"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!"

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

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

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

- Matthew 23:27-39

In the reading from yesterday, Jesus began His critique of the scribes and Pharisees, and the ways in which they used their positions in the practice of faith. Jesus has been in the temple in Jerusalem, and has been questioned by several groups of the various parties of the leadership. Each time, He in turn questions them. He knows the Pharisees are trying to trap Him. Yesterday, in His direct criticism of the Pharisees and scribes, He accused them of keeping people from God, and their own hypocrisy in this respect. They make an outward show of holiness, while in practice they do things to hurt those who follow them. They place emphasis on the material -- the gold of the temple, the gifts of the altar -- and neglect the things of God, the holy, that truly give value. He said, "For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Here is the great analogy for hypocrisy, vivid imagery we can't soon forget. Yesterday, He spoke of cleaning the inside of the cup, but today, He goes deeper. There is death inside, death from rapacious behavior and predatory mindset. This is the product of the things they have neglected: justice and mercy and faith.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation." Here, Jesus reaches His most scathing accusations. And, we note that the analogy to the whitewashed tombs takes on yet more shades of meaning: the whole history of rejection of the prophets, the murder of the righteous, comes full circle in their ways of thinking and practice. The story of the Wicked Vinedressers comes to mind, that Jesus told as parable to the chief priests and Pharisees earlier in the temple discourses. Here, their behavior is projected into the future, and it will be consistent with that of their ancestors with whom they claim to have no kinship, the ones who killed the prophets. It is a prefiguring by Christ of the persecution of His followers to come. This righteous blood that is to be spilled, will add together with that of the history of rejection and persecution of the righteous. All of it, Jesus says, will come to this generation. So, the darkness of the inside of the tombs, filled with the bones of the dead and uncleanness, is their darkness, the darkness of their acts and choices.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'" This chapter ends with the sad and mournful pronunciation of what is to come in Jerusalem. It is a prediction of the destruction of the city and the temple that will come in A.D. 70. Jesus' mournful desire, to gather the children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, is the sad loss of beloved children, who reject His love and His protection and guidance. They reject His presence and His identity, even as He is the awaited One. These words are the words with which He was greeted by the crowds who believed Him to be a prophet, as He rode into Jerusalem at the Triumphal Entry. But here, the words have a different meaning, more eschatological, that take on the color of Judgment, the times of the End, the last things. He is going away, and leaving them desolate, because He has been rejected.

Although His criticism is strong and vehement, Jesus ends on a note of terrible sadness, lost love, lost children. His analogy to a hen taking chicks under her wings gives us the sadness of a parent who cannot protect her children because they will not accept her love, her guidance, her care. The choices that are to come will bring great destruction -- just as the choice for the rejection of the prophets, the holy, the message He bears is destructive to themselves on spiritual terms. The things Jesus teaches are to come are not matters of vengeance, but they are rather the outcome to a rejection of what one should know better about -- a rejection of justice and mercy and faith. A rejection of His visitation, His care, His love. And that is where the choice begins, where it remains, where it will be "till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'" Destruction comes not as a result of anger or vengeance, but rather as a product of a failure to turn to what is offered, to repent, to change, to hear and see with the ears and eyes of the heart. Let us consider the power of the words in Jesus' mournful tone. We choose carefully what we reject, the things to which we refuse to listen, in our own anger and rage and hostility. Let us consider the things of love, the things we may need to hear when we don't want to listen, the choices we make that are destructive, not for the good nor for our own good. They are all important, they make a difference. And sooner or later, they may and will make all the difference in our lives. Let us take care what we reject, the love we fail to hear and see, which may take the form of rebuke and criticism and warn us of the need for change. Each of us may repeatedly need to hear words that defend the way of justice and mercy and faith when we fail in these respects. Let us also add to this list Jesus' way of peace. We don't know what form His guidance would have taken. We do know the history of the martyrdom to come to His own followers. What we hear in Jesus words is the sadness of rejected love, the inevitability of the outcome of this choice. Love does not compel others to follow! Our choice remains our own. Jesus repeatedly refers to the blindness of the Pharisees, and has taught about the blind leading the blind, and where it all leads. Let us take these lessons to our own hearts, and look to what we find there, to our own humility before the things that are of God.

