Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

Now, when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"He Himself took our infirmities

and bore our sicknesses."

- Matthew 8:1-17

We have just completed the readings in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew's gospel. Those readings of the Sermon on the Mount include: The Beatitudes (Part 1), You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . , Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect, Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place, Our Father in heaven - The Lord's Prayer, Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you, Judge not, that you be not judged, and Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Yesterday's reading was the final in the series of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus taught about Judgment, that He is Judge. There will be those who have done great works, cast out demons, and prophesied in His name, but He will not recognize them, He said, on "that day." He emphasized that it is the doing of the will of His Father in heaven that is the truly important thing. The sayings in the Sermon on the Mount are the things we must remember in order to practice our faith. Most importantly, they are the things that teach us to build our houses upon a rock, so that all the various problems of life do not take away our security and firm foundation of faith. See Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." In today's reading, we have three healing miracles. The first is this, of a leper. It is immediately "when He had come down from the mountain" after the Sermon on the Mount. We hear of the great multitudes who follow Him, so we know that He is already a popular preacher. But leprosy is a particular and special case. It was considered a spiritual affliction -- a sign of having sinned, a direct punishment for sins. Lepers were considered, therefore, unclean and unable to live in community, even to worship. Only priests were allowed to purify lepers and leprous houses. And, my study bible points out, even touching a leper was forbidden by Mosaic Law. So, this is an extraordinary healing for several reasons and reveals Jesus' divinity. The Law doesn't apply to Him in the sense that He is at once beyond it and also the author of it; He has just given a sermon in which He expanded on and fulfilled the Law. He speaks with an authority of His own, and this is a part of it -- the authorship of the Law. But His messianic secret is just that, still a secret, except for those to whom it has been revealed. He respects the Law and teaches the leper to do so as well. But beyond even His divinity, we witness His compassion. Healing is a tremendous sign of divinity in its compassion and love. Couple that with the idea that leprosy was considered punishment for sin and you have not only compassion, but forgiveness and reconciliation -- a truly profound teaching on the nature of the love of God. And it is all for this man, alone, cast out, afflicted -- not a display of power for the world or worldly eyes.

Now, when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." Our next healing miracle takes place in Capernaum, the headquarters for Jesus' Galilean ministry. A centurion was a commander of 100 men in the Roman legion, a very powerful man. Nevertheless, He is a foreigner, another person who is not a part of the Jewish community, a Gentile. But we note again the sign of compassion -- this time on the part of this Roman commander. His servant is "dreadfully tormented." As we noted when we went through the Gospel of Mark most recently, the language here is judicial in its origin. This word for torment is akin to "torture" in the sense of extracting a confession by beating. As Jesus is Judge, the antidote to the harsh "ruler of this world" is His love and compassion. But we see a sign of similar compassion first in the centurion. Perhaps it is just this that sparks Jesus' positive response to him.

The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" The next thing we note is another sign of the character of this centurion. That is his humility. Jesus began His preaching in the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes. He taught there, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." The centurion shows this quality; he is humble before Christ. And moreover, He understands and grasps immediately the authority that is in Jesus. For this, it is Jesus' turn to marvel: "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. The revelation of the character, perception and faith of the centurion sparks a revelation from Jesus. My study bible points out that it is only twice that we are told Jesus marveled: the other occasion is at the unbelief He encounters in His own hometown. Here, the Gentiles are embraced as sons of the kingdom, while many who are "sons of the kingdom" as the chosen people of God will be cast out, an occasion for immense grief and loss. This is a new Gospel, indeed, a radical equalizing and embracing of all people. The expansion of the Law as in the Sermon on the Mount now becomes an expansion of what it is to be a part of the people of God: this God is for people of all nations. One enters this kingdom by faith. To be with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is to share the kingdom with its Patriarchs of that faith and the spiritual inheritance it implies. To lose that inheritance is tremendous beyond our understanding. Once again, as with the leper, the Gentile centurion is not a part of the Jewish religious community, yet Jesus offers to enter His house -- an act, says my study bible, that would make Jesus unclean in the eyes of the Jews.

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. Here is another distinct healing miracle. He heals a woman by touch. In this case, as Peter's mother-in-law, she is restored to her place, she "arose and served them." It's important that we consider this personal act of restoration and healing for a women, and an elderly woman - Peter's mother-in-law. It is another act of compassion for someone who is on the outskirts, not in the center of religious community life. And He heals her by touch -- again, a sign of His compassion and inclusion, His reach beyond the Law. This is not a ministry merely for men, but includes, truly, all of us in its call.

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses." Here He casts out the spirits in the demon-possessed with a word, and heals all who are sick. Again, we can see the forces of two kingdoms at work -- the "ruler of this world" is an oppressor, and Jesus casts out its oppressive forces with a word in greater power. He heals all who are sick -- the words in the Greek also signify that illness is a kind of possession by some form of evil, something which harms man, takes away the good health that is of God, to be afflicted by something bad. So, "restoration" by a healing word or a healing touch takes on a quality of an assertive authority bringing in the reign of the good where the bad seeks to dominate and oppress. And how does this happen? The gospel gives us Isaiah's prophecy about the Suffering Servant. He is the one who saves by taking on all our illnesses and infirmities. He serves all.

