You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment"

 

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

 

- Matthew 5:21–26

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the disciples, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."  My study Bible tells us that this repeated formula in Christ's Sermon on the Mount but I say to you is a statement of total, divine authority (Matthew 7:29).  Christ is the Creator of humankind and also Author of the Law; as the Lord He can speak with this authority.  While there is anger which is not sinful (Psalm 4:4; Mark 3:5), here Jesus is forbidding sinful anger, and He identifies it with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell is in Greek γέενναν/Gehenna.  In Jewish history, my study Bible explains, Gehenna was the Valley of Hinnom.  It became a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  King Josiah put an end to these practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By Christ's time, the valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered endlessly.  Because of these associations, Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.  Hell is the final condition of sinners who resist God's grace.  

 

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."  Peace with other believers, my study Bible says, is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  The liturgical "kiss of peace" at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, a preparation of the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14).  See also Jesus' formula for mutual correction in the Church, in Matthew 18:15-20.

 

"Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."  My study Bible points out that St. Luke places this teaching in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  Here Jesus teaches it in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  Delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26). 

 

Forgiveness and reconciliation are important concepts in the Church, and it's important to note that these are two different words for two different things.  While we are all commanded to forgive, it's not always possible to reconcile.  For example, this is true of an abusive or harmful situation, in which two parties may conflict to the extent that harm is created, or abuse is tolerated.  But forgiveness is the "giving up" of sin in the same sense that a debt can be forgiven, as we'll read in the following chapter of this sermon (Matthew 6:12).  We do this in the context of prayer before our Father in heaven.  As shown in Jesus' teaching on mutual correction (Matthew 18:15-20), reconciliation calls for steps beyond forgiveness.  In today's reading, Jesus seems to teach us the importance of guarding against offenses, and also the reparation for offenses.  We read in the Gospels examples of such reparation and reconciliation, for example, in the story of Zacchaeus the chief tax collector (Luke 19:1-10).  In the story of Zacchaeus, it must be understood that tax collectors were despised within the Jewish society, for they were fellow Jews who worked for the Romans, routinely taking more than was necessary for paying tax and using the power of the Roman state to practice extortion for their own benefit.  In Zacchaeus' case, when Jesus comes to Jericho where he lives, and calls upon him, Zacchaeus states, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  Of this reconciliation, a reconstitution of community, Jesus says, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  But nonetheless, we can always practice forgiveness, the "giving up" or "letting go" (as the word literally means in the Greek), as Jesus teaches us as part of the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father.   Here in today's passage, Jesus places the emphasis on the aggressive act of anger which is unjustified, and provokes unnecessarily through insult or injury of some kind.  Raca is an insult implying a person is empty-headed; "you fool" is the translation of an insult implying mental deficiency, undevelopment, lack of intelligence.  In Greek, it is μωρος/moros, from which we derive the English word moron.  In modern Greek, this word is used to literally refer to an infant.   One imagines that such demeaning insults mean something additionally significant within a social or public context.  Christ's comments just prior to the ones in today's reading spoke of the Law and the Prophets, and Himself as fulfillment.  If we think about the Law given by the Lord to Moses, we understand the important community emphasis on those laws; they weren't simply made in order to teach individuals what to do and how to act within an individual context.  The Law was made to create a community of God's people, and the prayers and practices of the Temple were designed to ameliorate the effects of sin in community.  The blood of sacrifice that was to be sprinkled upon the altar was for purification (not payment) -- and this is another prefiguring of Christ and His Blood shed for us.  Therefore we see this particular sin of anger without cause, and the casting of insults upon others within community, as akin to murder.  It destroys relationships and relatedness, and we are to understand righteousness as right-relatedness. In today's reading, Jesus begins to explain to us why and how we are to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.  Christ's gospel is part of the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, but it extends beyond a legalistic scrupulosity of simply following the rules.  Instead, we're to begin to come to terms with the inward passions that drive harmful actions, and of course this will correspond to the action of the Holy Spirit, the Helper, which would come to us as a gift of Christ's fulfillment of His mission (John 16:7-11), and as part of Christian Holy Baptism.  Within the context of community also comes the need for reconciliation and forgiveness.  But this is done within a community meant to be "the people of God."  The remedy for sin is holiness, not payment.  This is where Christ is leading us, and what the Incarnation as salvific remedy for the world is all about.  The fire of hell is the same purifying fire that is the Holy Spirit, and our experience of that depends upon our orientation to where He leads, our acceptance of the repentance to which we're called.  

