A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Twelve

Today's Reading: Matthew 8:1-34 (NRSVUE)

As Jesus returns to society after teaching, we see him put his sermon into action in chapter eight!

With the first person that Jesus encounters, his righteousness is put to the test.  Is Jesus willing to heal this man with the skin disease?  The disease would have made him unclean.  Technically, the diseased man should have kept his distance and cried out "Unclean, unclean" as a warning for people not to come near.  Contact with him would make others unclean.

Leviticus 5:3 clearly states, "Or when you touch human uncleanness—any uncleanness by which one can become unclean—and are unaware of it, when you come to know it, you shall be guilty."

The Law gives Jesus an out.  He doesn't have to deal with this man if he doesn't want to.

But Jesus is merciful - and blessed.

He stretches out his hand to touch the diseased man and heals him.  All the crowd would have seen it.

We may also remember that Jesus just lifted up the Golden Rule in this sermon and declared that giving ourselves the perspective of others is the Law and the Prophets.

When he tells the man to offer the gift to the priests that Moses proscribed in the Law, we see that Jesus is not coming to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.

We remember Jesus telling us to love our enemies when he's confronted by an occupying foreign officer who needs his help.  He could have easily told the Centurian that he had no power to help him.  But Jesus is willing to metaphorically carry his pack the extra mile.  When Jesus lives this out, he finds faith abounding in unlikely places which indicates to us how blessing works.

Sometimes we get stuck

When the winds and waves come to the disciples - just as they do to all of us, we remember the one who built his house on the rock.  The winds and waves did not wash it away.  

We recall the words of Jesus not to worry.  We trust that Jesus is there for us to calm the storms.

How does this work practically?

We do know that sometimes the storm takes lives.  And what if Jesus isn't in the bottom of our boat in the moment it does come?  We must remember the faith of the Centurion that reminds us that Jesus doesn't have to be physically present to instill life.  

How do we develop this kind of faith and trust as the rains beat down upon us?

Rather than look for these virtues to come to us immediately, they may come over time - maintaining our spiritual disciplines may give us strength in the long run that we may not recognize until after we have it.  Like a runner training for endurance, you may not find you have it until you need it.

Prayer for the day:

O Lord Jesus, who can love as you do?
Through your deeds and labor I have become as ripened fruit.
How blessed it is to share in your glory - eternally in your providence.
I am your treasure, product of your arduous labor.
Amen.

Prayer by Canon James Wong, Singapore, 20th Century

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

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Eleven

Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:13-29 (NRSVUE)

As we finish the Sermon on the Mount, I harken back for the words of Jesus when he tells us not to worry!  I recognize that on some days, my fruit tastes better than others.  The nervousness comes when we wonder, "What if I get judged when I'm having a bad day?"

Will I be the one crying out, "Lord, Lord!" only to have Jesus tell me, "I never knew you!"

So, we have to remember how this sermon starts - with the extolling of mercy and peacemaking.  It begins with righteousness or having higher regard for the outsider. 

May our life in Christ give us confidence
no matter what comes!

Jesus seems to be saying that if we don't develop these things for our lives, we may be washed away when the storms come.  Notice that he indicates that just because someone is faithful, doesn't mean the storm won't come for them as well.  It just means that they will be better prepared for it.

It could be that if I have made a practice of extending mercy to others, I might be better equipped to receive it when I need it.  And it may be that I need it when I'm having a bad fruit day!

The theology of Jesus in this sermon is a practical one.  It is not esoteric or abstract.  He lays out the life and expects his disciples to follow.  As we continue in the season of Lent, we seek to walk with Jesus.  These teachings may remind us that Jesus is seeking to walk with us.  When we can put them into practice or at least practice putting them into practice, we may find a greater depth to this practical theology.

As you think over these three chapters, which fruit will you commit to exhibiting today?  Jesus is telling us, "Be a doer, not just a hearer (or reader)."

Prayer for the day:

Inspire our actions, Lord, and accompany them with your help, so that our every word and action may always begin and end in you.  Amen.

Prayer from Roman Catholic tradition within the Liturgy of the Hours

Photo from Tom Clifton via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Ten

Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:1-12 (NRSVUE)

This portion of the sermon is very popular for people seeking to justify or excuse their behavior.  "Doesn't the Bible tell you not to judge?"

These verses can be difficult to understand.  Right after we hear the admonition not to judge, we hear Jesus tell us not to give what is holy to the dogs and not to throw our pearls before swine.