We note once again, as we have an earlier readings, the act of sacrament at work. In this case, all is given up to Christ -- infirmities and faith, weaknesses and strengths. He takes on the infirmities Himself and returns to us our wholeness, just as He will take on the ailments of this world for Himself, although He is here to overturn that evil kingdom of oppression. Can we catch a touch of this grace? Can we understand it for ourselves? In Jesus' healings today, He exemplifies the tremendous grace of this kingdom. It reaches out to all, there is no exception. Can you hear the call? Can you grasp the faith as did the centurion? That is all it takes to become a son by adoption. He serves us all, and yet He is king and God, returning us to a life of restoration and healing, so that we may be with Him in His kingdom. By this we learn God's law of love.

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

- Matthew 7:22-29

We are reading the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew's Gospel. We began with The Beatitudes (Part 1), and then we went on to You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . , Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect, Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place, Our Father in heaven - The Lord's Prayer, Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you and Judge not, that you be not judged. In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught that we must enter by the narrow gate -- that the way is broad that leads to destruction. We are also to beware of false prophets, He warned. He taught that by their fruits, we will know them. Finally, He spoke of Himself and the Judgment. See Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

In today's reading, Jesus continues His statement from yesterday. He began, in yesterday's reading: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" This scathing warning goes very deep. Not only has Jesus just warned His disciples about the wolves in sheep's clothing that may be among them, but here He insists that even those who prophesy in His name, and who cast out demons in His name -- even who perform wonders or mighty works of great power -- all these may also be false prophets, wolves in sheep's clothing. It's a continuation of the warning to all that the way is narrow to enter into this kingdom: it must be through the will of the Father. We must take His teachings to heart. Therefore, it seems in at least one sense of this warning, we mustn't be dazzled by any act of power or show, but look to the fruits of what we see. Furthermore, there is no substitute for a true relationship to Christ and to the Father, and that is through the doing of the will of the Father. Finally, as we pointed out in yesterday's reading, Jesus here is testifying to His own divinity: He calls Himself Lord, He speaks of the "will of My Father" which He fully knows and shares, and He reveals Himself as Judge and therefore God -- for, as my study bible says, "only God can execute judgment." Those who do not do the "will of My Father in heaven" are the lawless, those who practice, in effect, lawlessness in Jesus' gospel that He preaches in the Sermon on the Mount. So, the personal relationship -- asking, seeking and knocking, becomes even more powerful a tool and guide for what we need, for the law that is written on our hearts.

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." Jesus has preached the whole of the Sermon on the Mount, and all the readings mentioned above include "these sayings of Mine" that we have recorded. Taken in its entirety, we presume, is what Jesus is referring to as "these sayings of Mine." We can take the vicissitudes of life - the rain, the floods and the winds - as those things which will come our way to throw us off the path to the kingdom of heaven, to God. That is, all the things that will come our way and test our faith, so to speak. So to build our spiritual house upon a rock, this solid foundation, is to rest in His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount (and taken together as a whole), to live them and to do them, to take them to heart. We remember that He is speaking to His disciples, and as His disciples today, this is what we, too, must learn and practice and put to good use in our lives. Nothing can be left out. The exercise of powerful works can't excuse us from "doing the will of My Father in heaven." Otherwise, the warning here about the great fall of the house built on sand resounds in the light of the words on Judgment. We need the right foundation to deal with the challenges we will find in life. In that respect, this teaching is similar to that of the parable of the Sower, Jesus' first great parable, which will come in chapter 13.

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Once again, Matthew here emphasizes the divinity and especially the authority of Jesus. His authority comes of Himself: He hasn't studied with a famous rabbi, there is no one else He can point to, no school nor group that gives Him the authority He possesses within Himself. This authority in His teaching, in Himself, aside from His words about Judgment, is the first public awareness or clue to His identity.

So, taken as a whole, how would you view this Sermon? What does it mean for Jesus to speak as One having authority, and yet this not be viewed as validated by a worldly credential of one sort or another? And the ideas that He gives here -- the will of His Father in heaven, the teachings about Judgment and powerful works, the expansion on the Law -- how would this have sounded in the ears of those listening, and in the ears of those listening today? He warns us about wolves in sheep's clothing, and teaches us that even those who may do great works in His name of all sorts are in danger if they don't follow the will of "My Father in heaven." Over and over again, we turn to the great message of relationship and of love. We are blessed when we are persecuted for righteousness' sake, and for His sake. We are to continually be asking, and seeking, and knocking. To enter into this relationship and into this kingdom are for those who truly hunger and thirst for it, and who are "poor in spirit." How do we depend on God, and the will of "My Father in heaven" -- the Father who is in the secret place, who sees and hears us in secret, and rewards us openly? Let us consider the entirety of the Sermon, all His words and teaching, the authority we hear in it, the astonishing quality of His teaching. How do we hear? How do we see? What are we willing to cast out in order to be filled with His light, so that we may be as He asks -- the salt of the earth, and the light of the world? How is it that we build our house upon the rock?

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

- Matthew 7:13-21

In our readings, we are going through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. So far, these readings of the Sermon on the Mount include: The Beatitudes (Part 1), You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . , Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect, Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place, Our Father in heaven - The Lord's Prayer, Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also and Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us several teachings about how we are to use our discernment. First of all, judgment is God's prerogative -- and He gave us a warning, another conditional statement, that as we judge, so will we be judged. We must look to our own faults before honestly being able to help a brother or sister. He warned against giving what is holy to those who will simply trample it under, needless conflict and strife resulting. And He taught that we are to continually ask, seek, and knock -- to go to Our Father who loves us. Finally, He ended with the Golden Rule: "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." See Judge not, that you be not judged.