 

 

 

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.    

 

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny

 

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

 

- Matthew 5:21–26 

 

This week, we are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, in preparation for Lent, which begins next week.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."  Here Jesus begins His expansion of the Law, first citing the statute against murder (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17).  He begins with a formula He will repeat, "but I say to you."  My study Bible comments that this is a statement of total, divine authority (Matthew 7:29).  As the Creator of man and Author of the Law, it says, Christ can speak with this authority.  Additionally, my study Bible notes that while there is anger which is not sinful (Psalm 4:5; Mark 3:5), here what Jesus forbids is sinful anger -- and He identifies it with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell (in the Greek, Γέενναν/Gehenna) is the final condition of sinners who resist the grace of God.  

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."  My study Bible comments that peace with other believers is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  It says that the liturgical "kiss of peace" at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness; this prepares the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14). 

 

"Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."  St. Luke places this teaching in the context of the end of the age in his gospel (Luke 12:57-59).  Here, it appears in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  My study Bible comments that delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27).  

 

My study Bible notes that in St. Luke's Gospel, the warning about reconciliation to one's adversary comes in the context of the end of the age, but here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses this image (of coming before a judge against an adversary) in preparation for the Eucharist, and within the communion of the Church.    The intuition here tells us something significant, that going before the Eucharistic cup, and coming into the Divine Liturgy, we are standing before Christ.  When we partake of His mystical body and blood, when we gather to worship, we are standing in the presence of the Judge.  Therefore, our capacity for reconciliation, for remembering a "brother" who "has anything against you" is important, and we should take it seriously.  When we practice confession before taking the Eucharist it is in a similar pursuit:  we seek to be reconciled to the Judge, to God, before we partake.  All of these various framing of the pursuit of peace and reconciliation lead to the same place, to the place where we are before Christ and in the communion which Christ creates among believers, and this is the place where we are to be reconciled.  This is the place where peace is necessary and important.  We should not forget that in that place we also have the presence of the Holy Spirit who helps us to do this work Christ asks of reconciliation. Indeed, it has been at times during the liturgy that I find myself able to forgive people and things I could not at other times.  Being there in the presence of Father, Son, and Spirit enables the heart to ease, and that is indeed a blessed feeling, a miraculous-seeming sense of letting go.  And that is what forgiveness is.  So whether or not we have something we need to do in order to repair our own trespass, or we need help to reconcile that which is not otherwise mended by another, the liturgy -- and the Eucharist -- become those places where the judge is, before whom we may leave all things.   It's clear, of course, that Christ's final words here apply to the final judgment as well, and our need to repair our trespass before we leave this world.  Remember, too, Christ's words about murder.  Sometimes name-calling, or any form of an insult or diminishing of another, can be poisonous to a relationship and by extension to a community.  As we are about to enter into Lent, today's reading should give us pause to consider all the ways we might contribute to that pool of influence for good or for bad.  Let's watch our words, as part of this historical period traditionally reserved for fasting.  St. John Chrysostom is famously quoted as saying, "For what does it profit if we abstain from fish and fowl and yet bite and devour our brothers and sisters?"  Let us begin by following Christ's clear teachings here, and consider our words and abstain from using them in ways that are self-indulgent and poisonous or abusive to peace.  We always have this choice; let us start there, and honor Him by doing so.

