Loopholes
Human beings are exceedingly creative and resourceful when it comes to finding loopholes. Finding ways of evading or twisting the intent of a law or rule or contract, usually based on some technicality.
People are so good at it, they seem to think they can even twist God’s intent. But God isn’t fooled, and His Word isn’t overturned by those who think themselves so clever. I’ve just been reading an incident in which Jesus calls out these people:
And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! (Mark 7:6-9)
Jesus goes on to give an example of a technicality they had adopted to evade taking care of their parents.
Jesus says some important things here.
The behavior he repudiates is ancient; it’s been going on a long time—since Isaiah’s time at least. This is a human nature problem, not limited to the immediate audience.
We humans tend to think that because outward pretense of honoring God fools other people, it will also somehow fool God. But God sees the heart—the motivation and the intent.
We have a tendency to make up rules that we substitute for the actual commands of God. In the example, God commands, “Honor your parents.” What we do is wrap the command in definitions of technical compliance, while leaving God’s intent unmet—and substitute our invention for God’s Word.
Is it fair to take this allegation from Jesus in a specific situation, and apply it generally to all mankind? Do we in fact do this? Here’s the thing: If we erect arguments that we don’t, we’re doing it.
“God is not mocked,” Paul writes. The lawyers Jesus confronts had convinced themselves that they were in technical compliance with God’s requirements. This is what we’re like, as humans. Self-deceitful.
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)
We “sow to our flesh” in a wide variety of ways. We cater to our own desires for gratification, for possessions, for vengeance, for being held in high regard, on and on. And then we work hard to justify ourselves, convince ourselves we’re actually heeding what God commands.
The good news, thankfully, is also in what Paul writes here. He clearly says it’s possible to sow spiritually, and harvest life! We can choose. I’m reminded of what Jesus says to Nathanael: “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (John 1:47) Saying in effect, “Here is a man with no use for loopholes.”
Whether Nathanael, or those Pharisees in Mark, or anyone could fool themselves or other people, doesn’t matter. The Lord isn’t fooled. Jesus could see inside Nathanael, that there was no self-deceit there. He could see inside the lawyers, that their loophole didn’t disguise where their heart was—far from God.
The question is, what does he see looking inside me?
Love, Paul