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Jesus has just finished teaching several important principles about the way, as Christians, that we conduct ourselves. We're to look to our own flaws and cast them away before we can help others with what gets in the way of 'good sight' or the full light with which we wish our 'eye' to be illumined. He's warned about usurping God's role as judge. He's taught us the Golden Rule. We must continually petition Our Father in heaven, and grow in relationship and depth in this task. We use discernment about giving the pearls of the kingdom to those who cannot respect and do not want them. All of this follows on the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount, His great teachings to us. So this statement enforces the power of His words and teachings. We must take them seriously. We must ask, seek and knock and follow where that narrow path that leads us. To enter through that narrow gate may mean cutting away from ourselves many things and ways of thinking we hold dear, but actually constitute a "plank" in our own eye. So this is Jesus' way of enforcing that single-mindedness ("make thine eye single" or "you cannot serve God and mammon" or "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also") that we need in order to follow His Way, the choices we need to make in our relationship to Him. My study bible points out that the description of "two ways" is widespread in Judaism and in early Christian writings. In Luke's version, this refers to the end of the age. It adds, "Because we wrestle against human sins and weaknesses, as well as the spiritual forces of evil, entering the Kingdom involves difficult labor and struggle."

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit." Here, Jesus gives us an important warning, and a teaching that we are not to be deceived. It follows the idea that we are to continually ask, and seek, and knock. We have God's help at hand. We are not to be deceived by those who wear a false mask of virtue. He thinks of us as sheep, and warns us against the predatory, the wolves who may seek to be counted among our number. So this is consistent with the many places in which Jesus teaches us that we must be vigilant, keep awake -- and it goes hand in hand with prayer. How are we to be discerning? This is also a part of what He leaves us with, His grace -- and our responsibility as the "intelligent sheep." The saying here is similar to what He will teach in chapter 12, that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." My study bible points out that this first sentence is the same statement made by John the Baptist. If we are to discern who is a false prophet, and who is not, then He gives us a way to do that -- we will know them by their fruits. And my study bible adds an important fact: "As long as a person is living in wickedness, he will not be able to bear good fruit. But Jesus does not say that there is no way for the wicked to change, or for the good to fall away." This comment adds to our understanding of the need for true discernment and vigilance as Christians, and keeps us from practicing the judgment that is not ours to make.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." Finally, we turn to Judgment itself -- and Christ's role as Judge. My study bible points out that this statement is a revelation: He calls Himself Lord (or Yahweh of the Old Testament), He speaks of the will of My Father which He fully knows and shares, and reveals Himself as Judge, and therefore God -- for this role belongs only to God. He will continue this passage in tomorrow's reading, expanding further on this role of Judge. For today, we must take it as a further warning against the practice of hypocrisy, and how deep it can extend despite a mask of purity and devotion. It's a stark and, really, scathing warning to us all about how we are to enter that narrow gate.

So, today, let us consider Jesus' warnings about the narrow gate, and how they build upon His previous teachings. We are taught that we must continually be asking, seeking and knocking (in yesterday's reading). We have been taught many ways in which we follow Christ, if we follow His words and teachings, all throughout the Sermon on the Mount. Starting with the Beatitudes, He gives us a perspective on what it is to be truly blessed, to seek that kingdom first, where our hearts should be and to Whom we belong. But to find that will of my Father in heaven becomes a combination of all of these: the teachings, our Tradition, "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." And, lest we forget, an active faith -- of continually asking, seeking and knocking. All of these are ways in which we seek the will of the Father, to deepen our relationship, to walk in His Way. As my study bible indicates in the commentary on the possibility of personal change noted above (see the paragraph commentary on "every tree that does not bear good fruit ..."), ours is an active faith. Our relationship to God is an active one that changes and grows and deepens as we go forward. We continually seek -- even as we make mistakes, we might find stumbling blocks, we discover our own imperfection. But this is the Way. And it is through our asking, seeking and knocking that we please Him, and play the great role He asks of us in the plan for salvation. We just have to be willing to discard the plank(s) we discover in our own eye in order to see more clearly as we go, so that we may the better receive the light with which He illumines our sight.

Judge not, that you be not judged

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

- Matthew 7:1-12

We are going through the Sermon on the Mount. We began the Thursday before last, with The Beatitudes (Part 1). We then continued to You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . , Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect, Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place, Our Father in heaven - The Lord's Prayer, and Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Yesterday, Jesus taught us about all the things we worry about, about which we are anxious: What will we wear? What shall we eat or drink? He pointed out the birds, how they are fed -- and the lilies of the field, of which He said, "even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." He taught us to "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." Today we begin chapter 7, and it takes us into the territory first of judgment and how we practice that judgment. As He does so often, Jesus first offers us a conditional and reciprocal statement. We best be careful about our own judgment -- just as He taught that we are to practice forgiveness in order to receive it -- because "with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." Again, there is a focus on the eye as an example He has used previously in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, " If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." And also, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness." So, the question here again is, how do we look? How do we see? With what measure are we measuring?