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny

 

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

 

- Matthew 5:21-26 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught,  "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."  My study Bible comments here that the repeated formula but I say to you is a statement of total, divine authority (Matthew 7:29).  As the Creator of humankind and the Author of the Law, Christ can speak with this authority.  It's also important to note that while there is anger which is not sinful (Psalm 4:4; Mark 3:5), Jesus is forbidding sinful anger -- which He identifies here with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell is "Gehenna" in the Greek.  In Jewish history, Gehenna (which is the valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices linked to demons (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  My study Bible explains that King Josiah had put an end to these practices (2 Kings 23:10).  But by Christ's time, this valley had become a garbage dump, which smoldered ceaselessly.  Because of such associations, Gehenna thereby acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.  Hell/Gehenna, my study Bible says, is the final condition of sinners who resist God's grace.

 

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."  My study Bible describes peace with other believers as a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  The liturgical "kiss of peace" at the beginning of the Eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, which prepares the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14).  

 

 "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."   In St. Luke's Gospel, this teaching is placed in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  Here it is placed in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  My study Bible says that delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27).  

Once again we must observe that Jesus, in His role as the One who is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, is focused on a proper way to build and maintain community.  That is, the community of the people of God.  Here, He expounds on anger and its effects.  Note that He says that "whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment."   The "without a cause" is certainly something we can understand as unjust and mistaken.  But let us see the other examples Jesus gives.  Raca! is an insult that seems to demean a person as worthless.  According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, it's derived from a word meaning "to spit," an expression of contempt.  Such types of name-calling strip others of their dignity, reducing them to something less than fully human.  If we think about going to court over something like that, it reminds us of slander, or defamation.  It is a way to take away honor or standing.  The word translated as Fool! in modern Greek means infant, but it seems that at the time the Gospel was written it indicated being not fully formed in the sense of witless, brainless, even without spiritual or moral understanding.  So it's another step in terms of demeaning someone, reducing them to something less than human, even something detrimental to society.  It's a way to create scapegoats.  What we need to think about in each of these cases are the uses of such language upon others and what they often lead to or excuse in terms of violence.  Even for mass violence, such as genocide, detrimental terms become a means whereby murder is justified, even wholesale deprivation of nominal or normal social rights.  The effects of such types of anger, cavalierly encouraged or entered into, are disparaging to relationship, community, family -- a sinful way to destroy relationships on any level.   I have witnessed relationships destroyed, even to multi-generations, through irresponsible anger.  Consider our command to love neighbor, and what such types of anger do to destroy relationships which God establishes, and particularly, for example in a marriage.  Here Jesus describes the recipient of such sinful anger as a "brother."  Unchecked, and freely indulged in as a passion, anger becomes extremely toxic, and leading to destructive consequences, such as murder or other forms of harm.  This is where the historical church understands unchecked indulgence in passions, and the Lenten practice of fasting to develop discipline to deal with such temptations.  So here is where we have Jesus' equation of anger with murder, and all too often we can witness these effects of anger too-freely given and expressed.  Demeaning and degrading, harming those who are abused by it, and causing even emotional or spiritual harm that can burden a person for a lifetime, leaving scars that wound on levels even if one doesn't see them.  Moreover, its victims may also return that anger in destructive, over-the-top ways and endanger their own salvation.  As such, we all need to check our anger, be responsible for it, deal with our passions; and the practice of the penitential Psalm 51 used to help us be aware of our own capacity for sin.  On a universal scale, we see emotions like anger stoked, hyped up through propaganda and media, denying justice for "some" who are the exceptional "morons," or "stupid fools" or treated with loathsome contempt.  It is a way to create scapegoats, on a personal level and on even an international level.  Unjust anger, anger without a cause, is used to manipulate warfare and oppression.  Jesus is cognizant of all of this, and teaches us that we are responsible for every idle word.  For the cosmic court of justice is never out, and always lies at the ends of our journeys, where the one whom we chose unjustly to make an adversary "may deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."  Today we have at our disposal a previously unheard-of capacity to make others pay (in a worldly material sense) out of our anger, or envy, or desire on a colossal scale.  Perhaps we would be wiser to remember Christ's words. 

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

 

"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 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 cummin, 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 

 

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

 

  "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."  My study Bible comments here that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can hinder others from finding Him as well.  Therefore, leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).   Note that Jesus says they make their proselytes "twice a son of hell as yourselves."  What this indicates is that the further along a path we go in error, the greater the error grows.  It gives us a sense of the importance of correction, and the urgency of correction.  

