The Lord said to my Lord

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ‘What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

“The Lord said to my Lord,

‘Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet’ ”?

If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’ No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

- Matthew 22:34-46

The Pharisees were lay experts on the Scripture and the Law. They had found 613 commandments in the Scriptures and a great focus of their debate and argument among themselves was on which commandment was central. So, asking Jesus about the "greatest commandment" is crucial to their own way of approaching Scripture and religious practice. We're told that the one asking the question is a lawyer. While the question is reasonable, Jesus understands that it is, once again, a test.

The lawyer, a Pharisee, asks, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Jesus replies, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Jesus' setting forth of the first and the second command is the sum total of the Law and the Prophets. Specifically for the Pharisees, Jesus directs his answer to give them a grand summary in two simple commands - not only of the greatest, the first and second commandments - but of all of the law. Their endless debating, he seems to imply, is not necessary. We understand from the gospels that we have received a vivid, direct and simple teaching from our Lord and the history we have of his life and his teaching, and in this example Jesus does not fail to set out by example once again his style of teaching and preaching. It is so simple and so direct, and yet it inspires infinite creativity in those of us who follow, and who will follow in the future. There is great theological importance, if you ask me, in the order of these commandments. We place the love of God first and center, in our hearts; and we practice this love as we remember the second in our outward behavior. In this way, and this order, things fall into place. I personally do not believe in substituting a set of standards or ethics, no matter how wonderful, for worship as the central place of consciousness - because that consciousness informs us of the mercy that must be used with the application of any "rule" no matter how well-intentioned, and it shapes our capacity for love and insight in this respect. Otherwise we run the danger of living an "abstract" life.

But after his first response to the question of the Pharisees, Jesus then goes on the offensive with them, and turns the tables as he has done in this series of questions and tests that have come this week in Jerusalem in the temple. (See readings for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and yesterday, Monday.) Jesus decides he will challenge the Pharisees on their understanding of scripture. Jesus asks them: "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." So Jesus then asks them: "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

'The Lord said to my Lord,

"Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet" '?

If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" The Pharisees are stumped, and they don't know how to answer, because their assumptions about Messiah and the nature of God don't make any sense in light of this scripture. The scripture quoted by Jesus is from the psalm of David, Psalm 110:1. Of course, the irony here, lost on no one in this scene, is that Jesus has been greeted as Messiah as He entered into Jerusalem. But my study bible points out something even more important here in this passage. Jesus is introducing the notion of the Holy Trinity in this teaching. The "Son of David" as the Pharisees' concept of Messiah is a mere human being. But Jesus quotes scripture to illustrate their lack of insight into the scripture. David, as king of Israel, would not address anyone as "my Lord" except God. Therefore, my study bible points out, "the psalm verse describes God talking to God - the Father to the Son." This also contradicts the Pharisees' point of view of God as one Person. Jesus says David speaks or writes the psalm "by the Spirit" -- and so we have the introduction by Jesus to the Pharisees of the concept of the Three Holy Persons.

What is remarkable about Jesus, as a man of peace, is his unfailing capacity to fulfill the task of confrontation when it is appropriate to him. Confrontation is not violent, and he is not a man of violence, he is the opposite. His method is dialogue, and challenge. Neither does he shrink from a challenge unless he deems it "not the right time." Jesus is a bold actor, but he always does things in his own way, and at the chosen time. He will give up his life in the chosen time, at the time he deems it right, of his own choosing and through the will of his Father. His confrontations come in Jerusalem at the time he has chosen to go to Jerusalem, and he engages them and is an actor in that challenge. At other times, his work has been deliberately done in secret, and he has asked others to keep them secret - as when he told his disciples not to reveal he was the Messiah after Peter's confession of faith, or his healing of two blind men earlier in Matthew's gospel. In our reading today, Jesus introduces a tremendous concept into the understanding of God that the Pharisees have. Not only does he stand notions of the expected Messiah on their heads (as he so often does with prevailing understanding and concepts of worship within this sequence of confrontations in Jerusalem), but he also challenges and shakes up the very notion of God by introducing the idea of the Holy Trinity, as interpreted through Scripture here. His ideas shake the foundation of expectation and understanding, and yet he is boldly proposing them here in the temple, to those who are challenging him in the first place. But after this, we are told, "No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions."