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Again, the emphasis on the eye, on how we see and what we see. Here, Jesus is speaking about our own shortcomings -- what we see and what we don't see. More importantly, He's talking about what we fail to see, what gets in the way. But is it our job to regulate the way others perceive, or to first turn to ourselves and realize "the plank in our own eye?" How can we help a brother to see more clearly, unless we have examined ourselves and cast out our own flaws that get in the way? So this first question here posed to us gives us our focus: as children of the Father, how do we best cast out that which keeps our eye from being full of the light, from seeing clearly? In that action and focus, we are then free to be truly helpful to the whole body of Christ, to our brothers and sisters, because we will be in a position to help them do the same. The focus is on what we need to do face to face with the Light -- not with others. My study bible says, "Condemnation of others and forgiveness do not mix. It is the evil one, the slanderer of all, who urges us to pass judgment on others. To pass judgment on another is to usurp a prerogative of God, who knows all things and alone is able to judge." The spirit here is one of helpfulness, not condemnation! My study bible continues, "We ought to know our own sins better than those of others. The hypocrite sees the errors of others, ignoring his own, because he loves himself above all else."

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." But here, we're careful to note, Jesus teaches us about discernment. This is different from judgment, or judging others without knowing ourselves first. But it also continues in the vein about teaching and edifying. Those who don't want to hear what Jesus has to offer, His teachings, are off-limits. There is no point at all in confrontation with one who cannot accept what He has to offer. If we work at removing the speck in our own eye, we are in a position to help a brother or sister who wishes to do likewise. But those who can't accept these teachings are another matter. My study bible says, "Jesus warns His disciples to turn away from opponents and those incapable of receiving His message, and to turn toward those who are receptive." The emphasis here is on those who cannot respect nor appreciate the message -- not only trampling the pearls of Jesus' life and teaching under their feet, but also needlessly harming or destroying the messenger.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Again, it is the relationship face-to-face with God. What do we need, especially in terms of spiritual help? These verbs, my study bible points out, are present progressives. That is, they tell of a continuous asking, seeking, and knocking. And the emphasis here is on everyone: that God's help and love are available to all of us who truly want it. Do you want to know what plank you need to remove from your own eye? Ask. Do you want this relationship? Seek! Do you want to grow more deeply in the kingdom? Knock! It is a continuous practice, always with us. My study bible says, "Note the synergy: our effort is commanded, but never apart from the help of God. We ask in prayer; seek by learning God's truth; and knock by doing God's will."

"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" There is an emphasis here on the assured character of God the Father who is love. If human fathers understand love, then how much greater does the Father in heaven understand what it is to give good things to those who ask Him! We should not underestimate the power of our asking, seeking, knocking, and the embrace of love that is awaiting our doing so.

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." Today's reading finishes with what we call the Golden Rule. It is another conditional and reciprocal statement. It is another version of the command to love one's neighbor as oneself -- also a part of the summing up of the Law and the Prophets. My study bible points out that the negative form of this Rule is widely known in Judaism: "Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you." But Jesus' statement is positive, as is the emphasis of the whole of the Sermon on the Mount (as an expansion of the Commandments). "Jesus' form, however," notes my study bible, "is positive: this is the action which brings us to the God who forgives." And so it is with the entire Sermon on the Mount. These are the actions He asks of us.

Today's reading gives us several things to think about: about judgment and its practice, about how we are to find the plank in our own eyes -- before we can help a brother or sister to find the speck in theirs. Jesus teaches us about the importance of what we see, how we see, and how we relate to others. We are not to cast His pearls before those who don't want to hear, who can't appreciate it nor receive it. So while we don't usurp God's role as Judge, we are called upon to practice discernment. Again, it is a sort of emphasis on how we see, and the importance of this. And from where do we receive our sight? What wisdom, what light do we need with which to fill our eye? As disciples, we are to continually be asking, seeking, and knocking. We forge a deeper, stronger bond of love with God, in discipleship. This is the God who loves us, who knows love as perfect Being, better than our own father and mother know love, who knows better than our human father and mother what is best for us, and what good things we need. And Jesus' "greatest commandment" is fulfilled by adding the Golden Rule. We put our love of God first, and we add the Golden Rule: "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them." This is what we remember and take with us, in Jesus' positive pronouncement. Given His teachings about avoiding judgment, practicing discernment, and asking, seeking and knocking, we treat others the way we wish to be treated. All of it calls for discernment, for good sight, for our eye to be filled with the light. It is the process of discipleship -- and we sign up for a lifetime. Can we put it into practice? Can we do as He asks? Let us think today how these teachings form us and shape us, and guide our lives. Let us remember we are in the hands, and are assisted with the gracious help of Our Father in heaven.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which if you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

- Matthew 6:25-34

Since Thursday before last, the Lectionary has taken us through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel. We began with The Beatitudes (Part 1), and then to You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . , Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect, Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place and Our Father in heaven - The Lord's Prayer. In Saturday's reading, Jesus taught us about exchanging, if you will, one kingdom for another. He asked us to store treasures in heaven for ourselves, rather than on earth. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." It all depends on what we love and put first. How do we look at things? We need our "eye" to be full of light in order to see, rather than to be lost in the darkness. He gave us a stark choice, in our hearts: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Jesus continues from the reading we had on Saturday, with its emphasis on the kingdom and on the "treasures stored up in heaven." And we continue to understand this emphasis He is asking us to make in this life. What do we focus and dwell upon? What's most important? His question is a poignant one: "Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" It's one we should ask ourselves every day, to remind ourselves of the substance we seek in life, or what makes us truly of the kingdom. My study bible says, "Physical growth and length of life is dependent upon the providence of God more than upon food, drink and clothing." It adds that this is not a provision against thoughtful planning and care, but against severe anxiety. I think it's a clear continuation of His focus on what comes first -- on the importance of this choice within us, in our hearts.

