Our Father in heaven

 

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

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

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

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

 

- Matthew 6:7–15 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).   In yesterday's reading, Jesus began speaking of practices which strengthen and express our faith, and how we should conduct ourselves through these practices.  Jesus spoke of three spiritual practices we need for our faith:  almsgiving (charitable deeds), prayer, and fasting.  He taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.   Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. . . . Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

  "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  Today's reading appears in the Gospel between Christ's words on prayer and those on fasting found in yesterday's reading, above.  We're given this as a separate reading as it includes what is known as the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father.  Here Jesus has begun speaking against hypocrisy in faith practices, and in particular, in prayer.  And continues by speaking against vain repetitions.  Hypocrisy blocks a true personal communion with God in prayer, and neither can vain repetitions establish such a communion.  My study Bible comments that God doesn't need our "babble."  To partake of this communion, it notes, both silence and words are necessary.  So, therefore, we pray always (Luke 18:1) and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Moreover, my study Bible notes that Christ does not condemn the use of many words per se, but is rather teaching us that words must express a true desire for communion with God.  In the following verses, Jesus teaches us specific words to repeat (the Lord's Prayer).  So, it's not repetition itself that is condemned here, but rather vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayers, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  

 

 "In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name."  My study Bible remarks that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity is a revelation of our potential relationship with God.  Christ is the Son of God, and He grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God," each Christian is called to love, trust, and serve God as Christ does the Father.  My study Bible asks us to note that God is not our Father simply because God is our Creator.  God is only Father to those in a saving and personal relationship with God.  This is a communion coming only by the grace of adoption (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).  

 

 "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  The whole of the Sermon on the Mount is meant to be teaching us about the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven.  Here the prayer Christ gives us shows us our loyalty, and the true desire for God's kingdom to become manifest in our world, as part of our lives.  In St. Matthew's 12th chapter, Jesus will comment, "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (see Matthew 12:47-50).  How do we know what God's will is?  At the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:7-9).  So, we follow the teachings He has given us.

 

"Give us this day our daily bread."  My study Bible comments that "daily" here is a misleading translation of a very particular Greek word.  This word is ἐπιούσιος/epiousios. It seems to have been coined specifically for the Gospels.  It literally means "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  So, the expression daily bread isn't meant simply to ask for today's food or bread, for earthly nourishment.  This indicates, as my study Bible puts it, the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  Of course, this living, supersubstantial bread is Christ Himself.  The Eucharist embodies this concept in sacrament as instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper.  In Christ's prayer, then, we're not just asking for material bread for physical health, but for the spiritual bread of eternal life (see John 6:27-58).  

 

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  My study Bible remarks that this request to be forgiven is plural, and directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  This term debts is a reference to spiritual debts (see Matthew 18:21-35).  

 

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen."  My study Bible comments that God tempts no one to sin (James 1:13); temptations come from the evil one, the devil.  It says that temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh, such as lust and anger, which Jesus has spoken of in the Sermon on the Mount as leading to sin (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, my study Bible notes, but we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us.

 

 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  My study Bible notes that Jesus insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a foundation or precondition of God's forgiveness.  It says that those who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  This is a teaching which is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which concludes with the same teaching.  To not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.   

 

Forgiveness always seems to be a tricky question.  In a commentary by Fr. Stephen De Young on the Sermon on the Mount, he indicated that the teachings in this Sermon are difficult for all of us.  In the final verse in chapter 5, Jesus taught, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (see this reading and commentary).  Clearly, perfection -- and the perfection of our Father in heaven at that! -- is a tall order.  But we are meant to grow throughout our lives in our faith.  This is a bar we seek to continually be approaching throughout our lives.  It's not one where we press a button and are automatically at the goal of the fullness of faith and union with God.  The constant practice of repentance is understood as a constant movement toward God's light in its fullness.  This is a lifelong learning and growth, with plenty of setbacks and stumbling for all of us to learn from and through which to grow in faith and reliance upon our Lord.  So, when we approach forgiveness as Jesus teaches us, it can be daunting.  It's important to understand that the word for "forgive" in Greek means "let go."  It's similar to a bank letting go of a debt, erasing it off the books.  So, in this sense, we can understand Jesus' commands for forgiveness as an extension of His teachings calling on us to refrain from practicing vengeance earlier in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-48).  When we are willing to "let go" of a debt, we can let it go to God.  This seems to have the effect of clearing the decks, so to speak.  If we're not focused on retribution, we're free to ask God and pray for the proper way to move forward within a difficult situation or circumstance.  What if the other person continues in hostile behavior?  What if they never apologize?  What if a situation can't be easily rectified or remedied?  All of these questions can be brought to God in prayer -- without seeking tit for tat or "an eye for an eye."  This is one tremendous advantage of forgiveness; it gives us clearer sight, and hopefully a clearer head as well through which to approach a problem.  It also helps to prevent us from landing in deeper trouble than we otherwise might.  Christ's words and teachings are clear, that whatever it is others might be doing, He wants us not to engage in the same evils, but to "keep our noses clean," so to speak.  This is because we are His, we are His followers, His children, His disciples, and that must not just count for something, but be distinguished by the ways in which we conduct our lives and seek to please God first before any other demands or pressures we might feel.  Again, learning to be Christ's disciples is a lifelong process.  We are meant to grow in our faith.  But in the process, as my study Bible indicates, we become sons of God by adoption, we grow as people, and we find we are capable of so much more strength in following His commands than we expect.  As Jesus has said, "With God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).  If one keeps up acquaintance with popular science and psychology, we read frequently about the importance of neuroplasticity of the brain.  This describes the capacity of our brains even physically to change, adapt, and repair injury.  It's an important concept in the study of dementia, and other diseases of the brain.  But if our popular and significant science focuses on this plasticity of brain in physical and psychological terms, imagine what is therefore possible for us in soul and spirit with God's help.  What Jesus is teaching us about growth in discipleship is only confirmed through modern science and the understanding of change and adaptability of the brain on physiological terms.  So let us proceed with all the tools available for us through our faith -- through prayer, Scripture, the practices of the Church, worship, and our constant transformation through a sense of lifelong repentance.  That is, a lifelong process of turning toward God, finding God's light for us leading the way to our own transformation as God's children by adoption.  For this is where and how the Light of our Lord leads us and teaches us to process and live our lives.   Let us practice what He teaches us in faith, seeking always the deeper communion with Our Father in heaven.  Lest we be tempted to believe that forgiveness means that we tolerate any and all things, consider that Christ brought into this world a spiritual battle against the one He called "the father of lies" and "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44).  Jesus' teachings for us are, in effect, the ways to wage spiritual battle, to combat evil at its source.  Let us become the true children of God our Father.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Give us this day our daily bread