First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells on it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

- Matthew 23:13-26

In yesterday's reading, Jesus began His critique of the scribes and Pharisees. He is in the temple at Jerusalem, and has just gone through questioning by several groups of temple leadership, from the various parties that formed the Sanhedrin. But the plotting of the Pharisees has been to trap Him -- and now He goes on the offensive with His criticism of their ways of practice. He's speaking before both the crowds and His own disciples. In yesterday's reading, Jesus criticized the ways in which the Pharisees and scribes hold dear their own standing -- especially their image in the eyes of others. He taught His disciples to do as the Pharisees say, especially honoring Moses' seat, but not as they do. "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.' " They allot to themselves standing and authority in the title. But Jesus counsels His own disciples not to call themselves rabbi, nor teacher, nor father -- but to keep in mind there is only one teacher, the Christ, and they are all brothers . There is only one Father for them, the Father in heaven. "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." In yesterday's reading, Jesus criticized the ways in which discipleship was taught by scribes and Pharisees, and taught His followers to be brothers in Christ and under the Father, a different hierarchy and discipleship. Here He criticizes the ways in which the scribes and Pharisees treat their followers. As my study bible puts it, they "perpetuate a systematic hypocrisy which creates a wall between people and God." We read recently Jesus' response to the question as to which of the commandments was the greatest. Here, as in the teachings in yesterday's reading, Jesus continues the central importance of the commandment He put first, that of a loving relationship with God -- that which comes first. "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." He criticizes the Pharisees for keeping others from this relationship, as they themselves are bound out of it by hypocrisy. From that relationship is love of neighbor -- but a distance from God will keep us from right-relatedness to neighbor.

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells on it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it." Jesus' criticizes practices that, in effect, distanced followers from the very first object of worship: a loving relationship with God. It is the temple that sanctifies the gold in it; it is the altar that sanctifies the gift. Again, we are brought to the centrality of faith in God, a deeply loving relationship to God -- the source of all love, truth and righteousness -- first. It is a question of what we keep in our hearts first and foremost, and in their blindness they have failed to put into practice that which comes first. It is a failure of humility, a failure of value, a failure of understanding and right-relatedness in the first things that give all value to others. The practices expose the wall between themselves and God.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" What do we tithe to God? What is the temple but the house of prayer, the house of God, where the holy dwells? So, Jesus places greatest emphasis on the things that are of God and that God loves, first before material wealth: "justice and mercy and faith." They are what should have come first. My study bible has a note on all the rituals and traditions of the Christian church, the tools available for the practice of faith: "These rites can be performed, invoked, defended and passed on without ever being taken by faith to heart; or they can be helps, safeguards and doorways into the true life of Christ in us, which transforms us from glory to glory." Jesus is not condemning practices such as tithing, but putting first things first -- even as the "great commandment" puts God first, and everything else follows and is given meaning and relationship through the first central relationship, teaching us righteousness and defining our relationship to all the world and all the beautiful and good things in it. Losing sight of this is what He criticizes. My study bible explains, "In the ancient world, strainers were used on the mouths of decanters, because any liquid might contain foreign matter. Pharisaic observance used the strainer also to strain out any ritually unclean substance which one might accidentally consume. This gnat and camel analogy points out how carefully the scribes and the Pharisees observed the minutiae of the Law, while neglecting its most significant aspects."

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also." Here Jesus teaches His most specific words against hypocrisy. It's not about what's outside, but we begin with the inside -- what's in our hearts. In this way, right-relatedness, or righteousness, "spills out" to the outside, to all things to which we relate in the world, neighbor, works, and all things in the world. What is clean? What is pure? This is what Jesus invites us to think deeply about, and to bind to ourselves in true relationship to God.

