Take heed that no one deceives you

 

 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

 

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"  And Jesus answered and said to them:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.  Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.  And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

 

- Matthew 24:1-14 

 

Yesterday we finished reading chapter 23 of St. Matthew's Gospel.  The entire chapter was taken up by Jesus' final sermon, a lengthy indictment of the hypocritical ways of the scribes and Pharisees.  We began reading that sermon in Wednesday's reading.  Yesterday, we read that Jesus taught,  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your father's guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."

 

 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."  Christ's prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled in AD 70, when the temple was destroyed by the Romans during the Siege of Jerusalem.  This prophesy is quite literally true; all the remains today of the temple is one retaining wall of the temple, known as the Western Wall (formerly called the Wailing Wall).  Note ways in which this prophecy is connected to Christ's condemnation of the practices of the Pharisees and scribes in yesterday's reading, above.

 

 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"  My study Bible comments that the Scriptures describe the end times in a variety of ways, so that there is no precise chronology that can be determined from them (see Daniel 7 - 12; Mark 13; Luke 21; 1 Corinthians 15:51-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10; and the Book of Revelation).  It notes that Christ's emphasis is on watchfulness and the practice of virtue, rather than constructing timetables of things that have not yet happened.  Here in St. Matthew's account, the end described encompasses the initial sorrows (in today's reading), and in our following readings will cover the great tribulation (verses 15-28), and the coming of the Son of Man (verses 29-31).  The period of the great tribulation, it is important to note, includes all of the Christian era, and is not, as some teach, limited to the final years before Christ's return. 

 

 And Jesus answered and said to them:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."  Christ warnings against deception are given the most emphasis here, stated first.  Of particular importance, my study Bible says, is the warning against following a false Christ, which Jesus will stress again in verses 11, and 23-27.

 

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows."  My study Bible notes that the wars mentioned here refer first and foremost to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, but also certainly include subsequent wars.  Wars are not a sign of the imminent end, it says, but of the opposite -- that the end is not yet (see 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).  

 

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.  And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."  My study Bible comments that all these calamities and all this opposition cannot stop the spread of the gospel, and indeed it has been seen that the persecutions against the Church often increase the number of those being converted.  St. John Chrysostom marvels that while the Romans subdued countless Jews in a political uprising, they could not prevail over twelve Jews unarmed with anything except the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

 

 My study Bible comments that Jesus' most significant emphasis, in this prophecy of "end times," is a warning against deception.  As we live in an age of great manipulation of images and of information, with ever increasing development of new tools for doing so through popular communications, we should especially pay heed to such warnings.  If we as human beings and followers of Christ always needed to be on our guard against false christs and false prophets, then perhaps we need do so now and in the future more so than ever.  One can only imagine that the capacity for deception and manipulation will only grow with newer and more powerful technologies.  Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) our means of perception as human beings remains perhaps the same as it ever was.  We don't have automatic faculties for knowing what is true and what is phony.  Every day on popular media such as Facebook or TikTok or YouTube, one can see manipulated images created by the new versions of AI (Artificial Intelligence) software which grow exponentially with investment and development.  It seems inevitable that much of our daily business and commerce will be done through various forms of this software, even as it grows in applications for various service interfaces, including decision-making.  The point of recounting these modern phenomena is not to frighten people or make readers more worried for the future, but to point out that Christ's words and warnings about potential deception may grow in significance as we enter into the technological developments of today and the years immediately to come.  Jesus is, in this sense, more prescient than ever, and His words carry an even greater significance for us.  Our response to such phenomena requires us to hold fast to the things of faith with every effort we can muster, and this most certainly includes faith and prayer practices.  For in a world increasingly overtaken by disinformation and false stories generated for clicks and likes (and possibly through bad actors who seek to foment dissension and rancor within our societies), we truly need to hold fast to Christ's light that leads us through a world in which temptations and manipulation have always played a role as stumbling blocks for us.  We need to shore up our faith and prayer practices if only to meet the powerful tools that may mislead us in the future, into believing false things that do not serve the purposes of God, and turn us more and more against one another so that we don't see where the true interests of our faith lie, the narrow and difficult way of the Cross for us.  We need to focus on that life of the soul and the light of Christ which so eluded the Pharisees in their blindness and hypocrisy, focused so heavily on the external forces of worldly power and authority.  All of these new distractions have the effect of pulling us ever more vigorously into the world of competition and competing narratives, including by false actors who do not share our best interests, and certainly not those of community nor love as Christ would have it.  So, our response is to hold fast to things He said, and to "endure to the end" in so doing.  All of the things Christ has prophesied in today's reading are things many of us observe seemingly growing around us:  wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation, earthquakes and other natural disasters, and sorrows abound.  Christians remain under persecution in various parts of the world, and this phenomenon is more frequent than most people know.  Over the past century there has been a dramatic reduction of Christian populations through persecution, especially in the Middle East (estimates claim Christians formed 20% of the population of Middle Eastern countries a century ago, down to perhaps 5% now).   Even in the nations which claim freedom of religion, those who call themselves Christians may find themselves the object of hatred.  Offenses, betrayals, hatreds seem to come up out of nowhere at times.  And this is the place where Christ says that "false prophets' can arise to deceive.  Perhaps His most ringing words for us today teach us that lawlessness will abound, and with that the love of many will grow cold.  As once-common notions of civility disintegrate, even communal understanding of the basic respect for shared humanity becomes more fragile.  We are here in the world to "endure to the end" carrying our Cross, and the light of Christ with us and within us.  Let us make every effort to do as He says, in all the ways available for our faith.   Even so, through the same technology and communications, we can see as well that the gospel of the kingdom is increasingly preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and so we go forward in His name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness

 

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your father's guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."

 

- Matthew 23:27–39 

 

On Wednesday we began reading Christ's final public sermon, an indictment of the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees.  In yesterday's reading, He continued that sermon, saying,  "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.  Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?  Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."  Here is Christ's vivid description of a hypocrisy that masks behavior that leads to death, not life.  

 

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your father's guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation." My study Bible suggests that the reference to Zechariah (as in Luke 11:51) may refer to the prophet at the time of Joash the king (2 Chronicles 24:20-22), while there is another opinion it may refer to the father of St. John the Baptist, who, according to tradition, was also murdered in the temple.  

 

 Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."  In this image of the whitewashed tombs Jesus describes, we discover what we may look at as an illustration of what is called "the two ways."  These are the way of life and the way of death.  The two ways are specifically laid out for the people by God in the Book of Jeremiah, in which the prophet Jeremiah is instructed as follows, "Now you shall say to this people, 'Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death'" (Jeremiah 21:8).  In Jesus' preaching, we are taught about the two ways in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus teaches, "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." (Matthew 7:13).  My study Bible tells us that the description of the two ways was widespread in Judaism (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:18-19, 12:28, 15:21; Sirach 15:17), and also in early Christian writings (Didache, Barnabas).  In the struggle for the better way of the narrow gate, we as human beings wrestle against sin and human weakness in addition to spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12).  These varied forces and influences define the external focus of the religious leaders whom Jesus criticizes, who are like whitewashed tombs.  They are careful to appear to the world as pious and upholding religious law and doctrine, but their inner lives follow another way.  Hence Jesus' description, that all this beauty of the whitewash hides not only the sins done against others for gain (even "dead men's bones" that may allude to the prophets murdered by those in whose footsteps these men follow), but also their own neglect of their souls.  In Jesus words, they will "fill up the measure" of their "fathers' guilt."  Their hypocrisy, then, is a "way of death," another bad road leading to a bad end.  Jesus prophesies of those whom He will send out in the world:  "Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city."  But this bad road of hypocrisy in which, despite their words to the contrary, they follow the priests who stoned and killed the prophets before them, will lead to a particular end.  Jesus tells them, " . . . that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."  Those dead men's bones, and all uncleanness therefore includes not only the state of their souls in their turning from the love of God but also the sins of their ancestors whose ways they follow.  This is what it means that He calls them "sons of those who murdered the prophets."  We have to recall the repeated warnings to Israel by the prophets, constantly calling the people back to God, and persecuted and rebuked, even murdered, by those holding these responsible positions.  Jesus says to them that all this will come down upon this particular generation, and tomorrow we will read of His lament over Jerusalem, and her repeated refusal of the Lord's prophets that have been sent to her.  Once again, we need to remind ourselves that these words of Jesus are not meant to simply teach us about the past, but to warn us about our own paths in life.  We are given grace to help us follow His light, to find His way of life for us (John 8:12).  I once spoke to a modern psychotherapist who put it this way; he said, "You're either going the right way or the wrong way."  In Christian terms, we follow the light or we don't.  To follow the light, as grace makes possible for us, is to find our lives in Him and where He leads.  To refuse is to find ourselves in darkness.  And this is what repentance is for, to come back to the way of life.  For He always awaits and calls us back.

 

 

 

Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also

 

 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.  Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?  Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.  

 

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

 

- Matthew 23:13–26 

 

Yesterday we read that 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 of 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 teacher; 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."

 

  "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.  Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?  Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."  My study Bible comments on this passage that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can hinder others from finding God as well.  So, therefore, leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).

