Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ

 

 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'  But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Matthew 23:1–12 

 

On Saturday we read that the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were with us seven brothers.  The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.  Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?  For they all had her."  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.  But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

 

Today the lectionary takes us to chapter 23 of St. Matthew's Gospel, which gives us Jesus' final public sermon.  This is a grand critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees.  My study Bible names several themes in the entirely of the chapter.  These include, first:  The Jewish leaders have God-given authority and they teach God's Law, but personally they are ungodly and cold-hearted.  In these first verses, Jesus teaches says that their teaching is to be honored, but they are not to be imitated.  In the themes that follow, Jesus established as well that God is our true Father and Teacher.  My study Bible explains that a true teacher or father on earth is therefore one who leads people to God.  But the scribes and the Pharisees do the opposite.  They place themselves in God's position.  The rest of the chapter includes an eightfold indictment of the scribes and Pharisees.  He charges them with inverting the values of God by being mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and blindly self-righteous.  My study Bible adds that, while these charges were directed against the Jewish leaders of the day, every word applies equally to those in the Church who behave this way.  

 

 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do."   My study Bible notes that to sit in Moses' seat means to hold the succession of office down from Moses himself.  In the synagogue, it says, the teacher spoke while seated as a sign of this authority.  St. John Chrysostom, according to my study Bible, comments that the scribes were depraved in thought and in heart, but Jesus still upholds the dignity of their office.  This is because the words they speak are not their own words, but God's.  So likewise in the Church, the clergy are to be shown respect because they hold the apostolic office, even though they also are sinners.  Moreover, the sins of the clergy do not relieve the people from their responsibilities before God.  

 

"For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments."  My study Bible explains that phylacteries are small leather pouches which contain passages of Scripture.  They are worn on the arm or forehead.  This concept was to keep God's Law always in mind (see Exodus 13:9).  But the Pharisees had used them as a show of false piety, making the increasingly larger and more noticeable.  

 

"They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'  But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  My study Bible comments that Christ's warning against calling hypocrites father and teacher is not an absolute prohibition against using these terms, as some teach.  These terms are in fact applied to men many times in the New Testament, all of which usages are inspired by God.  "Teacher" is used in John 3:10; Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; and 2 Timothy 1:11.  "Father" is used in Luke 16:24; 1 Corinthians 4:15; and Colossians 3:21.  My study Bible adds that, since the very early days of the Church, bishops and presbyters have been called "father" not because they take God's place, but because in their fatherly care for their flocks, they lead people to God, and they exercise fatherly authority within the community. 

 