In all, I have to say that the life of the practices of the Pharisees and scribes here whom Jesus criticizes seems rather grim. (We should note, first, that not all the Pharisees fell into this criticism; among them the gospels report just and devout persons, even those who are followers of Christ.) The power of joy that is in relatedness to placing God first in our hearts is missing from the description of such exacting practices, such a focus on externals, and the material. That's not all to life, and it's not all to the gifts that faith gives back to us. The sacramental life is not just about what we do to give honor to God in a way that we observe, but giving honor to God in our hearts gives us back so much in that relatedness: trust, faith, love, joy, peace. And that is the real treasure we seek, and that we seek to share. I think of Jesus' great analogy to the Kingdom, the pearl of great price. In the ancient world, there were no cultured pearls -- a pearl grown from an object placed in an oyster and then coated by its nacre. Rather, pearls were pure nacre. What you saw on the outside was what was also on the inside, layer by layer. Jesus' teachings against hypocrisy reflect this sort of purity. What do we put first, in our hearts? What do we love with all our heart and soul and mind? We let that form the outward layers too, and define the ways in which we live our lives in the world, the spirit with which we practice our faith, in whatever tradition we embrace. Can we take His words to heart and apply them to ourselves? The pearl of great price can reflect a lifetime of work, of faith, of prayer and relationship to God, of cleansing the inside of the cup as the Spirit works in us. But it starts with the substance out of which it all must be created, first, in the center, in the heart.

He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all 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

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His dialogues in the temple -- He's been questioned by a group of disciples of the Pharisees and Herodians, and also by a group of Sadducees. Yesterday, we read of His testing by some Pharisees. One of them was a lawyer (an expert in the Law), and he asked, "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." Then, as He has in the previous confrontations, Jesus went on the offensive. He asked them, "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, "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." Here, Jesus begins His critique of the Pharisees. Moses' seat was the special chair in the synagogue that was assigned to a town's most famous rabbi. So, He is expressing His respect for this honorable place in terms of what it represents of Jewish spiritual history. However, His criticism is for those who make an outward show of knowledge and faith, but live a personal life that is a betrayal of those values. Matthew's gospel has focused for many chapters on Jesus' concepts of leadership in His Church, and the confrontations in the temple have focused on authority. Jesus now elaborates on these themes. To understand Jesus' critique of the Pharisees, it's important to note, as my study bible puts it, that "the rabbinic teachers assumed an intrinsic value for their own office as the seat of authority."

"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." Far from having compassion for the people whom they lead, the men Jesus criticizes are those who practice leadership in a way that burdens their followers. They expect others to follow in difficulty, and do nothing to help bring them closer to God.

"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.'" So much of Matthew's gospel has been giving us teachings by Christ on the type of leadership He wants in His Church. Here, His criticism is of the type of leadership He does not want. It goes to the heart of His own example, of the power in Jesus' faith, that His strongest criticism begins with hypocrisy. Those who do things merely to be "seen by men" fall into the trap of vainglory, a key to the downfall of real leadership and true faith. My study bible notes that "phylacteries and borders of their garments refer to articles worn by pious Jews to remind them of God's law." To care more about being "seen by men" rather than the heart of God's love and care for others is the first mark of "lording it over" others. It's not a criticism of what they wear, but of how they use the tools of faith, to what purpose.

"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 points out a number of instances in the New Testament where the terms "father" and "teacher" are both applied to men. Therefore, it says, Jesus' teaching here is about the undeserved use of such terms. In some way, these particular verses reflect and expand the greatest commandments given in yesterday's reading. They are to be His disciples by putting one thing first; this is a Christ-centered reality that in turn teaches disciples true brotherhood, right-relatedness to one another. This teaching is given against the backdrop of the system of the Pharisees, in which students would submit themselves completely to one rabbinical teacher, going on themselves to do the same. My study bible notes, "The call of Jesus to His disciples differed radically from the rabbinic system in that (1) the disciples were not merely servants but beloved friends; (2) their calling did not imply they would themselves become independent masters; (3) the brotherhood of disciples would remain unified and loyal to Jesus."