"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which if you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing?" Jesus shifts His emphasis to an example from the world around us, from nature, and it is an example of the workings of the world, clearly couched in the hands of God the Father. Our own efforts can't necessarily create everything we need, our own growth, the functioning of our bodies. Again it's a question of where our heart and our focus is: God who created us and created the world knows what we have need of. Our focus is there, first, not on clothing!

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" I love that this example focuses so much on the beauty of the the world, the natural beauty created by God. We can just look around ourselves and see that beauty everywhere in nature. Should we not be comforted that this has been provided for us as something of importance to God already? But Jesus takes it further and emphasizes our importance to Our Father as His children by adoption. He arrays even the lilies of the field in such beauty and glory -- how do we think God would like us to be? Again, the emphasis is consistent on what we put first -- where our eye is focused, and the light of God with which He asks us to be filled first.

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Here, He makes it perfectly plain. What do we put first? Where is our faith? My study bible reminds us that the Gentiles in this case are those who seek after pagan gods -- gods that are not real. But again, Jesus takes it further and instead focuses on our faith, and the difference it makes in our lives. What do we put our faith in first; in what do we rest and remain through all things? We "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." Those treasures in heaven we put first will include for us what we need in our worldly lives, but that's up to God. My study bible says, "The kingdom of God is the central theme of the teachings of Jesus, and His righteousness is the subject of the Sermon on the Mount. Calling us to be set free from anxiety about earthly things, Jesus directs us to look to heaven, to this greater 'country' which will be received at the Day of the Lord, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings."

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Here is the great wisdom of Christ. The word here for worry means to be distracted -- in a sense, "pulled apart." It's the same word He uses when He tells Martha that she is "worried about many things" but that her sister has chosen the better part. When we lose our focus, we lose our true wholeness, our true center. And faith is that center -- faith on the right things, treasuring what it is we truly need first. The "trouble" of the day in the Greek implies what "the evil one" will send to give us worry and toil. Enough is enough for the day, we don't need to add to our worries and anxieties by dreaming up more for the future. It is better to focus on our daily faith, to do what we must in faith today and leave our focus there.

All in all, Jesus teaches that there is one real focus we need, one stark choice we need to make. And that is to keep our heart firmly in the soil of faith and in the Kingdom. This is what we seek first: We seek first the Kingdom and its righteousness. That is, all the things He has been teaching us that God wants from us in our lives. And God knows what else we need. So, what's in our heart? What do we put first? Where do we put our fondness? What's our treasure? It's reassuring here that when we place God first, and the righteousness of that kingdom of God, of love, that God knows what we really need. The Creator of all things, of the beauty of the world, loves and values us. We therefore store up treasures in heaven and build that value and worth. So we look to the birds who thrive without worry, anxiety and toil. We look to the beauty of the lilies of the field as clothed by God. But first we are clothed in God's love and righteousness, we are fed in faith and God's love. Speaking for myself, I can say that God has blessed me in ways beyond my expectations when first I put this kingdom in my faith. I can't speak for any others. But every day, we need a reminder: put this kingdom first and its righteousness. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. Let God teach us about the rest, and what we really need for our lives. Let the Lord show us the Way.

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

- Matthew 6:19-24

As we continue through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus delves into many subjects. Each elaborates on the previous reading, and leads us into His teachings. We began with The Beatitudes (Part 1), and then to You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . , Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect and Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place. In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us what we know as The Lord's Prayer, teaching us how to pray, after teaching us to pray in the secret place, our inner chamber, to our Father who sees in secret. See Our Father in heaven - The Lord's Prayer.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." We remember that Jesus has been teaching about spiritual disciplines -- alms-giving, prayer, and fasting. In each case He has emphasized the private nature of each, not for show among other men, but for Our Father who sees in secret, and is in the secret place. In this way, He has said, "your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." (See Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place.) What Jesus states here follows logically the teachings on spiritual disciplines done "in secret." Where is our treasure? For what do we practice such spiritual disciplines? We have observed that Jesus has been preaching a kind of exchange: instead of working for "worldly" praise, we earn the praise of God and we are rewarded openly by God for that which is done "in secret" and in the inner life, so to speak. Here, He takes that a step further. Where is our emphasis? For what do we labor and toil? What are the real things of value that we work for first above all things? This is a continuation of the thoughts on this "exchange" of one kingdom for another, one way of being in the world for another, as He has taught us to pray "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Let us consider the importance of this teaching. What do we love most? What is our treasure? In the reading cited above, about going to our room for prayer, we discussed the word Jesus used for "room." In the Greek, it's a word for an inner storage chamber, where valuables are kept. This is rooted to the sense of the heart, and what we keep there, what we store there, especially in Jesus' language that He uses in His teaching and preaching. Here, He speaks of the things we dote on, what we love the most. Which values or valuables do we put first? That's where our heart is -- the place where we must go to Our Father in prayer. This greatly emphasizes the importance of our choices, what we choose to love the most and put first. It defines who we are.

"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" We return to Jesus' words about plucking our our right eye if it offends us: "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell." Jesus once again is speaking about how we see things, how we look at the world and our lives, what is our point of view. Looking at things, in this sense, is a way of speaking about the things we really want and desire -- a continuation of His discourse on what we put first, what we love the most, where our treasure is. If we don't set our eye in the right place, toward the light, how dark will our darkness be? Earlier, He also preached that we, as His disciples, are to be the light of the world. The lamp of our eye must be lit with the light of God, the fire of God. But it all starts with how we see, how we look at things, what our eye most desires.