Today's reading and the commentary from my study Bible call us to think about what it is that makes a true father or a true teacher.  Is it someone who leads us astray out of use of his (or her, in the case of a female teacher or parent) authority?   Once again, we're called to consider what true authority means, and particularly in the context of the Church, and in serving God.  When we consider what it means to lead people to God, as my study Bible defines a correct father or teacher, we can understand that all authority, if it is to be proper, must point toward that which is good, true, and beautiful.  The ultimate Source of all of these is God, and the spiritual reality of the Kingdom is that reality in which these things originate.  We also know that God's nature is love.  In perfect harmony with Jesus' teaching about the greatest commandments in yesterday's reading (see above), St. John writes, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8).  So, if God is love, if Christ Incarnate is the embodiment of God the Father for us (John 14:9), then a true "father" or "teacher" must also convey love as part of leading us to God.  When the disciples began to dispute regarding who would be greatest in Christ's Kingdom, He began to teach them about the proper use of authority in His Church.  As if to emphasize this very point about being proper teachers and fathers in His Church, His very first act, in teaching on this subject of greatness or authority, was to bring a little child in front of the disciples.  He told them, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me"  (Matthew 18:3-5).  His next teaching was a dire warning against abuses in such positions:  "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!" (Matthew 18:6-7).  What followed these words was a dramatic warning about cutting off impulses that lead to harm or abuse, with the threat of hell fire as consequence of failure to do so, comparing this need to the amputation of a diseased foot, hand, or eye in order to save the whole body (see Matthew 18:8-9).  So, in training these men to be proper "fathers" and "teachers" in His Church, Christ has set down for us what it means to carry such authority and act this part.  He has also defined the most extreme circumstances should one not only fail to do this job, but to do so with abuse of authority in such a position.  So, therefore, in reading Christ's words in today's reading regarding the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the scribes, we are to understand the true power of authority.  In our Church, for example, as my study Bible notes, we are read the Gospel, the words of Christ, the inspired Scripture of the Evangelists.  These words come from God and they are authoritative and true.  So, regardless of the personal failings on the part of the priest or presbyter or any authority in the Church, nonetheless the office holds true in this teaching.  But to fail to uphold this ultimate office of leading people to God in some other way -- say by causing abuse, harm, or offense to those in their charge -- is to become like the greedy Pharisees and scribes, exploiting their positions for personal gain, and harming the flock whom they are to care for and steward to God.  One may daresay that the same applies to parents or other authority figures who do the same, who teach evil of any kind, leading to harm and exploitation, and real damage to the "little ones" in their care and under their stewardship.  So we are all invited to consider the roles we play in the lives of our families or all those with whom we share relationship in community of all kinds, but particularly, of course, in the context of our faith.  Do we seek to teach by living lives seeking God's way as a model for others who learn from us?  Do we seek to know God's love, and live it in communion with others?  How do we find proper authority?  Moreover, how do we discern what is improper, exploitative, and harmful?  Or even greater importance, are there ways in which our own behaviors or even teachings effectively draw people away from God, or separate the impressionable and vulnerable from the path to God and leading them astray to be lost?  So when we consider Christ's criticisms of these religious leaders (especially regarding their hypocrisy) let us take seriously our own roles in the salvation plan of Christ.  In other words, no matter who we are, as Christ's followers, we have our own role to play in being mentors, parents, elders, teachers, and it does truly depend upon taking His words to heart.  Let us remember that He has said repeatedly that He came to save the lost, and He wants to lose none of those who are given to Him (see, for example, John 6:39, "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day").  Let us play our part in the light of what we understand proper authority to be, according to His teachings, and share with Him the goal of saving that which is lost, and losing none.  All of it calls for the humility to serve God in any role we play, and to help to lead others there.  For we all have our own part to play, to help to lead in one direction or another.

 

 

 

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets

 

 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were with us seven brothers.  The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.  Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?  For they all had her."  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. 

 

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

 

- Matthew 22:23-40 

 

In our present readings, the setting is Holy Week.  Jesus has entered the Holy City in His Triumphal Entry, He has cleansed the temple, and He has been challenged by the religious leaders, with whom He continues in debate.  Yesterday we read that, after He told the parable of the Wedding Feast against them, the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

 

 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were with us seven brothers.  The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.  Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?  For they all had her."  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.  The Sadducees were a class among the ruling Council composed of those with inherited positions, and formed a type of aristocratic landowning class in and around Jerusalem.  In contrast to the Pharisees, they held only the Pentateuch or Torah as their Scriptures (the first five books of the Holy Bible), and they did not believe in the resurrection or the existence of angels.  So they ask Christ a question which mocks the resurrection with a scenario depicting the continuation of earthly life.  But Jesus here confirms that there will be a resurrection, but these men fail to understand the life of the resurrection.  He tells them, "You are mistaken" for they do not understand, "not knowing the Scriptures and the power of God."  My study Bible explains that the Scriptures reveal a complete transfiguration of life in the resurrection, which makes such earthly questions irrelevant.  Moreover, they fail to understand how Abraham and his sons can be alive in God even if they are physically dead.  It is the clear teaching of Christ, my study Bible notes, that the souls of the faithful who have departed this life are sustained before the face of God in anticipation of the final joy of the resurrection.

 

 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher. which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  My study Bible teaches us that the Pharisees had found 613 commandments in the Scriptures, and they debated constantly about which one was central.  So this question to Jesus is very pertinent to their practices and ways of thinking.  Jesus declares the first and second commandments here, meaning not simply a kind of order in which commandments were given, but rather a ranking in terms of the centrality and power of the commandments themselves and our lives as those who seek to live a life pleasing to God.  These two commandments constitute the grand summary of the Law, and the Prophets as well, as Jesus comments.  The first is the foundation of all, the second is essential.  Although this lawyer (that is, an expert in the law) came with malice to test the Lord, my study Bible says, we know from St. Mark's account that this man is converted by Christ's answer, responding, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Jesus then replied to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." See Mark 12:28-34.

