A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Easter Sunday

Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:1-20 (NRSVUE)

I've certainly enjoyed working through Matthew's Gospel during this Lenten Season and I appreciate you following along.  Although Lent ended yesterday, I felt it appropriate to end with the Easter chapter on Easter Sunday.

Matthew has the earth shake when Jesus dies on the cross, so it seems appropriate that the earth shakes again with the resurrection.  This is a cosmic understanding of Jesus' death and resurrection in that even the earth groans under this significant and dynamic event.

We also see the soldiers at the tomb in Matthew stricken with fear.  They were large and in charge when Jesus was crucified as a revolutionary.  But we see a reversal in Matthew.  They are now the dead - or at least appear to be so.

It is a not-so-subtle commentary on the power of God overcoming the earthly power of empire.

The guards' story in verses 11-15 are an early apologetic by Matthew for his community to help downplay rumors that were going around at that time.  The bribes offered and accepted are reminders of Judas and we can see that this doesn't lead to life.

Matthew treats his listeners as mature in that he includes doubt as a part of the response of the disciples to the resurrection.  It would be quite natural to question reality in viewing the risen Lord - especially after the violence that had taken place.  It is not shameful and is a part of faith.

The larger part of faith is to act in spite of one's doubts.  

As they receive the Great Commission, they act upon their faith even though doubt was present.  They declare through the church that resurrection is stronger than violence.  Life overcomes death.

In Matthew, Jesus ends as he began: Emmanuel - God with us.  Christ is with us always.  To the end of the age.

This is how we maintain our faith in the midst of difficulty.  This is how we can embrace righteousness as a way of deeply caring for those on the outside looking in.  This is how we can take the Sermon on the Mount and the parables to heart.

May the risen Christ be with you today and always!

Prayer for the day:

The risen, living Christ calls us by our name;
   comes to the loneliness within us;
   heals that which is wounded within us;
   comforts that which grieves within us;
   releases us from that which has dominion over us;
   cleanses us of that which does not belong to us;
   renews that which feels drained within us;
   awakens that which is asleep in us;
   names that which is still formless within us;
   empowers that which is newborn within us;
   consecrates and guides that which is strong within us;
   restores us to this world which needs us;
   reaches out in endless love to others through us.
The risen, living Christ calls us by our name.

Prayer by Flora Slosson Wuellner, United Church of Christ, 20th Century

Photo by Tim Haynes via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Forty

Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:57-66 (NRSVUE)

On this Holy Saturday, we ponder the burial of Jesus.  Matthew's Gospel is the only one of the four that includes the details of the religious leaders' collusion with Pilate to place soldiers guarding the tomb of Jesus.  This likely was to refute one of the claims with which the early church had to contend: that disciples of Jesus simply took his body which created an empty tomb.

While this would be the simplest explanation in that is requires nothing miraculous, it wouldn't explain the devotion unto death of each of his disciples who attest to the resurrection.

But prior to that we have the somewhat mysterious figure of Joseph of Arimathea.  Luke names this as a Jewish town but scholars are conflicted over the exact location.  Matthew names Joseph as a wealthy disciple of Jesus.  Mark and Luke name him as a member of the council while John declares that he was a disciple in secret for fear of the Jewish leadership.  

A disciple of Jesus would have been more afraid of the Romans at this point since Jesus was crucified as "King of the Jews" which would brand him as a revolutionary.  He goes to the Roman governor Pilate and asks for the body.  The earliest Gospel, Mark, states that he went boldly to Pilate.  This adverb may be understated.  While it was dangerous, Joseph's wealth may have been an influencing factor as classes weren't fluid in the first century.

All of the Gospels agree that Joseph of Arimathea was the one to bury Jesus in a rock-hewn tomb.  Only Mark (the earliest) omits the detail that it was unused.  This was important in that the dead were considered unclean and we see Jesus isn't placed with other corpses.

As a disciple, Joseph likely heard the death and resurrection predictions of Jesus before the crucifixion.  After being a witness to the former, was he hoping for the latter?  He may be no different from modern disciples who bury their loved ones and hope.  I believe it was this faith that helped Joseph to risk confronting Pilate after his Rabbi was crucified as a rebel.

As we wait for Easter, we are all but assured of a celebration on Sunday.  We know what's coming and we expect to hear the resurrection preached!  But it may help us to revisit the surprise if we linger a little longer at the tomb.  The reality of death can overwhelm us just as surely as it did the first disciples.  But the rituals such as proper burial help us to cope.  

The fear of our own mortality is still present in the world today.  But as we linger at the tomb, we may discover that it doesn't hold the power that we sometimes give it.

Prayer for the day:

God, whose eternal love for our weak and struggling race was most perfectly shown forth in the blessed life and death of Jesus Christ our Lord, enable me now so to meditate upon my Lord's tomb that, having fellowship with him in his sorrow, I may also learn the secret of his strength and peace.  Amen.

Prayer adapted from John Baillie, Church of Scotland, 20th Century

Photo by Rob Hurson via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Nine

Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:1-56 (NRSVUE)

It is only in Matthew's account that we see the price of Jesus' betrayal named as thirty pieces of silver. This references the prophecy from Zechariah 11:4-14.  Within this text, the prophet is insulted by the wage they pay him (30 shekels of silver) which is the price you would pay for a slave from Exodus 21:32.  Zechariah sarcastically calls it a "lordly price", and he throws it into the treasury of the house of the Lord.  Notice that treasury could also be translated as potter's house.  

We see Judas returning his wages in a similar fashion.  The religious leaders buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners which is another tie to the Zechariah text.

Within the prophet's passage, we see God break the staffs named Favor and Unity.  

When Jesus dies, we see the curtain in the Temple - separating the world from the holiest presence of God - torn in two.  As the early church moves forward, we see that God's favor falls upon Jesus and that anyone - even a foreigner or Gentile - may put on Christ and find this favor.  One could say that the staff of favor was broken by the cross.  Any kind of Unity of Judea would have been seen as smashed within the destruction of the Temple forty years after Jesus.

