For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers

 

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

 

- Matthew 23:1-12 

 

Yesterday we read that when the Pharisees heard that Christ had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."   While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?  If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.   

 

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: . . .  This chapter in Matthew's Gospel consists entirely of the words Jesus spoke as His final public sermon (Matthew 23:1-39).  As the text says, it's addressed both to the multitudes and to His disciples.  Its substance includes a grand critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees.  My study Bible sums up several themes as follows.  First, the Jewish leaders have God-given authority and they teach God's Law, but they are personally ungodly and cold-hearted.  Their teaching is to be honored, but they are not to be imitated (verses 2-7).  Second, God is our true Father and Teacher.  A teacher or father on earth is one who leads people to God.  The scribes and Pharisees do the opposite, placing themselves in God's position (verses 8-12).  Finally, my study Bible notes an eightfold indictment of the scribes and Pharisees (verses 13-36).  It notes that Jesus charges them with inverting God's values, and with being mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and blindly self-righteous.  While these charges are directed at the leaders of that time, each word applies equally, my study Bible says, to those in the Church who behave this way.  

"The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do."  To sit in Moses' seat, my study bible explains, means to hold the succession of office down from Moses himself.  In the synagogue, the teacher woulds peak while seated as a sign of authority.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who notes that the scribes were depraved in thought and in heart, but Jesus still upholds the dignity of their office, as they speak not their own words but God's.  Likewise within the Church, so the clergy are also to be shown respect as they hold apostolic office, even though they are also sinners.  Moreover, the sins of the clergy do not relieve the people from their own responsibilities before God.

"For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."  Do not hypocrites everywhere do the same?  Those who fail to have insight into their own failings often express a sense of superiority through such hard-hearted behavior, without empathy.  This is not what a good shepherd does, who cares for the flock.

"But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'"  My study Bible explains that phylacteries are small leather pouches which contain passages of Scripture, worn on the arm or forehead.  The idea is to keep God's Law always in mind (see Exodus 13:9), but the Pharisees use them as a show of false piety, making them increasingly larger and more noticeable.  The rest of the behaviors described here clearly indicate to us the outward show.  But in this case, it masks the problems of the heart.

"But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ."  My study Bible says that Christ's warning against calling hypocrites father and teacher is not an absolute prohibition against using these terms.  These terms are in fact applied to people many times in the New Testament, all of which usages are inspired by God.  "Teacher" is used in John 3:10, Acts 13:1, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11, and 2 Timothy 1:11.  "Father" is used in Luke 16:24, 1 Corinthians 4:15, and Colossians 3:21.  Since the earliest days of the Church, my study Bible explains, bishops and presbyters have been called "father" not because they take the place of God, but because in their fatherly care for their flocks, they lead people to God, and they exercise fatherly authority within the community.  For this reason, women who help to lead others to God, such as those who became early desert monastics known for their wisdom and spiritual leadership, are called Mothers.

"But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  Here is Christ's oft-repeated message, this time in the context of His discourse on hypocrisy -- especially of those in the religious leadership.  But let us note these words are directed to all of us who would call ourselves His disciples.  Humility is the one preventive practice for such hypocrisy and spiritual failing, and its antidote.

