Good find and an excellent point, Pamela.
Rose, I think you do understand, near perfectly in fact. The problem isn't with doing these “external” works, the problem is in the heart. More specifically, who or what rules the heart.
Jas 1:26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith)
and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person's religious service is worthless (futile, barren).
Jas 1:27 External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.
I said you understood “near” perfectly because you said we cannot determine the state of one's heart. However, I believe we can determine the state of another's heart. I believe that because as Jesus is, so are we (1Jn_4:17). I can judge another's heart, as long as I first judged myself in the same way. So I better be merciful to myself.
Mat 15:18
But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what makes a man unclean and defiles [him].
Mat 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts (reasonings and disputings and designs) such as murder, adultery, sexual vice, theft, false witnessing, slander, and irreverent speech.
Jesus did many wonderful outward works of healing people, forgiving people, feeding people, praying for people, being merciful and raising the dead. He could do this because His heart was clean from understanding that He could do nothing of His own self (Joh_5:30). Not only that, but Jesus didn't do these things to prove in the sight of all that He was righteous, like the many who do these things for that very reason. He did these things because He truly loves His neighbor, but who is His neighbor?
Eph 5:29 For no one ever hates his own flesh, but provides and cares for it [Look at the birds of the sky: they don't sow or reap or gather into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. — Mat_6:26], just as Christ does for the church,
Eph 5:30 since we are members of His body.
If His neighbors are members of His body, whom He is taking care of, who are the members of His body?
1Co 12:12 For as the body is one and
has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body--so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--
whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
1Co 12:14 So the body is not one part
but many.
Can you see how every one of the verses I cited must be spiritually discerned? When we spiritually discern Jesus' words, we can see that it is all one in meaning. His neighbors, the members of His body, and even the widows and orphans are one and the same.
Lam 5:2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.
Lam 5:3 We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are widows.
Here's another parable in the same vein as the previous parables.
Mat 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
Mat 25:36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me.'
Mat 25:37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?
Mat 25:38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You?
Mat 25:39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?'
Mat 25:40 "And the King will answer them, 'I assure you:
Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.
All these works of taking care of our neighbor can and should be done in the heart, and in the spirit. In this way, we are obeying and loving Jesus. I mean, what are the chances that we're going to see one another naked so that we can clothe each other? It is by Jesus' words that many are fed, clothed, healed and made alive, in the spirit. If we are as Jesus is, then it is also by our words that any are provided for.
1Co 1:21 …it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
We may not know with absolute certainty that any one of us might be one of the few chosen, but we can at the very least know that we are of the many called. Like Ray said, it's a very high calling, and one we should aspire to if we love Jesus. The table is being set, provisions have been made, the neighbors have been invited. Let's eat and drink the Lord's supper in a worthy way. Oh, and pass the salt!
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