The Gnostic Gospel of Judas presents Judas as a faithful disciple who betrays Jesus at his own insistence.  Gnostics were believers in a strict separation of the earthly and the spiritual.  The earthly was seen as evil while the spiritual was seen as divine.  Gnostics didn't mix the two.  And so, Judas is seen as a hero by setting up the death of Jesus which frees him from this (supposedly) evil sphere and allows him to return to the spiritual.  

Some Gnostic theologies went on to say that Jesus was never here in an earthly body in the first place and only seemed to be present.  According to them, his suffering wasn't real because he wasn't really here physically.  

These theological expressions were branded heretical by the early church, and this is partly why we proclaim in the Apostles' Creed, "he suffered under Pontius Pilate."  

We can see in Matthew's writing that Jesus does actually suffer and die.  His suffering is physical, but it is also spiritual in that he feels forsaken by God.  One could say that God experienced the lows of human experience physically and spiritually through the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  Of course, Jesus also experiences the betrayal of his disciple which would have been a relational low.  

As we experience Good Friday, we may bring our own sense of loss or suffering.  In Matthew's Gospel, we remember that early in the account, Jesus is named Emmanuel which means, "God is with us."  God's solidarity with us during our painful times is expressed in the cross.  

We also remember that Simon of Cyrene carries the cross for Jesus.  This would have been difficult for Peter because he may have felt that it should have been Simon Peter carrying it.  

How might we express our thankfulness to Jesus by carrying his cross today?  

Prayer for the day:

By your wounded hands: teach us diligence and generosity.
By your wounded feet: teach us steadfastness and perseverance.
By your wounded and insulted head: teach us patience, clarity and self-mastery.
By your wounded heart: teach us love, teach us love, teach us love, O Master and Saviour.
Amen.

Prayer by Daphne Fraser, Church of England, 20th Century

Photo by Michal Kosmulski via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

 

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thiry-Eight

Scripture Reading: Matthew 26:17-75 (NRSVUE) 

On this Holy Thursday, we remember the institution of the Lord's Supper out of the Passover meal shared by Jesus with his disciples.

When Jesus states that one of you will betray me, it would be shocking to the disciples even after they have heard his predictions of his own death.  As they inquire after who it will be, Jesus gives the cryptic response of the one who has dipped his hand in the bowl with me.  In the first century, all of those feasting together would have used their hands to dip into the common bowl for their meal.  So, it could have been any of them.

Notice that Jesus is aware of this lapse of faithfulness prior to the sharing in the Last Supper.  All of the disciples will fall away and yet, Jesus does not deny them this meal together.  This instructs us today as to the open table in Holy Communion because it is about the grace of God rather than the readiness of the recipient.   

And lest we think that Holy Communion gives us some magical protection against sin, think again!

Sometimes our bodies
overcome our intentions

Peter, James and John keep falling asleep while Jesus is praying at the very moment that Judas is leading a religious mob to arrest him.  The disciples all abandon Jesus.  And then Peter does deny him even though he was warned that this would happen. 

Of course, all of these disciples had dipped their hand into the bowl with Jesus.

I do believe that Holy Communion can help people overcome temptation.  But I think it is helpful to know that nothing is fool proof, and this is a reminder that we all ultimately rely on God's grace.

Another example of this grace is when they seek to arrest Jesus.  He makes the statement when his disciples use violence to defend him that he could call down angels to his aid.  Matthew is the only Gospel that includes this detail and we see that Jesus is still in charge and submits willingly (if not without reservation from his prayer in the garden).  

His obedience unto death is the final sign-act of God's grace for the world.  And for those with a Trinitarian viewpoint, this states that there is nothing that God wouldn't do for you.

May this thought be enough for today.

Prayer for the day:

O Lord, that lends me life,
Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness. 
Amen.

Prayer by William Shakespeare, England, 17th Century

Photo by Richard Masoner via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons License.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Seven

Today's Reading: Matthew 26:1-16 (NRSVUE)

Jesus has finished his time of teaching (in the last chapter) as he notes that the crucifixion is coming.

We then see the plotting - this time by the chief priests and the elders rather than the scribes and Pharisees.  These priests and elders would likely have been Sadducees.

Jesus seems to be disruptive of the religious status quo wherever he goes.  When he is in the surrounding towns and rural areas, the scribes and Pharisees would have been the religious leaders.  Now that he's entered Jerusalem, it is the chief priests of the Temple who find Jesus to be troublesome to the point of removal.

They would prefer to eliminate Jesus without causing a disturbance.  We will see that in Matthew's Gospel, an earthquake will occur at his death so they will create a violent response whether they know it or not.

The scene is moving toward crucifixion just as Jesus has predicted.

We seek to express grief
in different ways

It seems that an unnamed woman (John identifies her as Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus) is aware of his impending death more than his closest disciples.  She anoints him for burial, pouring it on his head rather than his feet as in John's account.  This would also remind the reader of Psalm 23 where God anoints the head with oil.  Jesus will later eat with his enemy as reflected in this psalm as well.

The disciples were at least listening when Jesus was just talking about righteousness and the sheep and the goats.  Not wanting to be goats, they complain about how this could have been used for the poor.  Unfortunately, while they are in sync with his teachings, they continue to remain oblivious to his coming crucifixion.  Jesus uses the anointing as a sign-act of his imminent death.

The betrayal of Judas - one of the twelve inner disciples - contrasts the woman's generosity with an act that is self-serving.  Judas is declining to be poor in spirit and misses entirely the kingdom of heaven.  He does not hunger and thirst for righteousness and so remains empty.

Judas may have been disrupted by Jesus' ministry just like the Pharisees or the Sadducees.

How do we respond to the disruption of Jesus in our lives?  We may seek to evade it in different ways.  But Lent (and especially Holy Week) is the time for self-reflection rather than self-service.  What is the one thing that holds us back the most?

Prayer for the day:

God, I'm glad to be alive - to breathe and walk; to laugh and cry; to see life's beauty and its grandeur.  I know, too, its beastliness, squalor; its poverty, disease and hate.  As I give thanks for all my blessings, give me, Lord, the will to share with others what I have so undeservedly been given.  Make me loving, courteous, considerate; give me a listening ear, a compassionate heart and a generous mind.  Let me live my life in your sight for others so that they, too, may find you and give thanks.  Amen.