"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." Again, we go back to leadership and authority. It is not the students who serve the teacher, but the other way around. The first sentence here is a re-statement of something Jesus taught His disciples just before He began His journey to Jerusalem. But added to it here is a deeper cautionary note: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." We go to questions of authority and leadership, and we return to the questions asked of Jesus and therefore posed for all: From whence comes authority? Who has authority and why? And it also goes back to the greatest commandments: humility begins before God, and extends in the love of fellow disciple. This is a far cry from the servility to image in the eyes of others that Jesus says is at the heart of what the Pharisees care for -- and we must be able to discern the difference! If there is anything at the root of Jesus' teachings, His actions, His life, it is this.

So, it all goes back to questions of leadership and authority. Matthew's gospel continually focuses on this subject, from the point at which the disciples confess their faith that Jesus is the Christ. What kind of Church does He want? What kind of authority? What kind of leadership? He has taught His disciples what He wants of them, and here in the temple He is pointing out what He does not want. Authority is not in the title nor in the office, but rather all authority comes from God. It doesn't come from within each of us, but from God. The whole of the Law and the Prophets can also be summed up in this way. Humility before God comes first, and from there is extended in right-relatedness to neighbor. A teacher does not place himself in God's stead. My study bible makes a very important statement: "How much worse will it be for Christians who lapse into patterns of religious life similar to the scribes' and Pharisees'!" As always, we apply these teachings to ourselves, that is the main thing. How are we living up to His teachings and His example? Can we think about our own understanding of leadership and authority? How often do we find ourselves focusing on the concern of being seen by others? Let us look toward our own notions of leadership and authority, and remember His words, as if they were said just yesterday, or today.

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

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was asked a question by a group of Sadducees. "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother." They posed a question of seven brothers having married the same woman, each without offspring. They asked, "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? " Jesus told them they were mistaken -- they neither understood the Scriptures nor the power of God. He said, "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."

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." Behind the scenes, at work to test Jesus, is the party of the Pharisees. They have already sent their disciples to test Him. Here, they speak for themselves. The Pharisees were lay experts in Scripture and the Law. They reckoned 613 commandments from the Scriptures. My study bible says they "argued interminably about which one was central." So, the question is an important one within their own tradition and discipline. Jesus' response is a combination of passages from Deuteronomy and Leviticus. Jesus gives us the great central formula of faith here: God, as mediator of all things and reconciler of all things, teaches us right-relatedness to one another through faith and love. With the love of God central in our hearts, we expand that love, God's peace, to our neighbor. In fact, not only can the Law and the Prophets be framed around these commandments as Jesus teaches, but certainly we can read their centrality into all of Jesus' teachings as well -- throughout the gospel of Matthew. Most certainly they are embodied in the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount, and so much of Jesus' teaching in this gospel.

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." As with His previous questioners -- first the group consisting of the disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians, and next with the Sadducees -- Jesus turns the tables and asks a question of His own. The Christ is the Anointed One, the Messiah. The "Son of David" implies an earthly understanding of lineage, of kingship. He is testing their understanding of Scripture, as they consider themselves experts in its interpretation and knowledge.

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. As with the Sadducees in yesterday's reading, Jesus exposes, in fact, their lack of understanding and even knowledge of the Scriptures. In the context of the meticulous scholarship that should mark their tradition, they fail to discern the intent of Scripture here. Once again, we turn to questions of authority. In this, we can see the central struggle of the whole spiritual history of Israel -- and the crux of faith at Jesus' time under Roman rule. Who will save the nation and the people and the faith? All of these questions are bound in this example Jesus gives from Scripture. Moreover, my study bible explains the passage as follow: "David, as king of Israel, would not address anyone as 'my Lord' except God Himself. Therefore, this psalm verse describes God talking to God -- the Father to the Son -- which contradicts the Pharisees' view of God as one Person, and introduces the doctrine of the Holy Trinity." Two questions are implied here: How can "my Lord" be David's son? If not David's, then Whose Son? Little wonder no one dared question Him again. The quotation is from Psalm 110:1. Let us make note of Jesus words; He is careful to express the inspired nature of the Psalm: this is the work of David "in the Spirit."