"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 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."  Here Christ gives an example that betrays the lack of focus on God of these religious leaders.  Instead their focus is on the gold of the altar, and not the power of God which sanctifies the gold.  A sense of the sacramental, then, is missing from their image of the temple in the first place -- that it is Him who dwells in it that gives everything its meaning and its substance.  It shows quite a materialist perspective which makes them fools and blind.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, 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 here (and on the next few verses that follow in the next reading) that these warnings are especially important to Orthodox Christians.  (My study Bible is the Orthodox Study Bible.)   It notes that the Church has maintained these ancient practices ("These you ought to have done") of tithing; sacred vessels; holy rites; and following the tradition handed down from Church Father and Mothers.  These practices, it continues, 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.  "Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"  This refers to the practice of the Pharisees of attaching strainers to the mouths of decanters, so that one would avoid accidentally swallowing anything ritually unclean.

 

 Let us consider today the problem of hypocrisy in leadership, and particularly in religious leadership. For this is what Christ's great focus is on in this final public sermon, His critique of the scribes and Pharisees.  In the words of my study Bible, this sermon is an "eightfold indictment," in which He charges them with "inverting God's values and with being mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and blindly self-righteous."    It goes on to note that, while these charges were directed against the Jewish leaders of the day, each word applies equally to those in the Church who behave in this way.  Hypocrisy is a hindrance to the very mission of any religious leader, because -- to paraphrase Christ's words -- hypocritical practices shut up the kingdom of heaven against people, and those in religious authority neither go in themselves, nor do they allow those who are entering to go in.  Hypocrisy, which we can observe in scandals of the Church, actually teaches such practices to others -- whether we are speaking of forms of abuse (sexual or otherwise) or corruption of a financial nature.  It not only "cancels" spiritual teaching by works that are against the teaching, it also teaches profound error and sin in practice which others then follow.  When one is preaching the gospel of love, the gospel of compassion, and then behaving in ways which are hurtful or cruel, what does that teach people, especially subordinates in a hierarchy?  Moreover, it scandalizes the people of the flock who follow in order to be uplifted and to gain strength in their faith.  If a religious leader shows by his or her actions that they don't really believe what they preach, then it subverts the message, overturns the gospel, and teaches others to be disrespectful of Christ's teachings.  Effectively, such a person in their selfish orientation means a religious authority may "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."    Jesus says, "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."  He uses a reference to the practices of ritual cleanliness to refer figuratively to personal corruption:  this is why we seek to know and cleanse the heart, to "cut off" forms of sin from ourselves (Matthew 5:28-30; 18:8-9), so that we cleanse the inside of the "cup and dish" of ourselves, so that our outside may be clean also.  Jesus says something similar when He tells us to make our eye single, so that our whole body is full of light (Matthew 6:22-23), using darkness as an analogy for the blindness of sin and error and spiritual ignorance.  Ultimately all of these teachings are for all of us, for if we profess our faith, then each serves as a type of authority, an image for the faith, a way to teach others who observe.  

But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment

 

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.   First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

 

- Matthew 5:21-26 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  On Saturday we read that Jesus taught, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.   

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."  At this stage of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will repeat the formula "but I say to you..." My study Bible says that this repeated formula is a statement of total, divine authority (Matthew 7:29).  As the Creator of human beings, and also the Author of the Law, Christ can speak with this authority.  As there is a type of anger that is not sinful (Psalms 4:4; Mark 3:5), here Jesus is forbidding sinful anger, and identifies it with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell is translated from the Greek rendered Gehenna (γέενναν); which is itself a transliteration of the Hebrew term, Gêhinnōm, meaning "the valley of Hinnom."  (See also Matthew 10:28.)  This term is also also referred to as the "lake of fire" in Revelation.   It is the final condition of sinners who resist God's grace.  

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.   First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."  My study Bible comments here that peace with other believers is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  The liturgical "kiss of peace" at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, which prepares the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14).  