Again, as in all of the readings over the past week or so, we must start to ask the question - how does this pertain to us? And, because it is the time of Advent, we ask ourselves how the lessons here apply to this period of waiting and watching for this light, this manifestation of the Divine, to come into our world. Clearly we must understand from the reading that this light will shake up our foundations and assumptions, that our eyes and ears and hearts must be open to it in order to properly embrace and know our place in this understanding. If the "great commandment" is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" then we must be prepared to understand "the Lord" to whom "my Lord" is speaking in the psalm. This "Lord" is the Son, the light, and if we accept these scriptures, he is incarnate and manifest to us as Jesus. God reveals himself through time, in a temporal setting, as one of us, and the person that we have, who has been revealed to us as manifestation of Second Person of God, is Jesus. So, we must consider today what it means to have a manifestation, a revelation of the Divine in a form based in our worldly reality, an incarnate human being. He will always present to us concepts that may shake our foundations and understanding. As we grow in relation to this Person in our hearts - each one of us today - we may at times find this relationship boldly challenging to what we think we know, to our limited understanding. Just as he challenged the Pharisees, and even his own apostles, he will also have times to challenge us and ask us to expand our awareness to include new things and to grow within that relationship that the first great commandment teaches us. How will you cultivate this central place of worship - in the spirit of the first great commandment - today? And how do you think it may well affect the way in which you practice the second great commandment in today's reading? To be free enough to accept that challenge requires an open heart.

I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob

The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, ‘Teacher, Moses said, “If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.” Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman herself died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.’

Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.’ And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.

- Matthew 22:23-33

Before now, we've had questioners come to Jesus from various parties: the Pharisees, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the Herodians. The party represented in today's reading are the Sadducees. The Sadducees, unlike the Pharisees, did not believe in the resurrection of the dead; and so, it is this particular doctrine they try to ridicule in their approach to Jesus. The Sadducees were comprised primarily of wealthy landowners who formed a kind of aristocracy, among them many priests. They held strongly that the authoritative books of Hebrew scripture were the first five (the books of Moses), and dismissed many later interpretations as human invention (particularly the oral laws advocated by the Pharisees). Their emphasis, then, is on the here and now, and the rewards therein.

They put the question to Jesus: "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.' Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman herself died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her."

Jesus' answer is once again one that does not accept the premises of the questioners. Just as he has in the previous questions posed to him in the temple in Jerusalem (see the readings from Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), Jesus turns the notions presented to him on their heads. Instead of accepting the questions as they are framed, Jesus presents his own startling answers in straightforward and dazzling language. He not only undercuts the assumptions behind the questions posed to him, but vividly illustrates his own perspective that is not pigeonholed into any trap set by the questioners. He begins his reply: "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God." The Sadducees fail in their comprehensive awareness of scripture, which says nothing about earthly laws of marriage being applicable to the future kingdom. My study bible notes: "The resurrection is not merely life resuming where it left off, but a complete change of life." "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." Significantly, Jesus teaches here about the world of the afterlife, and it's important for us to understand the glimpse we're given in these words. The "power of God" transforms us - wholly and fully - from death to life. Who can put God in a box or limit God's power? The life in the kingdom is one in which those who appear to us to be dead are living in an eternal present. "And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living." It's important, of course, to note the tense of the verbs here: as in so many of the pronouncements told to Moses, the statements from the Divine are in present tense: “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." From this scriptural understanding given by Christ, we know that there is a communion of saints, an eternal present kingdom wherein those who appear to us as dead are living in the present. We understand resurrection to be into a different reality, with added dimension to that which we are able to perceive. We are timebound, the kingdom is eternal. The living are in communion with us through this spiritual perception that comes in the heart, for which we need the eyes and ears of spirit to see and hear - and the "mind in the heart" to understand.

