The Art of Deception

“Everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”

One of the things that I find most interesting about these words of Jesus is how they are an invitation for us to put our cards on the table — to allow the world in to see the core most foundation of our identity. In a world where facades and walls are the most commonly constructed protective devices that we adopt, the invitation to a life of publicly declaring our allegiance to Jesus through the act of loving one another is groundbreaking.

I find a strange irony within our modern world in that so much of the ideological programming that has been given to my own generation is that of “Becoming your authentic self,” all the while we have been inundated by media portrayals of conspiracy, cunning, espionage, and deception. In my lifetime I have watched as poker became a televised sport. Reality TV that specializes in humans taking advantage of the kindness and trust of other human beings to get ahead have poisoned the hearts of entire generations. Our collective ability to live out the art of deception without even knowing that it’s a problem is undeniably disgusting. And yet — the message is still “be your authentic self.” Like maybe what we have all be brainwashed to believe is that the deceptive way of living in this world IS authentic to who we are. And I’m 100% convinced that this is not who Jesus has called us to be.

On the first Holy Thursday.Jesus knew that there was deception in the room.

He knew that some of his disciples lived a past life of deception. Matthew had cheated his fellow Jews out of their hard earned money in order to live a comfortable life under the protection of the empire. Simon the Zealot had caused untold harm in his quest to undermine the empire as a revolutionary. Jesus washed their feet.

He knew that in the present moment, deception sat at the table. Judas, his betrayer had already laid the groundwork for Jesus’s arrest and subsequent death. So Jesus washed his feet.

Jesus knew that future deception was staring him in the face. Peter — the one who would deny knowing Jesus 3 times in less than 12 hours stood there earnestly confessing his loyalty. Jesus washed his feet.

And then he invited these persons to live a life of true authenticity. A life of not just saying one thing and living something else, but rather a way of living that says “I follow Jesus” and then does exactly the things that Jesus would do.

It’s easy to say that we love our neighbors who sleep outside. To be authentic is to serve them, to love them, to show mercy — without expectation of what they will do for us in return.

It’s easy to say that we love those who vote differently than us. To be authentic is to sit and hear their experience and to truly listen and understand.

It’s easy to say that we love our parents, our children, our extended families regardless of how irritating they can prove themselves to be. To be authentic is to show them hospitality and to care for them when it is inconvenient.

And this is the invitation that Jesus extends not only to our friends at the first last supper… but the invitation that Jesus extends to us all — the invitation that Jesus extends to us tonight.

What we must come to terms with over the course of our journey with Jesus is that authenticity — to be one’s authentic and true self — is in fact not about becoming more like ourselves at all. At least it’s not about becoming more and more like the flawed parts of our human condition. To be our authentic selves is focus our thoughts and our actions on who God has called us — no not just called us — but created us to be. I think that each of us, deep down, knows that this is true. And I think that we all know what it means to be the people that God created us to be. It’s not a terribly mind bending concept. Jesus says it quite plainly — they (and you) will know that you are my disciples — my followers, the authentic version of who you were created to be — by this one simple marker: That you love one another.

There are no exclusionary clauses, no loop holes here. Jesus doesn’t say love one another until it becomes inconvenient. Love one another unless the other does something you don’t like. He doesn’t say love one another unless you have fundamentally different ideologies. There’s no love one another unless the love is not reciprocated. No. Simple. Love one another. This is what it looks like to be an authentic follower of Jesus.

Its so simple. Yet it is so hard. We are people who have been conditioned by the art of deception. We are people who have been taught to smile and even exchange pleasantries by saying “Bless your heart” — and everyone of us knows what bless your heart really means… rarely if ever does it mean bless your heart. We live our lives trying to deceive others into thinking that we are someone that we are not — kind, loving, compassionate followers of Jesus at all times and at all moments. We spend our lives trying to deceive ourselves into believing the same mess. Maybe we are even trying to deceive God into believing that we are who we say that we are.

But here’s the thing — Jesus knows. Jesus knew what Judas had done and what Judas was about to do. Jesus knew that Judas had already formulated a plot. And then he came to dinner like nothing had happened. But Jesus knew, and Jesus loved him that entire night.

You and I, we’re not perfect at following Jesus. We are constantly torn between the art of deception and the authentic life that Jesus created us to live as we follow him. But you know who is not torn — Jesus. Jesus welcomes us in, washes our feet, serves us a meal, and loves us as if we were already living out our lives as his authentic followers.

And this is the good news of Holy Thursday: That while we are still sinners, while we are still practicing the art of deception, that we we extended the cleansing grace and the invitation of Jesus to free ourselves of the cycles of destruction that deception creates. It is on us to decide for ourselves what the next step will be.

Do we, like Judas, continue in our deception to the bitter end of death and disgrace? Or do we accept the invitation that Jesus freely extends to us to embrace a life of authenticity. Will we love in word alone, or will we love one another in the sacrificial way that Jesus models for us at the last supper and at calvary? Will our hearts serve ourselves, or will they truly belong to Jesus — the one who created us for a life that brings light and life to the world around us?