So, we are invited once more into mystery, as Jesus reads for us something into Scripture that was there all along, and perhaps unseen -- at least by this particular group of Pharisees. And thus we can be invited in by Jesus, who expresses the spiritual history of Israel in Himself, and unpacks meaning after meaning, fulfilling, broadening, opening up new understanding, and completing for us the concepts that are central to His ministry. Among them, the greatest of the commandments: love of God and love of neighbor, the two go hand in hand. A love of God teaches us right-relatedness to neighbor. This is the formula for Jesus' Way of faith. And in Him the Scriptures are expanded and manifest, because His authority comes from the same source as the Scripture. Let us consider what Jesus is offering to us here. It's not just "all the answers," but rather like His parables. He opens up for us (and the Pharisees) mysteries that we're not a part of, so that we are invited in, and may encounter them more deeply in faith. Jesus invites us in, to life in the Spirit, in a depth of love and relatedness to God "with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" -- and that invites us in to true relatedness with neighbor. This invitation is not an automatic, one-time-only formula, but rather the invitation to follow in His Way, to grow in faith and its experience. He is the Good Shepherd, and invites us in through the narrow gate, to grow in this life of faith. "Follow Me" is the way He calls us. And He will give us a new commandment to add to the first two: "Love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

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

The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her."

Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

- Matthew 22:23-33

On Saturday, we read of a plot to trap Jesus. This was done by the Pharisees, who sent some of their students along with a group of Herodians to pose Him a question: "Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" If Jesus answered one way, He would be seen as a collaborator with Rome, the other way He would seem a revolutionary. But Jesus knew what they were doing. He answered: "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 unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they 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: . . . We see the evangelist introducing us to the different groups that form the leadership of the temple. In the previous reading, it was a group of students of the Pharisees, plus some Herodians who sought to trap Jesus. In today's, it is Sadducees who approach Him. The Sadducees, in contrast to the Pharisees, did not believe in an afterlife; the people asking the question in today's reading do not believe in the resurrection of the dead, so their question focuses on this doctrine. They were a wealthy, landowning class, aristocratic in nature. But as a party they completely disappeared after the siege of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple in A.D. 70.

"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." Their question focuses in on the here and now. Perhaps as landowners and aristocrats, their understanding of property and wealth and inheritance, lineage, plays its part in their perspective -- and hence their failure to accept the doctrine of resurrection. Jesus' answer will shed more light on this.

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." Jesus first addresses the nature of the kingdom of heaven. What is the resurrection like? Clearly, He shows that we will all be changed. My study bible notes that Scriptures say nothing about earthly laws of marriage being applicable to the future Kingdom. If we consider the state of matrimony, even as Jesus proposed it -- a return to the state of marriage in the Garden -- we can think of the realities of this world, the conditions for the relationships of men and women as reported in Scripture after the exile from the Garden, and know that the life in the Kingdom is something altogether different. And what is also left out of this equation, Jesus says, is the power of God. We witness with Peter, James, and John the Transfiguration of Christ, and this allows us to contemplate in a vivid illustration the power of God, the reality of life in that Kingdom. Of course, the power of God is also expressed in the signs of Jesus. Everything is transformed in this power, and with it all things are possible. The Sadducees must leave a worldly perspective, and enter one of faith -- a faith that enables human beings to enter into or participate, however dimly, in the mysteries of God.