We are all very familiar with hypocrisy, but not all of us are always aware of what a danger it is to our spiritual lives, the place God would ask us to be.  Jesus makes this distinction very clearly in today's reading, as He speaks not only of the hypocrisy of the religious leaders.   He speaks of the scribes and Pharisees as people for whom "all their works they do to be seen by men."   In other words, everything is simply for show.  But He takes this message home for all of us, for each one of us, when He adds, "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  It is not the first context in which He's preached this message to His disciples; He has said the same to them when they wanted to know who would be greatest in His kingdom, and taught the same in the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16).  For Christians, it has been traditionally understood that humility is the key, the gateway to all the other virtues and fruit of the spirit, based upon these teachings by Jesus.  Another facet of insight regarding the kind of hypocrisy that Jesus describes here is an extremely materialistic viewpoint on life.  Not only does He describe in this discourse the greed and selfishness of the religious leaders, but their failure to secure for themselves the "treasures in heaven" He's preached about.  In the Sermon on the Mount, after He's pointed out the benefit of doing good deeds secretly, such as almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (Matthew 6:1-7, 16-18), He then teaches, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).  To the rich young ruler, whom Jesus loved, He taught, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (see Matthew 19:16-30).  There He also winds up counseling His disciples with a lesson on humility:  "But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  If we put all of these things together, we start to understand a pattern of a highly materialist viewpoint on life, where everything becomes currency, and the entire guiding principle of life is to use whatever is available to us -- including other people -- simply to get the currency we want.  This is life absent the understanding of the two great commandments, as taught by Jesus in yesterday's reading, above.  This is a life absent the understanding and love first of God, and then by extension to all those also created by God, and the relationship that dictates to us.  If we understand life only on material terms, we will not be good shepherds to anyone.  Our lives will be all about what we can gain, how we can use people and things, and it will dictate our perspective on our world.  We will no longer cherish life and creation as a gift, but rather as things to be used and exploited, regardless of what we tell ourselves our motives are.  We can see this in one example after another throughout history, in which the most awful outcomes so often are created by those claiming to work for the good of all, but absent the spiritual life and understanding that Jesus teaches.  This intangible reality of the love of God, which teaches proper love of neighbor, is simply absent from a purely material perspective on life, and it can pervade even the deepest family relationships in which love is paid lip service.  But then again, Jesus is calling hypocrites those who are steeped in the Scriptures and religious and spiritual tradition, the ones who are to be guardians of that great gift, and lead the people in the worship of God and the obeying of God's law (see Matthew 15:8, Isaiah 29:13).  So we see that hypocrisy can pervade everywhere, and only the heart really tells the story.    Let us remember His words, for they are for all of us, to keep us in the place where we're rich in our deepest needs.

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

 

 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  

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

'The LORD said to my Lord,

"Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?

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

 

- Matthew 22:34-46 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus has been disputing in the Temple in Jerusalem with the religious leaders, the same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were with us seven brothers.  The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.  Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?  For they all had her."  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

 

 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  My study Bible comments by explaining that the Pharisees had found 613 commandments in the Scriptures and debated about which one was central.  So this question is not unusual, and is in keeping with the kinds of debate which were the constant practice among the religious parties of Judaism.  Jesus answers the question by setting forth the first commandment and the second, in terms of rank, which together constitute the grand summary of the Law.  Although the lawyer came with malice to test Christ, St. Mark's account shows us that this man is converted by His answer (Mark 12:28-34).    My study Bible also comments that the second commandment must be understood as written:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself, or more clearly, "as being yourself."  It's a misinterpretation to understand it as "You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself," which destroys the force of the statement.  It says that how much we love ourselves is not the standard by which Christ is calling us to love others.  Instead, we are called to love our neighbor as being of the same nature as we ourselves are, as being created in God's image and likeness just as we are.  As the Fathers teach, we find our true self in loving our neighbor.

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?  If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.  Jesus asks this question to lead the Pharisees to the only logical conclusion:  that He is God incarnate.  The notion that the Messiah may be divine was not one that was entirely alien to Judaism at this time, but my study Bible explains that these men suppose the Messiah to be a mere man, and therefore they reply that the Messiah would be a Son of David.  It notes that David, as king of Israel, could not and would not address anyone as "Lord" except God.  But in Psalm 110:1, from which Jesus quotes, David refers to the Messiah as "Lord."  Therefore, the Messiah must be God.  The one possible conclusion from this dialogue is that the Messiah is a descendant of David according to the flesh, but is also truly divine -- sharing His Lordship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The Pharisees do not answer because they realize the implications, and they are afraid to confess that Jesus is the Son of God.  