 

 In yesterday's reading and commentary, we expanded on our understanding of Christ as Sovereign, and the Cross as His sign of victory, a "flag," if you will, planted in this world through His Passion, declaring His Kingship as Messiah or Christ.  If we consider the whole of the Incarnation and what it means that He is Deliverer and Savior, we must come to understand the claims of spiritual victory over that which opposes God and seeks to prevent the salvation of the world.  So, in that light, let us examine a little more closely Jesus' ranking of the commandments in answer to the question, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"   The great central question of debate around Jesus has been the question of His authority.  He teaches and speaks with authority, "and not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:29).  So, from the first, He has distinguished Himself in this sense.  The multitudes, the people, have clearly responded to Christ's ministry and gospel message, as evidenced in the Triumphal Entry.  Moreover, the desire of the religious leaders to seize Him has been thwarted by their fear of the people, who believe Him to be a prophet (Matthew 21:46).  Jesus has no "earthly" position in the temple; He is not a Levitical priest, and yet He acts with authority to cleanse the temple.  And clearly, in His dialogue and disagreements with the religious leaders, He speaks as One with authority to them, even in judgment of them.  This will be truly evident in the following chapter.  So we have to ask ourselves in this context, "What does sovereignty mean?  What is Jesus' authority truly like? How does it show itself?"  This question in today's reading, posed by the lawyer, touches on the authority and weight of commandments.  Jesus' answer sets down that which is not simply an opinion of a good Teacher, but One who speaks with the authority as Author and Giver of the Law, the Word (or Logos; see John 1:1).  In giving us the true weight or value of the commandments, ranking one as the greatest, and the other as essential to the first and greatest, Jesus sets out the rule of His sovereignty, of His authority and claim in our world.  So we are to take His words for ourselves.  As Christians and followers of Christ, we might wonder at just what this sovereignty means.  His words are authoritative, so why does the world not follow them?  Moreover, we may look around ourselves and see His words regarding true righteousness as constantly violated or disobeyed.  How does this happen under Christ if He is sovereign Lord in our world?  This is an important question, because what it asks us to do is to define what sovereignty is and does.  Does Christ's sovereignty indicate the difference between a dictator and a benevolent king?  Does sovereignty mean harsh rule?  Or does it indicate a righteousness that also allows for freedom -- even for God's own creatures?  Certainly we understand that God's creatures are made with wills of their own, including the angels (and those who have rebelled against Christ's sovereignty).  So this is the first thing we need to consider.  We know that there will come a time of fullness of this age, when Christ will judge.  But until that time, we understand God as righteous, full of mercy, giving time and room for repentance, and respecting the free will God has given to God's creatures.  We might not have the full picture of how and why salvation works, and the grand fullness of all of creation and where we are headed, but we can understand the righteousness of God from what we know, and especially from the teachings and ministry of Jesus Christ (John 14:9).  In St. Luke's 18th chapter, Jesus teaches to His disciples the parable of the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8), giving an example of a kind of ruler or sovereign (one with authority) who is not righteous, who cares nothing for righteousness and mercy.  But even the unjust judge will tire of hearing requests for a fair hearing and verdict, and so will respond to such pleas as are in our prayers.  When He completes the parable, Jesus says, "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily."  But He finishes with this wistful-seeming question, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  So we must take from this question an important understanding of our Lord's sovereignty, how it works and what it is, and -- perhaps more pertinently -- how God rules.  God has created us with independent wills and a certain level of freedom.  More relevant to the question, what does this say about our capacity for faith and loyalty to God?  God's purposes are clearly served through endowing God's creation with freedom, so that each of us is free to choose -- or, perhaps more accurately, to find within  ourselves our capacity for faith and understanding, for the apprehension of the things of God.  Jesus -- and the prophets sent before His human life in this world -- repeatedly calls this power to apprehend and have faith "eyes to see and ears to hear."  He clearly articulates this in explaining the parable of the Sower (and His reason for teaching in parables) to the disciples in Matthew 13:10-17.  He refers to this as the capacity for knowing the mysteries of the Kingdom.  So, in our understanding of sovereignty, we must at the same time move from the concept of Christ's authority, such as His declaration of the two greatest commandments to us, to God's righteousness, the freedom with which He rules and creates.  He asks us to follow from love, not dictatorship.  And therein lies the difference in our understanding of authority and sovereignty.  For the flag of victory -- the Cross -- is also the flag of love and mercy ("Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" - John 15:13).   In God's righteousness is our deliverance and salvation.  Christ's authority is the authority of love of us all.  Are we capable of returning that love and loyalty and faith?  It is right and fitting, then, that the two greatest commandments named by our Sovereign are the commandments whose substance is love.

