Billy Crystal as Fernando Lamas entered the cultural zeitgeist with his famous: "It is better to look good than feel good. And darling, you look marvelous." Which gets me wondering: does God care more about how you FEEL about what you do, or just about what you do?
Jesus tells the parable of the two sons whose father asks them to work. One says he will (doubtless cheerfully), but he does not. The other says he will not (perhaps with a so-called spirit of rebellion), but he repents and then does the work. Which son obeyed his father? Well, the second one did. So, in this story, the actions spoke louder to the father (and to the audience) than the words did.
At the end of the age, when the LORD separates sheep from goats, what is the standard? By what set of criteria will the goats be consigned to outer darkness, and the sheep welcomed into reward? The Messiah seems to separate them by criteria of actions.
This is, of course, a very Jewish way of thinking, as opposed to a more Greek construct. Abstract concepts like "love" and "faith" are expressed in concrete ways. Abraham had faith, we are told over and over again, and we know this not because of what he thought, but rather because of what he did. Jesus loves us, and we know this not because he tells us this (or writes us beautiful sonnets testifying to this truth). Rather we know this because of what He did: he died in our place, took on Himself the pain we deserved. He, in other words, demonstrated what he truly felt by what He did.
So, is it better to look good or to feel good? Put another way, is it better to act right or feel right?
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