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Here, He brings it all down to a stark choice: again, what do we love most? What do we put first? My study bible points out that it comes down to a question of freedom or slavery: if we put the material things first as that which we love most, we will be a slave to this "worldly" life. Instead, "we give our lives and our whole selves to God;" that is, to Our Father, who knows the things we have need of even before we pray, as we read in yesterday's reading. It is not that we live out of the world, without good things, but rather what we put first and what we love first. It is all a question of choosing loyalty and a master, and there is no middle ground here. Jesus makes that starkly clear, that this is the nature of our lives in the world. We must choose who and what we serve with our whole lives, what we value the most.

My study bible has a note, which I'll reprint: "As slaves serving two masters, people attempt to maintain an attachment both to earthly and to heavenly things. But this is impossible, for both demand full allegiance. Jesus calls mammon a master, not because it is by nature evil, but because of the absolute and wretched servility it extracts." So, let us consider attachment, and what that means. Attachment is the word used for what we treasure most, and in this choice there is no room for both. It's either one or the other. When we seek God as master, and the heavenly treasures we can store in our heart, then all things in the world become a part of a sacramental life. That is, our worldly lives become a part of a whole life of spiritual blessedness, one inside the other, so to speak. But without this choice, we become slaves to the material -- to the things that will vanish. As Jesus puts it so vividly, "where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal." We can live a life in the world, full of good things created by God, made complete in the love for the spiritual reality in which everything is grounded. It just depends on what we put first, what we love most. What's your choice? What fills your heart with treasure that lasts through all things? What illuminates and gives value to the rest of your life?

Our Father in heaven - the Lord's Prayer

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

- Matthew 6:7-15

We have been reading through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel. We began with The Beatitudes (Part 1), and then to You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . , and Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught about the spiritual disciplines -- and against hypocrisy. We don't practice any form of spiritual discipline: alms-giving, prayer or fasting, for show -- but rather for Our Father who is in the secret place, and who sees in secret. Most powerfully, He taught about prayer: that we go into our inner chamber, in secret, and close the door. There, we are to "pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." See Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place.

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them." My study bible points out that the key word here is vain. It's not an instruction against any repetition, but rather against babbling, something that isn't sincere and from the heart. God doesn't "hear" us because of many words or much speaking. Repetition of sincere prayer is not what Jesus is counseling against here! Rather, He is leading us, as He continually is through the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, into a deeper, fuller, and more intimate relationship to Our Father. There is always a place for sincere prayer, and prayer without ceasing.

"For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." This is a continuation of the teaching against vain repetitions. God doesn't hear because of many words. God already knows. Rather God wants our sincere attention and devotion and dialogue, a place of the heart where we meet in the heart, and we "lift our hearts" to Him. Our Father already knows us better than we know ourselves.

"In this manner, therefore, pray: . . . " My study bible points out here that Jesus is instructing us just how to use repetitions. It says, "When we pray, we do not lecture God or make demands, but we are (1) humble (go into your room), (2) personal and intimate with Him (pray to your Father), and (3) sincere (do not use vain repetitions). It is not repetition per se but vain repetition which Jesus condemns. Christian worship, with familiar psalms, hymns, prayers and readings from the Scriptures, brings God the praise 'in spirit and truth' which He seeks." Jesus gives us His prayer to teach us how to pray. It is what we call The Lord's Prayer.

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name." Jesus includes us in His Sonship. Although He is Son by nature, we are all children of God by the grace of adoption. The emphasis, again, is on the personal nature of this Fatherhood to us, the intimacy of its nature. My study bible notes, "The emphasis in Scripture is not on a universal Fatherhood of God through creation, but on a saving and personal relationship with Him who is our Father by adoption through the Spirit." The Father's name is holy, sacred: we enter into relationship in the "secret place" with a sacred kingdom, one that is holy. God's "name" is like that of a house, such as Herod's or Caesar's. But this is a different sort of a kingdom that has its own rules and laws in which we participate and in whose house we are children by adoption; it is a holy kingdom.

"Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We pray for this holy, heavenly kingdom to be manifest on earth, "as it is in heaven." We pray that this will might be done through us, who are children of adoption by grace in this house.

"Give us this day our daily bread." The translation of the word that gives us "daily" is misleading. The original word in Greek is one that seems to have been coined specifically for this prayer, this Scripture. It is not found in other literature of the period. It means "above the essence" or "supersubstantial" in the Greek. As my study bible puts it, it's not just "bread for this day, taken for sustenance of life," but "bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for sustenance of our immortal life." It is a picture of the Eucharist, and of all that "feeds us" for membership in this Kingdom. It is, says my study bible, "the Bread of Life which will triumph over the death brought about by sin."

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." This is an important conditional statement, one of many Jesus will make about our own interdependence, in a sense -- about the reciprocal nature of our choices. We ask God to forgive us, but our forgiveness is conditional upon our own choices for forgiveness. My study bible says that "by using the plural, Jesus directs each of us to pray for the Father's forgiveness of all, and for all of us to forgive one another." These "debts" are spiritual debts, in the sense that when we sin we "owe" restitution. And what is forgiveness? In the Greek, this word is a letting go, a releasing. It implies a freedom: we live in freedom, we allow others to do so as well. We seek, instead, the will of God in our acts and our conduct in the world -- not a "worldly" sense of retribution, determined by others.