 

"Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."  My study Bible notes that Luke places this particular teaching in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  Here in Matthew's Gospel it is in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  To delay in reconciliation means allowing or the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27).  

In today's excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks about the failure of reconciliation, and He places the responsibility for this on the one who causes offense, the one for whom a brother has something against them.  He begins with the admonition against provocation and name-calling.  But even that starts with His teaching on anger.   He begins with the law against murder, and likens a particular type of anger to it.  Note that this, according to my study Bible, is not righteous anger, such as Jesus' response to the hardness of hearts of those who would forbid a healing in Mark 3:5.  But even in that case of an anger begun by a reasonable grief at those who would refuse someone a healing, Jesus does not respond with a rash act, but with a good one:  His response is to heal, regardless of the actions and motivations of the religious rulers in the synagogue.  What that teaches us is a meditation on what Jesus means by meekness, such as when He taught in the Beatitudes, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (in this reading).   For Christ's kind of meekness was on display when He healed the paralytic in Mark 3:1-6 although the religious leaders would certainly accuse Him of violating the Sabbath.  Meekness, as my study Bible noted in the commentary on the Beatitudes, is not passive weakness, but rather strength under control.  This aspect of self-control or self-mastery is central to the entire history of Christian spiritual teaching.  It is the key to the historical monastic practice of seeking dispassion.  That is, not to be ruled by our passions.  It is in a true sense the way to unlock the meaning of discipleship.  This is because our passions can simply take their own way with us, surpassing all manner of what we might do or think in calmer circumstances and a cooler frame of mind.  Passions are those things, in effect, that overwhelm us and therefore render us truly weak and passive.  So the kind of self-control that is in this aspect of what Jesus calls "meekness" is all about not letting anger or other passions get to oneself, not letting the things that seek to push our buttons send us over the edge into out-of-control unbalance or lack of equanimity.  This "meekness" is all about the strength of self-mastery, so that we keep our cool when we need to, and respond to even highly stressful circumstances, such as when we're provoked even to righteous anger, get the better of us -- and so that we can respond in the way God would call us to do, as did Jesus.  This is a lost understanding in a modern cultural world in which so many seem to take cues from social media that it is appropriate to vent, to act out.  Our films tend to praise the heroic in ways that prize action over sober assessment or discernment.  What we want is the right action of righteousness instead.  Sometimes our own social ailments are caused by a very poor response to passion in ways that seek to blunt it; for example, using drugs or other substances, or to direct such energy into things that ultimately harm us or someone else.  But simply channeling emotion elsewhere or suppressing it or numbing it is not the answer.  This kind of meekness means that we are able to feel what we feel and yet still choose an appropriate response, and that is the aim of true spiritual discipline.  Those who seek to live in prayer and spiritual discipline in fact seek to cultivate this approach to life and to service to God.  It is the true heart and aim of historical Christian spiritual life and practice.  It is what a prayerful mind seeks to achieve in response to life.  So Christ is teaching us in this gospel of the Kingdom about what it means to be truly and fully human, as creations of God meant to fulfill the image and likeness in which we were created (Genesis 1:26-27).  Even in the Garden, and before the first sin made its appearance, human beings were clearly meant to be creatures who would learn and grow.  In this context, to be truly "natural" in theological terms means to bear the likeness and image in which we were created.  At the present state of the world, this need is more clear and -- in the context of the salvation offered by Christ -- even dire.  So this gives us an image in which we're asked to use the potentials for discipleship within ourselves, which includes the capacity both to know our feelings and to choose wisely how we will express them.  Christ is calling us to a deeper order of community, one that includes God and neighbor, as well as our own hearts and minds in that communion.  But He has given us help to do so.  Let us live the fullness of that life to which He calls us, with all the help He gives us to do so -- a prayerful life, and one in which we allow God to shape us through all the varied means we're given in the fullness of the Church and the Kingdom that dwells within us.  This is the fulfillment of the righteousness of faith.

God, be merciful to me a sinner!

 

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Luke 18:9–14 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke a parable to the disciples, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"   

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  My study Bible explains that the Pharisee is highly respected, as well as a careful observer of the details of the Law.  The tax collector, on the other hand, is despised as a sinner, who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, and betrays and cheats his own people.  