Prayer by John Charles Vockler, Anglican Bishop, 20th Century

Photo by Thomas via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Six

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSVUE)

This is one of the most famous passages from Matthew and it only occurs in his Gospel.  We don't see any doctrinal assertions, professions of faith in Jesus, or even repentance by those ushered into heaven.

Those who are favored are named righteous.

This reminds us of the early use of the word righteous in Matthew's Gospel which referred to how people generously treated those in need.  In this day, it is important that we never confuse it with "self-righteous" which would be heavily problematic considering how Jesus felt about hypocrisy.

We can see that Jesus was serious about the end of the Sermon on the Mount in chapter seven.  Jesus lays out the Golden Rule for us and those who are named righteous live this out.  Jesus also told us, "A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit."  In case we were wondering what constitutes fruit, Jesus lays it out for us in today's reading.

Jesus also declared in the Sermon on the Mount, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."

It appears that the goats have deceived themselves into believing that they would enter heaven - maybe even ahead of those they had ignored in life.

If we see the buzzards circling, we seek
to help.  But first we check to make sure
that we are not among the circling!

The sheep have truly built their houses upon a rock - the rock of the teaching of Jesus.

This isn't an easy teaching.  Sometimes we may complain of compassion fatigue due to the amount of help needed by people.  But it is important that we do not complain of it before we begin!  When we discover that there are more people that need help than we can possibly help, we must continue to help as we can, but our priority then turns to justice as we seek to ask the question, "Why are so many people hungry?"  For these situations, compassion is important, but justice will eventually lessen the need for it.

This passage is incarnational.  If we are waiting for the return of Jesus, we may not be looking in the right places.

How will you help Jesus today?

Prayer for the day:

Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our neighbors throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger.  Give them, through our hands, this day their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give peace and joy.  Amen.

Prayer by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 20th Century

Photo by Richard W via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Five

Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:1-30 (NRSVUE)

These two parables are about who is in and who is out.  We may feel a little sorry for the foolish women or the servant who hid his money in the ground.  If we take into account the compassion of Jesus through the Sermon on the Mount but especially in his solidarity with those in need later in this very chapter, the endings of these two parables seem a bit disingenuous.  

With the bridesmaids, shouldn't the wise women share their oil with the foolish?  Wouldn't those who enter the kingdom of God want to do this?

And when the foolish do make an effort to gather the oil they need, the bridegroom makes no effort to forgive but rather forgets he ever knew them.  This doesn't fit well with our understanding of the forgiveness that we believe God offers as outlined earlier in Matthew's Gospel.

So, what does the oil represent?

Similarly, we have the servants who take care of their master's money.  He diversifies his investment by splitting his talents with three different servants.  Two of them double his money but the third takes no risks.  He doesn't lose it either, but this affords him no praise.  It is noted in the parable that they were given the differing amounts based on the master's estimation of their ability.  He already thought the third servant was the weakest of the bunch.  So why is he surprised at the outcome?

What do the talents represent?

I would see the oil and the talents as the actions of righteousness.  This fits with the ending of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus expects us to act upon his teaching.  We can't really share our actions with others - they have to do them for themselves.

And as we've received blessings such as the talents, we must be willing to risk on behalf of others.  If we bury it, we miss out on what they really mean.

Inherently, the blessings we receive may come from the enlightenment we get from actually doing good things for others.  If we never help someone in need, we never experience the joy of transformation.  We are not shaped by love.

As you go through today, what might you do to fill your oil?  What risk might you take with the talents you've received so that they might be multiplied?

Prayer for the day:

Lord, make us to walk in your way:

  where there is love and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance;

  where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor annoyance;

  where there is poverty and joy, there is neither greed nor avarice;

  where there is peace and contemplation, there is neither worry nor restlessness;

  where there is mercy and prudence, there is neither excess nor harshness;

this we know through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Prayer by Francis of Assisi, 13th Century

Photo by Evan via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license. 

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Four

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:29-51 (NRSVUE) 

As we see things change all around us, we may long for a time of stability.  When we see injustice happen, but especially if we feel it happening to us, we may pray for God to set things right again.

The looking toward the end of time is something all religions express.  It is a movement of hope to say that in the end, God will set all things right.  We like to imagine a world where sighing and sorrowing will be no more.

This may have especially been needed for Matthew's community in the 1st century after being rocked by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.  

As Jesus calls us to watchfulness, this can be used as a fear tactic to keep us on the right path.  Or it may be used as a tool for mindfulness.  How many times have we missed what is right in front of us because we were looking at something captivating on our little gods screens?  It may be difficult to live in the moment and think deeply of who we are called to be when the notification chime keeps demanding our attention.

Once again, Jesus calls us to lives of integrity.  We are to do the right thing even when no one is looking.

In fact, we are to be caught doing the right thing!

For some, this may sound like a tedious existence - always watching out for slipping up.  But I would rather us think about it as resting in the love of God.  This is an accepting love that forgives faults and seeks to point out what is positive and encouraging.  So rather than berating ourselves when we don't pass this demeanor on to how we treat others, we simply nudge ourselves back to true.

Be as good to yourself as you are called to be to your neighbor.

Prayer for the day:

O God, make us more thankful for what we have received, more content with what we have, and more mindful of other people in need: we ask it for his sake who lived for us in poverty, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Prayer by Simon H. Baynes, Church of England, 20th Century

Photo by Ed Yourdon via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Three

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:1-28 (NRSVUE)

Matthew pivots from the hypocrisy of the Pharisees to the destruction of the Temple.  Of course, he is writing this with the hindsight of the razing of Jerusalem in 70 CE.  

When Jesus says, "Not one stone will be left upon another," Matthew knows that this has already come to pass.

The wars and destruction have already taken place.  But the early church would also be in the midst of persecution.  They may hear this as a reassurance - this was known and predicted, and things will be okay in the end.

Sometimes the chaos is metaphorical
and sometimes it is actual.

Sometimes, when we are lost, we look for some signs of recognition that we might find our way again.  We seek for familiarity and when we find it, we are relieved.  There is comfort in the prediction as well, for the early church to know that these things are a part of life.

As we experience wars and chaos in the 21st century, we may have our own anxieties.  While the wars have not touched us in the United States as dramatically as in other countries, we still know what it is to experience chaos here.

It is unsettling. 