Sometimes it's really hard to face the truth, although it might be staring you in the face.  There may be people within a nominal group who know and understand that the pervasive opinion of the group is wrong, and yet will be afraid to say so, simply because of the public pressure upon them not to rock the boat.  John's Gospel teaches us that "even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:43).  I take the Gospel at its word, and I don't find this hard to believe at all.  These are learned men who spend all their time debating the Scriptures; it's the thing to which their lives are dedicated.  There is no doubt that the conclusions one would draw about Christ are all there in His ministry, His acts, His word, His teachings, and commandments.  But here, He debates them on their own terms, and again, there's no doubt who won this round.  It will have to turn to mischief, deceit, false witness, and a fake trial to sentence Christ to something worthy of death (blasphemy), and manipulation of the Roman governor to do so.  Here in open debate, among colleagues for whom debate is everything and where the whole history of Sanhedrin is one of a place to debate the Scriptures and the laws of Moses, there is no more decisive speaker than Jesus.  He's among the lawyers and the experts, the scribes and the Pharisees and Sadducees, all those who belong to the highest places for whom tradition dictates just this kind of debate, and this Man Jesus who's spent His time and ministry among the crowds and the poor and mostly far away from Jerusalem is the One who can out-debate all of them.  He's the One with the wisdom and the insight and the arguments they cannot successfully trounce except through force and manipulation.  But openly among the people they can't do that, so silence becomes their response.  It's clear from the Gospels that there were followers of Christ among the leadership, for we have two great examples in Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea of at least two men who showed incredible courage in doing so openly.  There's no doubt that many would have been convinced that Christ's death was unjust, and certainly the Gospels testify to the people's popular belief that Jesus was a prophet.  But when we read today's passages, we really need to ask ourselves how often we might find ourselves in similar circumstances.  The Gospels don't just give us a sense of something that happened 2,000 years ago, and they don't only testify to Christ.  They also open up for us the story of Christ in our midst, the story of human nature, a revelation of how we respond to truth and how we run away from it.  It teaches us about our capacity for blindness and denial, our need to go along with the crowd, our preference for the "praise of men" over the "praise of God."  Jesus' crucifixion is a lesson to us all not simply about Christ, but about all of us and for all the time.  That's because there may be truth we know, or hate to acknowledge, or are called upon in our own hearts to face -- even and most deeply as part of our faith in Christ -- and we will find ourselves in the same place as the men in the temple who hear Christ's word, who know it is true, and who stand in silence, faced with a decision they will be forced to either go along with or eventually choose differently and disrupt their lives.  This is the world that we live in, and it has not failed to continue to evince all the signs that it's the same world Christ was born into and died in.  We are faced with the same questions of the heart, of the truth, even of God's love pulling us in one direction or another, where the crowds will ask us to go along with things we need to take a closer look at and pray about.  We should not dismay when we find ourselves in this position, for here is the place Christ has opened up to show us, and the Gospels will always pose such questions of loyalty to us.  Where does truth come from?  Where does authority come from?  In whom do we trust and place our faith?  Whose commandments are essentially good, guideposts for how we live our lives?  Do we need the whole crowd to applaud and approve of who we are?  Social media platforms absolutely depend upon our need for crowd approval to keep coming back, attracted to clicks and likes.  There are those who simply like to stir up controversy, or possibly they are doing so for motives that are not open and obvious, even for a special interest -- or, as in the case of these rulers of the people, for political reasons of power.  Whatever it is, we still live in this world into which Christ came as one of us, so that He opened up life for us, showed us His way to live, gave us of His all and even His life out of love.  If we take this gift of Himself that He's given, let us look at our world and understand that He calls us now to the same place His own faithful were called.  We're the ones who decide our loyalty, where He is leading us, what His love teaches us.  What does it mean to love neighbor as oneself?  How does that stem first from the love of God?  And if we love Christ and love the truth, where does that take us in our lives?  These are the questions, and they remain for us all.

 

 

You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God

 

 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were with us seven brothers.  The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.  Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?  For they all had her."  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

 

- Matthew 22:23-33 

 

Yesterday we read that, after their confrontation with Jesus in the Temple, the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

 

  The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were with us seven brothers.  The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.  Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?  For they all had her."  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.  My study Bible comments that Christ confirms there will be a resurrection, but not the sort the Sadducees imagine.  The Sadducees were a landowning aristocratic class, who did not hold with a doctrine of resurrection.  They followed strictly the written law in the first five books of the Bible (that is, the Torah), and not the oral teaching and interpretations followed by the Pharisees.  They imagine the resurrection to be a continuation of earthly life, including earthly marriage -- and thereby mock the doctrine with an absurd scenario.  But they are ignorant of the Scriptures, as Christ says, which reveal a complete transfiguration of life in the resurrection, and make such earthly questions irrelevant.  Additionally, they fail to understand how Abraham and his sons can be alive in God even if they are physically dead.  My study Bible states that it is the clear teaching of Christ that the souls of the faithful who have departed this life are sustained before the face of God in anticipation of the final joy of the resurrection.

