Read Free to Live: The Utter Relief of Holiness for Free Online Page B

to remind you, was utterly captivating. Let’s not lose hold of that as we press a bit deeper.
A Matter of the Heart
    “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment…
    “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart…
    “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you…
    “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 5:21–22, 27–28; 6:1–6)
    The Sermon on the Mount is a revolution in holiness. Jesus takes all the external issues and makes them first and foremost internal . He begins with a few examples of the most egregious sins: murder and adultery. This is a crowd that congratulates itself on staying far from such obvious crimes. But then Jesus says, “Oh—don’t think you’ve kept the command simply because you haven’t pulled the trigger. If you hate someone, you’ve murdered them in your heart. And as for sexual integrity—just because you haven’t actually ‘done it’ doesn’t mean you’re clean—have you wanted to, in your heart? Have you desired someone who wasn’t your spouse?”
    Gulp.
    This way of looking at goodness is mighty exposing. As it should be. Holiness, he is driving at, is a matter of the heart.
    To make it practical, Jesus gives us the category of motive. Whatever else the sermon is about, whatever goodness is truly about, motive will get you there. Motives are essential, and taking this path will open up fields of goodness for you.
    I’ve noticed at the retreats we do, I am very careful to be kind and attentive to people. Though I am often tired, and spent, I try my best to treat every question with respect. But what is my motive? It could be love. But it also could be that I want to be seen as kind and attentive. Same action, different motives. You can’t really tell from the outside; what matters is what’s going on inside . I spent a lot of time working on this book. Why? Well, it could be because I want to try to present these things to you as helpfully as I can; it could also be that I want to impress you, or be thought well of, or simply avoid embarrassment. One motive is loving; the others are self-serving.
    This is why Jesus pushed into the issue of our motives; genuine goodness isn’t skin deep. Motive is a very essential category.
    Mary is a woman who loves to help people. She’s always the one to stay and clean up after a party; she’ll make copies for the meeting; she’s always happy to take your call. In fact, she loves to be asked. But over time I noticed something: Mary will serve long and hard, as long as Mary is in the center of the action. If someone else is telling a story, she doesn’t really pay attention; if someone else is doing the serving, she sort of wanders around on the sidelines with a bit of a hurt expression. The truth is, Mary is good so long as she’s needed, even needed to carry heavy burdens. But it’s still about