We would like to find the familiar.

Does verse twelve ring true for us today?  "And because of the increase in lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold."

It may be that we need our faith to help us endure.  We remember the call of Jesus to love God and to love our neighbors.  How does chaos make it difficult to love?

May we remember that love is not a feeling for the Christian as much as it is an action.

Prayer for the day:

Give us, O God, the power to go on, to carry our share of your burden through to the end, to live all the years of our life faithful to the highest we have seen.  Give us the power to give ourselves, to break the bread of our lives unto starving humanity; in humble self-subjection to serve others, as you, O God, do serve the world.  Amen.

Prayer by J.S. Hoyland, Quaker, 20th Century

Photo by James Guppy via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Two

Scripture Reading: Matthew 23:1-39 (NRSVUE)

Matthew compiles a lot of frustration from Jesus against the Pharisees in this chapter.  This may have been Matthew's projection onto Jesus for the difficulties in the synagogues that some Christians would have had with the particular rabbis who became the spiritual descendants of the Pharisees.  

We see that Jesus is going to interpret scripture through the love of God and neighbor.  The two go hand in hand and Jesus sees the teaching of the Pharisees coming up short.

The problem with oaths reminds us of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus discusses this the first time.

This image helps us to understand
the hyperbole that Jesus uses

He also emphasizes love for the neighbor when he states in Matthew 9:13, "Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy not sacrifice.'"  Jesus tells them today that they are majoring in the minors by straining out a gnat from the cup but swallowing a camel!  They miss out on the weightier matters of justice.

As the Pharisees tie up heavy burdens for the people, we remember the words of Jesus from 11:28 when he declares, "Come to me, you who are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest."

The general theme of hypocrisy runs all through Matthew's gospel.  As the disciples of Jesus, we must be careful to practice what we preach.  We are not to tie up heavy burdens for Jesus' followers (or the unchurched) but rather reflect the joy of love for one another.  

Sometimes, we may say, loving others is also a heavy burden.  It can be if we were to do it alone.  Fortunately, we partner with God in this love.  As we pray, we do not ask for glory and honor but rather the ability to understand people in their current situations.

The Pharisaical attitude exists in every religion - we are not immune.  So, when we find ourselves following these blind guides, we must turn to Jesus for enlightenment.  We find new sight in the forgiveness we receive.  We find the strength to offer the same to others who have harmed us.

Even the Pharisees.

Because we recognize that sometimes they are us!

Prayer for the day:

God, help us not to put on the facade of pious fellowship that permits no one to be a sinner.  May we conceal our sins neither from ourselves nor from our neighbors.  And when we do discover a real sinner among the righteous, may we not be horrified to the point of shaming this person into hiding.  Rather, may we recognize that we all have fears and anxieties that sometimes get the best of us.  May our shared vulnerability guard us from hypocrisy.  Amen.  

Prayer based on writing from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 20th Century

Photo by adair broughton via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-One

Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:23-46 (NRSVUE)

We see Jesus as a Rabbi, engaging Pharisees and Sadducees with his own interpretation of the scriptures.  This would have been normative for rabbis to converse about and was not as contentious as when they are trying to catch Jesus in a trap.

He explains the resurrection to Sadducees who deny it.  They seek to show the absurdity of the resurrection with regards to the Law where a woman is bound to bear a son for her deceased husband's line with the brother of her dead spouse. This is all about lineage and property rights and Jesus informs them that we won't have these kinds of concerns in heaven.

Then later, Jesus seeks to show that the Messiah could come from any line - not necessarily the line of David - and that the Messiah would be mightier than David.  Of course, we know about the coming resurrection that the Sadducees were trying to debunk.  By turning back death, Jesus will be mightier than David.

Maybe the Beatles were on to something

In the midst of this, we find the lens that Jesus uses to interpret scripture.  He names the greatest commandments as loving God with all our being and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.  If there is any mistaking his importance for this, Jesus declares, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  The twin loves of God and neighbor are the ways in which we interpret the rest of scripture.  I saw a cartoon of David Hayward's that has Jesus stating to some of his modern followers, "The difference between you and me is you use scripture to determine what love means and I use love to determine what scripture means."

Mark contains this lens as well.  In his version, Jesus states, "There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:31b)

Luke also shares the greatest commandment with Jesus concluding, "Do this and you will live." (Luke 10:28b)

Luke follows this teaching with the parable of the Good Samaritan lest we seek to narrowly define our neighbors.

As we think about scripture, there are many times when some passages will trip us up.  How might you use these two commandments to interpret the tough passages?  How might they be a lens for decision-making for our own lives?  What if before we followed a course of action, we asked, "Does this increase my love of God or my love for my neighbor?"

Prayer for the Day:

God, help me to be more patient with you and with the people I encounter today.  May I be kind as an initial greeting and as a response to what I encounter.  Keep me from envy.  May I set boasting aside. Let arrogance and rudeness find little hold on how I present myself.  Help me to be open to the ideas of others and may I not find myself irritable when I follow their agenda.  Finally, lessen in me a need to keep score.  Let me rejoice in this truth of love today and always.  Amen.

Prayer based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 by Paul of Tarsus, 1st Century

Photo by Barb Watson via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license. 

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty

Today's Reading: Matthew 22:1-22 (NRSVUE)

In this passage, we find that the parable of the wedding banquet may have been influenced by the events happening in Matthew's time.  The violence exhibited by the parable likely reflected the violence that the early church endured.  

In verse seven, we read, "The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city."  This actually happened in 70 CE when Roman soldiers burned Jerusalem prior to the Gospel's release.  At the time, this was the center of the Christian church as well as Judaism as the two likely would have been understood as more closely related than how we view them today.  

The banquet can be seen as the table fellowship that Jesus was calling people to attend just as John called people to the Jordan River for baptism.  Some were willing to feast but the religious authorities largely rejected it as sinful (just look at the guest list!).

Both good and bad are then invited to the banquet which reminds us of the parable of the weeds and the wheat.  

Then we have this curious passage about the man who is thrown out for ignoring decorum by neglecting the wedding garment.  It seems rather harsh - as if he is punished for his ignorance.  Some have claimed that the wedding robe stands for the baptismal garments of the early church.  This may have contributed to the custom in the Roman Catholic Church of serving the feast (Holy Communion) to only the baptized members of the church.  

