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

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Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 40 Holy Saturday

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?  A disciple is not above the teacher, but every disciple who is fully qualified will be like the teacher.  Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye."

                                                                        Luke 6:37-42 (NRSVue)

 

This passage also reads a little more somberly on Holy Saturday.  One thing about death is that it usually quells our sense of judgment.  

The old saying, "do not speak ill of the dead" crosses cultures and comes out of such antiquity that its origin is untraceable.  When I am eulogizing someone, I try to paint the deceased in the best light possible.  One person at a funeral thought I was a little too glowing and made the remark that they weren't the saint I painted them to be!

I responded that they were in Christ and that God sees them through this lens in judgment.  We don't stand on our own merits but through the grace of Jesus.  We should try to see our brothers and sisters in the same way God sees them - especially in death.  

If I am too judgmental and this is the measure I share with everyone else, people close to me may begin to wonder, "Does he see me in this way too?"  I can certainly see how this is a pit that is easy to fall into.  

Many times, the difficult thing for us in judging the dead may be that we have some unresolved anger toward them.  Sometimes this anger may revolve around them dying and leaving us.  It can stir up abandonment issues that are often difficult to name.   

I wonder if the disciples were feeling something similar on this day so many years ago.

Did they second-guess Jesus' behavior or did they blame themselves?  Did some think, "We should have tried harder to talk him out of coming to Jerusalem during the Passover."?  Did the anger that comes with grief centralize around the Roman authorities or the Jewish leaders?  This kind of anger can certainly blind us.  We might even fall into a pit.  What kind of measure do you think they allowed for their enemies at this point?

What if this was how we always saw people?

This is helpful for us to realize that our capacity to be gracious often rises and falls depending on our circumstances in life.  We all know what it is to blow up at someone who happened to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.  Overreaction comes when our tank is empty.

The most important thing for us is to be self-aware at these times.  To recognize when we don't have it together.  And to admit it and ask for a little grace.  I believe that in this way, we can have a better chance of avoiding hypocrisy.  And if we've extended the same grace to those around us, we are more likely to receive it when we need it.

Sometimes our own blind spots are difficult for us to identify.  If you had to make a list of your top five places that you have difficulty with in relationships, what would they be?  Sometimes if we name the log, it begins to shrink!

Prayer for the day:  Gracious God, guide us on this day as we revisit the grief the disciples had for our Lord.  Help us to recognize who we are with all of our faults and misgivings but also for all of our strengths and gifts.  Let us be thankful for the totality of our identity and allow your Holy Spirit to shape our negatives that they may actually inform our assets.  May this understanding allow us to live into becoming more grace-filled people who are generous in how we see others.  We pray this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ who pulls us out of the pit.  Amen. 

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 New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 26

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.  For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.  Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye."

                                                                    Matthew 7:1-5 (NRSVue)

This may be the most oft-quoted part of the Sermon on the Mount!  Most people like to quote, "Do not judge" if they are being held accountable.  Unfortunately for the frequent users, it is not a ticket for libertine behavior!  Rather, it reminds us to approach accountability first with ourselves and then with others.  We should always approach any of these conversations with humility.

I'm reminded of the 4th Century monk, Abba Moses, who lived in the Egyptian desert.  He was invited to take part in the trial of one of the brothers in their order who had crossed a line.  On his way, he filled a cracked jug with water and let it dribble out as they walked to where the court was gathered.  When his other brothers asked him why he carried the leaky jug, Abba Moses replied, "My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, but today I am coming to judge the errors of another."

They forgave the brother.

Out of over 31,000 verses in the Bible, this is the one you want to display?

 

If we are to stay in community, from time to time, there are certain unhelpful behaviors to which we call attention.

Otherwise, community begins to break down.  We used to say at church camp, respect the three p's - people, place and process.  Respecting people is primary.  Respecting the place meant that we shouldn't trash our temporary home.  This advice goes farther than our campgrounds.  Finally, respect the process means that we are to show up on time, participate fully, and observe the covenant that we make together as a small group. 

The small groups that I've seen bond well through the years have been able to respect one another through a sense of humility that kept them from judging one another.  

During this season of Lent, how do we give the benefit of the doubt to people more often?  If we were to do this, would we be able to improve the communities with which we are a part?  With our families, it sometimes feels like a tightrope.  At times, there are behaviors which cross a line that we need to call on the carpet but there are plenty of things that we need to overlook if we are to stay in relationship.

Maybe Jesus is calling us to be grateful for all the people who have overlooked the times we have crossed the line.  Maybe we need to keep a cracked jug of our own in the kitchen.

Prayer for the day: Gracious God, we give thanks for the people we love and are appreciative of the relationships which give us life.  We recognize that just as we've had to forgive to keep them from breaking, we have also had our friends and family overlook plenty of things we've done.  Help us to walk the tightrope of accountability and forgiveness with the grace we receive from you every day.  In the name of the Christ we pray.  Amen.

 

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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 5

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy."

                                     Matthew 5:7 (NRSVue)

 

The 23rd psalm is well known among the devout and is utilized at many funerals.  The psalm puts our trust in God and gives us assurance of God's preceding grace pursuing us throughout our lives.

The final verse begins, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..."

This is a statement of faith and something hoped for - an outcome that would be favorable to us.

It's easier to forgive when someone shows remorse.

But today's beatitude sees mercy as a consequence of our own actions.  It feels a bit like karma and is similar to what I lifted up recently in the Lord's Prayer about "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

A similar but negative thought from Job 4:8 has Eliphaz declaring, "As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same."

Paul later echoes this (after the Sermon on the Mount) in Galatians 6:7, "...you reap whatever you sow."  Paul goes on to a more positive take, bidding us not to grow weary of doing what is right.

What does it mean to cultivate a life of mercy?

How do we shape our own spirits when we seek to forgive? 

I've seen those who are more judgmental of others taking a harder fall when they eventually slip up (or their own failings become known).  Those who are more forgiving are judged with more tolerance.

This characteristic can become a discipline - the more we show mercy, the easier it becomes.  The reversal may also be true.

I'm reminded of the fable of the man visited by God and told that he would receive anything he asked for.  The only caveat would be that his neighbor, whom he despised, would receive a double portion of the request.  The man then told God, "Make me blind in one eye."

Bitterness does not sow life.  

As we move through Lent, is there anyone you can think of where you could see yourself having the same response as the man from the fable - even for a second?  In this moment, what would it look like to make an attempt in your heart at mercy?

Prayer for the day: Merciful God, I must confess that I often seek forgiveness for myself but do not always grant my neighbor the same regard.  I'm more satisfied with justice where they are concerned.  Give me eyes to see how they see and then grant me eyes to see how you see.  And only then, bring me back to my seat of judgment.  I pray these things in the name of Jesus who uttered from the cross, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing."  Amen.

 

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

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.