 

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

"Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

 As we forgive our debtors. 

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

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

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

 

- Matthew 6:7-15 

 

 We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your  Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

  "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we expanded upon this verse, and the question of what constitutes vain repetitions. See yesterday's commentary here, in which we included the subject of the Jesus Prayer.  To reiterate from Jesus' talk about prayer from yesterday's reading, let us recall that Jesus speaks against hypocritical prayer.  The true spirit of prayer is an intimate, personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out this communion and vision -- my study Bible says that vain repetitions cannot establish this, but both silence and words are necessary.  The use of many words is not condemned of itself.  Rather, words must express this desire for communion with God.  Additionally, neither is repetition itself condemned here but "vain repetition."  Many psalms and prayers and hymns are repeated throughout Church services for generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  

 

 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  My study Bible explains that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity reveals our potential relationship with God.  Christ is the Son of God, and grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God" a Christian is called to love, trust, and serve God as Christ models for us in serving the Father.  My study Bible asks us to note that God is not our Father just because God created us.  He is only Father to those in a saving and personal relationship with Him.  This is a communion that comes by the grace of adoption alone (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).  Note that with sonship follows obedience and love of God's will; the prayer Jesus gives us prays fully for God's kingdom to come and God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  

 

"Give us this day our daily bread."  Here is the center of the prayer, and appropriately, it's a unification of heaven and earth.  "Daily," my study Bible explains, is a misleading translation of the Greek.  This word is επιουσιος/epiousios, which literally means "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  The expression daily bread, then, doesn't mean simply bread for today, for earthly nourishment.  This is the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, and the nourishment of our immortal soul.  This living, supersubstantial bread, my study Bible says, is Christ Himself.  In the Lord's prayer, therefore, we're not simply asking for material bread for physical health.  Rather, we as for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).  

 

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  My study Bible emphasizes that this request to be forgiven is plural -- just as the prayer itself is the prayer of community ("Our Father")  -- and this directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  The term debts is reference to spiritual debts (see Matthew 18:21-35, and also the final verse in today's reading).

 

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  God tempts no one to sin, says my study Bible (see James 1:13); temptations are from the evil one, the devil.  My study Bible tells us that temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, it notes, but we pray that great temptations; that is, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us.  

 

 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  My study Bible comments that Jesus insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  People who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  This teaching is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which concludes with the same teaching.  To not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.  

 

