The Three B’s –

Believe, Behave, Become

(We receive new members on Sunday, December 3rd. If you wish to join email Pastor Larry at pastorsexe@gmail.com or call 608-764-5566 to arrange times to meet. This article continues his series on membership basics.)

There’s an old saying that goes, there are three kinds of people in this world: those who watch things happen, those who make things happen and those who say, "Hey, what just happened?" Which one are you?

In our gospel a few weeks ago Jesus faces a question from religious leaders: "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus answers, I have a question for you and if you answer my question, I’ll answer yours: "Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" The leaders begin to run through the possibilities: If they say it came from heaven, Jesus will say, "Then why didn’t you believe him?" If they say it was only human, they will lose the crowd, all of whom believe John to be a great prophet sent from God. Taking the safe approach, being "clever”, the leaders simply say, "We do not know." Jesus responds, "Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things." Their cleverness not only fails to fool Jesus, it fails to get them an answer.

The religious leaders in this story might be compared to the trickster figure in Native American religion. Often seen as a coyote, the trickster is a creature who prides himself on being clever; one who can morph into various forms depending on what is demanded by the circumstances. The religious leaders take the role of coyote; attempting to be clever, to trick, to be vague enough to please everyone.

The futility of living life as a charlatan or chameleon is a theme we see early on in Jesus’ ministry. In the Sermon on the Mount, he warned: "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them…whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do…so that they may be praised by others…And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray…so that they may be seen by others" (Mt 6:1-2, 5).

It would be easy to use this passage to attack others and expose their hypocrisy. Perhaps a more honest approach is to try and see ourselves in these leaders, as we have all played the role of trickster. Most of us at some point have adapted our outward appearance to suit the circumstances. Whether it’s work or home, we sometimes selectively share only parts of ourselves in order to please others; we turn from our own truth in order to please the larger crowd. Like the clever politician, we speak out of both (Continued next page) sides of our mouth in an attempt to gain some clever advantage over others. Sadly, there are times that we play the trickster with God as well. We check parts of ourselves at the door before we come to worship just like we check our coats. We bring only the "appropriate" sides of ourselves to the altar; the shiny, scrubbed parts. Our shadowy selves, our brokenness we hide away in shame.

How long can we keep up this façade? What will we ultimately gain by trying to fool others? Living a lie is an exhausting exercise. Whether it’s the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, the coyote figure or even a fast-talking politician, this passage reminds us of the importance of honest words reflective of our real beliefs. Jesus’ continues with a parable. He tells about a father who asks his two sons to go work in the vineyard. One refuses, but in the end, goes to work; the other says he’ll go, but then in the end does not. "Who did their father’s will?" Jesus asks. "The first," the religious leaders respond. Jesus then hammers home the point: "John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him…and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him."

A corporate consultant turned minister talks about “The Three B’s: Believe, Behave, Become." The idea she’s getting across with these three Bs is what we believe in our heart drives our behavior, and our behavior drives what we become.

Jesus’ story seems to offer a similar message. "John came to you, and you did not believe…even after you saw it, you did not change." In short, it’s not enough to just hear the word and "say" you believe, you have to live the belief, you have to allow what you believe to change you! (Ask God to help you with this!)

A word of warning: we must choose our beliefs carefully. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "A person will worship something, have no doubt about that… That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming."

We are all offered the Word, yet some of us still turn away and refuse to change. In order to "make things happen," we must first find something to believe in. This passage in the book of Matthew invites us to base that belief on the Word of God; to hear it, believe it and then act on it.

Pastor Larry