Once again, as this is an Advent reading, we have to consider these words in terms of the Light that will come into the world and dwell among us. When we begin again with the gospel of John, we will note the important language about this Light coming into the world. We read John 1:14 to remind us: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." In the Greek, the word for "dwelt" is ἐσκήνωσεν. The root of the word is "tent" or "tabernacle" - he made his "dwelling" (his tent, or tabernacle) among us. We have to recall the scene of the Transfiguration, in which Peter suggested building tents or booths for Moses, Jesus and Elijah, as was practiced in the Feast of Tabernacles, which was the feast of the coming kingdom. The light of the Transfiguration gives us the great hint of what is to come; or should we say, that which is eternal and always present to us, and which "dwelt" incarnate among us in our world to live among us as we do. Jesus' words that he continually used and advised his apostles to use as they were sent out to new cities were, "The kingdom of heaven has come near." We live in communion with that kingdom, we also wish to dwell in it and bring it into the world, to work for it and to be a part of it. It is ever-present to us as we "remember God" and focus on prayer and the relationship in our hearts. It will always expand the rules, take us out of our boxes and assumptions based on our own ignorance and limitation. And it will always create new forms of holiness in order to expand our vision and understanding. Think about awaiting that light, that tabernacle of the kingdom that will manifest itself to us, and make itself vulnerable to the vicissitudes of worldly life as we are. How does the light come to you and beckon you to open your eyes today, as we wait for its coming once again? How do we help to bear that kingdom among us and within us and serve it in the world?

Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

- Matthew 22:15-22

Jesus becomes further challenged by questions that are aimed at revealing flaws in his teachings, so that his answers can be used against him. This time the questioning centers around the rule and domination of Caesar. We have reflections in this story of the political life of Israel at the time. The Pharisees send their disciples to question Jesus, but also there are Herodians (followers who supported Herod the Great and his dynasty). Both the Pharisees and Herodians can be seen as playing a role as a form of political party. So the backdrop here is both religious and political in nature, and we recall that the Messiah widely expected in the context of these times was both political and religious in nature, a political liberator.

So, who is this Jesus, really, and where does he stand? He's been teaching about righteousness, and belongs to no party. They've already asked him about his authority to cleanse the temple. This time the question is both religious and political in nature. They put the question to him: "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" Jesus is known as someone who treats all with equality, and speaks directly and plainly to all. By answering yes, or no, they hope to trap him into one or the other position: either he is a revolutionary, or he is a collaborator with the Romans.

But Jesus once again surprises people with his answers to questions that are designed to trap him one way or another. His answers are surprising and eye opening, and don't fall into any expected category or box. Again, as in the previous question in the temple, we're given to understand that the questioners are not sincere. They're deliberately trying to put Jesus into a bind. "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax."

"And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.'" Once again, Jesus is showing his sharp wit and intelligence in his answer. He's also unafraid to answer straightforwardly a question, both with authority and clearly defending himself. He's willing to engage in argument and to rebuff his questioners. His answers are bold and strong, and he does not shy away at all from the confrontation with those established in authority in the temple and the society. But his answer is surprising and clever. My study bible notes that the distinction between things that are Caesar's and things that are God's does not imply a division of life into two domains, the secular and the sacred. God is Lord over all. The note in my study bible goes on to read, "We must fulfill legitimate governmental requirements which do not conflict with our responsibility toward God. Paying taxes and similar duties are not detrimental to godliness. The fact that the Jewish establishment had a Roman coin in hand proved they accepted and used this coin, thereby accepting the earthly rule of the one who issued it."

My study bible also has a note indicating that Jesus constantly demonstrates that he is divine as well as human. The note reads: "Here again he does so by (1) revealing the secrets of their hearts, and (2) silencing them through his questions." But I also think this is reflected in the nature of Jesus' answer itself. Clearly, he's both a man of God and a man of the world. As incarnate Christ, he's teaching us about living in the world and in obedience to God at the same time. Our hearts, our very center, is to belong to God, and to seek discernment in our lives through this bond and relationship. But the things that are of God's kingdom are eternal, and we live in a temporal world, with political rule that comes and goes like that of the government that issued the Roman coin. Jesus teaches how we live in this temporal world while our hearts belong to that eternal kingdom. We live in peace with that which doesn't interfere with the loyalty in our hearts, and we seek discernment to do so. This is a model for all of us for temperance and forbearance, and living in peace and cooperation in a world filled with unnecessary conflict and violence. We render to God what is God's, and from there we gain discernment with regard to that which belongs to the state and is required of us from the state so long as it does not conflict with our loyalty to God. We will always have to live in patience with that which is temporal and passing and imperfect as part of our lives in the world. We don't separate our lives, in this example, into two parts: rather, we live in both, with our hearts - our center - in relation to God who is Lord of all.

