No one wants to look stupid. People don’t tend to believe things in the hope that they will get laughed at. People would pretty much mock you if you depend on “Uncle Rico” for dating tips.
That’s what Chinese call “losing face.” Why? “Face” is about placing value in something or someone. Previously, we saw that Jesus explains faith in terms of face. By seeing faith in light of “face,” we are reminded that faith is public, not private.
No one gives or gets face in private or just in their heart.
It is possible to make much of Scripture and make little of God. This is the essence of superficial Christianity.Consider John 5:39, 44–47,
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. . . . How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Faith means that we think God is worthy of all praise, being completely trustworthy and faithful to his word. God will do what he has promised. Does our public life show that God is infinitely valuable? Do our actions give God face?
What is actually happening in the hearts of Jesus’ critics? They used the Bible as a way of getting face. In the culture of ancient Israel, it was honorable to be a teacher of the Bible. Over time, “faith” can devolve into a mere ritual or traditions. We have “faith” because it keeps us in good standing with our peer group.
Today, this could be a person’s church. Perhaps, someone has spent a long time in a Christian setting and they know all the rules of the subculture. Do not profess faith and do certain activities would mean exclusion.
It’s pretty easy for us to settle for face and forget about faith.
Questions––
1. What are some other ways we seek our face in the name of our faith?
2. Might the opposite of faith be “people-pleasing”?
3. How do we use things like Facebook, Twitter, and other social media since they inherently try to get people to “like us” and listen to what WE have to say? It seems there is a thin and dangerous line here that we have to walk.
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