It may be important to remember, as we read throughout this Sermon on the Mount, that Jesus is speaking to His disciples.  That is, to a group of believers, and in this sense, to His future Church.  All of these teachings are meant for us to apply them within this community, our community of believers.  Throughout history, as Christian faith became associated with countries or nations, that community then extended to all who were a part of it.  But for us in our present day and age, it seems important to remember that the Church was not meant to be an imitation of the world, but to bring about, as Jesus teaches us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."   Jesus emphasizes this new covenant that creates its own community by living in accord with that faith, when He says to His disciples at the Last Supper, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).  This difference between "the world" and believers in the Church is emphasized by St. Paul when he writes to the Corinthians about discernment within the Church, and outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).  In the early Church then, the methods of treating one another, of living the life of faith, distinguished Christians from the societies in which they lived, and this, of course, made a great impact in terms of drawing people to the Church.  This remains entirely essential for us today, to understand that we don't want to drag "worldly" ways of behaving into the Church, but we must think of ourselves as a community with an important mission, and that mission -- as defined here by Christ -- consists in how we live our faith, especially within the community itself and between one another.  Many wise saints have taught us that the Church is not just an institution.  It is meant to be a hospital, a place of healing.  How can we heal from a world filled with things that harm and oppress except by the practice of the kind of love that Christ teaches us, and particularly among one another?  In this prayer given to the Church (which we pray communally to "Our Father" and not simply individually) Jesus lays out what it looks like to prepare a way to bring the Kingdom into the world, and to seek to live the Father's will.  Mutual forgiveness is a part of that, mercy is a part of that.  This is not to say that abuse is tolerated at all -- there are far too many passages in which Jesus warns us starkly about that, and in which St. Paul chastises his flock for such behaviors.  But forgiveness takes particular forms for us, and above all that means that we pray for one another, we don't seek vengeance, but peace between one another as best we can.  For all of this, we have great help, for Christ is always with us, and where Christ is, there are also the Father and the Spirit, and the great communion of saints and angels.  We endeavor, of course, to have peace with all around us.  But let us remember the community of disciples to whom Christ speaks, within which we each are counted. Our daily bread is the bread of the Kingdom with which we seek to be fed, and in which we wish to grow.

 

 

Our Father

 

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

Our Father in heaven, 

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

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

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

 

- Matthew 6:7–15 

 

 We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 - 7 of St. Matthew's Gospel).  Yesterday we began reading chapter 6, in which Jesus taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. . . . Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  The two separate sections of yesterday's reading above, distinguished by the ellipsis ( . . . ), frame the section of the Gospel we're given in today's reading.  Here Jesus continues His teaching on prayer, begun by His teaching, "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites."  Here in these verses He speaks of vain repetitions, which cannot establish the communion with God that we seek in prayer.  My study Bible comments that God does not need our "babble."  To partake of the communion with God, it says, both silence and words are necessary.  Therefore, we seek to pray always (Luke 18:1) and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).   My study Bible further notes that Christ does not condemn the use of many words per se, but rather teaches that words must express the desire for communion with God.  Jesus gives us specific words to repeat in today's reading further along in today's reading (the Lord's Prayer, verses 9-13).  It is not repetition itself that Jesus condemns, but rather vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayer, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  My study Bible adds that true prayer is not telling God what God already knows, and then telling God what to do about it.  Neither is it appearing pious in front of others.  Taking together the teachings in yesterday's reading and today's, we understand true prayer to be humble (go into your room), personal (pray to your Father), and sincere (do not use vain repetitions).

"In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The Father-Son relationship within the Trinity is a revelation of our own potential relationship with God.  My study Bible comments that Christ, the Son of God, grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God" (meaning both males and females, as heirs), a Christian is called to love, trust, and to serve God as Christ serves the Father.  My study Bible cautions us to understand that God is not our Father simply because God created us.  God is only Father to those in saving and personal relationship with God -- a communion that only comes by the grace of adoption (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).  

"Give us this day our daily bread."  My study Bible says that daily is a misleading translation of a Greek word, found only here, epiousios/ἐπιούσιος, which literally means "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  This expression daily bread, therefore, indicates not simply bread for today or for earthly nourishment.  It's the bread "for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God," my study Bible tells us; that is, for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  This living, supersubstantial bread is Christ Himself, the voluntary sacrifice given for us.  In the Lord's Prayer, therefore, we are not asking merely for material bread for physical health.  We ask for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).  

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."   My study Bible points out that this request for forgiveness is plural (as the prayer is in the plural, for we pray to "Our Father").  Here, this plural form means that we are directed always to pray for the forgiveness of others.  The term debts is used to refer to spiritual debts (see Matthew 18:21-35, as well as the final verses of today's reading).  

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen."  My study Bible affirms for us that God tempts no one to sin (James 1:13).  Temptations, it notes, are from the evil one, the devil.  Temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  My study Bible adds that no one lives without encountering temptations, but we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us. 

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Here Christ is insisting upon mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  My study Bible comments that those who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  It notes that this teaching is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which concludes with this same teaching.  It adds that to not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves. 

 

Jesus teaches us to pray addressing "Our Father."  In a discussion on another blog, written by Fr. Stephen Freeman (Glory to God for All Things), Fr. Freeman comments as follows:  "In Romans 8:15, St. Paul writes: 'For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, "Abba, Father."'  This describes what is happening in prayer. The Spirit prays within us, with the voice of the Son, calling 'Father.' We pray 'our' Father, because we are always praying through the Spirit in the voice of the Son."  This is a tremendous understanding of what is happening when we pray -- and especially in this wonderful prayer given to us by Jesus.  In the sense that Fr. Freeman seems to be indicating, and as my study Bible commentary also notes, and St. Paul conveys, Jesus invites us in to His own Father-Son relationship with the Father, whereby we also may be "sons" (meaning heirs), and through the Spirit of adoption in the voice of the Son praying, "Abba, Father."   So if the Trinity in some sense is participating with us in prayer, Christ has given us this extraordinary gift of an entire universe singing through the voice of the Son in the power of the Spirit, all praying together to our Father.  This puts a perspective on the entire rest of the prayer in which Christ teaches us to participate in the same life He leads for us, while the Spirit helps to guide us in this life.  As He taught us, we pray for that Kingdom to come into this world, as it is always in the process of coming.  We pray to forgive and to be forgiven, and we pray for the bread of the Kingdom so that we all may be together and  dwell there ("In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" - John 14:2).  Jesus faced His own temptations (Matthew 4:1-11), and we know how often He Himself took time out for prayer to His Father (for example, Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12).  We are encompassed in this prayer, which has as its center a prayer for our daily bread -- that is, for Christ Himself, giving His "supersubstantial" Body and Blood, so that we may participate fully in Him and He in us in the Kingdom for which He teaches us to pray.  When we say this prayer He has given us, we pray with Him and in the Holy Spirit, joining to "Our Father."