How do you negotiate this question in our particular context of the times? We live in a world with a great deal of rather secular and material celebration of the coming holiday, Christmas. In this period of Advent, it is the perfect question to think about. How do we balance the great material social pressures built up around this holiday period against the meaning of this event of the coming of Christ incarnate in the world? What do our hearts tell us about passing through the temporal demands while we remain centered in Christ, in worship? I believe we are to walk through all of it with our hearts open to love, to the Spirit, to these teachings. And yet, with love, we make our way through the times, giving gifts and doing what we can, honoring our obligations - hopefully with the joy of what we know to be eternal and true in our hearts. How will you walk through this season with both? What unfruitful conflict will you avoid, and for what and when do you decisively speak up? Jesus' own response itself so brilliantly straddles both the eternal and the temporal that we are told "when they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away." In this season of Advent where so much intense activity is focused on the temporal, material and secular, don't forget to take time out -- in the midst of it -- for the things of the heart, the things that are God's, and watch.

Many are called, but few are chosen

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’

- Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus tells another parable, as he responds to the chief priests and elders of the temple after they've asked him by what authority he cleansed it. In yesterday's reading, Jesus extended his response to the temple leadership with a parable about the vineyard owner and the evil tenants who murdered his son. Today Jesus continues with the parable of the wedding feast. We know that Jesus has often been referred to as a bridegroom already in the gospels. John the Baptist refers to Jesus as bridegroom in John's gospel (John 3:29). But, more to the point, in our current gospel of Matthew, Jesus has already referred to himself this way (in chapter 9) when he said, "The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they?" In that reading from chapter 9, Jesus linked his status as bridegroom to the illustration of new wine needing new wineskins, and here in Jerusalem we have a similar, but more developed theme.

"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.' But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them." Everyone is invited to this wedding banquet - Jews and Gentiles, the whole world. We recall once more that Matthew's gospel was written for an audience composed of many Jewish members. Clearly, and especially in light of yesterday's parable, the history of spirituality in our Scripture tells us that it is the Jews who are the first invited to this wedding feast. As in yesterday's parable, the servants or slaves of the king are sent out repeatedly to call all to this wedding feast of the bridegroom, his son. Many simply do not come, others ignore the repeated calls, focusing instead on business, or farming, and still others seize the slaves, mistreating and killing them. These slaves calling all to the banquet, in repeated sequence of calling and refusal, are the prophets sent through the ages.

"The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests." My study bible notes that the burning of the city has historically been linked to the burning of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and this is seen as a prophetic parable by Jesus. Going into the main streets (translated as "highways" elsewhere) is seen as going into the Gentile world. This parable and its prophetic nature will later be understood to indicate the sending out of the apostles among the Gentiles, after Jesus is rejected by the Jewish leadership. Everyone is now invited to this banquet, good and bad, so that the wedding hall is filled.

"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen." And here we get a new theme of prophecy coming into this parable, this illustration of what has been, what is happening and what is to come. This wedding feast is an illustration of the ultimate union that all are called toward. Judgment is the theme that is introduced. This reconciling is for all people, and all are called to this wedding feast. But once there, we must be properly dressed to receive and celebrate this gift we're offered; we must be ready to receive it, prepared for this feast. My study bible has a helpful note for our historical understanding: "The wedding garment is provided by the host. To be at the wedding improperly dressed indicates one who is uninvited or who, having been invited, rejects the host's hospitality. In the Church, the wedding garment is true repentance and righteousness--the way of salvation--gained only by the grace of God."

So, in this parable, we have a very simple, direct and vivid illustration of a radical shift in understanding of spiritual reality. The slaves and servants who've been sent before, and rejected or mistreated, now reflect a different reality and understanding. Now, everyone is invited to this banquet, and all may crowd the wedding hall. But, once there, the eligibility of a guest for this feast has a criterion for determination: the acceptance of the host's grace, the gift that has been offered, the opportunity for this celebration of union of the bridegroom.

