What does it mean to be taken in by appearances over substance and how
can we avoid such a blunder? In a
dialogue with the Pharisees, Jesus points out how they are taken in by
appearances over substance when he says to them, “You belong to what is below;
I belong to what is above.” With this,
Jesus exposes their deliberate and stubborn spiritual blindness that prevents
them from seeing the truth about their conduct.
If not cured, their spiritual blindness will lead to death of soul. Jesus warns that, at some point, even he will
not be able to save them from the inevitable consequences of their
blindness. They will die in their sins
and remain beyond his reach (Jn 8:21-30).
To
his believers, however, Jesus gives hope and encouragement: "If you remain in my word, you will
truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free" (Jn 8:31-32). All of this
suggests that being taken in by appearances means choosing an apparent good
over a genuine good, and knowing the truth is the only remedy. Easy enough to say, but not quite clear as to
how we make the distinction in practice.
Aquinas held the view that the good as we perceive it appeals to all of
us. In fact, the perceived good is always and only the object of rational desire. He makes this claim based on the idea that reason is our guide as
to what is truly good as opposed to what only appears to be good. For Aquinas, the truly good is anything we
desire that does not bring harm in any sense either to ourselves or to anyone
else. Still, how much harm might be tolerated and when is a question worthy of consideration. Of course, the ultimate good in
itself is God, and thus our ultimate good is union with God.
In any case, being taken in by appearances over substance was a weakness
for the Pharisees as much as it is for us today. We see a physically attractive person, for
example, and all of a sudden, we see nothing else. Their appearance blinds us to the substance
of their character. We go so far as to
judge a person’s character in light of their appearance alone. Something similar happens to our good
judgment when we are taken in by the status and appearance of a certain neighborhood,
a kind of job or salary, a particular vacation, a fancy car, and all sorts of similar
things. Nor has our vulnerability in
this regard lessened despite the warning that Jesus gave so long ago. Being taken in by appearances is what Madison
Avenue thrives on, and the way in which Hollywood has built and sustains a
lavish empire. The challenge remains.
A clue as to how we might meet such a challenge is found in the Book of
Numbers. This reading is a story about
how the people realize that their complaining against God is a petty view of
the world. Their strategy has brought
them no good, and a plague of snakes to boot.
This plague motivates them to turn back to the way of God. But, notice that even though God accepts
their repentance, he does not remove the plague as they had asked, nor does he
prevent them from being bitten by the snakes.
Rather, God tells the people to look on the pole that Moses crafts when
they are bitten and they will live. In
other words, look to God for the true way of life, and that truth will set you
free, will heal you (Nm 21:4-9).
The lesson for us is clear. The
Lord does not abandon his people in their struggles and challenges. When we mess up, God will help us clean up
our act, and Jesus shows us the way and the truth. Throughout his life and mission, Jesus shows
us the way to the father with two basic commands—love God with your whole heart
and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.
The details of how we do that is left up to each of us. Each of us decides how to love our neighbor,
how to feed the hungry, how to clothe the naked, how to visit the sick and the imprisoned.
Justice is at the heart of these two
commands. We give our heart and soul to
God with praise and thanksgiving, and we give our love to others with care and
respect. This is what God wants and what
justice demands. This is how we express
faithfulness to God. This is how we can
avoid being taken in by appearances so as to live in true peace and in harmony
with one another, with our environment, and with ourselves. Jesus says to those who will listen, come
follow me and you will find rest. Follow
my way and you will find eternal life.
You will find substance over appearance.
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