Our Father in heaven

 

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

    Our Father in heaven,

    Hallowed be Your name.

    Your kingdom come.

    Your will be done

    On earth as it is in heaven.

    Give us this day our daily bread.

    And forgive us our debts,

    As we forgive our debtors.

    And do not lead us into temptation,

    But deliver us from the evil one.

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

 

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

- Matthew 6:7-15 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, the lectionary gave us Matthew 6:1-6 and verses 16-18, Christ's teachings on almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.  "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. . . . Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  Note that the emphasis here is on vain repetitions.  In this Christ continues His teaching against hypocrisy, and the need for true communion with God (as opposed to the wearing of a mask, which hypocrisy implies).  Therefore vain repetitions cannot establish this communion; as my study Bible puts it, God does not need our babble.  In order to partake of this communion with God, both silence and words are necessary.  So, therefore, we are to pray always (Luke 18:1) and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  This is not a condemnation of many words, but rather Jesus is teaching that words must express the desire for communion with God.  In today's reading, Jesus gives us specific words to repeat.  My study Bible reminds us that it is not repetition itself that is condemned but rather vain repetitions, as Christ desires sincerity in prayer.  Many psalms, prayers, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23). 

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  My study Bible says that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity reveals our potential relationship with God.  Christ, the Son of God, grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God" a Christian person is called to love, trust, and serve God the same way that Christ does the Father.   We don't call God our Father because God created us; God is Father to those in a saving and personal relationship.  This  communion comes only by grace of adoption (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).

"Give us this day our daily bread."  My study Bible explains that daily is a misleading translation of the Greek word epiousios/ἐπιούσιος, which means literally "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  The expression daily bread is an indication of not simply bread for this day, for earthly nourishment.  This is the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, something that nourishes our immortal soul.  My study Bible tells us that this living, supersubstantial bread is Christ Himself.  Therefore, in the Lord's Prayer, we're not just asking for material bread for physical health, but rather for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).  

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  This request to be forgiven is plural ("our debts"), my study Bible points out, and so it directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  These debts are spiritual debts (see Matthew 18:21-35).  

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and  the glory forever.  Amen."   My study Bible comments that God tempts no one to sin (James 1:13).  But temptations are from the evil one, the devil.  They are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, but we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us.

 

 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Here, a depth of insistence on mutual forgiveness between people, as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  My study Bible comments that those who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  This teaching is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant found at Matthew 18:21-35, which concludes with the same teaching.  My study Bible adds that to not forgive others is to willfully run from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.  

 

We note the emphasis Jesus places on forgiveness.  But if we look closely at Christ's behavior, we will see what that means.  Jesus did not apparently go around seeking retaliation upon anyone who opposed Him.  If we look at this passage, we'll see that some of His disciples felt it might be important to cast fire upon those who would not receive Christ on His way to Jerusalem.   But Jesus' reply to John and James Zebedee was, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them."  If we think about that more deeply, then we start to understand the direction of Christ's teachings.  He does not say that these villagers were right to refuse them, but He upholds what He had taught before that, when the disciples were sent upon their first mission:  that they were to shake the dust off their feet in places that refused them, as a rebuke (see Matthew 10:14).  Luke's story about the journey toward Jerusalem does not tell us if Jesus paused to do this, and we should consider what was particularly important about that trip toward the Cross and the events of Holy Week.  Jesus was still proclaiming the Gospel to the people of God, in His own mission to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, despite the fact that He was shortly to be killed.  But throughout Christ's ministry, and in particular in the final week of His life, Christ showed us that a refusal to enact retribution does not mean that we compromise on truth.  He spared no words in condemning hypocrisy and cruelty.  In His actions, He repeatedly defied those with hearts hardened, even as they claimed they were defending the religious Law (given, in fact, by Christ, the Logos, the Lord of the Old Testament).  In this Gospel, we will read Matthew's full recording of Christ's condemnation of the religious leaders and their practices (Matthew 23).  Jesus did not shirk from telling the truth.  There are times when we think in our personal lives that not speaking out is a form of forgiveness.  But again, in this Gospel, Jesus gives a formula for mutual correction in the Church (Matthew 18:15-20).  In that teaching it is clear communication that is the method for resolving precisely the type of spiritual "debts" He's instructed us to pray about in today's reading.  But taken altogether, forgiveness does not mean simple forgetting.  St. Paul will also speak of those who sin within the church, and who refuse repentance.  For something Paul found particularly scandalous, He taught the congregation to "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."  What this means is to set the person apart from the Church, for life outside of the communion -- the experience of a life without Christ's protective presence against the evil in which he's participating -- may work to bring him back to salvation.   So we are to understand forgiveness in the context of the Gospels and of Christ's life and teachings, including as understood by St. Paul.   So far in the Sermon on the Mount, we've been taught about meekness and the poor in spirit, we've been taught about the dangers of anger and angry words, about swearing oaths, about covetousness and lust.  As followers of Christ, we have been warned against all of these things, and taught to turn the other cheek.  But this does not stop us from knowing and living the truth, and understanding the capacity for evil around us, and harmful acts.  Neither does it mean that we don't identify such things.  What is quite important is that we don't mistake forgiveness for an encouragement to participate, even through association, with bad acts and corrupting behaviors.  It's important -- even together with forgiveness -- that we disassociate ourselves from the kinds of behaviors that do harm.  For this is what St. Paul teaches us, that even to respect our very incarnational reality, even the holiness of our bodies and created matter (creations of God), means to seek a purposeful living, mindful of what we agree to and participate in.  We're not simply spirits or souls which are dissociated from our bodies.  Rather, we're in the world to "sacramentalize" it; that is, to hand it all over to God, to give ourselves to this purpose, for God's love to set in good order as opposed to the chaos that destroys life.  When Jesus teaches us about forgiveness, He is teaching, effectively, just that:  that even our conflicts and hurts are given up to God, so that God may guide us in response, rather than a sense of vengeance or other harmful passions.   For this is what God's peace is all about.  This is what it means to be "sons of God."