In essence, this wedding garment may also stand for the righteousness of Christ.  We must put on Christ rather than stand on our own merit.  Of course, putting on Christ also means to wear humility.

Notice that Jesus is then questioned about paying taxes - a trap if there ever was one!  He would anger the Zealots if he said to pay them.  He would risk arrest if he said don't pay them.  Since they are in the vicinity of the Temple (Matthew 21:23), a good Pharisee would not have Roman money on his person - hence the money changers.  When the Pharisee says that Caesar's head is on the coin in his possession, he incriminates himself.  We can see that the Pharisee neglects to answer the question, "Whose title?" The title on most Romans coins under the picture of Caesar was, "Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus."  This would be blasphemous to utter in the Temple.  Jesus knows it and so do they.

In this way, Jesus steps out of the violence (for now) intended for him by the religious authorities.

How might we put on the righteousness of Christ today?  It means revisiting the Beatitudes - adopting a way of seeing people as worthy simply because they are human beings rather than the categories that we like to assign.

Prayer for the day:

O Master, Lord Jesus Christ our God, forgive us for departing from the path of righteousness and following the desires of our own hearts.  We implore Your unending goodness: Spare us, O Lord, according to the multitude of Your mercies, and save us for Your holy name’s sake, for our days are passing away in vanity.  Help us to lay aside our old ways so that we may be clothed with new resolve and may dedicate our lives to You, our Master and Benefactor, so that by following Your commandments, we may come to the eternal rest which is the abode of all those who rejoice.  Amen.

Prayer by Basil, Bishop of Caesarea, 4th Century

Photo by Essam via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty-Nine

Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:23-46 (NRSVUE)

Matthew is writing about Jesus who lived around 30 CE, but he may also be referring to events around 80 CE when he was first presenting this account.  Certainly, this was written after the destruction of the Temple (and Jerusalem) in 70 CE.

Jesus takes a better late than never attitude toward doing the right thing.  When his authority is questioned, he indicates that his questioners refused to follow John the Baptizer whose authority came from heaven.  They will likewise be unimpressed with Jesus whose authority comes from the same source.

Sometimes, it is difficult to jump on the bandwagon when something new arrives.  We may be hesitant.  Is this the real deal?  Jesus seems to indicate by his first parable that this happens to some.  We may even veer toward unrighteous behavior in life (like the tax collectors and the prostitutes Jesus references), but this is forgivable if we do come around.  Some remain obstinate and refuse to engage.  

We see that some actually oppose the kingdom of heaven as with the parable of the wicked tenants.  

We could see how the Pharisees and other religious authorities were at odds with Jesus when he was an itinerant preacher.  But we can also clearly see how this would have been difficult for the early church which was trying to figure out who they were in relation to Judaism.  The Temple would be gone and so worship in the synagogues became the focal point for believers.  Some believers followed Jesus as the Messiah and some did not.  As each tried to capture and claim their own identity, it became clear that sharing space would not work.

It is not hard to see how today's readings would apply directly to this place in time.

But what does it have to say to the church in the 21st century?  

It reminds me not to be too rigid about the fences I want to erect.  Many times, we may not even realize that we are putting them up - we turn around and there they are.  Of course, we are always on the right side of the barriers.  

Do we give space for relationship and for transformation?  

As you examine your own personal encounters, where might you find your own biases?  How does Jesus challenge these?

Prayer for the day:

From the cowardice that shrinks from new truths,
from the laziness that is content with half-truth,
from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
O God of truth, deliver us.  Amen.

Prayer by anonymous, 20th century

Photo by Simon Lieschke via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

  

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty-Eight

Today's Reading: Matthew 21:1-22 (NRSVUE)

Here we have Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.  He comes in humility at the mercy of his enemies - hardly the warrior king riding a war horse and leading an army!

Even as he is recognized as the Messiah by the crowds, he is redefining how he will fulfill the role.

Jesus is concerned with the buying and selling in the Temple.  These were likely Sadducees running the markets who interestingly enough, didn't believe in the resurrection in the life to come.  Maybe Jesus thought that any kind of threat of retribution in the afterlife wouldn't work on them, so he overturned their tables in this life!

I would guess that much like the prices of a captive audience at a movie theater or a sporting event or concert, a profit was being made on the pilgrims coming to worship God.

Perhaps, the most troubling part of today's reading is where Jesus curses and withers a fig tree.  This is likely a parable presented as history.  The fig tree was often used to represent Israel.  Matthew's Gospel was written after 70 CE when Jerusalem was besieged and recaptured.  The Temple was destroyed once more and many of the Jewish citizens were massacred by the invading Roman forces.

It may be that Matthew is making an editorial about the wrath of God coming upon Israel for their rejection of Jesus.  By ascribing these actions to Jesus, we can see they don't fit with the Beatitudes or the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.

Rather than see them as a metaphor for Israel, I would look at my life during Lent and ask, "What needs withering in me?"  Which of the traits that I display would be better off left for dead?

May we stand with our Messiah who came in humility and sought justice for those poor pilgrims coming to worship God.  May we allow that part of us which seeks to dominate others or profit from their faithfulness wither on the vine!

Prayer for the day:

O Lord Jesus, who came down from heaven to redeem us from all iniquity, we ask you to write your word in our hearts that we may know you, and the power of your resurrection, and express it in turning from our sins.  Rule in our hearts by faith, that being dead to sin and living in righteousness, we may have our fruit in holiness and grow in grace and in the practical knowledge of you.  Amen.

Prayer by Henry Hammond, Church of England, 17th Century

Photo by Attila Siha via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty-Seven

Today's Reading: Matthew 20:20-34 (NRSVUE)

When we read this story today, Christians invariably think of James and John sitting on either side of Jesus in the heavenly kingdom in the life to come.  This is quite natural because we don't talk to Jesus in our lives in the same way that we have conversations with other people we know.  We tend to think of Jesus from a purely spiritual sense rather than how the disciples would have related to him.

When their mother came to Jesus and made the request, it was clearly about occupying the throne room in Jerusalem.  We've been seeing the building toward identifying Jesus as the Messiah.  While Jesus will redefine this role, others would have years of cultural expectation to overcome.