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Even though we often hear the prayer as "deliver us from evil," in the Greek, it suggests "the evil one" -- meaning the devil. In this sense, we are ask to be spared temptations we can't handle, that come from "the evil one." The root of this word for evil is pain. It implies toil and misery - the things that accompany the evil we may experience in life, even when it comes in forms that make it hard for us to recognize, tempting.

"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Again, there is an emphasis on just whose kingdom we wish to be a part of, to help to bring into this world, and the One to whom we are praying. It is a reinforcement of the idea that we wish to be a part of this divine Kingdom, in sonship by adoption and intimacy, to live our lives a part of this house with its laws of love, and help to secure it in the world.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Again, the emphasis on a mutual forgiveness. This is so important that Jesus emphasizes it twice. But He uses a different word here from "debt." Here the emphasis is on transgression, a false step, a lapse: literally, a "falling away." It's interesting that both words debt and trespass imply sin, but neither are the word conventionally used for "sin." Debt implies an owing; here, trespass implies what could be non-deliberate, done without awareness. So there are two types of forgiveness going on here: one is a debt that may really be owed in some spiritual sense, something that was done hurtfully. The other might have resulted in a trespass, a wrong step, a slip-up, but was not necessarily done deliberately - but something that causes separation. In both cases, we are to "let go," to "release." And it is conditional again: we realize forgiveness as we seek to practice it.

This powerful prayer has been with us for 2,000 years, and remains with us as The Lord's Prayer. When we pray, let us consider what we pray, and remember that it's not the volume of words that we use that makes us heard and understood, but rather the fact of the intimate coming to God, to Our Father, that is essential. Awhile ago I posted about a young man whom I was lucky to see ordained, and his preaching that it really doesn't matter what words we use when we come to God, but that we pray, that we talk to God. God our Father wants our hearts close to Him, and where the Father is, so is the Son and the Spirit. We are united in love, and it is this love that deepens through prayer, and effectively then in us so that we may live out that kingdom in this world in relation to neighbor. I don't see how the two could be separate. Let us consider today the "forgiveness" of letting go, of giving up all debts or trespasses to Our Father for His guidance in how to conduct our lives, and move forward into this kingdom that is ours by grace of adoption. Father Niko, the newly-ordained priest, said "God is peace." And so Jesus' words teach us what it is to have His peace, to live His peace. For this we pray when we ask to be a part of that Kingdom in reconciliation to Our Father.

Your Father who sees in secret, who is in the secret place

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

- Matthew 6:1-6

We are reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel. We began with The Beatitudes (Part 1), and then went on to You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift, and You have heard that it was said to those of old . . . . In yesterday's reading, Jesus expanded on the Laws regarding justice and righteousness: "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" and "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." In the fulfillment of the aim of the Law, Jesus teaches us not to resist an evil person, to practice love. He says to do good to our enemies, to "pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven . . . Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven." In chapter 6, we move on to spiritual disciplines: charitable giving, prayer, and fasting. Emphasizing the inner life, as He has done so far with the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues here in the vein of how we may or may not work for appearances. It is a kind of exchange: do we work for worldly glory, or the honor that comes from God? When we forgo the first, we move into a place of deeper relatedness with God, and God's rewards or blessedness.

"Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." A note in my study bible says, "God is not impressed with what other people think of us, or even with our own opinion of ourselves. He sees who we really are, and He knows our motives as well as our deeds. Everything will be judged, and our good deeds will be rewarded openly." The original meaning of the word hypocrite in the Greek is actor -- that is, a person who is using an assumed character, feigning to be someone they are not, wearing a mask. So, Jesus' real desire here is for a kind of authenticity, an honesty and a deepening of our true character. And, if we think about it, this has been the aim of the Sermon on the Mount and its emphasis all along. What is the purpose of spiritual discipline? Is it so that we are lost in a range of activity designed to show ourselves off for praise of others, and our image in the eyes of others? Where does the depth of relationship to God come into it, in secret where others don't know about it? This is the new practice He emphasizes. And, we note, God will reward openly -- but it is still not for the judgment of others.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward." My study bible notes: "The hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, which involves an intimate, personal relationship with God and leads to the vision of His glory. Hypocrisy blocks out both the relationship and the vision." Again, we see a kind of exchange happening here: what do we value most -- are we there for show in the sight of others? Then we have our reward already.

"But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Again, the exchange: we exchange a worldly perspective for an inner, private one, an intimate one. We go into our room, shut the door and pray to our Father who is in the secret place, and who sees in secret. One exchange for another, a very public kingdom, for a very private, hidden, secret one, an inner one. It's an interesting word that Jesus uses here in the Greek for "room." This word for room is like a storehouse, a secret storage-chamber where one might keep valuables or one's treasure. (In the development of modern Greek, this is the word now used for cash register.) But clearly, Jesus is speaking here of the place of the heart, what we value most, where we really live, who we are. A little further along in this chapter, Jesus will teach, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" and "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." This is a depth of hidden relationship, with what is real within us, who we truly are -- and possibly what we also honestly feel we lack in this place. There may even be things we treasure that we will be taught to let go of for our own good, and replace with something better for us.

