Who was that masked man?

Hidden in Christ with God

GREG NICHOLS

“Re turn w it h us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear— out of the past come the thundering hoof beats of the great white horse, Silver, its masked rider, and his faithful Indian companion, Tonto—a cloud of dust, a hearty ‘Hi-ho, Silver!’ The Lone Ranger rides again!”

Those who remember The Lone Ranger recall that each episode had John Hart performing a deed of kindness or heroism and then exiting before he could be thanked or rewarded. The beneficiary of his heroism would always ask the same question of someone standing by: “Who was that masked man?” The Lone Ranger was the anonymous do-gooder.

World history is steeped in the mystery of the anonymous: Who invented wheel? What human first harnessed fire? Who lies in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier?

So many of hymnody’s writers were anonymous: Those who composed the words of Come, Thou Almighty King; Fairest Lord Jesus; Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee and Adeste Fidelis are unknowns. Many who served the cause of Christ were without name: the lad who shared his lunch and helped feed 5000, “the seventy” whom Jesus commissioned, the host who opened the upper portion of their home for the Last Supper. We don’t know the name of the Ephesian town clerk who saved Paul.

It is true Christ taught, “Let your light shine...” This is the Christian witness to our servanthood to humanity in the name of Jesus. Yet there is also a servanthood to God alone. There are Christ-like examples to be set, and Christian deeds to be done which, if they are to be genuine, must have no other motive than to be pleasing in God’s sight. Jesus, teaching on acts of charity, said, “Beware of practicing your piety before men. When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”

I believe there would be far more good deeds done on our earth if no one cared who got the credit. Anonymous good deeds attest to the fact that acts of charity are of value simply because they are acts of charity.

In 1937, Louis Brownlow, in a White House document entitled Administrative Management in the Government of the United States, advised, “(The President’s aides) should be possessed of high competence, great physical vigor, and a passion for anonymity.”

Honor and esteem are short-lived to say the least, but good deeds outlive the doer. The writers of the Psalms, the Gospels and many of the New Testament letters were anonymous: all “planting trees under which only others would sit.”

Matthew records Jesus’ words: “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 (to be) praised by others.” The words are set in the social context of wealthy worshipers nodding to a temple trumpeter who would sound a loud blast as the worshiper deposited a large sum into the temple treasury. And so Paul would remind the Colossians, “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men”.

You will find these words in the Book of Ecclesiastes: “For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every secret thing.” My friend, the secret things include deeds of goodness. And so Jesus would agree: “When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms (which includes good deeds) may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Now, put on that mask and get out there.