31 May 2010
Psalm 41, 52; Eccles. 2:1-15; Gal. 1:1-17; Matt. 13:44-52

The writer, presumably Solomon, says that he has had it all, experienced everything, and all is vanity and nothing more. Solomon, we are told in the book of 1 Kings, indeed had it all, his wealth and wisdom were great and he had all manner of concubines and wives, if anyone would truly know that all was vanity or a chasing after the wind, it was Solomon. It seems, however, that no one can get this particular bit of wisdom second hand, we all desire these things for ourselves. Sometimes I wonder just how many people truly delight themselves in and are content in the Lord so great is our appetite for other things. It isn’t wrong to enjoy the things of this world, just wrong to find our satisfaction and contentment in them.

Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to earthly things, a treasure in a field or a pearl of great price, in order to encourage his hearers and us to seek after it and to know its true value. After these two little parables, He tells them that the kingdom of heaven requires righteousness, there will be a sorting out at the end when the kingdom comes, the evil will be separated from the righteous. We must pursue the kingdom by pursuing righteousness, entrance is not a default of the system. We tend to think of whether we have been good enough to get in when good isn’t the standard at all, it is righteousness, did we live in such a way that our lives revealed our faith. The only way to measure faith is to evaluate life, did we live out our faith? If we say we believe and yet our lives don’t reveal that faith, it would be difficult to say that we had faith at all. If we say we believe that the switch on the wall turns on a light but we never act on that belief then why would anyone who didn’t know that truth believe it based on the testimony of your words? As GK Chesterton said, “The Christian faith has never been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried.”

After his normal greeting, Paul’s anger flashes with the Galatians as he defends the Gospel. This is the most abrupt transition we see anywhere in Paul’s writing and his most passionate letter of outrage. That someone was preaching a different “gospel” and the Galatians were receiving it as true and rejecting the truth has Paul in high dudgeon. The only plausible explanation is that they have failed to understand the truth well enough. How could you reject the Gospel of grace and turn to a works-based system? Paul is forced to defend not only the Gospel as revelation and not of human origin, but his own apostolicity and conversion. If we are willing to accept some substitute for the Gospel, whether works or orienting our lives around some other principle, making more money, sex, or whatever may appeal to us, our values are clearly out of line with God’s.

I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
for ever and ever.
I will thank you for ever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim your name, for it is good.