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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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