The Sadducees as a class would disappear after the Siege of Jerusalem.  As they were a property owning class, also holding many high offices in the society and the priesthood, this is perhaps not very surprising.  But one can't help but wonder if it is also connected to their failure to grasp the notion of resurrection, an insight into the Scriptures which Jesus reveals here.  They were exceptionally prudent and adapted to Roman rule.  But the failure of imagination, a steadfast literal interpretation of the Books of the Law, seem to imply a strong focus on earthly life, and this is evidenced in their question which is focused on concepts of inheritance -- a topic which was very important to the Sadducees as a class and even historically in religious disputes over the Law.  Jesus seems to teach us in today's reading that it is essential to understand Scripture not as a kind of textbook, but as a type of literature with its own kind of language, conveying more than the absolute literal forms on the page, and asking us for insight, grasping our comprehension in ways that do not necessarily seem obvious.  Jesus tells them that they don't understand resurrection, because they neither know the Scriptures nor the power of God.  These are things that are not simply earthly concepts, but require us to use a spiritual imagination and insight to grasp.  Moreover, Christ gives us a taste of what it means to perceive the Scriptures with such insight and spiritual imagination or understanding, when He tells them, "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  That is, in the very language of the Scripture, the words of God reportedly said to Moses (Exodus 3:6, 15) imply a timelessness that is a part of the resurrection, where those who have died in the world yet live to God.  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob belonged to different generations, yet all live in the presence and reality of God.  And this is an example from Christ Himself as to how we need to read and understand Scripture.  The experience of earthly life alone cannot supply us with the necessary insight for things we need to understand in our capacity for spiritual life and the nurturing of the soul, the turning to the higher things that take us forward and guide us into God's will for us.  God calls us not just to earthly concepts of justice but beyond that to mercy, to a right-relatedness that is not necessarily deserved, and to a life beyond this world.  Jesus teaches us to pray not that we impose our worldly understanding on God, but that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).  Contrary to the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, nor by most reports even the existence of angels, Christ points us to the saints who live and by whom we are surrounded (the "great cloud of witnesses" to which St. Paul refers in Hebrews 12:1), and from the beginning, the Church has understood that we also invoke the prayers of the saints as intercession, and we pray and worship together with the angels who worship in heaven, revealed in the vision of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:3) and also in the Revelation.  Christ taught us that "where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).  Therefore we are to understand that the worldly life we live is permeated also with the spiritual, with the reality of heaven even in our midst, invoked in our prayers, witnessed by our faith, even revealed in worship.  A nominally successful worldly material life is not enough to teach us how to be successful faithful Christians nor to prepare us for the fullness of our faith.  For that we need more, we need the capacity to grasp the things that are given to us that are not simply material, but are necessary components for a deeper, richer life that fills the soul and can translate into a kind of order for the world in which our relatedness to all of creation, including to one another and to the blessings we have, is formed and shaped into something more than what is merely dictated by expedience or abstraction, but a substance of love that is present to us in the things that turn our minds and hearts to God.   There is an insight, and a fullness to life, that just isn't found elsewhere, a more full dimension to who we are and what we can be to which we are called.  Let us remember the disappearance of the Sadducees and consider how this might be related to a failure to hear and grasp the things that call us to a deeper life, which are not merely worldly or material, but which magnify our souls.  The material circumstances of the world and temporal life shift and change; there is one thing that anchors us midst the changes and helps us to transcend through them (Matthew 24:35).