The other disciples are upset because they felt that James and John were politicking to be put over the rest of them.  Jesus tries to ease their anxieties while at the same time redefining how he will implement the role of Messiah.

Matthew then deftly places this miracle of the two blind men immediately following this conversation.  While it may have happened in this exact order, Matthew likely placed teachings, events and miracles specifically to drive the story.  It sets up nicely to show that James and John were blind to what Jesus was really trying to do. 

Sometimes we have trouble seeing

Notice that the blind men also call Jesus Son of David which was a Messianic title.  They need mercy just as the two brothers do.  The brothers don't want to be dismissed but want to continue to learn.  The blind men regain their sight, and they follow Jesus along with the others (more than just the twelve followed).  

This shows us that James and John are also forgiven and continue to follow Jesus even as they gain a new understanding of what Jesus is trying to accomplish.

It isn't unlikely that people have used Jesus through the years to get what they want. Today's Christian Nationalists use Jesus as a figure but don't actually follow much of the Sermon on the Mount.  One could argue that they actually behave in ways that Jesus teaches against.  

While I would much rather throw stones at them, which teachings of Jesus do I struggle with today?  In looking at these verses, it becomes clearer that we are often James and John in need of our sight.  

Prayer for today:

God, open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth you have for me; place in my hands the wonderful key, that shall unclasp and set me free.  Silently now I wait for You, ready, my God, Your will to see; open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine! Amen.

Prayer by Clara H. Scott, 19th Century

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A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty-Six

Today's Reading: Matthew 20:1-19 ( NRSVUE)

I find it fascinating that Jesus makes his third prediction of his condemnation by the religious authorities from his own tradition after telling the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.  It is almost as if he recognizes how difficult this teaching is for people to accept.

I can imagine Jesus saying, "Well, if my teachings on divorce, children and wealth don't put them over the edge, this parable ought to do it."

As we think about this parable relationally, the workers in the vineyard are concerned about their own value.  Notice that those who worked all day complain that the owner has made the late arrivals equal to those that bore the heat of the day.  It is clear that we like our comparisons with other people when we imagine that we are on top.  If someone is just elevated to our status without merit, it can be rather offensive.

Now if we spiritualize this, it might be more acceptable because we can understand God loving us as parents loving their children.  And it may indeed be that God will love all humanity equally, but if we put that into practice on earth, what does that do to our social strata?

Can I learn to see people in a different light?

How do you feel about people
cutting lines?

In the parable, day laborers are being hired.  Most peasants needed to work each day to make enough money to survive.  Who would normally be selected first?  It would be the young, strong, able-bodied who would be perceived as being able to give you the most for what you are paying.  If you are older, or injured or weaker - if you had a deformity or disability, you might have trouble making enough to eat on each day.  You certainly would have difficulty if you had a family to feed.

What does the owner's charity look like at this point?

The first hired would be the ones that were always winning.  Maybe the followers of Jesus put the last first because the last never get put first.  If you had 5 children and 2 of them always got to go first in everything, would you put the others to the head of the line some of the time?

It may be that God's preference for the disadvantaged is simply a desire to even out the universe.

Our question may be will we allow ourselves to help this to happen here on earth or will we take offense for the occasions that it does?  At the very least, Jesus's prediction may make more sense to us.

Prayer for the day:

Eternal God, out of whose mind this great cosmic universe, we bless you. Help us to seek that which is high, noble and good. Help us in the moment of difficult decision. Help us to work with renewed vigor for a warless world, a better distribution of wealth, and a siblinghood that transcends race or color. Amen.

Prayer by Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Leader, 20th Century

Photo by Todd Lappin via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty-Five

Scripture Reading: Matthew 19:1-30 (NRSVUE)

We continue to refine what it means to be in relationship with others as a disciple of Jesus.  And we continue to challenge the notions of the day and turn upside down popular cultural norms.  

The prohibition of divorce was a leveling of power in a time when women were property.  For a woman to be divorced, she was left with even less power and dehumanizing options for her survival.  The disciples are shocked at this teaching and essentially declare that if they were to lose the threat of divorce over a woman, it would be better not to marry!  How would you possibly keep her in line?

Jesus would remind us of the Beatitudes such as humility, peacemaking, mercy and purity in heart.  We are to apply them in all our relationships.  We have just come off a chapter on forgiveness and Jesus expects us to apply it at home.  To be clear, we are not speaking of abusive relationships.

Children require a lot of grace.
We're all children.

We also see a nod toward chastity as a practice for life which also would have been the opposite of the norm for the day - people were to have as many children as possible!

Jesus then goes on to bless the children.  The disciples must have heard the previous lesson on children and greatness figuratively and sent people with children packing.  Jesus rebukes them and the disciples must have thought, "Now you're being literal?  We thought the lesson on the children was like the yeast of the Pharisees!"

Jesus seems to be literal when it comes to including the least among us.

Finally, Jesus dismisses the common thought that rich people were favored by God because they were rich!  He not only dismisses this but reverses it.  We return to blessed are the poor in spirit and it becomes literal too.  Jesus seems to be saying that if our relationship with our resources eclipses our relationship with our neighbors, we are already missing out on the kingdom of heaven.

How would you understand these teachings for the 21st century?  How does this represent a reversal of power dynamics in relationships that we should pay attention to for people we encounter?  It isn't easy to give away power that we've worked hard to attain.  But we can always start with our demeanor.

Prayer for the day:

Have mercy, O Lord, upon all those whom You have associated with us in the bonds of friendship and family, and grant that they, with us, may be so perfectly conformed to Your Holy Will, that being cleansed from all sin, we may be found worthy, by the inspiration of Your love, to be partakers together of the blessedness of Your heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer from Old Gallican Sacramentary, France, 5th Century

Photo by Wagdy Fahmi via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty-Four

Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:1-35 (NRSVUE)

In this chapter, Jesus asks us to reevaluate our relationships and how we value people.  Children were not valued in the first century - it could be that due to the high infant mortality rates, people were afraid to invest in them until they made it to a certain birthday.  For Jesus to place this kind of importance on children would have been out-of-the-ordinary to say the least.

If God would value little children, who wouldn't God value?  Well, it seems that God isn't impressed with the behavior that would lead little children astray.