 

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."  My study Bible comments that the warnings in this passage (and several verses that will follow in tomorrow's reading) are especially important to Orthodox Christians. Certainly they apply to many other Christian denominations as well.  It notes that the Church has maintained the ancient practice of tithing ("these you ought to have done"); sacred vessels ("you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish"); holy rites; and following the tradition handed down from fathers of the Church.  These practices, it says, can be expressions of deep faith, lead a person to deeper commitment to God, and safeguard our life in Christ, or they can be observed without ever taking them to heart and lead to condemnation.  Regarding "strain out of gnat and swallow a camel," my study Bible explains that the Pharisees would attach strainers to the mouths of decanters in order to avoid accidentally consuming a ritually unclean substance.  

 

The scrupulosity of the Pharisees is well-illustrated in Christ's scathing criticism that they "strain out a gnat and swallow a camel."   It shows for us a clear emphasis on the details of observed piety, while the inner life and the fruits of the love of God are neglected.  In another memorable phrasing, Jesus says, "For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith."  As my study Bible comments, we always run the risk of placing all our emphasis on externals and forget the power of faith, that inner life of the love of God.  Once again, we return to our reading from Tuesday, in which Jesus, in response to the Pharisees' questioning, set out the first two great commandments, upon which "hang all the Law and the Prophets."  The first commanded a total love of God, with all the heart, and soul, and mind.  The second was like it, to love neighbor as oneself.  The second flows from the first.  With their emphasis on external piety and position, on their appearance and place and rank with others, they have forgotten to first "cleanse the inside of the cup" so that the outside may be clean also.  This is once again a reference to the inner life, and the pure hearts Jesus asks us to work for, as our first work of faith (Matthew 5:8).  That is, heart and soul and mind dedicated to love of God.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly emphasizes the inner life, and our care for it, so that the love of God can produce its fruits and grow in us throughout our lives.  But a hypocritical focus on externals is what He condemns here in the practice of the Pharisees.  As my study Bible points out, all of these things and the traditions of the Church are meant as expressions of our faith, working to help us to shore up that faith within us, and to practice our faith and make it strong, to help us to express that love of God.  But it is a hypocritical focus only on the externals that is the source of the problem here, that is emphasized in Jesus' pronouncement of "woe" to these leaders.  Jesus calls them "blind guides" for they can't see what's in front of their eyes, nor can they sense what they lack in terms of their own faith and the fruits of the love of God.  Again, as my study Bible says, these warnings are not just for Christ's particular place and time, but they are always words in effect for all of us, so that we focus on our lives and the practice of our faith.  In modern times, our lives are seemingly governed by image and images, which are fantastically expanded and distorted through social media.  We need more than ever an understanding of what it is to cultivate a purity in heart and an internal, wholistic love of God which bears fruit in the growth of the soul and in love -- and not simply a reliance on slogans, movements, fashion, or to be seen by others.  As the celebration of Christ's Nativity approaches, let's remember where all the meaning comes from, and focus on cleansing the inside of the cup as He asks.    

 

 

 

 

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

 

 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 of 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 teacher; 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 

 

Yesterday we read that when the Pharisees heard that Jesus 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."  While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?  If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?" And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him any more.  

 

 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying . . .  Here begins Jesus' final public sermon (which makes up nearly the whole of chapter 23).  It is a grand critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees.  There are several themes He involves.  My study Bible sums them up as follows:  First, the Jewish leaders have God-given authority and teach God's Law, but they are personally ungodly and cold-hearted.  So their teaching is to be honored, but they are not to be imitated.  Second, God is our true Father and Teacher.  A teacher or father on earth is one who leads people to God.  The scribes and Pharisees do the opposite, placing themselves in God's position.  These themes are covered in today's reading.  The rest of the chapter will cover an eightfold indictment of the scribes and Pharisees, in which Jesus charges that they invert God's values, they are mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and they are blindly self-righteous.  My study Bible adds that while these charges were directed against the Jewish leaders of Christ's day, every word applies to those in the Church who behave in the same ways.

 

 "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."  To sit in Moses' seat, my study Bible explains, means to hold the succession of office down from Moses himself.  In the synagogue, the teacher spoke while seated as a sign of this authority . My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom's commentary, in which he said that the scribes were depraved in thought and in heart, yet Jesus still upholds the dignity of their office, as they don't speak their own words, but God's.  So also within the Church, clergy are to be shown respect for they hold the apostolic office, although they are also sinners.  Moreover, the sins of the clergy do not relieve the people from their resonsibilities before God.  Let us note here the cold-heartedness Jesus describes of those who bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders -- and yet will do nothing to help in the slightest.   This is in distinct contradiction to Christ's teaching in yesterday's reading (above), in which He cited the second greatest commandment as that in which we're told to "love your neighbor as yourself."

