(Don’t) Make one room as beautiful as it possibly could be
Matthew 6: 24-34
(Slide 1 – Jesus Teaches) What is this passage all about? Most people would say that it is about worry. Jesus advises us to manage our stress and worries. Other, more observant people would say that we need to understand this part of the Sermon on the Mount by keeping in mind that Jesus speaks about three relevant subjects in the Sermon on the Mount namely: Sex, Power and Money. This section, as the part just before it shows, is the part where He speaks about money. So, they would tell us, this scripture is actually about provision.
While none of these answers miss the mark completely – they are all around the target – I think there is a better answer as to what the unifying theme of this passage is. I think Jesus is all about beauty, here. And yes, He ties the theme to worry and to money. Which is interesting.
This is also not the only place in the Bible where beauty is spoken about. The book of Esther tells how the beauty of a woman made a king change his ways and how it saved a people. The story of Rachel and Leah tells us about how beauty is not just something found on the outside. One’s spirit and heart can also be beautiful and is indeed a beauty that is more precious and long lasting. In Song of Songs a man and a woman recite erotic poems about the beauty of the human body. Psalms sing about the beauty of nature, with Psalm 8 perhaps the most well-known example.
Here in these verses, Jesus tells us about beauty and how we should relate to it in a way that frees us from excessive worry. But before we see what Jesus tells us, let’s explore what beauty is.
(Slide 2 – Whyte Quote) The philosopher David Whyte gives the following definition of beauty. He says:
The harvest of presence, the evanescent moment of seeing or hearing on the outside what already lives far inside us; the eyes, the ears or the imagination suddenly become a bridge between the here and the there, between then and now, between the inside and the outside; beauty is the conversation between what we think is happening outside in the world and what is just about to occur far inside us.
What he describes is this feeling of connection when you encounter beauty. It makes you discover the beauty of your own existence when you do. And the people who usually see this first are the artists.
(Slide 3 – Artists) Artists are people that see beauty and the potential for beauty before everyone else does. A typical artist story goes like this… They are poor. They have nothing to invest but themselves in the potential for beauty that they see. Passion drives them. They break through. Because of that breakthrough it opens up other eyes for the beauty and also new ways they can add to it. The artist who began everything is often not acknowledged during his or lifetime. Some don’t mind because to them the real reward is the process of breaking open a new path for the beauty to touch hearts and inspire change. Artists are people that sacrifice, that become bridges on which hearts and beauty can encounter one another. Artists are beauty detectives and beauty enhancers.
(Slide 4 – Van Gogh) I had the privilege of attending the Van Gogh exhibition In Vancouver. Vincent van Gogh’s whole life is a case in point. He used colours and techniques that broke with the norms of his time because he saw the potential of these techniques to show the beauty of the objects he painted in a fresh way. Because of this, he sold but one painting during his lifetime. He was dependant on the charity and good will of his brother Theo and he was tormented by mental illness. But today he is one of the most revered artists ever. At this exhibition they project his beautiful paintings all across large walls and floors. As I stood there mesmerized by the beauty of it all with my daughter, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the sacrifice Vincent made and the persistence by which he made it. I would have been much poorer without his paintings of reality. He was poor so that we could be rich. Artists are beautiful people because they see the potential for beauty in their world. Doing that, inevitably, makes you a beautiful person.
Now when you hear artist, you think of somebody that can draw or paint or write a poem. But if we define an artist as a beauty detective and someone that sacrifices to enhance beauty, we have to admit than you can be an artist no matter what your craft is. And I think in this passage Jesus nudges us to approach life as artists would do. How do we do that? How do we become beautiful people?