"But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. Here, Jesus takes us even more deeply into mystery, and expresses the power of that life in the Kingdom. And life is, indeed, the key word. In John's gospel, one that focuses so much on the mysteries of the kingdom, Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. In the statements beginning I AM, He reveals the realities of God's kingdom, God's nature. In that kingdom, then, there is no death, all live in Him. My study bible says of Jesus' response to the Sadducees, "They do not know the power of God, which transforms us from death to life. The 'dead' even now are living before God." The resurrection, the kingdom, is a kingdom of life: eternal and timeless, a place of no death.

It's interesting to parallel the statements of Jesus and the Sadducees and think of the implications for the nature of the kingdom. In their eyes, perhaps, marriage is not about union, but about an alliance for property and lineage, and a wife a part of that property. So the first thing we must think about in this place of transformation, of pure life without the shadow of death, is a recognition of the spiritual reality of human beings as God's creatures, and those who live in God. Therefore the nature of relationships must change in this sense. We work in the world for certain goals and conditions, but for what will we work in that kingdom? What will be our purpose, the image God plants in our hearts? We really can't have much of an idea about this, but from Jesus' answer we can start to think, of this place with no death, with life everlasting, beyond the sense of time that we know in the world, a realm of God. Jesus clearly invites us -- and even here, the Sadducees -- into the realm of mystery, which is previewed for us in Scripture, and given to us in the words of God: "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." As with Jesus' I AM statements, God is an ever-present eternal, life itself. And we are here in the world invited in, to prepare for what is to come, connected in faith on a journey, on the Way. How will we lead that life in the world that leads us into the world to come, the mysteries of the kingdom? What kind of faith does this ask of us? What kind of perspective? I think that there is the key. Given our introduction here to the mysteries of the reality of that kingdom, what should be our perspective in the world? Let us think about relatedness and relationship, righteousness, and what Christ reveals about the nature of the Kingdom of God. When we set our goals, can we keep this in mind? How does faith lead us there? And what does it teach us about ourselves, that we are let into this place, to share in the mystery, to be at least invited in?

Render therefore unto 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 unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

- Matthew 22:15-22

In yesterday's reading, Jesus told us the parable of the king who arranged a marriage for his son. He sent out his servants to call his people to the wedding, but nobody was willing to come. He sent yet more servants, who described all the preparations for this wedding feast -- everything was ready. But those invited made fun of it, they left for their own work and projects. The rest of them seized the servants, abused and even killed them. When the king heard this, he was furious. He sent his armies to destroy the murderers, and burn their city. So he sent out his servants again, saying that although the wedding feast was ready, his guests were not worthy. This time, they are to go into the highways, and invite everybody they find. So the wedding hall was filled with guests, bad and good. The king saw one man without a wedding garment, and he asked, "How did you come in here without a wedding garment?" But the man was speechless. Jesus taught, "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. So far, in Jesus' encounters in the temple in Jerusalem, we've read that the leadership feared to openly lay their hands on Him in front of the crowds. He's considered a prophet, a holy man. So, here we have an introduction: they need to trap Him.

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?" In the earlier encounters with the leadership, Jesus was speaking with the chief priests and the elders, after His cleansing of the temple. They had demanded to know His authority for doing the things He was doing there. But here, it is the Pharisees he's encountering, together with the Herodians. So many of the religious practices He's opposed come from the Pharisees and their teachings. The different parties in the leadership in Israel played slightly different roles and had a variety of perspectives. The Herodians would be those close to the party of Herod -- the ruler who was a stand-in for Rome. So, this trap attempts to trap Jesus by His own words: He's going to answer either sounding like a revolutionary against Rome, or a collaborator with the Romans. That's their intention.

But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show me the tax money." Of course, Jesus sees through their question and to their intentions. We saw with the chief priests and elders that He answered a question with a question. As he's overturned the tables of the money-changers, so he turned the tables on them, by trapping them instead so they couldn't answer for fear of the crowds. Here, He once again sees through to motive, and will respond in kind yet again.