 

 

 

Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

 

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

 

- Matthew 22:15–22 

 

In our current readings it is Holy Week.  Jesus is in Jerusalem, and has made His Triumphal Entry, and cleansed the temple.  He has also been sparring with the religious leaders, who demand to know His authority.  Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 

  Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.  My study Bible tells us that this question on taxation ("Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?") is designed to trap Jesus.  A "yes" answer would turn the Jewish people against Him, while a "no" would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  Christ's answer defeats their cunning, and shows that a believer can give the state its due while serving God.  My study Bible explains that as the coin bears the image of the emperor and is properly paid to him, so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises only when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  Additionally, my study Bible notes that this distinction between tings that are Caesar's and things that are God's does not imply the division of a believer's life into the secular and the sacred.  God is Lord over all of life, including the secular.  We also fulfill government requirements that don't conflict with our first responsibility to God (Romans 13:1-7; contrast Acts 4:19; 5:29).  To pay taxes and similar civil duties are not detrimental to holiness.  

 

This question about paying taxes to Caesar is an interesting one, because it is framed as a question on what is lawful.   This notion of what is lawful could also extend to what is "moral" or "right" (that is, including the wisdom from the Torah and an understanding of God's desires and purposes), but nonetheless the emphasis is on what is permissible  or not in a legalistic sense.  So, there are two conflicting bodies of Law one might consider here on the basis of the question; there is the Law of the Torah and there is the Roman law.  Under Roman law, as explained by my study Bible, one could be accused of treason by the Romans for not paying taxes.  But in the temple, Roman coins were exchanged for Jewish coins, as the Roman coins bore the image of Caesar (who was worshiped as a god) and therefore were instances of violation of the first commandment, the worship of the God of Israel (see this reading covering the cleansing of the temple, and Christ's overturning the tables of the money changers).  We should remember also that these are Pharisees asking Him this question, together with the Herodians.  The Pharisees were experts in Scripture, who spent their time examining in detail what was written, and searching out and identifying commands therein.  They also upheld what was called the "tradition of the elders," a body of rabbinical judgments, oral laws, and interpretations developed during the Second Temple period.  So this word "lawful" contains all of these meanings, in particular for the Pharisees.  The Herodians were generally opponents of the Pharisees as they are the followers of Herod; that is, the ruling dynasty of Herod which rules for Rome.  So they in turn represent the Roman Law and have made their compromises with it.   Therefore both are present with this question.  But Jesus answers quite simply when He points out that there is no conflict here as to what is lawful.  For the image of Caesar on the coin is a statement of sovereignty.  What bore the emperor's stamp was the emperor's, a part of the empire.  But, as my study Bible points out, by the same way of thinking and understanding, human beings each bear the image of God, as we all are created in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).  Therefore what is sacred and what is worldly can overlap, the two existing at once in one place.  For, as my study Bible also points out, everything is under the jurisdiction of God, both in the spiritual realm and the earthly.  And therein we come to a very interesting conclusion, for only the One who stands before them, Jesus the Christ (or Messiah) contains in Himself all that unites these two realms in one Person.  He is fully God and fully human, and only He truly has the authority to answer such a question -- for it is His image whom all bear or choose to reject and spurn, and it is His authority within which all things exist and will find their fullness (see Colossians 1:17; Ephesians 1:10; Romans 8:28; 14:11).  Moreover, as St. Paul writes, Christ "is all and in all" (Colossians 3:11).  Just as Caesar has jurisdiction (and his imprint) over all that is the Roman Empire, and the Law and Prophets prevail in the temple and the practices of the Jewish people, so Christ is at once superseding all things at once in His authority, and it is this for which He has come into the world.  If we keep in mind the clear claim of Messiah or Christ, we are to understand that in the image of the Cross will come the symbol or declaration of such a victory in this world, for the God-man will shed His blood in sacrifice for all, and thus establish His own sovereignty over this world, and "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  The Cross remains the insignia of victory, and claim of sovereignty in our world, and as His followers we seek the way of the Cross (Matthew 16:24-26).  When we struggle with our own questions for discernment, let us remember who is Lord of all.  For there are things which are beneficial and things which are not (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23).  In His way of the Cross, we seek the One who has authority over all.