For a culture that might often think that the death of an infant or child might be God's punishment toward the parents for some sin they have committed, Jesus plainly states that it is not God's will "that one of these little ones should be lost."  This gives them worth in their own right.

This entire chapter is a movement toward a world that we now take for granted as normative.

But if we do have an offender, we also remember that Jesus has cautioned us against judgment.  Rather, we remember that blessed are the merciful.  Notice that we do not confront our antagonist in public so as to shame them.  This might result in shame but it likely wouldn't result in reconciliation which is the greater outcome.  

If the person refuses to listen to the body, let that one be treated as a gentile or a tax collector.  The gospel is named for a tax collector, so we return to blessed are the merciful.  Jesus tells Peter that we should forgive until we forget the count.

Just in case we are feeling really thick-headed or focused on retribution, Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant.  We can see our own debt that God wipes away is massive compared to what our neighbor owes us.  This chapter is about perspective.

In today's society, we might value children higher than first century culture, but we have plenty of people that we would rank lower than ourselves.  The shame and honor system is still alive and well so that when someone offends us, we have a hard time letting it go.  Our honor is at stake!

What if Jesus is really just showing us that this is an illusion?  If we have God's value, can we really be harmed by people?  The answer is yes, but maybe it doesn't have to weigh as much as we let it.

Children seem to be able to let things go more easily.  Maybe this is what Jesus means by becoming humble like a child.

Prayer for the day:

God, give me the strength that waits upon you in silence and peace. Give me humility in which alone is rest, and deliver me from pride which is the heaviest of burdens. And possess my whole heart and soul with the simplicity of love. Occupy my whole life with the one thought and the one desire of love, that I may love not for the sake of merit, not for the sake of perfection, not for the sake of virtue, not for the sake of sanctity, but for you alone.  Amen.

Prayer by Thomas Merton, Trappist Monk, 20th Century

Photo by Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty-Three

Scripture Reading: Matthew 17:1-27 (NRSVUE)

Some scholars have thought that the Transfiguration could have been a post-resurrection appearance that Mark (and then Matthew who used Mark as a template) misplaced prior to the crucifixion.  It has a lot of similarities to a resurrection appearance and seems to indicate a vision-type experience by the disciples.

Regardless, we now have it as a part of the journey to the cross.

Even after this experience, the disciples are "greatly distressed" when Jesus again foretells his suffering, death and resurrection.

It may be that sometimes we let death be more real to us than life.

When they come down from the mountain, the disciples seek to cure a boy with epilepsy but could not.  Jesus rebukes them for having little faith.  This may be similar to Peter's attempt to walk on water.  He wants to do the things that his rabbi does but the miraculous can be evasive.

For us, the miraculous may be that Jesus as the light of the world may shine through us.  

Could you possibly imagine yourself transfigured in Christ?  

There's plenty of darkness in the world today.  Which issue or problem troubles you the most?  What might you do to shine a bit of light to it?

Prayer for the day:

Lord, Lord, open unto me.
Open unto me, light for my darkness, Open unto me, courage for my fear.
Open unto me, hope for my despair, Open unto me, peace for my turmoil.
Open unto me, joy for my sorrow, Open unto me, strength for my weakness.
Open unto me, wisdom for my confusion, Open unto me, forgiveness for my sins.
Open unto me, tenderness for my toughness, Open unto me, love for my hates.
Open unto me, Thy Self for myself, 
Lord, Lord, open unto me!

Amen.

Prayer by Howard Thurman, Civil Rights leader, 20th Century    

Photo by cabellmon via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty-Two

Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:1-28 (NRSVUE)

Sometimes it is hard to perceive the deeper spiritual meaning of life when we are worried about more basic things.  The disciples were thinking about their stomachs because they left the bread behind.  Jesus shifts into spiritual imagery and they are confused.

I think this has to do with our capacity for seeing.  When we are hungry, it may be harder to see further.  When we are anxious or stressed, this is the time we need God's reassuring presence.  And yet, it may be harder to perceive due to the increased pressure we're facing.

The district of Caesarea Phillipi was steeped in pagan worship - about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee.  Some in that region believed that this was where you could find the gates of Hades.  Jesus asks the disciples, "Who do people say that I am" and follows it with who they think he is.  Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah.  This was a dangerous thing to say and to believe.  Their lives were on the line.

But in the moment, Peter was able to see further.

Danger!

We see Peter as the foundation and the beginning of the emergence of the church.  As we think about the church's first act of binding and loosening, Peter tries to bind Jesus!

Jesus has none of this and reveals that sacrificial love is what his ministry expects of his followers.

As we have moved forward by two millennia, I wonder what Jesus would think of the church's attempt to bind him today.  There are times when we would rather play it safe.  Better not to upset anyone.  Church has often preferenced tending to its members over tending to the world.  

However, the Church is an odd institution that exists for the sake of the people who don't claim any membership or allegiance.  

As we journey with Jesus to the cross, who does the world at large say that Jesus is today?  Who do you say that Jesus is?  

If the answer is not a little bit dangerous, we may need to read this chapter again so that we can see further.

Prayer for the day:

Give to your Church, O God, a bold vision and a daring charity, a refreshed wisdom and a courteous understanding, that the eternal message of your Son may be acclaimed as the good news of the age; through him who makes all things new, even Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Prayer from The Daily Office, 20th Century

Photo by peter jenkins via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty-One

Scripture Reading: Matthew 15:1-39 (NRSVUE)

We see the lack of compassion on display by the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem who would have been considered the religious leaders of Jesus' day.  They justify their lack of support for their aging parents by claiming that they already gave that support in offering to God.

As they continue to look at technicalities regarding hand washing (this was for ritual cleanliness, not sanitation as we know it today), we see the deeper concern of Jesus for the impurities of the heart.  A person could be ritually clean while harboring mal-intentioned thoughts against a neighbor.  Jesus asks people to be pure in heart (from the Beatitudes) which is more difficult - and more of a journey as we shall see.

In first century Judea, dogs looked 
more like this than like our pets

When Jesus then encounters the Canaanite woman, he engages in slander just after he spoke about the dangers of it, essentially calling the woman a dog.  Christians today struggle with this passage - especially given the theological branding of sinless that we place upon Jesus.  In going with sinless, we may have to do some interpretation on this text that is more speculation than interpretation.