So, to develop an intimate personal relationship with Our Father is what we are commanded to do. This is Christ's emphasis in all things: when we give alms and help to others, when we do good to others, it is with this in mind. It's not for show, not to impress others nor to make a big splash, neither is it necessarily to make us feel good about our achievements in terms of how it reflects upon us in the public eye. Instead, it's to cultivate that private, secret relationship that is within us in the place of the heart, with Our Father who sees in secret. And when we pray, here is the great thing: where we go in that secret chamber, in that depth of what we truly treasure and what we find there -- and even what we may not find, that we turn to Our Father. This is the depth of relationship and dialogue in that most intimate of places where we are truly ourselves, where we are known and loved, where we may come to know and love God more deeply, and where we are drawn toward a deeper sense of who we need to be in God's image for us. So, how do you cultivate that depth of relationship, and find that secret, hidden place with your Father who sees in secret? In tomorrow's reading, we will be given the Lord's Prayer, and taught further. But for today, let us remember the hidden, secret place, the chamber of our heart where we store our treasure, the ways in which God knows us and can be truly intimate with us. He is "our Father" and the depth of His love is within us, in that secret place where He can be with us in our most intimate understanding of who we are, and who He calls us to be.

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

- Matthew 5:38-48

We are going through Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. We began with the Beatitudes; then Jesus' teachings to His disciples You are the salt of the earth - You are the light of the world; teachings on the fulfillment of the Law - Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; and expansion of the law against murder: First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. In yesterday's reading, Jesus expanded upon the laws against adultery and swearing falsely. Jesus' expansion of the "outward" law extends to an inward reality: the cultivation of lust and covetousness is something one must do away with inwardly. Furthermore, He extends His teaching to condemn an easy divorce without real reason. He teaches us also to swear by nothing, but let our Yes be Yes, and No be No. See You have heard that it was said to those of old . . ..

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." A friend has pointed out to me that the instruction to turn the other cheek, to give the cloak, to go an extra mile are all instructions that give us the incentive to take charge of our own lives. In that sense, these actions teach us that we are not victims nor slaves of what others will do to us -- and that makes good psychological sense. Christ will always teach us His strength, and who we are in His sight, what we are capable of being and becoming. On another note, my study bible points out that Jesus is warning His disciples not to resist violence with more violence (contrary to Ex. 21:24, Lev. 24:20, Deut. 19:21). It says, "Evil, and the evil person, can be overcome only by good. This keeps us free from anger -- from being poisoned by the evil directed against us and its destructive forces -- and instructs others through Christian forbearance. It brings both us and our enemy under the yoke of God's love." It adds, however, that "this teaching does not contradict a state's right to protect its citizens and to punish criminals." If we see it one way, it's a dire contradiction between the laws of this world and the laws of the kingdom of love that Jesus is bringing into the world. And it's up to us to elect to build that kingdom through our own choices. This is what we keep in mind, whatever we encounter in life. What's our currency, so to speak? What rules do we choose to live by? In all of Jesus' teachings, we must realize that they elevate us out of automatic responses and slavish devotion to a worldly sense of self. They teach us who we can be, to transcend and elevate, that we are always capable of going beyond limitations we may place on ourselves or assume belong to us. We can make important choices to be like Him, like God.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." This is another strong and powerful exhortation to go beyond, to do better -- and to be "like God." It is, indeed, a command for the Kingdom. We go beyond the old law and into a new fulfillment of that law. We really must add here that the old laws were a form of regulation that improved the condition of man: the "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" was actually a curbing and regulating of acts of retribution. So we must see the forward movement of the Law given in the first place, and now expanded upon by Christ. To practice love, of course, is the regulation of the Kingdom. My study bible says that to love our enemies is "a true expression of the life of the Kingdom. Having freed us from hate, sadness, and anger, He offers the greatest possession of all -- perfect love. That is a gift which can only be possessed by the one who, by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, manifests God's love for all."

"For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?" How are Christ's disciples going to be distinct from others? How are they going to represent the Kingdom in the world? A note in my study bible adds to our understanding of how this kingdom is at work in the world, and through us: "Love is not merely an emotion. It is a divine grace -- an uncreated divine energy -- which inflames the soul and unites it to God and to other people."

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." My study bible says, "Christ is our guide, and He is able to bring us to participate in the very life of God, which is love." It is a summing up of all the Christian aims for, and of the life of the Kingdom, which is shared with us through grace down to our deepest levels. Can we let Him in?

Ultimately, Christ's laws, or His teachings on the fulfillment of the Law, bring us into a place where we are taught to fulfill the reality of His Kingdom in this world. Through love, which is its true "gold standard," its currency, we are brought into relationship with God and with neighbor. We form bonds with each and through God's grace that allow us to participate in that Kingdom here in this world. But we have to want it. We have to try. We have to say "yes" to that which is offered to us and wishes to be at work within us. How do we remember or recall to ourselves that "He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust"? How do we keep in mind that we should be perfect, just as Our Father in heaven is perfect? The great thing is that, even through our imperfections, we can recall and try. We can pray. We are capable of doing more and being more. And we have a lifetime of effort to learn to make. Let us remember that Jesus' teachings are not about slavery, but about what we elect to do, how we elect to be. They don't teach us to be doormats! Rather, they teach us to turn to love, to God's teaching for us, to the relationship God wishes for us. When in doubt, turn to prayer. Saying No at appropriate times can also be an act of love. But our behavior is mediated through Christ, through grace, through relationship to God. Can we make the effort to be perfect, just as Our Father in heaven is perfect? We have a lifetime of chances. It's all about learning love.