Again, as in yesterday's commentary, I think it's important to think of this story in light of Advent. As we move toward our celebration of the birth of this bridegroom, incarnate in our world, how do we prepare? How do we think of this parable that illustrates the radical change in spiritual understanding that this event, this great light dawning in the world, will bring? Do we understand what it is to be called? To accept an invitation? To accept the grace of the king? What is the gift that we are offered, and how does this parable treat our refusal? If we pay attention to its teaching, we're all called. We may all show up for the feast. What does it mean that we must accept the grace and the gift of the host in order to celebrate it? How do you receive it? Today, what does it ask of you in preparation for the feast?

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone

‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’

Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is amazing in our eyes”?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

- Matthew 21:33-46

In his confrontation with the chief priests and elders of the temple, Jesus continues his response to their questions about his authority from yesterday's reading. He has already told one parable, or riddle, in his response to them, and in today's reading, Jesus begins with another parable by way of response.

"Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country." My study bible has rather comprehensive notes on this parable. God the Father is the landowner who planted the vineyard. The tenant vine-dressers are the religious leaders entrusted with the care of this spiritual vineyard, or God's people. We recall the incident of the withering of the fig tree, that happened as Jesus was walking back toward Jerusalem just prior to this subsequent confrontation with the temple leadership. Fruitfulness is an important component of our understanding of what it is to be a part of this kingdom; so, the vineyard is another metaphor for the people of God, and the fruits they produce under good pastoral care.

"When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way." The landowner's servants are the prophets, whom God sends to proclaim the word - an effort at the renewal of fruitfulness of the vines. My study bible notes: "For instead of tending the vineyard, the vinedressers had devoured it." We recall the image of wolves in sheeps' clothing, who inwardly are predators who devour the children rather than caring for them - whom Jesus also compared to bad trees that give bad fruit.

"Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.' So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" Despite the bad treatment of the slaves, God's prophets, the vineyard owner believes that perhaps sending his son will make a difference, that the son will be treated with respect and honor. But greed doesn't respond with proper feeling of respect. A decision made in selfishness and in greed is one that plots to devour more completely, to take and to steal -- and murder, in this story, is the result. Clearly these tenants are not men of peace and fair dealing, but only know aggression, predatory behavior. The chief priests and elders answer Jesus' question, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time."

Then, Jesus quotes to them from scripture (from Psalm 118 and also reflecting a passage from Isaiah):

"Have you never read in the scriptures:

'The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is amazing in our eyes'?"

And he adds, "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls." Jesus, of course, is referring to himself as Son, who is also the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, who will be rejected and murdered. He will become the cornerstone of a new Church, made up of those who believe and follow him. As we can see from the parable of the vineyard, there is this repeated pattern of teaching and exile, rejection and corruption that, as analogy, we can understand from scripture as the story of our human spiritual history. Jesus' parable is meant to give us the understanding that the sending of the Son is the highest authority that can be sent, short of the landowner himself. The statement about the cornerstone indicates the powerful meaning of choice once confronted with the Son. The prophets before Jesus, up to and including John the Baptist, have been killed, but "the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."

Once the chief priests and rabbis realize that they are the object of his parables and teachings, they are outraged and are ready to arrest Jesus. But, again, because of the belief of the crowds that Jesus is a prophet, they cannot afford to do so. So, their instincts conform to those of the tenants of the vineyards; they feel threatened by what he is saying and want to stop him at any cost.

But today, 2,000 years later, what are we to make of this story? Presumably, the believers who read this blog must ask themselves how we are to relate to it today. We have a varied history of scandals across the wide expanse and throughout the time of the existence of His Church; we know of wolves in sheep's clothing who will prey on the children who need leadership and guidance and tending to fruitfulness. It's always going to be up to us to keep awake and watch, to be vigilant and to tend to the words and teachings in these parables. We know the warnings about fruitfulness, and about the good trees and good fruit, and bad trees that bear bad fruit. In this season of Advent, we are to renew and re-prepare for this coming into the world of the Son of the vineyard owner. How will we think about that this season as we prepare to celebrate Christmas? In what ways do these words throw light on your life, and how we live in faith? What do we do to tend that vineyard?

Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

- Matthew 21:23-32

My study bible notes that the chief priests and elders bring charges against Jesus for his chastisement of the tradesmen in the temple (the moneychangers and dove-sellers - see yesterday's commentary). It points out that they cannot object to Jesus' miracles, so charges are brought with regard to the cleansing of the temple in yesterday's reading. Jesus is not a Levitical priest and does not have the schooling normally required of a rabbi. Hence, Jesus is asked about his authority in the temple. They ask him, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"

But Jesus, true to form so far in Jerusalem, doesn't shrink at all from this confrontation. In fact, he turns the tables on his inquisitors. By way of response, he asks them a question of his own. "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" The honest answer, of course, will quite simply point to Jesus' own authority. Because John was so widely regarded as a prophet, just as Jesus has been welcomed into Jerusalem by many who hailed him with Messianic titles and greeting, the chief priests and elders are in a bind as they puzzle out an answer in front of the others in the temple. They reason among themselves: "If we say, 'From heaven', he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin', we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." Jesus' response comes swiftly and simply: "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." The same "unknown authority" is of course the answer to the question.

Then Jesus gives the temple authorities a parable in front of the crowds by way of elaborating a teaching during this very public dispute. We recall that the word for "parable" can also be translated as "riddle": "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" Quite cleverly, Jesus' riddle points up the difference between an act proclaiming obedience and a true act of obedience, despite words (and first appearances) to the contrary. This is a very simple, swift and direct illustration of the words from Isaiah that Jesus has quoted earlier in this gospel (Matthew 15:1-20):

"This people honours me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines."

Jesus continues his questioning of the chief priests and elders: "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, ‘The first." Jesus then delivers his answer to them: "Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him."

My study bible notes that Jesus mentions the tax-collectors and prostitutes because they were considered great sinners, in order to jolt his hearers into obedience. The questions they posed to Jesus, I read, are not considered to be motivated by honesty in the first place, but by hostility and unbelief. I think this is an important consideration. Would one expect an answer like this with response to an honest question? I don't think so. Jesus is addressing their hardness of heart, and he does so directly, without quibbling. So, as so often happens in the gospels, we have a poetic doubling of meaning. Jesus is directly illustrating a point about unbelief, about obedience and faith, and the difference between heartfelt obedience and the appearance of this faith and love in relationship. With the story of the two sons, we get a clear illustration of where sincerity lies, and how much (or how little) the appearance of obedience means within this context. At the same time, we are called to question the motivations of the authorities in the temple: are they concerned for their position, or is the question an honest prompting from a heart that is open to Spirit, to God? Jesus' teachings call us to think about these issues for ourselves, and over and over again take us to this issue of the heart that is either open to the reality of this kingdom or hardened by "worldly" considerations.

As in yesterday's reading, the questions come up for us again and again. Can we recognize the holy at work in our lives? Do we understand Spirit and its promptings, its energies of mercy and grace around us? Does it "break in" upon us? Do we seek a deeper meaning in what we do? Do we look in our hearts for what obedience means? What does humility have to do with this ability to spiritually see and hear? Over and over again, we must ask ourselves these questions; they will always be with us, drawing us further and deeper into the heart and into love. There is always the knock on the door of the heart, asking us whether or not we will open to it.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
- Rev. 3:20

My house shall be called a house of prayer

Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, ‘It is written,

“My house shall be called a house of prayer”;

but you are making it a den of robbers.’

The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’, they became angry and said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read,

“Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies

you have prepared praise for yourself”?’

He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May no fruit ever come from you again!’ And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, ‘How did the fig tree wither at once?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea”, it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.’

- Matthew 21:12-22

This passage contains several significant events: the cleansing of the temple, many healings with the declaration of those in the temple who call Jesus by a messianic title and scriptural reference: "Hosanna to the Son of David," and the withering of the fig tree with Jesus' teaching on faith and prayer. In other gospels, the cleansing of the temple is treated as a great vivid event, but here it is treated with a few sentences of description. It is, significantly, Jesus' first act after being heralded into Jerusalem with the cries of "Hosanna to the Son of David!" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" As we read in yesterday's commentary, these greetings and titles were those associated with the coming of the awaited Kingdom and the Messiah who would establish it.