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' "  The practices of this Pharisee, in the view of my study Bible, are worthy examples to follow.  His good deeds -- fasting and giving tithes -- are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, such outward practices are worthless, and lead to pride and judgment of others.  Note also that Jesus says he prays with himself, for God is absent where there is boasting.

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"  Through his posture, the tax collector expresses an awareness of the state of his soul, as he stands far from the altar of sacrifice and his eyes are cast downward.  His prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer (which was mentioned in our commentary in yesterday's reading, in conjunction with the parable of the Persistent Widow).  This is also true of the refrain "Lord have mercy" which permeates Orthodox worship and personal prayer.

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  To be justified means to be forgiven and set right with God.  My study Bible comments that inward humility is blessed, while pride in outward deeds is condemned.  Indeed, Christ saved His most scathing comments for the hypocrisy of the religious leaders (Matthew 23).

Today's reading teaches us a great deal about the importance of humility. Despite the Pharisee's own laudable spiritual practices, what he lacks is humility.  It is humility which is precisely the thing that saves the tax collector, despite his failings in his conduct and his poor standing among his own people.  Stark indeed is Christ's conclusion that it was the tax collector who went down to his house justified rather than the other. It is only his humility that allows the tax collector to see himself clearly, because his humility enables him to truly feel himself in the presence and the sight of God.  In this sense, it is his humility that has saved him, and lack of humility that has condemned the Pharisee.  Of course, what we are to take away from today's reading is just that -- the essential importance of humility to the Christian faith.  In the long spiritual history of the Church, it has been handed down to us that humility is the queen and gateway of the Christian virtues.  It is the foundation for the rest, the fruit of the Spirit:  "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (see Galatians 5:22-23).  How can we know what honesty is, unless we first are humble enough to recognize the truth about ourselves -- or even to hear and know that truth?  It is the humility of the tax collector, in contrast to the self-righteousness of the Pharisee, that enables him to truly pray, to be face-to-face with God, so to speak, in the temple.  At a very minimum, his bodily posture as described by Jesus shows us he's aware that he's in the presence of God, whereas the Pharisee is not.  John's Gospel gives us a clue to this failure, when John tells us that "even among the rulers many believed in [Jesus], but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  This Pharisee is conscious of his own social standing, and the opinions of others.  But the tax collector has an awareness of himself in the sight of God, as well as his community.  This parable enforces for us the particular summing up of the Law and the Prophets to which Christ and the Gospels (and even the Old Testament) constantly return, that the two greatest commandments in the Law are to love God with all one's heart and soul and mind and strength, and neighbor as oneself (see Luke 10:25-28).  In this case, despite appearances to the contrary, it is actually the tax collector who has put the love of God first, and not the Pharisee.  For here, the tax collector is aware of God and his own standing before God, while the Pharisee prays with himself, rather than God.   The tax collector here is, in fact, reconciled to God, and that is, in a sense, a face-to-face meeting, and it is what leads to what Jesus calls the state of being justified.  How do you reconcile with God?  How do we come face-to-face with God, settled with God, opened to God's way of seeing ourselves?  This is the mystery of faith and worship, but it begins with humility.  In today's story that comes from the recognition that we need God's mercy and love, for we can't truly live without it.

 

 

And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to haven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

 

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to haven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Luke 18:9–14 

 

Yesterday we read the testimony of John the Baptist, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.   

 

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  In today's reading, we're given one of Jesus' parables which sets the tone for Lent.  The lectionary skips over to Luke's Gospel (tomorrow we will continue in John's Gospel) to give us the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.  My study Bible explains that in the context of Christ's audience and society, the Pharisee is highly respected as well as a careful observer of the details of the Law.  But the tax collector is despised as a sinner who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, betraying and cheating his own people.  