Many Christians prefer to think of Jesus as being playful with her - <wink, wink> - as he uses language that would have been expected from Jews to Gentile women approaching unaccompanied by a husband, father or brother.  Could Jesus have been goading her into the answer and the faith he was looking for all along?

This is possible and would preserve the sinless state.  I think it depends on how you see Jesus - how much was he a product of his culture as a fully human being?  But also, how much range of knowledge do we afford Jesus given that he is also fully divine?  It can be complicated and there is no set computation that Christians must agree on when looking at what Jesus did or didn't know.

If we take the passage at face value, without any theological assumptions around Jesus, it appears that Jesus was able to learn from a Gentile woman rather than dismiss her haughtily, offended at her hubris.  This in itself may reflect purity in heart - it may be the most divine event in this chapter.  Can we receive something true from someone even of recognized lower status?  

We close with more healing and more feeding.  I've read that the earlier meal of the 5000 represents the tribes of Israel as twelve baskets were left over.  With seven baskets left over after this meal of 4000, I've read that this could represent the seven nations of the world - Gentiles.  Prior to this miracle, verse 31 mentions the healed praising "the God of Israel" which would be an odd designation for Jewish recipients to use.  

And so, we may see that Jesus is feeding Gentiles with the crumbs that have fallen from the master's table as we have more Jewish people fed (5000) than Gentiles (4000).  He is able to expand his reach and his love.  This would have been far edgier in the first century than we understand today.  It may just be that Jesus begins to see the Gentiles as his ancient ancestors and so does want to honor his father and mother as we saw at the beginning of this chapter.

What categories do you have for people that keep them at arm's length?  How does being in Christ help us to lower our arms?  Or maybe we could take it even farther and ask, how does being in Christ let us use our arms to embrace rather than push away?

Prayer for the day:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who did humble himself to become human, and to be born into the world for our salvation: teach us the grace of humility.  Root out of our hearts all pride and haughtiness, and so fashion us after your holy likeness in this world, that in the world to come we may be made like you in your eternal kingdom.  Amen.

  

Prayer by Willaim Walsham How, Church of England, 19th Century

Photo by Kim Bartlett - Animal People, Inc. via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twenty

Scripture Reading: Matthew 14:1-36 (NRSVUE)

We have an interlude of the death of John the Baptist - an important figure in Jesus' life as the one who baptized him.  John also spoke to the world about righteousness in similar ways to Jesus.  

But John was an ascetic, fasting in the desert.  His disciples already asked in chapter nine of Jesus' disciples, why they didn't fast.  Jesus was known more for his feasting than his fasting.

And then he hears of John's death, and it must have been difficult because he goes away by himself.  The crowds follow and Jesus seems to emphasize the priority of feasting over fasting in that he tells his disciples, "You give them something to eat."

When we recognize abundance,
sharing is easier.

As the disciples later cross over the sea, people in that day would have had more of a natural fear of the isolated places - these were places of ghosts and evil spirits.  Maybe they still had some of the leftover belief that God was not really present there - like Jonah seeking to flee from God's presence.

They discover through their doubt that it isn't a ghost, but in fact it is God who walks with them even in the isolated places.  We see the disciples' movement toward Jesus as the Messiah.  And even though Peter wants to do what Jesus does, he reminds us that we still hold onto our fears.  

In naming Jesus as the Son of God, the disciples are recognizing him as the Messiah.

Even the crowds who are healed at touching the fringe of his cloak would make sense to a first century Jewish audience.  They would know the legend of the fringe of the prayer shawl of the Messiah providing healing for any who touched it.

And so, as we see the ministry of Jesus, we find that he first provides health and wholeness and the food of life before asking anything of people.  But whether this is done through teaching or miracles or healing, we may find that we are called to offer life as well.

And like Jesus, this may come on the heels of our losing someone close to us.  How might we honor the life of someone we love by making the world a better place for others?

Prayer for the day:

God of the present moment,

God who in Jesus stills the storm

and soothes the frantic heart;

bring hope and courage to each of us as we wait in uncertainty.

Bring hope that you will make us the equal of whatever lies ahead.

Bring us courage to endure what cannot be avoided,

for your will is health and wholeness;

you are God, and we need you.

Amen.

Prayer from the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia in A New Zealand Prayer Book.

Photo by frankieleon via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Nineteen

Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:24-58 (NRSVUE)

Jesus continues to teach in parables, and we have the lengthier weeds and wheat followed by several shorter parables which each have a kind of twist to them.

Sometimes we can be pretty
vigorous in our weed pulling!

The weeds and the wheat remind us not to judge another's spiritual relationship with God, but rather to live side by side with people.  We also remember the previous parable of sowing the seed.  You never know when you might influence someone into becoming wheat!

The mustard seed and the yeast are a little surprising to a first century Jewish audience.  Mustard was considered a weed (rather than a tree) and could be seen as an invasive plant.  Jewish farmers would likely work to remove it as the Law required from Leviticus 19:19: "you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed".

Yeast was not exactly an unclean element, but it was forbidden leading up to Passover.

It seems as if the kingdom of heaven is something that isn't domesticated or under human control.  It provides benefit to people and others in surprising ways.

The final parables seem to be about prioritizing God in our lives above other mundane things.

And then after these teachings, we see Jesus rejected by his hometown of Nazareth.  

His designation as the carpenter's son really meant, "Isn't he just a carpenter?  Why should we listen to him?"

But Jesus might be more like the mustard seed or the leaven.  Unfortunately, the people of his town miss out on the miracles because of their lack of faith.  They are not willing to sell everything to buy the field or the pearl.  They are unwilling to see beyond what they think they know.

How often do we miss out on the miraculous because of our own limited sight?  Who might we be short-changing because of how we see them?  

It could be that we are pulling weeds and unwittingly pulling up wheat!

Prayer for the day:

God, help us to have clean hearts ready inside us for the Lord Jesus, so that he will be glad to come in, gratefully accepting the hospitality of those worlds, our hearts: he whose glory and power will endure throughout the ages.  Amen.

Prayer by Origen of Alexandria, 3rd Century

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