 

"But all of 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.'"  Phylacteries are small leather pouches which contain passages of Scripture and are worn on the arm or forehead.  The concept is to keep God's Law always in mind (see Exodus 13:9).  But instead the Pharisees used them for a false show of piety, making them increasingly larger and more noticeable.  

 

 "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 teacher; 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 says that Christ's warning against calling hypocrites father and teacher is not meant as an absolute prohibition against using these terms (as some teach).  These terms are applied to people many times in the New Testament, and all of these 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.  From the earliest days of the Church, bishops and presbyters have been called "father" not in order to take the place of God, but rather for their fatherly care of their flocks:  they lead people to God, and exercise fatherly authority within the community. 

 

Jesus teaches in today's reading, "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."  This is one of several occasions in which we read similar statements or teachings in the Bible.  See also, for example, Luke 14:11, 18:14; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 18:4, 23:11. There are many other occasions of such sentiment found in the Bible but using different language.  But in this context, this statement is given regarding use of the terms "father" and "teacher."  Jesus' statement is telling the disciples (and their spiritual descendants), who would come to be both "teachers" and "fathers" in the Church that they are not to be like the hypocrites.  This statement by Jesus suggests to us that if any of us, or if anyone in the Church, wishes to be thought of as teacher or father (or perhaps mother as well), then the only way to do this is to be a servant to others and to humble oneself.  It is in this way that teachers and fathers come to be exalted in the Church.  Oftentimes, we call such people saints, both literally and figuratively.  To be both humble and to serve is a way to curb the tendency to hypocrisy, as such discipline is counter to the goal of doing good works for the express purpose of simply being seen by others.  Human nature such as it is makes it difficult to both be concerned with serving others and also to tamper our desire to be seen as doing good.  The real emphasis here is on one's chosen aim or profession.  Do we really desire to teach?  Do we truly deeply desire to care for others with a "fatherly" (or motherly) care?  Or is our highest priority to be praised by others and to judge ourselves only through their eyes, rather than the eyes of God?  Every parent likely knows the dilemma of being a good parent -- and so sometimes having to say "No," imposing rules, and delineating boundaries, and wanting a child's love without their disappointment or disapproval.  Ultimately -- again, as in the teaching of the two greatest commandments in yesterday's reading (above) -- our highest priority needs to be loving and pleasing God, for in this way we do seek to be true teachers and fathers (and good parents, for that matter).  For this is where we go to be dedicated to truly learning love and goodness, what really serves, and what truly teaches.  There our desire can be met with God's care for our goals, and for the disposition of our souls.  Hypocrisy, living as an actor behind a mask (a literal understanding of the word's Greek roots) prevents us from assuming the humility necessary for sincerity, for the pure heart Jesus desires for us (Matthew 5:8).  A good teacher, just like a good father or mother, has for their primary concern the welfare of those under their care, and their first priority is not their own gain, well-being, or capacity to impress and lord it over others.  We are blessed in the Church to have a long history of many teachers, and many fathers, notably among those whom we call saints, but a myriad more whom we don't know.  Ultimately, as Jesus indicates, we have one true Teacher (the Christ) and one true Father (He who is in heaven).  We might call Christ the Teacher of all teachers, and God the  Father is the Father of all fathers.  But through humility and love we can learn to grow in likeness to them.  Let us start with Christ's first and greatest commandment, the love of God, and how love of neighbor (the second great commandment) can be expressed through all the teachers, fathers, and mothers of the Church.  Let us strive to become like them. 

 

 

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets

 

 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."

 

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:

'The LORD said to my Lord,

"Sit at My right hand,

 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?

"If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"   And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him any more.  

 

- Matthew 22:34–46 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the same day that the Pharisees sought to trap Jesus with a question about paying Roman taxes, 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."  My study Bible comments that the Pharisees had found 613 commandments in the Scriptures, and they debated constantly about which one was central.  Here Jesus sets forth the first and the second, which together constitute a grand summary of the Law.  Although this lawyer has come with malice to test Jesus, we know from St. Mark's account of this story that he is converted by Christ's answers (Mark 12:28-34).  My study Bible expands further on the second commandment given by Jesus that it must be understood as it is written; You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  More clearly stated, it would read, "as being yourself."  It's often misunderstood to mean "You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself," which effectively destroys the force of the statement.  How much we love ourselves isn't the standard by which Christ calls us to love others.  My study Bible says that we are called to love our neighbor as being of the same nature as we ourselves are, as being created in God's image and likeness just as we are.  As the Church Fathers teach, we find our true self in loving our neighbor.  In St. Luke's Gospel, Jesus offers these two commandments to a lawyer who asks Him about attaining eternal life.  The law then follows up with a question, "And who is my neighbor?" to which Jesus replies by telling the story of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25-37).