 

 

 

 

Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?

 

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 

- Matthew 22:1-14 

 

In our current readings, it is Holy Week, and Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He is teaching daily in the temple, and has begun His sparring with the criticisms and questions of the religious leaders.  He has entered into the Holy City in His Triumphal Entry, and cleansed the temple.  Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the religious leaders, "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. 

 

  And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come."  Jesus builds upon His preceding parables of the coming of the Kingdom, and the transfer of its stewardship from the faithless leaders who will seek to put Him to death, and to another people made up of faithful Jews and Gentiles.  This parable is set as a joyful wedding banquet (see Matthew 25:1-13), for, my study Bible says, Christ is often called the "Bridegroom" (Matthew 9:15; John 3:29).  St. Paul uses a marriage analogy for the Kingdom as well (Ephesians 5:21-33).  In this parable,  my study Bible explains, the repeated sending out of servants shows the Father's great desire to have His people with Him in the Kingdom.  This first group is interpreted to be Moses and those with him.  These groups call those initially invited -- the Jews.  The third group represents the apostles sent to the Gentiles; that is, those who were not initially invited, but are now called.  

 

"Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them."  My study Bible tells us that the oxen represent the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, while the fatted cattle represent the eucharistic bread of the New Covenant.  The word "fatted" in the Greek is better translated "wheat-fed," or even more literally meant as "formed of wheat").  So, both Old and New Covenants are fulfilled at the wedding of Christ and His Church.  This second group of servants is meant to be understood as the prophets who came after Moses.  These first two groups call those who were initially invited to the wedding feast of God and God's people -- the Jews.  

 

"But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes, here Christ is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70, and is thereby attributing this destruction to an act of God rather than simply to that of human beings.  Nonetheless, God showed God's patience and mercy by waiting some forty years from the time of Christ, which gave the entire generation a chance to repent.  

 

"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "  My study Bible informs us that the wedding garment would have been provided by the king, and so therefore this man had no excuse for not wearing one; therefore he is speechless.  His refusal to wear the garment that was provided illustrates those who refuse God's hospitality -- or who want God's Kingdom on their own terms.  My study Bible says that specifically, the garment refers to the baptismal garment, and by extension, a life of faith, repentance, virtue, and charity.  Without these, a person will ultimately be cast into outer darkness.

 

"For many are called, but few are chosen."  Once again, we recall that for many is an Aramaic expression which means "for all."  Jesus has used their same expression at Matthew 20:16, in the ending to His parable of the workers in the vineyard (see Matthew 20:1-16).  

 

 In today's parable of the wedding feast, it becomes all too easy to perhaps recognize things that are very common to us today.  We're always absorbed in our own business, in the business of life, the pursuits of ambition of one sort or another, our own self-interest and what we think we need to do.  We can recognize such reality in the actions of those in the parable Jesus specifies:  they made light of the great plans of the king of a wedding feast for his son, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. This sort of complacency might be something we're all familiar with.  Who cares about the things that haven't happened yet, or the things we might hear about that the King, Christ, teaches us about in a sense of a place and reality that is far away from us?  We're all busy with our own plans, and it can't be all that important if it doesn't seem to be something that touches our lives and what we're concerned with.  Moreover, those nagging messengers, calling us toward something we don't want to think about, and don't want to have to acknowledge or prepare for, are just the problem themselves.  Their message is, in some sense, annoying.  Or perhaps like the religious leaders described in our present Gospel, there are other things they care about which are being threatened by the message of the messengers.  A very brutal and simple solution is just to get rid of the messengers.  Then they won't bother us with their calling us back to other responsibilities we don't want to hear about.  This is also a common way to brush off what is inconvenient, or somehow threatening to our way of life, to who we think we are.  For, how do we prepare for this wedding feast after all?  Does it require of us some kind of sacrifice, or change of our own behavior on some terms?  If we were to put ourselves in the shoes of the king in this parable, would we not tire of those who do not love nor care for us, nor respect us, and go out and call others -- to find others more worthy of this wedding feast being offered?  The parable serves as a kind of warning in tandem to St. John the Baptist's warning to the Pharisees and Sadducees who began coming to his baptism after the multitudes of the people, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones" (see Matthew 3:7-12).  That God is able to raise up children to Abraham from the stones tells us a great deal of wisdom, that our complacency or lack of attention to the real value of our faith ignores God's infinite creative power.  We are loved by God, so much so that God sent His Son to die on the Cross in order to offer us salvation and welcome to God's Kingdom -- but to take that love for granted invites a different kind of outcome.  To disrespect and abuse it is something that has consequences; the same is true of our abuse of God's messengers, those who are willing to bear God's word.  So the call can always go out to others, even "to all," as is the generous word of Christ who died for all, and offered salvation to all.  But we still need that wedding garment; the respect for true value, for what we're offered in love and total mercy, still counts for something, for abuse of the reality of God is not worthy of that Kingdom.  To treat God with abuse is another way of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, spurning the message of the prophets, the Spirit sent as our Helper.  It is, effectively, a way to show we do not value the life we're offered.  If it was worth it to Christ, to God's salvation plan, to die of love for us all, then how can we prize that love and sacrifice cheaply?  Let us turn to the gift we're offered with gratitude.  In the end, Jesus says that "many are called, but few are chosen."  Let us endeavor to be among the chosen, and receive such a gift we're offered with proper gratitude, and cherish the wedding garment He offers us.