 

And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home

 

 He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'  So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

 

- Luke 16:1-9 

 

On Tuesday, we read that all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  In response to this, Jesus gave three parables.  On Tuesday, we read the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the parable of the Prodigal.  He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.  Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'" 

 He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'  So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."  My study Bible comments on today's passage that a steward (in Greek, οἰκονόμος/economos) is responsible for managing his master's property and looking after the welfare of his servants.  It notes that the point of this parable is that the unrighteous are better at using money to make friends in the world than believers are at using money to make friends for the Kingdom of God -- which is accomplished by spending it on the needy.  At death (when you fail) the needy will welcome their benefactors into the everlasting home.

How do we make friends by unrighteous mammon?  This is really quite an important question, because what it tells us is the truth about how the world works within the spiritual framework of the salvation plan of God.  If we pause to think about "saving the world," and do so in some sort of very rationalistic worldly sense, we might wonder why God just did not come into this world and "fix" everything.  Why not just get rid of the bad people, or put them over in their own community somewhere, and set the good people down somewhere else to flourish?  Why wait for a final judgment?  There are all sorts of things that are perplexing if we think about judgment and salvation in this sort of worldly way of balancing the books and striking off what's not good.  But Jesus' clues here about the beneficial use of unrighteous mammon tell us that God's creation does not work in this applied rationalistic sense of strict lines drawn between what is good and what is evil.  For God usurps and trumps everything; and in God's economy of salvation, even what is unrighteous can be used for God's plans, for what is good.  That is, to serve the goals of God's love.  Therefore, there is nothing evil in and of itself in this sense.  As God created the world and pronounced it "good," so we can use the things of this world for good -- if they are used to serve God's purposes.  And within this paradox is a further image of paradox, that of the "dollars and cents" (so to speak) image of balancing the account books.  Instead of sticking to the details and pursuing every line to come out to a perfect balance, this steward is praised in the parable for writing off debts in order to "make friends."  Well, this is a picture of charitable giving, where we don't add up every debt and everything owed and press it out of the person who owes us.  We give because people are in need.  We give -- serving the ends of God -- in the sense of shoring up community, even creating community.  In the light of the parable of the Good Samaritan, which we read in the reading from a week ago, Jesus is teaching us about being a neighbor, and stressing this importance in the grand economy of salvation -- that place of our everlasting home -- and the perspective there.  Similarly, we're taught to pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12), reminding us that the forgiveness of sin is really not about equaling everything up and deciding what is owed to us by those who've sinned against us.  Forgiveness is about this place of the everlasting home, and the view from there, God's plan for us for salvation.  It's not necessary to make sense in terms of "unrighteous mammon," but instead to be understood from a higher perspective, a more universal doctrine of community and expanded love.  It doesn't have to make sense according to a worldly understanding, but we are called by Christ to this place of God's love, where compassion becomes a rule, and "making friends" -- like being a neighbor -- is how we're commanded to live.  We're asked to discern a way through the world in which we are set free by Christ to practice His compassion with wisdom, to let go of things that we're better off without, and to find good purposes even for "unrighteous mammon."  For God's way transforms all things, and while we are on the way to pleasing God in this sense of following the commands that transcend the worldly, we will find ourselves and our lives transformed as well. 