 

 

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

 

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

 

- Matthew 22:15-22 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and spoke to the religious leaders in the Jerusalem Temple again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.  Tell us, therefore, what do You think?  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?  Show Me the tax money."  So they brought Him a denarius.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.  My study Bible comments on today's passage that the Pharisees' question on taxation is designed to trap Jesus.  A "yes" answer will turn the people against Him, but  "no" answer would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  His answer is a defeat of their cunning; it shows also that a believer can render to the state its due while also serving God.  The coin Jesus displays in His answer bears the image of the emperor, and is properly paid to him -- but so each person bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God.  Conflict arises when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  My study Bible makes clear that the things that are Caesar's and the things that are God's do not imply the division of a faithful person's life into the secular and the sacred.  Instead, God is Lord over all of life, which includes the secular.  We fulfill governmental requirements that don't conflict with our first responsibility to God (Romans 13:1-7; contrast Acts 4:19, 5:29).  Paying taxes and other civil duties are not detrimental to holiness. 

 

 The text makes clear that all belongs to God; everything in the world, which is created by God, is basically good, even "very good" (Genesis 1:31).  We pay taxes to our governments in order to run institutions which hopefully preserve the good, establish and organize community for preservation and protection, and hopefully for the welfare of the community and society.  It is ironic to consider that Jesus knows very well what is to come in Jerusalem, how He will die crucified by the Romans (even if it is at the instigation and plotting of the religious leaders who will also stir up the people).  But in Jesus' acceptance of the reality of "the things that are Caesar's" seems to be the acceptance of the necessity for human institutions, that they are not in and of themselves contrary to God, but that what belongs to God is our souls -- that first and foremost our lives belong to God.  Therefore, to be a part of God's creation is to seek God's way for our choices, the ways in which we use and organize the world, to be loyal first to God.  For the early Church, martyrdom would come for the espousal of this truth regarding the freedom of the soul to love and worship God before all else.  And continuing today there are still Christian martyrs, people who are targeted for death simply because they claim that freedom to worship God as followers of Jesus Christ.  The first organized genocide that set the pattern for what was to come later in the twentieth century took place against the Christians of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.  Many believers were martyred under political systems that penalized religion.  Today, violent religion-based extremists continue to attack with violence and murder Christian believers in organized ways in various parts of the world, particularly in Africa and across parts of the Middle East, where Christianity flourished in its early centuries.  Jesus set the pattern for faithful witness even through persecution, and today we remain as His followers.  But Christ's acceptance of the need for government to organize the world is important for us to understand in the context of our faith and our hearts; it shows clearly that our faith is to be lived even through persecution, and even where that persecution is not openly and violently present, we are aware that we live in a world where our faith teaches us not that everything is perfect, but that we are to endure -- and to endure means to endure in His commands, and awaiting His return, in living our faith.  In what will follow in the Gospel, Jesus will leave the disciples with that commend to endure, to follow His commands as we await His return.  In John's Gospel, He will leave one final, new command, "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34).  Let us keep in mind that we live in a world that always needs governing, will always have civil authorities, and taxes to pay.   As we are part of a broader worldly community, we still need to "render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's."  But our focus is on the one good part we know we must fulfill even as we live in this world, and therefore we continue to give "to God the things that are God's."

 

 

 

Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?

 

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 

- Matthew 22:1-14 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught in the temple (speaking to the chief priests and elders who quizzed Him regarding His authority):  "Hear another parable.  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to him.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. 

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come."  My study Bible comments that, like the preceding parables (from yesterday's reading -- see above, and also the parable of the Two Sons in Wednesday's reading), today's parable also proclaims the transfer of the Kingdom from the faithless Jews to the Gentiles.  Today's is set as a joyful wedding banquet (see also Matthew 25:1-13), an important theme, as Christ is often called the "Bridegroom" (Matthew 9:15, John 3:29), and also St. Paul will use a marriage analogy for the Kingdom (Ephesians 5:21-33).  The repeated sending out of the servants, my study Bible says, shows the Father's great desire to have His people with Him in the Kingdom.  This first group is interpreted to be Moses and those with him, while the second group in the verse that follows is composed of the prophets.  These groups call those initially invited -- the spiritual history of Judaism we can read in the Old Testament Scriptures.  The third group later in the parable represents the apostles sent out to the Gentiles, those who were not initially invited, but are now called.

"Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them."  The oxen, my study Bible comments, represent the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, while the fatted cattle represent the eucharistic bread of the New Covenant.  The Greek word for fatted in better translated "wheat-fed," according to my study Bible -- or even more literally it is "formed from wheat" (as in Luke 15:23, in the parable of the Prodigal Son).  Therefore, both the Old and New Covenants are fulfilled at the wedding of Christ and Christ's Church.