(Slide 5 – Symmetry) We become beautiful when we seek out beauty and work for symmetry
Bear with me for one more David Whyte quote. He says:
(Slide 6 – Whyte Quote) “Beauty is almost always found in symmetries: the symmetries seen out in creation, the wings of the moth, the airy sky and the solid earth, the restful, focused eyes of a loving face in which we see our own self reflected: the symmetry also, therefore, of bringing together inner and outer recognitions, the far horizon of otherness seen in that face joined to the deep inner horizon of our own being. Beauty is an inner and an outer complexion living in one face”.[SN1]
What Jesus seeks to do in this sermon, is to balance us. He suggests there should be a symmetry in intensity between our effort and our play. Between our labour and our rest. Both should be carried by a deep trust and gratitude. A trust that God makes possible. To work and to rest. And realize gratitude for that. Beautiful people are people that can be as serious about play as they are about work. It is interesting that Jesus gives people overwhelmed by the responsibilities and tasks another task…to look and reflect on the birds in the air and the grass of the field. Some commentaries say that as Jesus was saying these words, there was literally lilies around them and birds in the air. Jesus literally interrupted his sermon to point to the beauty around them that echo his words. Lilies and birds by the way are symmetrical objects. And just as we are urged to work hard so Jesus ask us to rest in God’s provision, so that we too can become balanced symmetrical beings – not one-sided overstressed ones.
(Slide 7 – Beauty in care) We see beauty and become beautiful when we realize we are loved and cared for
This is hardly new. You must have experienced something like the following. You meet a person, and you are kind of neutral about that person. But then you learn that this person is a friend’s child or a friend’s spouse or that you have a mutual friend. Then, you find yourself warming up to that person instantaneously. Why? Because when we see a person as someone cared for by someone we admire or like, we are better able to see their beauty. It is like they become beautiful to us when we see them as loved and cared for by others.
When we realize that God cares for nature, nature suddenly seems less like a threat and something we must save. It seems more like a friend that is good to us and in whose well-being we want to gladly partake. When we realize we are not only part of creation, but to God, a crown on it, we relax and trust that God cares for us. It is not just up to us. When we look at our fellow man and see a person God cares for, it comes naturally to engage caringly and lovingly and kindly with that person.
What makes us realize that we, and others, are cared for? Slowing down and paying attention. Beauty is the harvest of presence, of not chasing after the next big thing.
(Slide 8 – a Good King) We see beauty and we become beautiful when we are being ruled over by a good King
This may sound strange. Where hyper individualism is rampant, as is the case in our culture, the idea of a kingdom with a king ruling over us, does not appeal to us at all. It is “selfdom” we strive for, not a kingdom (unless we can get to be the king). But let me tell you of the experience I had coming to Canada. In South Africa, when I left, there wasn’t a good ruler or government. They were corrupt and incompetent. Everywhere I looked I saw the ugly consequences of it. It weighed me down and it stole my joy. Now I know, it’s not like Canada has a perfect ruler or government. But boy, it’s a lot better than South Africa’s. And after a few weeks I noticed something. I started to see beauty everywhere I went. In nature, in people…even in myself. I became more relaxed, kind and gracious.
It is not like there is less beauty in South Africa than in Canada. South Africa has beauty in in nature. It has beauty in in people. Definitely. But leadership matters. When rulers are bad, it blinds us to beauty and limits our ability to see it. I am a bit disappointed in myself saying all this. Because Jesus spoke of a Kingdom of God. It doesn’t work with borders and passports. It is accessible to all wherever they live. If God reigns over you, you will find beauty and joy in Sudan and in the slums of India. Indeed, some of the most inspiring and beautiful people we know did just that! May God reign in our hearts to such an extent that we are able to see beauty in the most dire of circumstances.
Jesus says wherever you are, whether you are under a good or a bad government, seek ye first where and how God reigns. It makes you beautiful.
(Slide 8 – Beauty) Speaking of this, some of you responded to my question of what you find beautiful and here is what you came up with. (I have decided to rather do this live via an open mike system on Zoom)
Close
Jordan Peterson’s eight rule in Beyond Order says we should make at least one room in our house as beautiful as we possibly can. A room in your house might indeed be a great place to start. But I think wherever we go there is an invitation to see and enhance and give birth to beauty. I think Jesus calls us all to, in this way, be artists.
Amen