For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light

 

 He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Given an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'   So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

 

- Luke 16:1-9 

 

Yesterday we read the continuation of the passage begun on Wednesday, in which all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  In response, Jesus told three parables.  Two of them (the parable of the Lost Sheep and the parable of the Lost Coin) were in Wednesday's reading.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the parable of the Lost Son or the Prodigal Son.  He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into the his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.  Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

  He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Given an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'   So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."    My study Bible explains that a steward is responsible for managing the master's property and looking after the welfare of the master's servants.  The point of this parable, it says, is that the unrighteous are better at using money to make friends in the world than believers are at using money to make friends for the Kingdom of God -- which is accomplished by spending it on the needy.  At death (when you fail), it says, the needy will welcome their benefactors into the everlasting home.

 

In today's reading, Jesus gives a fourth parable in response to the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes, made when the tax collectors and sinners came to hear Christ, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."   But in today's reading, He directs this particular parable to His own disciples.  In the three parables we have already read in response to the Pharisees and scribes, the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin in Wednesday's reading, and the parable of the Lost Son or Prodigal Son in yesterday's reading (see above), the emphasis was on the "extra mile" one would go to retrieve what was lost and can be found again.  The shepherd in the parable left behind ninety-nine sheep to find the one, the woman makes all the effort in sweeping and cleaning her house to find the one coin missing out of ten.  In yesterday's reading, the elderly father doesn't mind risking embarrassment and even upset on the part of his older son by expressing his great love for the son who was lost and then found again upon the prodigal's return.  Those parables gave us a sense of God's great love which would make every effort to retrieve those lost to God who could be found again and returned to our Father in heaven.  Jesus taught, "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  But today's reading places the emphasis on us, giving us a sense of how our own efforts should be made to reconcile ourselves to those around us.  Simple justice isn't enough, and mercy becomes the key to the formation of this citizenship of the kingdom to which He alludes in the parable.  We are, like God, to go that extra mile to bring those in need closer to the kingdom of God.  A steward is an important stand-in for the disciples and others who will be the shepherds in His Church.  When Jesus tells parables that involve stewards as figures in the parable, then He is frequently addressing the disciples who will become the stewards and leaders of His Church.  In this case, He's telling them about using resources which will be available to them with mercy, even with extravagance, leaving behind a kind of measure-for-measure or tit-for-tat sense of justice, and instead measuring by fellowship and love.  To practice charity, to go the extra mile to keep fellowship and relationships within community becomes the important goal here, the hallmark of His kingdom in this world.  Can we make allowances for our fellow members of the Church?  Can we give a little extra to someone who needs a good word?  Can we bring comfort to others who are feeling isolated or sad?  Can we find a way to help others to know they are included in our circle of care, and of compassion?  These are the ways in which we may practice the kind of fellowship Jesus teaches here, in addition to charity using financial and other material resources that we have.  In such cases, we do not measure in accordance with what is owed or what is on the books or what we are compelled through some financial requirement that makes figures add up in account books.  Our charity is practiced for other reasons, and without those restrictions on it.  Do we donate to our church simply to get a tax write-off, or are there other reasons for supporting a fellowship which includes those who cannot make such donations (should we have that capacity ourselves)?  Is the Church for all, or only for those with the wealth to build its physical walls?  No, wealth is shared to build community and communion, to include those who may not have the same sort of financial resources to give, but who also are fellow servants in faith.  In this sense Jesus makes the statement that "the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light." A very 'worldly' person may understand what it is to overlook a debt, to make a donation, or even to offer a bribe where some good will is desired.  But a sincerely spiritual and honest person must also come to understand that generosity of spirit is necessary for the Kingdom as well, making allowances for what goes beyond simply honest accounting.  If we give for love of our communion and community, we might understand that what we give doesn't necessarily make material sense on a personal level, but to give to our fellow servants, to practice love and care, is also the way of the Kingdom, and it is the way that we build the relationships with our fellow servants that Christ wishes of us.  How can we help those who need help?  We go an extra mile in order to do so, we "make friends" with those who could use our help and love, regardless of how that is expressed.  Let us consider in what ways Jesus asks us to reach out, to be generous with resources of time and care and attention, in addition to financial resources ("unrighteous mammon"), for all of it is part of what it means to be a good steward and a good fellow servant who serves the same Master.  For we may shrewdly use our resources for the Kingdom.  It is that kind of encouragement we all need, that shores up true fellowship, and teaches others we care for them -- that they are precious in our sight as they are precious in His.  People may feel that kindness is something simple or easily overlooked, but it is just that simple thing that can make a difference in our fellowship and in our own standing in Christ's kingdom.

 

I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven

 

 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

 

- Matthew 18:21-35 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:  "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.  What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.  Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." 

 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."  My study Bible comments here that the phrase "seventy times seven" is a symbol of an unlimited amount.  The parable is an illustration of the need for unlimited forgiveness, and we must note, is given within the context of the teaching from yesterday's reading about discipline and repentance within the Church (see above).  Ten thousand talents, my study Bible adds, is an imposible sum.  It was more than a laborer could earn in several lifetimes.  A hundred denarii is a significant amount from an earthly perspective (about three months' wages), but it is a tiny amount in comparison to the debt which is owed to the king.  My study Bible comments that God not only stays the punishment we deserve, but forgives us the entire debt as well.  As God forgives us, we in turn are required to grant the gift of forgiveness to others ("Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors" - Matthew 6:12).  As to the punishment described here, there are certain patristic interpretations which my study Bible cites.   In this understanding, the man represents the soul, the wife represents the body, and the children represent a person's deeds.  Therefore the body and deeds are given over to slavery -- that is to Satan -- so that the soul might possibly be saved (see 1 Corinthians 5:5 in context). 

