Our friend Alexandra, from when I was in fifth grade at the American School in El Salvador, had this toy on her bedroom shelf as I recall. Although her monkeys were not metallic as in this example, there were three monkey dolls representing the "Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil." At first glance this might seem to be a pithy-sounding proverb. It sounds sort of good. I mean, how fortunate that some people's lives afford them no opportunity to see or hear evil any time in the future, nor can they speak of any evil as obviously they have not seen or heard of anything. Perhaps they live in isolation tanks. I don't know. However, I tend to think this is not a Christian code for living. I tend to think of this Oriental saying rather as a code of conduct for thieves and liars and the devil's accomplices. Don't tell, Look the other other way, that sort of clever and evasive techniquey wisdom.
However, when Jesus says to not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, he is talking about doing good and giving to the poor. When you are giving to the poor, do not stand on the street corner and trumpet your good deeds to everyone within earshot because if men's applause is all that you want, men's applause is all that you will get.
We are not doing good deeds for the approval of men. God sees in secret and rewards in secret.
I guess this means that just because some idiot upstairs is hammering me because I do not qualify for Pharisee status, that does not mean that I have cause to fear. God hears prayer, God sees all, God rewards. And are you God? No, obviously not. My Dad has that book about Pharisees, but there is a sort of tongue in cheeky aspect of that.
Anyway, I don't see how some dimwitted Episcopalian need explain this minor point to me. I might even have read the Bible more times than yappy Susan ever did. I mean, who knows? Don't be so sure you know better than I do. Blah blah blah.
