Disgusting, isn't it? Few things in life infuriate me more than religious hypocrites. They give people everywhere who are already skeptical of Christians and Jesus even more reason to tune out the message of salvation.
I think part of the reason this infuriates me so much is because this used to be me. I was a tight wad when it came to tipping. I'd leave 10% for great service and less - sometimes nothing - for poor service. I can smugly pat myself on the back though and say that I never stooped this low.
In today's reading from Matthew 15, we find Jesus engaged in yet another tense moment with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were incredulous that the disciples of Jesus didn't wash their hands before they ate. Sounds like my mom when I was a kid. They were always incredulous when Jesus or the disciples chose love for God and people over the emptiness of religiosity.
You see religiosity is rule keeping in an attempt to make yourself appear righteous. With religiosity, there's no need for a Savior. There's no need for grace. There's no need for redemption. And that means there's no room for charity towards other people who aren't quite where you are yet.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in v.v. 8&9 when he said to them: “These people honor me
with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men," in which he quotes Isaiah 29:13.
Side note: Isn't it amazing that The Word incarnate always taught from The Word of God? There's a lesson there for us, that might be for another blog post someday.
So what's that have to do with Alois Bell and my former ways as a stingy miser? Everything! Jesus couldn't stand it when people claimed to be righteous when their hearts were so far from understanding and living out the reality of the Kingdom of God.
Alois Bell wrote on her bill, "I give God 10%, why do you get 18%?" The entire bill was a little over $34 meaning that the gratity for her party of 8 would have been a little over $6. Is $6 really worth tarnishing the name of Jesus?
As I said before, I used to be like Alois Bell. I still am in many ways - and not just with tipping servers in a restaurant - and it's a struggle to overcome religiosity that chokes out grace and charity. Thank God that he gave me an incredible wife that wouldn't put up with my crap when we'd go out on a date and I wouldn't want to leave a tip.
You see, those who really know Jesus know what grace is. We know what kindness is. We know what charity is. We know what generosity is. How? Not because it wells up from inside us, but because we've been shown all of those things by Jesus. If we don't live with grace, kindness, charity and generosity towards others, then we're not living in grace and we don't really know who Jesus is. We're stuck in religiosity. And religiosity is dead and doesn't do anything for anybody except show us what wretched sinners we are without grace.
It's not just about tipping your server at a restaurant. It's about every interaction we have with other people. Our family members. Our neighbors. Our co-workers. The stranger on the street. Those who follow Christ don't deserve anything we get from Jesus, but we got it because of his great love for us and his desire to redeem us and to set us free from sin. Our family members, neighbors, co-workers and the stranger on the street might not seem deserving of grace, kindness, charity and generosity, but if we're uncapable of giving it, it means we're as hard headed and stubborn as the Pharisees. Religiosity is full of empty words. True salvation and redemption is full of grace and action.
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