In the Wizard of Oz movie the greatest charade is unveiled to the people of Oz by a little dog. Having returned from ridding Oz of the Wicked Witch of the West and to receive her reward, Dorothy offers the Wizard the broom as evidence. The Wizard accepts but tells Dorothy and her cronies to come back the next day. Upset, Dorothy, the Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow argue with the Wizard for going against his word. As they are arguing, Toto—Dorothy’s dog—goes and pulls a curtain back revealing an older gentleman standing before a machine gyrating and yelling . . . turns out that it is the Wizard himself, an ordinary man.
It turns out that the power of the great Wizard of Oz . . . power that held sway over the people, was nothing more than an ordinary man who accidentally stumbled into Oz by way of an errant hot air balloon from Omaha. Through an elaborate charade he created the Wizard of Oz to oversee the people and dominion of Oz. But, as he tells them, he nothing more than “humbug” . . . a fake . . . a charade. He is just an ordinary man, much to the shock and frustration of Dorothy who sees her hope of getting home vanish.
So, what is a “charade”? A charade is “an absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance.” In our reading this morning Jesus reveals the great charade perpetuated by the “teachers of the law and the Pharisees” on the people . . . he pulls back the curtain to show the hypocrisy of those in leadership and power. He tells the people that these people who sit in Moses’ seat “. . . do not practice what they preach . . . everything they do is done for the people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.”
Jesus reveals the charade for what it is . . . an attempt to create an image or character deserving respect and power over others. As he has stated before, these people of power--these leaders of the community—are nothing more than hypocrites.
But, wait a minute!
Yes, it is true that Jesus reveals the charade and the hypocrisy that surround it; yet, at the same time, he tells the people something that seems to contradict. He tells the crowd and disciples that they “. . . must be careful to do everything they tell you.” These words seem and sound contradictory to the revelation of the great charade he has just shown the people perpetuated upon them by the teachers of the law and Pharisees. It seems as if Jesus is contradicting himself, but listen carefully to what he said: “So you must be careful to do everything they tell you.” Then he adds, “But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”
The problem is not with the words that these people lord over the people. The words . . . the teachings . . . the rubrics . . . well, they are all good. They are sound words of scripture. They are good advice. The words that are spoken are not the problem. The problem is that these people in power—these lawyers and Pharisees—do not live up to the words that they preach and teach. Their actions betray their charade. Their actions reveal their true selves. They live lives based on “do as I say, not as I do”. And, this is where they get themselves into trouble with Jesus . . . in trouble with God.
The words are good. The people should be doing what these people preach and teach . . . they should be loving God . . . loving one another . . . seeking peace and justice . . . working on their relationships with the Holy and one another. There is nothing wrong with the words, thus Jesus tells the people to do everything that they tell them. What Jesus does not want them to do is to “act” the way that these people in power act. Don’t say one thing and do another. There is where the problem comes . . . actions betray real intentions. Where actions do not live up to the words that are spoken; well, that is where you find that the charade is no longer working.
Jesus points this out . . . to the crowd and disciples . . . to us.
Yes, Jesus points this out and he also points out absurdity of the argument against his revealing of this hypocrisy. He confronts the excuse for such behavior . . . especially for those who follow these leaders and people of power. The last part of our reading this morning deals with the idea that because these people have the power and title, they can do what they like since they tell the people to “do as I say, not as I do”. Which easily gets interpreted by those who follow these people as free reign to do as their leaders do. The logic is that if it is okay for the teachers of the law and the Pharisees—the people in power—to do it, it is okay for us to do it. These are the people who set the example.
Again, Jesus is quick to tell those gathered that they should not give to these people the power that is not theirs. A title does not make one “holy” . . . a title does not give one power, real power. Just because I have the title “reverend” in front of my name does not mean that I am “holy” . . . it does not display my holiness despite its power in setting me apart from others. My actions do. How I live up to that title . . . how I live up to the words that I share, teach, and preach . . . show the holiness in my life. Jesus wants those who are listening to know that, once again, it is not the words that are spoken that are important, but how those words are lived that is important. Thus, he offers himself as the model for such a lifestyle . . . in him the “way” is revealed . . . the way that he lived the words that he spoke.
These are revealing and powerful words that Jesus speaks to us today. They serve as a reminder that we cannot allow ourselves to get caught up in a charade in our own lives nor in the world around. That we need to be on guard to have our eyes, ears, and hearts open to ourselves and the world to catch the charades . . . to see when the words that are spoken are not being lived. We have to be careful.
We have to be careful because all around us there are charades. I probably do not need to tell that to any of you . . . you have ears to hear . . . eyes to see . . . and hearts to feel . . . what is going on around you that does jive with the simple challenge from Jesus to love the Lord completely and to love others. I think that you know what I am talking about. I think that you have encountered it. You have heard it . . . you have seen it, but most damning of all is that your heart has felt it. So many examples of people saying one thing and doing another.
We have to be careful not to get caught up in the charades whether they are our own or others. We need to listen to our hearts . . . the dwelling place of the Spirit. Our eyes and ears can betray us, but our hearts will reveal the truth. Where we can convince ourselves that what we see and hear is okay, our hearts . . . the Spirit . . . confronts us with the truth. It makes us pause and think, “Whoa, something ain’t right here.” Our eyes and ears say that the people in power . . . the people in control . . . are doing it, so it must be okay for us to do it also. Our hearts ask us, “Is this what Jesus would do?” Is this loving God and others to say one thing and do another?
So, here is the skinny. Jesus comes to show the people the “way” . . . the way to live a life that is centered on loving God and others. The words that he speaks are no different than the words that those in power speak . . . they are one and the same. The difference is that Jesus does not just speak them, he lives them. Through the way that he lives his life the words are real. We are to do likewise. Beware of charades, he warns us. Follow me, he tells us, and I will show you the way. We know it is true . . . we know it is true because our hearts sing with joy. Our actions display our faith. It is as simple as that . . . everything else is a charade. Amen.
Another good one, John. Keep on preachin to the good folks in the great state of Montana.
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