 

 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?  If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"   And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him any more.   My study Bible notes here that Christ asks this question in order to lead the Pharisees to the only logical conclusion:  that He is God Incarnate.  They supposed the Messiah to be a mere man, and so they reply that the Messiah would be a Son of David.  But David, as king of Israel, could not and would not address anyone as "lord" except God.  But in Psalm 110:1, David refers to the Messiah as "Lord."  Therefore, the Messiah must be God.  The only possible conclusion is therefore that He is a descendant of David only according to the flesh -- but is also divine, sharing Lordship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible adds that the Pharisees are unable to answer any further because they realize the implications, and they fear to confess Jesus to be the son of God.  In the psalm verse quoted by Jesus, the answer is that the first reference to the LORD applies to God the Father, while the term my Lord refers to Christ.  

 

 The commentary on today's reading found in my study Bible invites us to think more deeply about Christ's second commandment listed here.  That is, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  The two commandments which Jesus cites here, putting them together as that upon which hang the whole of the Law and the Prophets (that is, the Scriptures known to the Jews at that time), are Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18.  Let us remember that the one who questions Christ here is called a lawyer in the text; that is, he is an expert in the Law, in the commandments of the Scriptures.   The full verse of Leviticus reads as follows:  "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."  So, it seems important to note in this context that the first part of this instruction is a command to refrain from vengeance against "the children of your people."  Its thrust and purpose seems clear; that is, it is meant as a command to refrain from dissension and violence within the community.  We know this is a central problem in the Old Testament, the world having descended from the first sin mentioned in Genesis to the evil of Lamech, who bragged to his two wives in a song as follows:  "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me.  If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold" (Genesis 4:23-24).  Of such importance was this growing cycle of vengeance that in the time of Lamech's son, Noah, God would decide to flood the world and start over, preserving the lineage of one "who found grace in the eyes of the Lord" and who was "a just man" "who walked with God" (see Genesis 6:5-13).  God's entire emphasis after that, in creating a people via Abraham's faith (accounted to him as righteousness), who would be led by Moses and through him given the Law, was to create a community in the image God desired.  So, there we come to the prohibition against vengeance and its terrible effects upon community. To love neighbor as oneself, as my study Bible explains, is to know others as "the children of your people;" that is, as one like yourself.  It's most important, in considering today's reading and this commandment, that we consider the story of the Good Samaritan as Christ's response to the question, "And who is my neighbor?"  The lawyer's answer in that passage is that "the one who showed mercy" was neighbor to the other, and Jesus' command follows:  "Go and do likewise."  If we look carefully at that story of the Good Samaritan, we may conclude that this command to show mercy is one in which we are willing to take the first step, the initiative, in being a neighbor.  The first commandment given here teaches us not just to follow or even to have faith and believe, but to love God "with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."  This establishes the most basic relationship that defines who we are, for in loving God in such a complete way, we wholeheartedly love Love itself (1 John 4:8), and through a depth of drawing toward union with God, we learn love from God.  Let us endeavor, wherever we are, to create the community that God wants from us, learning to follow these commandments, and to be the kind of neighbor God wants us to become.

 

 

 

 

 

God is not the God of the dead, but of the living

 

 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.

 

- Matthew 22:23-33 

 

On Saturday we read that 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 perceive their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypcrites?  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.  My study Bible comments here that Christ confirms there will be a resurrection, but not of the kind these Sadducees are imagining.  They consider the resurrection as a continuation of earthly life (including earthly marriage), and so they mock this doctrine with an absurd scenario.  But they're ignorant of the Scriptures, which reveal a complete transformation of life in the resurrection, and therefore make their questions irrelevant.  Moreover, they also fail to understand how Abraham and his sons can be alive in God even when they are physically dead.  It's the clear teaching of Christ, my study Bible adds, that the souls of the faithful who have left this life are sustained before the face of God in anticipation of the final joy of the resurrection. 

 