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 unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." We remember the issue of the temple money exchange -- and how Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers. This was a sensitive subject in the temple, based on whose image was on those Roman coins. In Jesus' reply is a kind of interesting parallel to the cleansing, because in some sense it recalls for us the important words of the psalmist: Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise (Psalm 51:15-17). The question hidden here is, "What belongs to Caesar, and what belongs to God?" Again, He's trying to make His own adversaries think. My study bible points out that there's no contradiction here; everything belongs to God. But we start with the heart, and we put one thing first. The fact that Caesar demands taxes doesn't necessarily mean we don't also honor worldly institutions. But He's just finished with the cleansing of the temple, which included disrupting the money changers who exchange Roman coin for temple coin, so that animals may be sold to pilgrims inside the temple. What belongs to what realm here? Let's remember His words then, because they become relevant again here: "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" So, again, we can ask the implied questions: Who is showing real authority here? Whose authority is respected in the temple? Just because they exchange the coin -- does that mean they have left the realm of Caesar and truly honor God? Especially among the party of the Herodians that accompany the students of the Pharisees, there is a hidden accusation here, and a great irony.

When they heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. He has once again confounded His accusers, stumped them, and there is nothing they can do but marvel and go their way. The question of Jesus returns a question for them, just as with the previous encounter when He was questioned about His authority. Again, we return to questions of authority here -- what belongs to Caesar, and what belongs to God? The image of Caesar is on the coin, Whose image must be in our hearts? For what purpose does God seek a contrite spirit, and a broken and contrite heart?

Again, we are reminded that so much of Matthew's gospel has been taken up with questions of leadership among the faithful disciples, which lead us to questions of authority in the temple. Quite simply, we put God first in our hearts. My study bible says, "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. Rather, God is Lord over all. We must fulfill legitimate governmental requirements which do not conflict with our responsibility toward God (Rom. 13:7)." So, let us consider, then, Jesus' teaching, and what questions it asks of us. What are we turning our hearts to? On what do we focus? We know the great story of the Church and how it will be persecuted, and by whom. This story will unfold in martyrdom, in those who sacrifice for the Church, and take up His Cross. We know that He Himself will be rendered up to the Gentiles, and voluntarily give His life in this way. He has no army, but is here to establish a Kingdom, and does so via His sacrifice. An insurrectionist against the Romans, Barabbas, will receive amnesty in His place. In all questions then, we begin with what we render to God, and then we seek discernment for all else. Above all, we don't confuse the ways of one with the ways of the other; we may be called upon for patience, forbearance, love, sacrifice. There are times to speak out, and times to pose questions -- times for confrontation, and times for skillful expression. God's image on our hearts will in turn teach us to use our talents (there's another word from the world of coins), and to live our lives in this world, to discern how best to negotiate each choice. But it all starts there, with that authority and that image, and the ways in which God calls us to live in the world of human institutions. Shall we follow in His Way? We also remember another hallmark of His authority: Peace. Right-relatedness, God's righteousness, is a key to this question.

For many are called, but few are chosen

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.'" But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' So those servants went out into the highways 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

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was speaking to the chief priests and elders in the temple, those who had asked Him by what authority He was doing all He did in the temple at Jerusalem, following His Triumphal Entry. He told them a parable about a landowner, who planted a vineyard, dug a winepress, built a tower, and then leased it to vinedressers, and went away to a far country. When vintage time came, the owner sent his servants to receive the fruits of the harvest. But the vinedressers were greedy; they beat one servant , and did worse things to others that were sent to them: killing one, stoning yet another. The owner sent yet many more servants, and the vinedressers did the same to them. Finally the owner sent his own son, thinking the vinedressers would at least respect him. But the vinedressers reckoned that if they killed the son, they'd be free to take the whole vineyard for themselves. So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Jesus then asked the chief priests and elders, "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 replied: "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 give to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whatever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." The chief priests and elders then realized He spoke about them -- but they were afraid to do anything to Jesus there before the crowds in the temple, because they all thought Him to be a prophet. See The Wicked Vinedressers.