In a modern context, it is not always easy to understand forgiveness.  If forgiveness is expected to be extended, then why does sin matter?  If we are expected to forgive all, then why does God count sin as important?  All of these questions arise out of a misunderstanding of forgiveness in the context of God as Judge.  In the Lord's Prayer (see Matthew 6:9-15), Jesus speaks of sin as "debts."  In a remark immediately following, He speaks in terms of "trespasses."  Debts and trespasses give us two images of sin.  A debt is something that is owed to us, and suggests that something belonging rightfully to us has been taken away.  What can be taken away by others sinning against us?  There can be a sense of honor that has been stripped away by someone's bad act, a kind of injustice rendered that takes justice away from us.  Possibly we have been harmed in some sense, abused, or stolen from, both literally and figuratively.  To trespass is to cross a rightful boundary, to have been violated in some sense, improper conduct once again taking away what rightfully belongs to us, even honor or nominal respect for the integrity of another human being.  Modern psychology frequently speaks of boundary violations in order to characterize abuse of one sort or another, or one degree or another.  But in Jesus' way of thinking, to forgive is literally to "let go," using precisely the same language a banker would use of debts.  Therefore, we "let" and "forgive" to the ultimate Banker who is God, and leave justice and especially vengeance to God (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19).  In so doing, we are seeking God's way to walk through the world, and to live the best way we can in context with our experience, even that which has been harmful.  It does not mean necessarily reconciliation with those who would continue to harm, but it does mean "giving up" to God our hurts and debts, so that God may lead us in life.  In today's reading, Peter is asking about forgiveness of a brother within the life of a Church, and it has already been given (in yesterday's reading, above) that this brother has repented within the framework of the Church community, either privately or within a wider scale of the Church.  So, when Peter poses this question, he's asking about the process of reconciliation for community that Jesus has outlined -- and Christ's answer is that the peace of His community must be eternal, forgiveness unlimited.  The parable itself teaches us about God's forgiveness of our many sins, and expresses the notion that we should be aware of this love as the foundation within which we're taught to forgive.  It is, to my way understanding, not an erasure of awareness of debt or trespass.  Rather within the context of recognition of debt we are asked to forgive for the sake of peace and of reconciliation.  It is an understanding of what is called "economia" (οικονόμια), which means basically "proper management," or good and prudent handling of a matter.  The Greek word is related, appropriately, to the word for "steward" (economos/οἰκονόμος).  It indicates an understanding that in practice mercy and forgiveness form a cohesion for community, as opposed to strictly the letter of the law.  It is an extension of the Christ's statement that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).  It teaches us that, in practice, the salvation of human souls and human lives, and the creation of real community, is a hands-on effort, so to speak.  That is, it is not an abstract principle or rule that suffices, but rather the practice that must bring about a good result, the healing of lives and community, good spiritual fruits in terms of quality of life.  This is why mercy and forgiveness are so important, because without them, nothing will actually work well in the fullness of real lives and living community.  There must be a recognition that God's ultimate concern is in the fullness of life and spiritual fruit, the Kingdom that dwells among us.  So we both acknowledge the truth of trespass and debt, and we also practice forgiveness.  We seek a way to make this work, not simply a process for assigning blame or pointing fingers.  While we bear a little shame (in a phrase oft-used by Fr. Stephen Freeman on his blog to which I link) in terms of acknowledging our fault, and also in forgiving the one who sinned, we gain community in the context of communion with God and neighbor in the Church.  This seems nearly impossible in terms of the whole overwhelming notion of a perfect community, but it does work therapeutically as guideline for how we as believers live our lives and heal from hurt and trauma.  If we can bear in mind that it was Christ who truly took on our pain and suffering, and God who takes on the debts, then we can find relief in the sense that we are both heard and able to move on.  Moreover, we can find the same forgiveness and freedom in the context of our own errors, debts, and trespasses.  But we must be willing to come to the table of communion, where the understanding of the love of God begins, the perspective of Christ's teaching of love of God and love of neighbor, for it only works within that foundation, and in light of Christ's own unfathomable expression of love for us first, and His willingness to suffer for that love.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

 

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

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors. 

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

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

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

 

- Matthew 6:7–15 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount, found in chapters 5 - 7 of Matthew's Gospel.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  Today's reading begins here.  The following passage brackets afterward, and was included in yesterday's lectionary reading:  "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  

 

  "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  My study Bible continues its remarks on this passage (which we began in yesterday's reading), in which the subject is the spirit of prayer.  What is important is the communion established through prayer, and Jesus cautions against what interferes with that communion, particularly hypocrisy.   Here, He speaks of vain repetitions, which cannot establish this communion, for, my study Bible says, God does not need our "babble."  To partake of this communion, it says, both silence and words are necessary.  Therefore, we are taught to pray always (Luke 18:1) and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).   Christ does not condemn the use of many words per se, but rather teaches that words need to express the desire for communion with God.  In the following verses, Jesus gives us specific words to repeat (the Lord's Prayer).  It is not repetition itself that is condemned, my study Bible emphasizes, but rather vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayers, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  The emphasis in this particular warning is not about repetition in and of itself, but rather on sincerity in prayer.