 We first of all might look at this scene in today's reading as one that exemplifies for us a type of common problem.  That is, the problem with many who criticize Christianity without first understanding its basic principles, or having only a very fragmented or uninformed knowledge about it.  Jesus here uses the elements of faith to express to these men, who form an important class of the ruling parties in Jerusalem, that they know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.   For, through the power of God, "in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven."  Moreover, the Scriptures clearly reveal this in God's word to Moses, when God revealed Himself to Moses in the mystery of the burning bush, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3:6).  So, from the story in today's Gospel passage, we may see quite clearly how even those nominally of our faith may remain ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God.  For it takes not simply a smattering of knowledge of Scripture nor even of a basic sense of what our faith declares to truly have insight and understanding of Christ and what He offers to us.  We read Scripture in a particular way, and we come to know the power of God also through a particular kind of understanding and of faith.  We might first need to understand that the Sadducees formed a particular ruling class among those who led the temple and formed the ruling Council of the Jews.  According to my study Bible, they were a type of aristocratic body, forming a high priestly and landowning class, which controlled the temple and the internal political affairs of the Jews.  For their Scriptures they held only the first five books of what we call the Old Testament; that is, the Torah or Pentateuch.  In contrast to the Pharisees, they rejected belief in angels, the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the dead.  After the destruction of the city and temple in the Siege of Jerusalem (in AD 70), they disappeared as a class.  So what we might first conjecture from both this scenario they present to Jesus, and also from what we know of their beliefs, they had a very materialistic approach to faith and their vision of responsibility to God.  That is, their focus was the Law and their inherited duties, positions, and properties.  They also were politically prudent, and and adapted to the presence of the Romans.  Today we live in a very secular culture, where it is possible to have a bare understanding of the values of Christian faith, and criticize on a mistaken or highly uninformed basis.  It's entirely possible to have Scripture quoted and distorted without this understanding or insight that comes from tradition and spiritual or theological understanding.  If we fail to accept the spiritual basis for much of Christ's and the Church's teachings, we will fail to understand Scripture and the Gospels.  Perhaps most powerfully, we will miss the transfiguration of the Cross, the power of Christ's Resurrection, and what it means to be offered eternal life.  Many people separate beliefs into a kind of "two-story world," to use a phrase borrowed from Fr. Stephen Freeman (who writes this blog), and so fail to understand the interconnection of spiritual reality and worldly reality, which is in fact the point of the mysteries and sacraments of faith, and to which the life of Christ points us.  Perhaps the most important focus we take from today's reading is how we can be distracted from true spiritual or theological understanding by an exclusive focus on rules, material life, and the power inherent in position and property.  Whatever way a materialistic perspective forms, with an exclusive focus only on the worldly and to the exclusion of the reality of spiritual life pointed to in Scripture, we will be missing a lot and lacking in understanding of our faith.  Neither will we have insight into Christ's teachings. As we head toward the celebration of Christ's Nativity, let consider the ways in which nominal belief in Christ can still fall short of the depth of beauty and the transformational power of faith, and the reality of the soul.  Wherever we are in our spiritual lives, let us seek to welcome Christ more truly into our hearts, where He can open our eyes more deeply to what is real and what matters for our lives.  For God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.  We need to consider what that really means, and all the "life" that Christ offers to fill the here and now.

 

 

 

 

Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's

 

 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 perceive their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypcrites?  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 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and spoke to the chief priests and elders 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 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?'  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 perceive 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.  This question on taxation is designed as a trap for Jesus.  If He replied "yes" to the question, it would turn the Jewish people against Him.  If He replied "no" it would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  But Christ's answer yet again evades the intentions of those who question Him and gives a perspective they don't expect.  Christ's answer shows that a believer can render the state its due, and at the same time serve God (Romans 13:1-7).  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.  

 

Christ's answer (and my study Bible's explanation) suggests something interesting to us. If there is not necessarily a contradiction between service to state and service to God; that is, if we can honor both our obligations to the state and to God at the same time, then it is fundamentally possible for even the state to designate "good" as something pleasing to God.  Obviously, human beings need good governance.  Whatever problems we have in the world with power and governments, they do not come about because no government is the answer or pleasing to God.  On the contrary, we understand from the creation story in the Bible that our world is meant to be not a place of chaos and anarchy, not a place where we human beings simply struggle against one another for limited goods, or a life of "all against all."  The Bible tells us that God organized life from its fundamental beginnings, separating land and sea, ocean from ocean, putting man in a specific garden.  Moreover to guide human beings and human enterprises, God gives us angels.  In the Revelation we read of each angel meant to lead every church St. John is told to write to; The Lord tells John to write separate messages to the angels of the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and the church of the Laodicaeans.  In fact, it is an angel sent by the Lord, by Christ, to tell John all of the instructions of the Revelation to the churches.  In the tradition of our faith we understand that angels are put in charge of states, nations, cities, that even each one of us has a particular guardian angel.  What that tells us, then, is that the normal human activities of the regulation of states need not conflict at all with our duty to God.  But, of course, this would mean that the state align itself with the will of God in some sense, for in that case there is no conflict with our loyalty to God.  Good governance is something respected in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament and in the writing of St. Paul (such as the passage in Romans 13:1-7, cited by my study Bible).  Clearly, human beings need governments and states of various kinds, but we may seek good government in accordance with the values of our faith.  Moreover there is a subtle emphasis implied here on the responsibility of the people, both communally and individually.  For in each case we may render proper duty to God and to the state.  Of course, what all of this tells us is that our first duty is to God, and that this is also true of the state.  In a conscientiously secular modern sense, we expect the government to impose no religion upon us, but we cannot get away from conscience and our love of God, for these are where values come from to begin with.  Our very concepts of human rights in a modern sense were developed culturally as a result of our faith (see the book by Tom Holland titled Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World for a greater eye-opening discussion on just how much modern life owes to the Christian faith).  In the ancient world, of course, and in the context of our reading, Caesar was worshiped as a god, and thereby the Jews and many Christians to come would be persecuted.  But Jesus teaches here -- as does the whole history of Christian faith and its effects on culture and society -- that our first duty is to live faithfully to the extent that we are able, for we are first those who render the soul unto God, and the rest of life, including its necessities, follows.  What we observe about today's reading also hinges on another aspect of Jesus' response to these men, and that is that He openly calls them hypocrites. Indeed, the Pharisees, who are exceptionally prideful of their intensely scrupulous observance of the law, here ally themselves with the Herodians, who are the followers of Herod's court, which serves Caesar and rules Israel.  What kind of partnership is that for those who quiz Him regarding paying taxes to Caesar and the Jewish law?  Their own hypocrisy exposes them in their murderous envy of Christ, and the greed for which they are known themselves.  So in the light of today's reading, let us consider what a true examination of conscience is and means.  It does not imply that we ascribe to a particular political theory or philosophy.  Neither does rendering our due to the Lord mean separating ourselves from participation in worldly life.  We walk a fine line by rendering unto both God and Caesar what belongs properly to each, with our faith being the guide for what is good and what is not.