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'"   My study Bible points out that the practices of this Pharisee are worthy example to follow; they are particularly important for us to think about during Lent with its traditional emphases for us.  These "good deeds" -- fasting and giving tithes -- my study Bible calls the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, it notes, these outward practices are worthless and lead only to pride and to judgment of others.  On Saturday, we read from Mark's Gospel a passage in which Jesus indicated a similar teaching on hypocrisy, in His comments warning of the practices of the scribes:  "Beware the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation" (Mark 12:38-40).  It is the "humble and repentant heart" that is a necessary component to make such practices effective, and the scribes worthy of the honor they're shown for their office.  In this context, we importantly observe that the text says this Pharisee prays with himself.  My study Bible comments that this is so because God is absent where there is boasting.  

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to haven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"  My study Bible says that the tax collector shows by his posture an awareness of the state of his soul, standing far from the altar of sacrifice with eyes cast downward.  His prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer, and the refrain "Lord have mercy" that permeates the worship practices and personal prayer of so many branches of Christian faith.

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  My study Bible indicates that to be justified here means forgiven and set right with God -- for, it says, inward humility is blessed while pride in outward deeds is condemned. 

If there is anything we should seek to cultivate in this period of Lent, it is the practice of deeper and more meaningful prayer.  It seems to be a good time to explore the practice of the Jesus Prayer, which gives opportunity for us always to think of ourselves as in the presence of God the Father, before Christ, and praying with the Spirit.  This article at the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese sets out the basic idea of the prayer and the practice.  This article at Wikipedia also does a fairly decent job of setting out the practice and its theological and historical roots.  But in terms of its basic practice, the form is quite simple.  As indicated by my study Bible, it follows this prayer of the tax collector given as an example by Jesus of one who prays well.  Its most basic form which is frequently given is, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."  But both shorter and longer versions also exist.   The simple, "Lord have mercy" is one such example.  In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, even the name of Jesus Christ is considered to be a prayer.  The important understanding about this prayer is that it is short, it is upheld by Scripture and rooted in Christian theology in that it declares Jesus as Lord, and it can be prayed at any and all times, in any circumstances.  Most importantly, this short repeated prayer is used as a powerful tool to help us to cultivate the mindfulness of prayer at all times.  That is, it is used to cultivate a prayerful orientation to all of life; it can be prayed while we do menial tasks, at any moment when we "remember God" (also an important practice in itself), in the middle of the day or the night.  Its repetition not only gives us a sense of what it means to live a prayerful life, with a prayerful mindset and orientation, it also allows us to experience what it is to let a prayer "sink down" into ourselves and root itself in the heart.  That is, this type of short prayer, repeated to ourselves either throughout the day when we recollect it, or in sessions of contemplative prayer alone and in quiet time to ourselves, roots itself in consciousness.  The practice itself is designed so that it becomes a part of our thinking, so to speak, a practice designed so that we are eventually praying "without ceasing" as St. Paul taught in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.  It is a good practice to decide to cultivate during Lent -- simple to do, simple to start, and need not be taxing to practice so much as it is simply a matter of decision to begin.  The benefits of this prayer practice can be felt right away for each person and in ways that edify and benefit whatever is going on in one's life, helping to reorient ourselves to God at any time, and drawing closer to Christ with the help of the Spirit.  It is rooted in Scripture and in today's teaching by Jesus found in the parable, and can aid and assist us in finding our way to better love God and cultivate the humility of knowing we are in God's presence at all times.  There is a kind of peace that often comes with this prayer.  It also helps us to let go of what we cannot control.  But each person has to find this for oneself in consenting to Christ's presence (Revelation 3:20).  Let us consider adopting the ways that deepen our faith, and help us to rest in and rely more strongly upon our Lord.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

 

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

 

  "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 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 on it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."  Here Jesus begins an eight-fold indictment of the scribes and Pharisees.  My study Bible comments that He charges them with inverting God's values and with being mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and blindly self-righteous.  It says that while these charges were directed against the Jewish leaders of the day, every word applies equally to those in the Church who behave in this way.  Moreover, it adds that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can actually hinder others from finding God as well.  Therefore leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).  Let us note the emphasis on material wealth over the power of the presence of God -- the value of the gold or gift on the altar over the value of that which sanctifies, the presence of God.