"In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."   My study Bible explains that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity reveals of our potential relationship with God.  Christ, as Son of God, grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God," (meaning heir, regardless of gender) a Christian is called to love, trust, and serve God as Christ does the Father.  This loyalty is part of our trust in God, as is our deep desire for God's kingdom to manifest, and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.   My study Bible says that we must note that God is not our Father simply because God created us.  God is only Father to those in a saving and personal relationship with God, a communion that only comes by the grace of adoption (see John 1:13, Romans 8:14-16).  

"Give us this day our daily bread."   "Daily" is a misleading translation of the Greek word ἐπιούσιον/epiousion.  This word literally means "above the essence" or "supersubstantial."  So, the expression daily bread indicates not simply bread for this day, for earthly nourishment.  It is the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  My study Bible comments that this living, supersubstantial bread is Christ Himself.  Therefore, in the Lord's Prayer, we aren't merely asking for material bread for physical health, but for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).  

 

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  This request to be forgiven is plural, my study Bible points out, and so it directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others and not merely ourselves.  The term debts refers to spiritual debts (see Matthew 18:21-35).  See also that Jesus repeats a message regarding mutual forgiveness after the end of the prayer.

 

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen."  God tempts no one to sin (James 1:13); temptations are from the evil one, my study Bible notes; that is, the devil.  It says that temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, but we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."   My study Bible comments that Christ insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  That is, those who do not forgive are not forgiven.  This is a teaching repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which concludes with this same teaching.  To not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.

In the Beatitudes, which begin the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaims, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (see this reading).  Here in today's reading, He repeats teachings on mercy, so central are they to His gospel message.  Forgiveness is a part of that mercy, if we would understand it in a certain way.  We are asked, additionally, to pray not only that our own spiritual debts are forgiven, but the prayer is communal: that is, we pray corporately for the forgiveness of our debts, for ourselves and for others, as my study Bible points out.  It reminds us of the first martyr, St. Stephen, who prayed as he was being stoned to death, first, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," and then, in a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin."  (See Acts 6 -7.)   In so doing, we remember that it is God who is the ultimate Judge, the Banker, if you will, who holds all the debts and makes a final decision about them.  We ask for our debts to be forgiven, as we "let go" (as the word translated as forgive in this passage literally means in Greek) of the debts we hold, and so we give them up to God for God's adjudication.  This image of forgiveness places everything in the hands of God.  It does not simply take reconciliation into our own hands, and certainly leaves off ideas of vengeance.  But what we so frequently seem not to understand in this notion of forgiveness is that it simply places all things in the hands of God, and so we are encouraged to find our way through prayer for how to handle relationships with those who have wronged and hurt us.  Ultimately, we seek God's way, and within community, for how we proceed with our lives, even when we have enemies who might seek to harm us or feel enmity for us.  In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have first of all the Incarnation, God and man united in one.  When we pray for our "daily bread" which is really our "supersubstantial bread," we pray, in some sense, for what is given in the Eucharist, for that living bread in which we also can become like Him, where we can help our Father's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  That is, we seek Christ who helps us to find our way His way.  He is the one who offers us the way out of endless debts, recriminations, and cycles of abuse.  It is ultimately in Him we have our peace, and with Him we need reconciliation.  We are not asked, in forgiveness, to become best friends with those who would do us harm or abuse, and neither are we asked to love that which we consider to be harmful.  But we are asked to find His peace, and His way for our peace.  We are asked to give up all the debts we hold, and the trespasses we feel, to Him.  And moreover, we are promised by Christ that the practice of mercy is the only way we will find and realize that mercy for ourselves.  These are not words that we can ignore, but rather a firm statement of spiritual truth.  We will not find what we seek without practicing it ourselves.  The way I read it, Jesus gives us a spiritual law of the universe in this statement, that we must practice mercy, which is "love in action" in order to realize God's great mercy for ourselves.  This extends to our own comprehension of God's love which will lead us beyond the hurt and pain, and debt and trespass, into a forward-looking life and a healing process as we seek union with God.  Ultimately, everything comes together in the Lord's Prayer, as it is both our place in God's Kingdom that we seek, and also how we may bear God's Kingdom into the world.  Mercy remains central to this plan, love in action, and we will be called simply to learn how to live it and find His way for us.  We might have all kinds of ideas about what that is supposed to look like, but ultimately we only find it when we seek Him first.  Some people expect that Christ's teachings are simply moral aphorisms, a formula for living.  But I find that faith is a learning journey through difficult circumstances, a dynamic struggle.   St. Paul called it fighting the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7).   When we find ourselves in the midst of the untenable and impossible, unable to control others or the world around us, then we need His way, for it is only with God that all things are possible.