 

 

 

For many are called, but few are chosen

 

 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 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?'  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 yesterday's reading, Jesus taught to the chief priests and the elders, "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 vinedresers, 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."  My study Bible explains that, like the preceding parables (see Wednesday's reading, and yesterday's reading above), this one also proclaims the transfer of the Kingdom from the faithless Jews to the Gentiles.  This parable is set as a joyful wedding banquet (see also Matthew 25:1-13).  Christ is often known to us as the Bridegroom (Matthew 9:15; John 3:29), and St. Paul uses the analogy of marriage for the Kingdom (Ephesians 5:21-33).  The repeated sending out of servants shows the Father's strong desire to have His people with Him in the Kingdom.  This first group invited is interpreted to mean Moses and those with him.  

 

 "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."  The oxen represent the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, while the fatted cattle represent the eucharistic bread of the New Covenant, my study Bible explains.  "Fatted" is in fact better translated "wheat-fed," or even more literally "formed from wheat."  So, therefore, both Old and New Covenants are fulfilled at the wedding of Christ and His Church.  This second group of other servants is understood to mean the prophets.  Both the first and second group of servants call those initially invited -- 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, Christ is prophesying here the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70, and therefore attributes that destruction to an act of God rather than simply to that of human beings.  Nonetheless, God showed His patience by waiting roughly forty years from the time of Christ, giving that 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 gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good."  This third group of servants represents the apostles sent out to the Gentiles ("into the highways"), those who were not initially invited, but are now called.

 

 "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?'  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."  My study Bible explains that the wedding garment would have been provided by the king, and so therefore there is no excuse for not wearing one.  Therefore, this man is speechless.  His refusal to war the garment that was provided is an illustration of those who refuse God's hospitality, my study Bible says, or who desire God's Kingdom on their own terms.  More 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.   

 

 Jesus says, "For many are called, but few are chosen."  My study Bible explains elsewhere that it is a common Aramaic expression to use "many" as meaning "all."  So this last group of servants sent out on all the highways leading everywhere, inviting "as many as you find," are the apostles and others sent out to all the world, to all people; and still today this action and calling continues through every means, including the "superhighways" of telecommunications and worldwide connection through the internet and other modern technologies.  It is interesting to consider that this action of the third group of servants continues in all its forms.  Whatever "highways" human being build to connect cities and towns, countries and civilizations, the word still goes out and invitations are still being issued to this cosmic wedding banquet for Christ the Bridegroom.  Means such as this blog, communications and podcasts, videos, and all means of communication are used to continue issuing invitation to "many," meaning "all."  The whole world is invited to this wedding banquet.  Certainly we can think of no reason why "all" would not want to accept an invitation to such a banquet.  So, therefore, we ask ourselves of what does a wedding garment consist.  Pope St. Gregory the Great comments on this question:  "What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast, but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the holy church. He may have faith, but he does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this is what our Creator himself possessed when he came to the marriage feast to join the church to himself. Only God’s love brought it about that his only begotten Son united the hearts of his chosen to himself. John says that 'God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for us'" (Manlio Simonetti, Matthew 14–28, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001, p. 146).  St. Gregory's description of love here gives us a proper sense of the fullness of love, and in particular, love in the sense of a marriage.  This love is not only asked of the guest, but it begins with God's love which unites the hearts of God's chosen to Christ.  So, as my study Bible indicates, the wedding garment is a gift of grace, given by the Father, but must be embraced and worn by the guest; that is, received as love must be received and reciprocated.  This also teaches us about hospitality in the ancient sense of our faith, even the hospitality that began with Abraham who "entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2; Genesis 18:1-8).  For we also need to practice hospitality for God's grace, welcoming it into ourselves and returning that love, and thereby do we wear our wedding garment, even as Mary the Theotokos, Mother of God, welcomed the Holy Spirit within herself to bear the Child Jesus.  Hospitality is in this sense a synergistic gift, for which it is essential to welcome God's grace, the call of the gospel message as our invitation to the Wedding Banquet.  As faithful we both receive and expand that invitation as did the apostles and disciples, through the highways of the internet and telecommunications which continue to expand for a modern age. So through the gospel the invitations are sent out to the world for others whom we hope will receive God's grace, and return God's love, uniting to Christ.  It is as true now as it was then.  "For many are called, but few are chosen."