 

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, 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."  My study Bible (which is the Orthodox Study Bible) comments that the warnings given here (and in the continuation we will find in tomorrow's reading) are especially important to Orthodox Christians.   This is true because the Church has maintained the ancient practices of tithing ("These you ought to have done"); sacred vessels; holy rites; and following the tradition handed down through the patristic period.  Therefore, we note, this is true for not just the Orthodox but many denominations.  These practices, my study Bible comments, 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.  Let us also note the emphasis here once again on the appearance of sanctity over the state of the internal life, and also the lack of value on the "weightier matters of the law" which Jesus names as justice and mercy and faith.  Keep in mind that at that time, money was measured in weight value of precious metal, so Jesus' analogy is to the true weight of the law of God over material values prized by these leaders.

 

"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."   The Pharisees would attach strainers to the mouths of decanters in order to avoid accidentally consuming a ritually unclean substance; hence "strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"  Note again the emphasis on the appearance of being cleansed, while inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

 

Jesus' examples compare values, how people measure things.  They are specific examples of how the religious leaders -- despite their efforts at an outward show to the contrary -- value material wealth more than they value the true measure of all things:  God and God's sanctifying power.  He begins with the scribes, whom He says, "devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers."  The law of God, in which they are supposed to be experts who teach others, specifically makes provisions for the care of widows and orphans, but Jesus emphasizes their hungrily greedy efforts for material wealth.  He points out the great effort they make to "travel land and sea to win one proselyte," but "when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."  In other words, their example only sets forth the opposite of the intent of God's law given to Moses, and so instead of bringing people closer to God the next generation of religious leaders are worse in their continuation down this path.  Jesus then uses the example of swearing by the gold or the gift on the altar over the altar itself -- evidence of a failure to value that which sits on the altar which actually sanctifies the gift or the gold:  God and all the things of God, God's throne and heaven also.  What is missing from the picture is holiness itself, a valuing of that action and power of sanctification, a blindness to the true substance and reality and action of God.  And, in every generation, as my study Bible emphasizes, we are subject to the same blindness, the same lack of consciousness of the power and holiness of God working in our lives and sanctifying what we do and who we are in the world.  Jesus then goes on to their outward practices of fastidiousness, straining out liquid to avoid a tiny animal that is ritually unclean (a gnat), and the ritually cleansed cup and dish for eating, but they are still those who devour widows' houses, and are full of extortion and self-indulgence."   To first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish is entirely consistent with Jesus' (and also John the Baptist's) of the good tree that bears good fruit, of the branches that need to be pruned in order to keep the tree good and bearing the good fruit (see Matthew 3:10, 7:17-19, 12:33).  We can also understand this as compatible to Christ's analogy of "amputation" of that which would cause sin, especially against the "little ones" in their flocks to the disciples, as they quarreled over who would be greatest in Christ's Kingdom (see Matthew 18:1-9).  Jesus also gives this same analogy to all disciples -- and therefore to all believers -- in the Sermon on the Mount when He speaks about adultery with the image of an eye that gazes with covetousness, a hand that reaches out to trespass where it does not belong (Matthew 5:29-30).  In all ways, Jesus' emphasis on the state of the soul which must first inform outward action still applies to us.  It is still true that we must cleanse the inside to make clean the outside, to make the tree good so that its fruit will be good.  The emphasis on outward appearance leads so easily to hypocrisy, to forgetting that the "first and greatest commandment" Jesus gives is "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (see Saturday's reading).   It is this commandment that informs the rest, that teaches us how to love our neighbor as ourselves.  It is in this depth of internal relationship to God that we find how to love, and the rootedness we need to bear good fruit in our outward actions.  The great deal of emphasis placed on outward action through our social media today makes this all the more difficult, placing so much emphasis on appearance over an inner substance, and a depth of love within us as commitment.  For that is how the practice of compassion eludes us.  It is all too easy to judge according to appearance and not with righteous judgment (John 7:34).  Let us do our part by cultivating the "weightier matters" of righteousness Jesus teaches, and avoid the hypocrisy He condemns that is blind to the things of God.