore,
recognize them by the fruits of their deeds.
Not everyone who addresses me with “Lord! Lord!“ can be
taken up into the kingdom; only he who accomplishes the will of my Father in
the heavens. In the future, when the light of God breaks over the earthly
darkness, many will call to me. They will say, “Lord! Lord! Have we not worked
in advance for your revelation? Have we not driven out spirits of destruction
in honor of you? Have we not gathered multiple powers for your word?”
Then I will freely say to them, ‘I do not know you. My
paths are not your paths. Depart from me, for you serve the forces of chaos
[the downfall of the world].’
Everyone who hears such words from me and acts
accordingly will be like a man who wisely built his house on bedrock. The
clouds burst, the waves rose, the winds blew and beat against that house. But
it did not totter, for it was founded upon the rock. He, however, who hears
such words from me and does not act accordingly is like a man who foolishly
builds his house upon sand. The rain comes down, the floods rise, the winds
blow and beat upon the house, and it collapses with a great crash.”
When Jesus had completed saying this, the people were
greatly moved, for he spoke to them out of spiritual authority, as if the powers
of creation themselves spoke out of him, and not like their teachers of the law
[canon-lawyers].
2nd August Trinity
August 2, 2015
Matthew 7:15-27
“Every noble tree
brings forth good fruit, but a wild tree only forms unusable fruit.” Matthew 7:
17
Christ suggests
that we direct our attention in a somewhat scientific manner. We are to look at
the results of our own and others’ actions, the consequences, rather than at the
wish or the talk. In a way, it doesn’t matter much what we say about ourselves,
for we can present ourselves in any way we wish. We may present ourselves as
lambs, when actually the hungry wolf of vainglory is at work in us.
We can say we are
working for the good, and perhaps we are. Yet often the law of unintended
consequences operates. The good we would do sometimes turns out not to be so
good after all. What really counts however is what results from our deeds. We look
to the consequences and correct our actions.
The bitter and unusable
fruits of a wild tree of soul come from self-promotion and the desire for power.
Me first! The good intentions of a noble tree of soul come together from three
places: from clean and clear thinking, from a loving heart, and a devotion to
the progress of others. Such a soul tree will in combination produce deeds that
are beautiful, sweet and nourishing, fruits that serve the world. Such fruits
serve God’s kingdom of heaven on earth.
They are the bedrock of the progress of the
world. Tests and trials, misfortunes and reversals will come. But we will
overcome them together through our solid foundation in the world of inner and
outer reality. As Hafiz says:
Out
 |
| Tissot, The Blind Leading the Blind, wiki |
Of a great need
We are all holding hands
And climbing.
Not loving is a letting go.
Listen,
The terrain around here
Is
Far too
Dangerous
For
That.*
*Hafiz, “A Great Need". In The Gift – versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky
