Diamonds Falling From Your Lips.

Matthew 23 : 1‑12

Proper 26

According to an old legend, there once lived a widow who had two daughters. The older daughter was so proud and disagreeable that no one liked to be around her. The younger daughter was just the opposite. She was cheerful and helpful and everyone liked her.

One day the younger, pleasant daughter was at a fountain drawing water, when an old woman asked her for a drink. She readily gave the woman a drink. "You are truly kind and helpful, dear," the woman told the young girl, "so I have a gift to bestow on you. Whenever you speak, a rose or a jewel shall fall from your lips." Sure enough when she returned home and spoke to her mother, "two roses and a few pearls and diamonds fell from her lips."

Her mother was truly amazed, so she sent her older, unpleasant daughter to the fountain hoping she would also receive this gift. The older daughter set out with their finest silver pitcher. She grumbled and muttered to herself as she left the house. She also found the old woman at the fountain and offered her a drink, "Drink out of it if you care to," said the older sister matter‑of‑factly, "but don't expect me to help you."

"You have behaved, as usual, with great rudeness," said the old woman. She cast a spell on the older daughter, "With every word you speak, a toad or snake shall come from your lips." When the unpleasant daughter returned home and spoke to her mother, "a toad and two snakes dropped from her lips to the ground."

A prince found the younger, pleasant daughter in the forest and immediately fell in love with her. A huge wedding soon followed and, of course, they lived happily ever after. The older, unpleasant daughter grew even more cross and unpleasant than before. Her mother could no longer stand to be around her, and told her to leave the house. From house to house she went only to find the same result. "As she would not mend her ways and kept on being rude and cross‑tempered, no one wished her to live with them." (1)

Have you ever known people like that? Whenever they speak "a toad and two snakes" drop from their lips? Don't mention any names. Actually it would be helpful if whatever was in person's heart was revealed in a visible way in their speech. Then when nice sincere people speak flowers and diamonds would fall from their mouths. And when someone insincere speaks toads and snakes would fill the air. If only we had some way to tell the sincere from the insincere, then we wouldn't be fooled. We wouldn't have to be knee‑deep in toads before we found some people out.

Particularly is this a problem when it comes to religion. There are people who impress us with their sincerity. They know all the pious phrases. They give every appearance of being followers of Christ. But toads and snakes are in their hearts. Jesus warned his followers about such people. And he gave them some guidelines for judging the sincerity of people's faith.

FIRST OF ALL, DO THEY PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACH?

That is always the first test. Many of the religious authorities of Jesus' day were excellent teachers. Unfortunately, they did not live up to their own teaching. Can that happen? Of course it can, and it does.

A man, returning from a business trip, was met at the airport gate by his wife. They walked from the gate together and were standing waiting for the baggage to be unloaded. An extremely attractive stewardess walked by. Suddenly, the man came to life. Beaming, he said to the stewardess, "I hope we can fly together again, Miss Jones."

"How come you know her name?" his wife asked suspiciously.

The man replied smoothly, "You see, my dear, her name was posted right up front in the plane, under the names of the pilot and co‑pilot."

To which the wife replied, "Okay, now give me the names of the pilot and copilot." The man's hypocrisy was uncovered.

Jesus spent much of his time uncovering the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of his day. He told his followers, "Do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice as they teach."

It's important to note that not all the religious leaders were insincere. Many of them were the best people who ever lived. But others had given in to the temptations of power and privilege just as many people do today.

Billy Graham tells of meeting a well‑known attorney on an airplane one day as he was flying to a speaking engagement. Dr. Graham observed that the man was drinking everything the stewardess would bring him in order to drown his pain. But it wasn't working. A conversation began. The man told Graham that he was a church member in good standing. He acknowledged, however, that he needed "to clean up his act." Deep in his heart he knew right from wrong and realized that he had to change his life. He said, "I would really like to serve God." Billy counseled with him about his need for salvation.

A few months later Dr. Graham received word that the man he had spoken with went back to his home church and asked if he could say a few words on a Sunday evening. The man admitted to the whole church what a hypocrite he had been. Then as he looked out over the congregation he said, "A lot of you are the same kind of hypocrite I've been. I've cleaned up my act and made my peace with God." Recently he has been giving his testimony in other churches. (2)

Our lives should reflect what we teach. If our lives don't reflect what we teach then it's time to clean up our act and make peace with God. Jesus warned his followers not to be taken in by the religious officials whose lives did not reflect what they were teaching.

Here's the second test.

DO THEY EXPECT OTHERS TO MEASURE UP TO A STANDARD THAT THEY DO NOT KEEP THEMSELVES?

The scribes and Pharisees toward whom Jesus' criticisms were directed had thousands upon thousands of rules and regulations. How they loved to debate the fine points of the law for hours on end. What started off as Ten Commandments became thousands and thousands of laws. These laws were too much for the average person. In fact they had become an intolerable burden. Meanwhile these same religious figures were failing to keep the second great commandment ‑ to love their neighbor as they loved themselves.

A young man from South Africa approached a minister who had just completed a lecture at a university seminar. The young man introduced himself by saying, "I am from South Africa, and I would like to ask you what for me is a very important question."

The young man told the speaker of his experiences in South Africa. "I have lived in a land where my family and I have been persecuted, starved and tortured," he said. "My people have been oppressed for many years. We have seen times when we didn't know if other family members were alive or dead. Poverty was for us a way of life. Children died for lack of food. I was imprisoned for no apparent reason and tortured. Later I escaped, and with the help of several courageous people, I came here to America. My question is this. Please understand that I am not asking it to put you down, but to discover the answer. How can you, a rich Christian from America who has never experienced any of these things, say to me, a man from South Africa, `Jesus loves you?'"

The minister thought for a moment before he responded. "You are, of course, right," he told the young man. "I have never lived in any land where I have been persecuted. I have always had food to eat. I don't honestly know by experience the meaning of hunger. My family has never been tortured or murdered. I don't honestly know how I would respond if they were." Then he answered the man's question, "I have experienced the love and intervention of Jesus Christ in my life. I share with you what God has done for me. And I hope, I pray, that even though the words may sound hollow, that when you hear me say, `Jesus loves you' that you also see that Jesus loves you through my actions and my faith." (3)

The words of the speaker would have been hollow if he could not have shown this student the love of Jesus in his own life. Sad but true, there are people who profess to be Christians who literally hate anyone who does not live or look exactly as they do. Some day they will be in for a surprise. That is the second test. Do they expect others to measure up to a standard that they do not keep themselves?

This brings us to the final test.

IS THEIR FAITH CENTERED IN SUCCESS OR SERVICE?

Concerning these religious mis‑leaders Jesus said, "They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have people call them rabbi." It was the practice of pious Jews to wear headbands with scripture verses written on them. The officials Jesus was talking about, however, had extra large headbands with long tassels so that no matter where they went people would recognize them. Like many people today both inside and outside the church, they were more interested in success than service. 

James Moore was invited to participate in a "Career Day on Campus" at one of the colleges in the Southwest. He was asked to be part of a panel discussion. Panelists were to discuss, "How Faith Influences Your Choice of a Career." First, panelists were asked to introduce themselves and mention their particular vocations. It was all rather routine. One woman gave her name and said, "I'm an attorney." A man gave his name and said, "I'm in business. I own a computer company." A woman gave her name and said, "I'm in real estate." When it was Dr. Moore's turn he said, "I'm a minister." The person seated next to him was a doctor. The doctor's statement changed that mundane situation into a special and sacred moment.

The doctor addressed the students, "We are here today to talk about vocation." He told them that the word vocation actually meant "calling." "Well," the doctor told them, "my calling is to be a Christian...and one of the ways to do that is through the practice of medicine." James Moore reflected afterwards, "That doctor wasn't being pompous or arrogant. He was a humble man who had a strong sense of partnership with God." (4) His life was a success, but his first priority was service. Jesus said, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted."

How do you tell sincere faith? Do they practice what they preach? Do they expect others to measure up to a standard that they do not keep themselves? Is their faith centered in success or service? It is a good test for anyone we might be tempted to follow. Even more important, it is a good test for each of us.

_____________________________________

1. "Diamonds and Toads," Adapted by Tracy West, STORY TELLER, Young Folks Library, (Kingsport, TN: Kingsport Press, 1958), pp. 22‑26.

2. Billy Graham, STORM WARNING (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1992), p. 101.

3. Eugene Grimm, GENEROUS PEOPLE (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992), pp. 52‑54.

4. James W. Moore, YES, LORD I HAVE SINNED (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991), p. 92.