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder

 

 "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  

 

"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  

 

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD's doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?

"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. 

 

- Matthew 21:33–46 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the temple (the day after the cleansing of the temple), the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  so they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

 

 "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him."   My study Bible explains that, in this parable, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews who are entrusted to care for the people.  Each of the landowner's servants sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God.  But the son is a reference to Christ Himself.  When the son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, this is understood on two levels, my study Bible explains.  First, that Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem (Golgotha, the place of crucifixion, was outside city walls at that time).  Second, that He was crucified by foreign soldiers, not those of His own "vineyard."  

 

"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."   Yet again, as noted in yesterday's reading and commentary, the religious leaders convict themselves.  

 

 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  My study Bible informs us that this stone is Christ.  According to commentary by St. John Chrysostom, this is a saying which illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the consequences of their sins while they are still in this life.  But those upon whom the stone falls are the unrepentant, who suffer utter destruction in the final judgment.  Similar references to the "cornerstone" which is a foundation and also a potential stumbling block is found at Isaiah 28:16; and quoted by Sts. Peter and Paul (see Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:6; Romans 9:33).

 

Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.  Once again, the religious leaders' hypocrisy should be noted.  They sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the multitudes, who took Him for a prophet.

 

 One thing that is striking about Jesus is that, although He clearly demonstrates His foreknowledge of His death in this parable, He nevertheless continues to speak out in condemnation of those who will seek to put Him to death.  In other words, He both warns them and criticizes them at the same time -- telling the truth they don't want to hear and confronting the ones who will bring Him to the Roman authorities with false charges of treason.  These religious leaders are corrupted.  Their places are what are important to them, as Jesus will go on to say in chapter 23.  But today's parable speaks clearly about judgment, and how that judgment happens.  The One whom they will seek to put to death -- who will be crucified through their manipulations -- is also the One who is the stone.  This stone, ultimately, is the stone of judgment.  As testified to by Isaiah the prophet and subsequently Sts. Peter and Paul in their letters, the stone of judgment is ultimately one that is both a "stumbling stone and rock of offense and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame" (Romans 9:33).  Jesus Himself quotes from Psalm 118:22-23 in today's reading to tell these religious leaders just that -- that the One whom they will seek to put to death ultimately will rule in this position of authority and judge, and that He will become the new foundation, the chief cornerstone.  It is His authority which will prevail, and "the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Nonetheless, these men will still seek to put Him to death.  But it is their very failure to repent which will determine their own outcome.  So we have Christ's bold words today for ourselves as well.  How can we understand what He is teaching here?  How do we understand them for ourselves?  We live in a world in which material outcomes are seemingly all that there is.  Surely Jesus' death on the Cross was convincing for many that His claims to be the Christ were untrue.  But where does faith come into it?  And how do we understand this death of the Son?  One of the first ways to understand the parable He teaches in today's reading is to grasp that merely laying claim to something is not necessarily a truly effective power.  We can't grasp the mysteries of the kingdom of God simply by claiming them for ourselves; they don't work that way.  Faith doesn't work that way.  And the spiritual power of the kingdom of God doesn't work that way.  It is not something we can control and manipulate, and our faith is not magic.  The image of Christ as this chief cornerstone functions to give us a concept of a foundation, something which is ignored or abused at one's own peril.  It cannot be moved or persuaded through means other than the truth, for it is God's presence and therefore the ultimate reality.  This foundation stone is like a throne, it conveys authority, and it teaches us about the purpose of Christ's Incarnation:  to establish God's kingdom in this world and invite all those in who wish to follow Him.  In this sense, we can observe evil around us, that which opposes God.  In this sense, the world is a kind of battleground in which we are tempted (as imaged by Christ's time in the wilderness; see Matthew 4:1-11).  Thus we are invited to do as He did, and to engage in the "good fight" of faith (1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7), putting on the "whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:10-18).  Jesus goes full into that battle, and as sovereign Son He leads that we may follow Him, and share in His courage and His love for us all, bearing the fruits of His true vine.