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." Jesus begins another parable, this time about a wedding feast. Let us consider what this wedding is; it is a covenant, a promise -- and in its fulfillment is union. To be invited to this feast is a gift of grace, but there are those who spurn the king's hospitality.

"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." The king sends out yet more servants, not just inviting people to the wedding, but explaining the great joy to be had at this feast -- everything is ready. But still, despite its attractions and his graciousness, the people made fun of it, busy with their own interests and work, and couldn't be bothered. Again, the servants were mistreated terribly, even murdered. The king finally responds, and those people who so horribly spurn his grace are destroyed with armies, and the city is burned. This would recall to His hearers the Scripture passages in which cities are burned, those who spurned God's grace for their own selfish and evil practices, who treat strangers with exploitation and murder, and felt the judgment for doing so.

"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." The king is all prepared, this feast is ready for those who will participate, and take him seriously. My study bible suggests that the highways refer to the Gentile world. It notes that though the Apostles can't realize it at the time, this parable foretells the casting out of the unbelievers among those to whom Jesus is sent, and "the calling of the Gentiles into the wedding hall, the kingdom of God. God calls all peoples to salvation in Christ -- Jew and Gentile -- carrying forth the plan of salvation to all humanity." We note that now the wedding hall is 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." But it's not enough just to show up for the wedding. My study bible says that the wedding garment is provided by the host. It says, "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." What we can see from the parable is that it isn't enough just to show up, having been invited, but that one must also be prepared for this great union, properly ready and in full acceptance. The parable begins by speaking of the people of a king, and then extending invitation even to those from far and wide, but it ends with an understanding of how we as individuals come to God, to this great promised feast of union. And, of course, it speaks of judgment. "For many are called, but few are chosen." Above all, it teaches that we must not spurn this hospitality, nor take this great gift lightly, minimizing what it is, devaluing its joy and its reality. I have heard other commentary on the failure of the guest to speak when challenged by the king: he fails to come to the king and enter dialogue, relationship, prayer, even to defend himself. Perhaps he simply can make no defense. Perhaps he just fails to ask for mercy, thereby signaling the failure, once more, to appreciate or understand the grace of the host.

Jesus begins with the general, and ends with the personal. So often in His ministry, we read of His great acts of healing and feeding, His teaching of salvation and love and mercy, His care for the little ones. But in His actions, we always witness His relationship to the personal -- lovingkindness, compassion, care, and true charity of the heart, even in appropriate chastisement or rebuke in teaching. He lays His hands directly on the children, and takes time to teach a rich young man. He speaks directly to those whom He heals, and engages even outsiders to repentance. He calls out those who have been healed without making themselves known to Him, by touching the Hem of His garment. Even the multitudes He feeds are those who have followed Him for days, on whom He has compassion. He asks the question directly, "What do you want Me to do for you?" and draws out those who cry for His mercy. Everything in these gospels comes down to the personal, and this king clearly has a relationship to each one of us, despite the universality of the invitation: "Many are called, but few are chosen." When we read the parable of the wedding feast, it's important that we keep in mind the great graciousness of the host, the honor to which we've all been invited. Are we too preoccupied with our own lives, our own plans, the things we think are important? Can we recognized what is being offered to us, or do we spurn His grace? Let us consider the great joy contained in this invitation, the grace with which it's given, the immeasurable value in this union. Can we partake of this feast? Can we come properly dressed, taking love and joy and delight in what is offered? Let us be gathered together, dressed in the garment with which the king will dress us. Can we accept the gift, and partake of the feast to which we've been invited? Do we take the time to prepare and be dressed by the king? Or do we decide that our own ideas and projects are more important? It all comes down to our hearts, what we put there first, how we respond to the call -- even how we are dressed once we do. That garment is not ours to create, but ours to receive. Do we have ears to hear?