.

 

The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone

 

 "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 vinedresers, 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 chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, referring to the cleansing of the temple, "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 vinedresers, 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?"  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 (to whom Jesus tells the parable), who are entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant who is sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet coming to call the people back to God, while the beloved son is Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard and killed, it's understood on two levels, according to my study Bible.  First, that Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem (Golgotha at that time was outside of the city walls); and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, not by those of His own "vineyard."  

 

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."   Note how these religious leaders once again convict themselves, as in yesterday's reading in their answer to the parable of the "two sons" (see above).  They are correct in naming the other vinedressers, who are the faithful among the Gentiles.

 

 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.  Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22-23.  My study Bible comments that this stone is Christ.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it adds, this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the consequences of their sins while still in this life, but those upon whom the stone falls are the unrepentant who suffer utter destruction in the final judgment. 

 

 In the letters of both St. Paul and St. Peter there is reference to Christ as this stone mentioned in today's reading.  Perhaps of particular importance is the fact that in each case, the saints refer to Christ as both stumbling block and rock of offense.  Both saints quote from Old Testament Scripture to teach this lesson also noted in the commentary by St. John Chrysostom cited above.  St. Paul quotes, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."  St. Peter writes, "Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,' and 'A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.' They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed."  See Romans 9:32-33; 1 Peter 2:6-8; Isaiah 8:14-15, 28:16.  So the "two ways" cited by St. John Chrysostom are found in the earliest years of the Church, and directly from the apostles.  How are we to understand this in a modern context, in which the weight of the words of Christ fails to impact many people?  Let us understand the prophetic reality of what He is saying here.  These religious leaders (if we pay careful attention to the parable) are the inheritors of the spiritual history of Israel.  They are the last in a very long line of leaders of Israel who reject the word of the prophets that are sent to them.  We may read, for instance about the prophet Amos, who lived in the 8th century before Christ.  According to my study Bible, his were the first prophecies to be written down, and he was the first prophet to proclaim the end of God's covenant with Israel because of stubborn unrepentance, oppression of the poor, and other sins of passion.  Israel had grown wealthy at this time from control of trade routes.  He preached repentance in warning the king and the people.  But the priests, tired of his prophecies, clubbed him to death.  So the setting here is important, as is Christ's parable; it tells us of things these men know very well as the religious leaders and stewards of the people. In fact, in chapter 23, Jesus will speak to the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers'guilt" (Matthew 23:29-32).  Adding to this, He further prophesies their future persecution of the Christian "prophets, wise men, and scribes."  It tells us of a whole history, a pattern, a "filling up," in Jesus' language, of the fullness of intentions and behaviors borne out by a refusal to honor and fulfill covenant. So let us consider this in a current setting, in which there is no state religion within modern democracies.  It seems that, first of all, we who call ourselves Christians do indeed have a responsibility to uphold, nevertheless, not simply the tenets of our declared faith, but also the courage of what it means to bear covenant and particularly to pay attention to the promptings of God in our spiritual lives.  It means that when we preach Christ crucified we bear witness to something more powerful than mere words and theories, for we carry with us the Spirit promised by Christ, and we owe an allegiance to God's calling for us.  It means that those of us who live among any society in which we hold ourselves to a particular faith bear responsibility for living that faith, and being a light even to those who may reject it for themselves (Matthew 5:16).  But let us not doubt the power of that stone, for this is embedded in the words of Christ in today's reading, and there can be no doubt about His intent and the serious nature of His warnings.  He remains for all the world both a stumbling block and an offense, and a stone that some reject.  But He is for us the chief cornerstone, and His truth we cannot deny, for it is a wisdom to be cherished.