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you

 

 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  so they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  

 

"But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

 

- Matthew 21:23-32 

 

Yesterday we read that, following Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.   And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why ten did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  so they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  My study Bible explains that, since Christ is not a Levitical priest, the chief priests and the elders challenge His authority to cleanse the temple (see yesterday's reading, above, in which Jesus "drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves."  This is referred to as the cleansing of the temple.  But my study Bible comments that, as Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, He confounds them with a different question about John (that is, John the Baptist).  It notes that both the elders' question and Christ's question require the same answer, and so therefore would lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  But in not answering them directly, Jesus teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a malicious intent. 

 

 "But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."  My study Bible comments that, using their own principles, the elders convict themselves in their answer to Christ's parable. 

 

Jesus' parable to the chief priests and elders calls into question a presumption of authority, and what authority says and does.  This parable involves a first son, and a second, and it teaches about what we say and what we do, and which one carries the greater weight.  What we do tends to be an expression of what is in the heart, while often, what we say can mask that true reality within us.  The chief priests and elders clearly know what is right from wrong, as their answer is correct to the parable.  But in the case of St. John the Baptist, their hypocrisy and envy get the better of them.  For John came preaching a baptism of repentance, and these refused it, although those whom the chief priests and elders would call sinners accepted St. John's baptism with their own repentance.   In chapter 23, Jesus will speak to His disciples in an extensive criticism of the scribes and Pharisees, most notably about their hypocrisy.  He begins this final public sermon by telling His disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do" (Matthew 23:1-3).  The rest of the chapter is an extensive commentary elaborating on precisely how that hypocrisy works, and what they actually do despite their piety.  So it is also with this parable; Jesus gives an illustration of what it is to say one thing, and to do another.  He asks which of the two sons did the will of his father in the parable.  The clear answer is the one who actually did what his father asked, despite what the son had replied.  This points to something important and essential about our faith, that the living of our faith is the true test of its authenticity.  It is one thing to pay lip service to something, but quite another to live it, to become an embodiment of the faith in which we want to truly participate.  While authority in the Church is meaningful and powerful, we take the attitude Christ teaches:  there is always going to be respect for the seat of authority, but hypocrisy does not serve God.  In fact, throughout the Gospels it is hypocrisy that seems to receive the greatest criticism from Jesus; see all of chapter 23 for His grand critique of the ways of the scribes of Pharisees.  Let us note that at all times it is Jesus who sets the example by seeking and doing the will of God the Father.  In the parable He teaches, it is the son who did the father's will who is proper -- and not by virtue of a mere appearance of outward virtue to others.  So, therefore, in the cleansing of the temple, Jesus acts with the authority proper to the Son, despite the questions and accusations by the religious leaders.  Let us also act with love as God's adopted children by grace.  Christ's parable reminds us that regardless of where we are, repentance always allows us to return to the One who loves us at any time.  For, as St. John Chrysostom teaches, the only unforgivable sin is one not repented. 

 

 

 

 

 

Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise

 

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  

 

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise'?" 

 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. 

 

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.   And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 

- Matthew 21:12-22 

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  so the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

 

  Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"   My study Bible explains that those who bought and sold were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins, because Roman coins bore the image of Caesar (who was worshiped as a god), and were considered to be defiling in the temple.  The cleansing of the temple, my study Bible also notes, points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), so it's also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.