In the temple, the moneychangers exchange Roman coins for temple money. The Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and this was considered to be defiling. So, Roman coin was exchanged for temple money with which one could purchase animals for sacrifice, such as the doves which are mentioned - and which would have been the affordable sacrifice for the poor in the temple. Jesus quotes from both Isaiah and Jeremiah: "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" Jesus acts against the commercialization of worship, which abuses the poor. My study bible notes that the cleansing of the temple is seen as an image of the cleansing of our souls.

Then the blind and lame, we read, are cured by Jesus in the temple. These healings are, as other acts of healing before them in this gospel, a clear sign of messianic identity. The cries of "Hosanna to the Son of David" by the children, who act as a kind of hidden chorus in the Jerusalem setting, are an indication of the recognition and receipt of Jesus in the popular understanding among the common people as Messiah. But the chief priests and scribes are scandalized. They chastise Jesus: "Do you hear what these are saying?" But Jesus replies with a truth of his own and more quotation from scripture (Psalm 8:2): "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself.'" We recall that earlier in Matthew's gospel, Jesus has said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

After going to Bethany, and spending the night there, Jesus returns the next day to Jerusalem. This tells us about his determination to meet his fate, what God has asked of him. He deliberately confronts the chief priests and scribes, the corruption in the temple, and defends the children who welcome him as Messiah. Today he returns again to Jerusalem. And on the way there, we have this encounter with a fig tree that bears no fruit. We understand the significance of the fig tree: it's a symbol of prosperity and peace. But this tree has produced no harvest of fruit, only leaves. "Then he said to it, ‘May no fruit ever come from you again!’ And the fig tree withered at once." This is a curse, on those who are offered a gift and who fail to bear fruit. We recall that Jesus is to be crucified on such a "tree" without fruit. Although Jesus goes willingly to his death, submitting to torture and execution, it does not mean that the choices that made this necessary are embraced nor free from consequences. The act of withering the fig tree is a prophetic act of condemnation, a "withering" reproach to those responsible who cannot accept a spiritual reality made manifest before them.

"When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, ‘How did the fig tree wither at once?’ The disciples respond to this prophetic withering of the tree with amazement. Although presumably they've seen a great many miraculous healings, this particular incident is of a different cast and tone. It's not a healing, it's a prophetic curse on that which cannot follow its own true spiritual nature - which is corrupted and refuses to recognize spiritual reality at the time of its appearance. We have seen the cleansing of the temple, we understand the greed and arrogance and self-interest there where worship of the Lord is to be the priority. We hear the chorus of the children welcoming the healing Lord. But those who are in charge of worship are scandalized; they do not want to hear it. So, this is an "amazing" event of a different nature than that which we have seen, a prophetic withering, and a curse of fruitlessness. This is a different teaching on the nature of spiritual power, and its rejection or refusal. Jesus answered them, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea”, it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive." My study bible has a note that reads as follows: "To receive whatever things you ask in prayer, one must have the faith and discernment to ask for what is in accordance with God's will. God cannot be manipulated by our prayers." And neither, I think, are we to come away with the understanding that spiritual power is for manipulative use. Rather, spiritual truth is what it is, spiritual reality, the manifestation of the holy in some form in our lives, creates its own judgment depending upon our response to it. This is a part of the potent mystery of spiritual reality, and its "breaking in" upon our awareness. It is not something we apportion or control for ourselves. It is something to which we respond via acceptance or rejection. Fortunately, mercy gives us time for this response. And again, I'm reminded of the "binding and loosing" Jesus has promised his disciples, and the rock upon which he will build his church. Faith is a tremendous power, that binds us in that rock of the kingdom. The acceptance of a spiritual reality is much more than understanding or knowledge. Πιστις ("pistis"), is faith, belief, trust and more. It is that substance that binds us in a bond with Father, Son and Spirit strong enough to break the gates of hell.

The question here for me is one of placing ourselves in the current time. Are there things we see with spiritual eyes, and are we able to hear with spiritual ears? There may be Spirit all around us calling out for us to hear and to respond; the holy is always taking new shape and, as in Jesus' metaphor to the wind, we can't predict what that will look like. So we ask ourselves about our faith: is it helping us to see? Does it prompt us in our hearts? How do you accept or reject what is before you now? Which way do you turn? Just as the people of Jerusalem, we always have a choice before us to be made. How do we face our own stumbling blocks and the things that scandalize us?