"And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."   St. John Chrysostom is cited by my study Bible as explaining that this detail of the king who burned up their city is a prophesy by Jesus of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70, therefore attributing this destruction to an act of God rather than simply that of human beings.  Nonetheless, waiting forty years -- a full generation from the time of Christ -- gave to an entire generation a chance to repent.  

 

"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"   My study Bible explains that the wedding garment would have been provided by the king, and therefore the man had no excuse for not wearing one.  So, he is speechless.   His refusal to wear the garment that was provided is an image of those who refuse God's hospitality, or who want God's Kingdom on their own terms.  Specifically, the garment refers to the baptismal garment, and by extension, a life of faith, repentance, virtue, and charity, as my study Bible explains it.  Without these one will ultimately be cast into outer darkness. 

"For many are called, but few are chosen."  As in Matthew 20:24-28, we recall that for many is an Aramaic expression which means "for all."

It is perhaps useful for us to consider that for the Jews, the Gentiles and their ways were generally considered an abomination, especially in terms of power-hungry and ruthless rulers that characterized them.  So to be taught this parable, in which so many are called from the highways (suggesting the highways by which one could travel the Roman Empire), must have been shocking on a great many levels at the time of its hearing.  It might be relevant for us also to consider that this word translated as "highway" is also the same word Jesus used for Himself, translated as "way" -- as in "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).   Of course, by now Jesus has already taught a couple of rather stunning parables, and in yesterday's reading referred to Himself as the Stone which will become the chief cornerstone, warning of judgment in His language.  In yesterday's reading we were told that "when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them."  They even sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, because the people think Jesus is a prophet.  So the leaders have clearly understood Jesus' meaning in this respect.  But let us consider that out of the pagan world, with all of its differences from Jewish spiritual history, would be the ones called to Christ in the New Covenant.  Our Bibles all contain what we call the Old Testament Scriptures, and testify to the entirety of the Church understanding that our spiritual heritage is from Judaism, as, in the words of Christ Himself to the Samaritan woman in John's Gospel, "Salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22).  If we look closely at this parable, however, it isn't simply the Jewish religious leaders who are warned here about the great wedding banquet to come.  For also those called from the highways are themselves at risk of being cast into outer darkness; where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (in language already known from the Old Testament Scriptures).  That is, we who presently call ourselves the faithful, are also in danger of being cast out of this wedding feast.  If we look at the excuses altogether, we see those who refuse the invitation and simply aren't willing to come, others who  are too busy with their worldly affairs and "made light of" the invitation.  Both of these excuses are also quite familiar to us in our modern world, our spiritual lives not taken seriously at all but considered extraneous or not that important compared to the exigencies of the day when it comes to livelihood or property, many simply disdaining to bother at all and dismissing religious matters (or specifically Christ and the Church) out of hand as not worthy of much attention.  But the wedding garment puts us into another frame, of one who was called and comes to the wedding, but is unprepared due to a refusal of what has been offered.  In this I believe we can read not simply the importance of living out our faith here in this world, but also of the great and precious nature of the gift itself.  If we can't recognize its value, if we can't assign the worthiness and substance that is the true nature of the gift to what we're offered, then we're going to miss it.  We're going to go through life having failed to understand the worth of what we're offered, and even in the context of this wedding feast, the true substance of life.  And there we come to what seems to be quite common:  a failure to understand and assign the real value of what we're offered as spiritual life through Christ and the mission and ministry of the Church in its broadest sense, including the work of the Holy Spirit and all that is available to us -- saints, angels, prayers, and the richness of what can go into the creation of the wedding garment.  This, in my experience and corner of the world, is all too common among so many contemporaries for whom a spiritual history of Christianity is discarded or devalued.  And so the parable is prescient, and gives us a picture not only painted for these religious leaders face-to-face with Christ and His ministry, and seeking to seize Him and eliminate Him, but also for us today.  Jesus gives us a picture of reality, and paints an image of great loss in failing to actually live out what He offers to us, to assign it worth and value, to take it seriously and pay attention.  It is a loss indeed to lose the garments of beauty with which we could be clothed if we but work at this and take it seriously.  Like Adam and Eve in the beginning of the Scriptures, who realize their nakedness after they've ignored the guidance of God, we are capable of being clothed in the most beautiful garment fit for this ultimate cosmic royal wedding feast.  But will we accept to fulfill it, live it, accept it as the gift of the beauty, goodness, and truth we're offered in the invitation? 

Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it

 

 "Hear another parable.  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to him.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  

 

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD's doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?

"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

 

- Matthew 21:33-46 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

 

  "Hear another parable.  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to him.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."   In this parable, my study Bible explains, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews who are entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God, while the beloved son refers to Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, this is understood on two levels:  First, that Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem (Golgotha was outside of the city walls); and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers and not those of His own vineyard.  The other vinedressers who later lease the vineyard are the Gentiles brought into the Church.  Note that, as in yesterday's reading, above, in answering Christ's question, the elders convict themselves.

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.  Jesus quotes to the religious leaders Psalm 118:22-23.  This stone is Christ.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the consequences of their sins while yet in this life, whereas those upon whom the stone falls are the unrepentant who suffer utter destruction in the final judgment.  

Again in today's reading we encounter themes that have to do with God's mercy and forbearance, but also with the power of God as it works through our human interactions.  That God is the owner of the vineyard sets the stage for our understanding of our place in the world.  We are in a world that is not of our own making, nor are we even "owners" of this world.  We are, in fact, stewards of this world in the setting of the Bible.  As such, it must be our concern to be good stewards, not only to care for our world, but to care for all that God has created and all that implies; this includes much more than simply a physical material plane of existence, but also the spiritual welfare of all the world.  In this parable, the vineyard is Israel, but clearly it becomes extended out to the Gentiles, to all the world.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the people; in this case, it is specifically directed at the religious leaders in the temple, who are responsible for the leadership of the people on so many levels.  The fruits of the property are spiritual fruits, for which the owner (God) sends his servants -- the prophets who come to call the people back to God.  Finally there is Christ the Son.  But His rejection and killing will set off a different chain of events, and here we have an indication that the mercy of God actually has its limits.  Or perhaps what we should say is that our abuse of God's mercy will have its limits.  Earlier, Jesus has taught, "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men" (Matthew 12:31).  In the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, we're told that there is no such thing as an unforgivable sin -- but it depends upon our own repentance.  In other words, the only unforgivable sin is the one that is not repented.  And so it is with the story of the Wicked Vinedressers.  God's mercy, a time for repentance, extends through all the calls of the prophets sent to remind the vinedressers what they are to be about.  But the failure to understand and accept and be fruitful in their relationship to the owner only deteriorates through their attitude.  They wish simply to own and exploit the vineyard, finally killing the son and heir in that selfish quest.  There is no turning back and no repentance, and the effects of their rejection and selfishness will be the fruits they will bear.  This is something that might be difficult to understand in terms of God's love and mercy, which we consider inexhaustible.  But it is our own rejection that at some point becomes fixed; it is our own internal life that can become corrupted enough through rejection of spiritual truth that we don't turn back but hang on all the more to what is not truth, not reality.  Our world is frequently compared to God's vineyard in support of the idea that it is not simply ours to own and to exploit, but rather ours to care for as good stewards.  This is often used as a metaphor for considering the ecology of the natural world, and issues such as climate change.  But Jesus tells this parable for reasons far beyond the care of the physical being of the natural world.  It is a parable directed at the religious leaders, who know full well what He is talking about.  But it is at the same time a parable for us to take seriously regarding our own spiritual fruits and spiritual lives, the life of the soul, and the heart that does not accept the vineyard owner, and the very nature and substance of who has given us life and whose sustenance makes our lives possible.  So many people have no sense at all of the sacredness of life, the gifts we're given, and pay no attention to the spiritual needs that accompany the fullness of life, the heart and mind and soul that is neglected through a focus on selfishness.  To exploit our world is far more than a question of its physical well-being, but depends very much on our spiritual understanding of life and the righteousness in which we're called to engage and to grow.  Our ancient ancestors, and the literature of the Bible, seem to suggest that we can't separate the physical well-being of ourselves or of our world from our spiritual well-being, and I would agree that this is so.  It is something we need to take seriously and to consider for ourselves.  In the parable, this spiritual vineyard will go on to the care of others who may prove to be fruitful in the ways that the vineyard owner desires; it will be leased to others.  In that aspect, it seems we are to understand the infinite creativity of God; that God is not altogether dependent upon us but will find other creative ways to seek out those who are capable of bearing the fruits of the Spirit.  We don't know the infinite creativity and meanings and intentions of God, so let us take this parable -- and its manifestation in history -- to heart.  Let us take care for ourselves that our "right relationship" to all things begins with our relatedness to God, and that within that embrace is contained the world and every single thing in it.  It is the umbrella of God's love and care that we seek to learn and within which to grow, and to extend that to all of creation.  There is no telling what beauty and truth and goodness can come of such "right relatedness," but we are also warned of the consequences of our failure to understand this mission and the meaning of our lives within the right relationship to God, and that we are invited to dwell in God's kingdom in this world.  Let us begin today to seek Christ's way, for all that we might be in charge of in our lives, for whatever is in our care, be that big things or small ones, for all of it is a gift and all of it precious to its true Owner.  This is especially so of those who come bearing His word and His life into the world to call us all back to Him, and to wake us up to ourselves and our true citizenship in the Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you