 

 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  My study Bible quotes from a Vespers hymn of Palm Sunday:  "Keep the feast with the children, and holding branches in your hands, sing 'Hosanna.'"  It notes that many liturgical hymns of this day emphasize the perfect praise of the children, which unlike that of the adults, was innocent, fitting, unashamed, and from hearts of pure love.  It says, moreover, that we are called to glorify Christ in the same spirit (see Matthew 18:1-4).  In contrast, the adults' praise carried earthly expectations and agendas which -- when left unfulfilled -- led them to rebel against Jesus only five days later (Matthew 27:20-23).  Jesus quotes from the Septuagint version of Psalm 8:2.  

 

 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.   And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  The fig tree is a symbol of prosperity and peace, my study Bible says.  But it withers because it is fruitless.  This is a prophetic act done by Christ since after three years of His preaching, teaching, and healing, both the leaders and the crowds were destitute of spiritual fruit.  My study Bible adds that the cursing of this fig tree is a warning to those in every generation of what will befall anyone who fails to listen to Christ's message.

 

 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."  My study Bible comments that, while it is not recorded that an apostle literally moved a mountain, patristic understanding is clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen (there are certain saints that made crevices appear in Mountains).  Moreover, not all things done by the apostles was written down.  But beyond this literal meaning, it's a promise which includes an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of life.  My study Bible quotes Theophylact:  "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritually profitable things.  

 

In today's passage is the second place in which Christ will speak about faith that can move mountains.  See also Matthew 17:14-21, in which the disciples (with the exceptions of Sts. Peter, James, and John) fail to heal a young boy (they fail to exorcise a demon from him).  They ask Jesus why they could not cast it out.  Jesus tells them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."  St. Paul also refers to this passage when he writes on love:  "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).  Both of these passages are interesting, because they tell us that Christ's teaching here is not done in a vacuum.  In other words, He's not simply saying that all we have to do is believe something strongly enough, and our prayers will be answered.  There are conditions in each of these passages that make it clear that all faith and discipleship comes in the context of a much bigger picture of life than a simple intellectual choice or the will to believe something.  Our faith must be lived, one way or another, or even our prayers will be ineffective, or fall short of our desires and expectations.  Jesus speaks to the disciples of necessary prayer and fasting; St. Paul speaks of necessary love in addition to our faith.   Let us note that when facing His death on the Cross, even Jesus prayed for the cup to be taken from Him, but He did so in a certain manner of which we must make note.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus fervently prayed, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39).  If we are to believe that Christ indicates in today's passage that all we are to do is pray with a certain will to belief, and even the impossible or fantastical will come to be, then we are not paying attention to the fullness of the faith as Christ has taught in His ministry.  For even Jesus must pray in a particular way, and with a particular mindset, saying, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."  There is a fullness of faith that is not simply about convincing our selves of the truth of something; it is not simply about a nominal or intellectual decision to believe something.  The fullness of faith is a life lived with dependence upon God in the fullness of our interior lives, even so that we can say with Christ, "Not as I will, but as You will."  God's possibilities are endless.  If the Cross and the resulting defeat of death and sin do not tell us that, then I can't imagine what would. Certainly those who put Him to death thought it was the end of His ministry and those faithful to Him. There are many people who clearly believe that still.   Even Satan himself no doubt thought it would prove Christ's defeat, but it instead defeated Satan and we speak of the victory of the Cross.  If God's power is so utterly outside of all of our conceivable expectations, then it is far greater and grander than anything we can "use" for ourselves.  We can but seek to know God and seek God's will for us through all the practices of faith and discipleship, and this is where power in prayer is found.  In today's reading, Jesus once again speaks of children as those who are truly of the kingdom of heaven.  Like angels, the quotation from Psalm 8:2 indicates that it is children who truly know and speak perfect praise (or hymns) to God.  See Matthew 18:3, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  Humility and true faith and prayer go hand in hand, if we are to accept what Jesus is teaching here.  Of Jesus' teaching regarding "little children" as the model for those who enter the kingdom of heaven, my study Bible describes these virtues as follows:  humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.  Let us understand the children who have perfected hymns to God.  For they are the ones who understand Christ and see Him as He truly is.