 

 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

 

- Matthew 21:23-32 

 

Yesterday we read that, following His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  My study Bible explains that since Christ is not a Levitical priest, the chief priests and the elders challenge His authority to cleanse the temple.  It notes that as He is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, He confounds them with a different question about John.  Both questions require the same answer; they would lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  But by not answering them directly, Jesus teaches us not to answer to people who come asking about holy things with a malicious intent.

 

 "But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."  My study Bible says that, using their own principles, the elders convict themselves in their answer to Christ's parable.  

Christ's parable is interesting, as it illustrates for us something that we touched upon in yesterday's reading and commentary.  It is an illustration of Jesus' earlier quotation to the religious leadership of the words of Isaiah:  "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (see Matthew 15:8-9, Isaiah 29:13-14).  If we finish that quotation from Isaiah and take it further, we see the action of the Lord:  "Therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden" (Isaiah 23:14).  In a sense, it is a prophecy of the ministry of Jesus, in which wonders are openly performed, and yet the wisdom of the wise is perishing with this leadership, for they have no discernment, and are far too busy protecting their positions to honor the wisdom of Christ.  It's also a quotation that echoes through the centuries regarding our own attitudes and hearts when we do the same.  There is always a challenge of valuing the wisdom of God over our conventional or worldly attitudes about what is expedient and desirable.  So often we look for faith simply to affirm whatever it is that we are currently living, to help us to accept what seems to be the zeitgeist of our current affairs or events in our lives, to make our lives easier and less bumpy.  But if we take a look at Christ, the last thing He seems to do is make the lives of His disciples "less bumpy," so to speak.  No, He draws them out of the conventions of their world and into a new life, in which their own identity is realized through His wisdom and where the Spirit will lead them.  Isaiah affirms this as proper in his words, that we must draw near to God with our hearts:  what we offer to God is nothing less than ourselves, and God will shape an identity in us, draw out what is possible, help us to define and correct misconceptions, and draw us toward something new and possibly a self-identity we could not expect in our limited perspectives otherwise.  So often this is true in the lives of the faithful, and we can see it illustrated throughout the Bible, and especially in the lives of the Twelve.  Jesus' parable of the two sons illustrates how we can draw near to God with our lips, and yet our hearts are far away.  It is also a vivid illustration of how faith is more than confession, but must also be lived.  There is no separation between what is in the heart and what we do, but our lives are rather both together, and so our lives are lived out.  Everyone else may not clearly understand the meaning of our actions, but in the long run it is the true state of the heart that plays out, for good or ill, for the love of God or the love of something else.  In today's reading, Jesus shows us what it is to stand up for truth, even when one wants to avoid casting pearls before those who will simply trample upon them.  A great feat, indeed.  Let us remember that it is Christ who is our true Judge, who knows the heart -- and that ultimately it is the heart that must be open to His truth.