That sounds like we would need to judge people (and not in a flattering way) to determine if they are dogs or pigs!

We also have judgments later in Matthew for people depending on what kind of fruit they bear.

Ever feel that this is your life?

It may be that we need to be careful how we judge people.  We must do so in a humble way (blessed are the meek) that views people out of the lens of our own misdeeds.  Most people know the difference between judging and being judgmental.

It may be that when Jesus refers to the dogs and swine, he is referring to the hypercritical.  If you offer wisdom to the hypercritical, they may tear holes in it due to shallow reasons rather than engaging with it.

When we follow this with asking God for things, it may be that we need to ask for a little humility or some patience or mercy as we deal with other people.  We must put the request in context of the whole sermon.  It isn't the First Bank of God that we are holding up, rather as we are in tune with God, the Holy Spirit strengthens us in the ways we need.  We may think of praying the Beatitudes here.

And then, we come upon the Golden Rule in verse twelve.  This reiterates our rationale when seeking to offer judgment upon others.  How would we want someone to deal with us?  Crashing in like a wild bull or offering a little finesse?  

And so, as we reflect spiritually on this passage, we may ask ourselves, "Who is it that I have judged harshly in the last week?"  Have I been a dog or a swine to someone else?  

I find that harsh judgment doesn't often change the behavior as much as it builds up walls and sometimes even reinforces the behavior we dislike!  How might we reengage with the people we have in mind with a recommitment to today's passage?

Prayer for the day:

Bestow on me, O Lord, a genial spirit and unwearied forbearance; a mild, loving, patient heart; kindly looks, pleasant, cordial speech and manners in the exchanges of daily life; that I may give offence to none, but as much as resides within me, live in charity with all.  Amen.

Prayer by Johann Arndt, German Lutheran theologian, 17th century

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

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Nine

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:19-34 (NRSVUE)

As we move into money and worry in the Sermon on the Mount, it is important to remember that anxiety is on the rise in the United States.  Personal finances seem to be leading the list for Americans.  

When Jesus tells us not to store up treasures, does he look with a critical eye at our pension accounts?

I don't think that Jesus is against planning for our futures. But I do think he wants us to help our neighbors and so our planning should include charitable giving.  And when we do plan, Jesus seems to be counseling against high anxiety around our accounts.

Worry has always been a problem for human beings.  Parents worry about their ability to provide.  They worry about their children - even when the children become adults.  Parents worry about their parents as they age.  There is plenty to stress about.

In today's society, we have headlines designed to instill worry so that you'll click on the news link.  If
you scroll past several articles - all written to target your fear, nervousness or outrage - how do you think your anxiety level rises or lowers after reading through these headlines?

I do think it is important to be well-informed.  But I also acknowledge that the way we consume news has changed.  Because news is largely a for-profit enterprise, we have all kinds of news sources from the far left to the far right and everything in between vying for our attention (and advertising dollars which is tied to eyeballs or how many clicks a source may receive).  As you read headlines today, I would invite you to look at the tone and ask, "Is this prompting me to feel a certain way?"

What if as a Lenten discipline for today - to combat worry, you pledged to read a positive story for every negative one you consumed?  I'll even let you count this one as positive.  Just don't scroll through the headlines to find the good news!

Prayer for the day:

The right hand of the Lord preserve me always to old age!  The grace of Christ perpetually defend me from the enemy!  Direct, Lord, my heart into the way of peace.  Lord God, hasten to deliver me, make haste to help me, O Lord.  Amen.

Prayer by Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester, 10th Century

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

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Eight

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:1-18 (NRSVUE)

Alms, prayers and fasting were three spiritual disciplines common to religious practitioners in first century Judea.  Note that Jesus begins with a warning about our righteousness and then goes on to speak of giving alms (money to those in need).  We see righteousness defined again as how we care for those who may need help with some of the basic needs in life.

Giving charity in private not only takes away the puffing up of those doing the giving, but it also has the added benefit of providing dignity to the ones receiving it.

One in that day might argue that the trumpet is sounded so that all may come and receive.  But it also alerts everyone to your good deeds!  Instead of the ice cream man driving around in a tinkling truck, you've got the alms-giving man who is only out to help (as long as you see me do it)!

The prohibition on public prayer is not looking at corporate prayer in worship but rather more private devotional prayers.  The Lord's Prayer given as a format for Jesus' disciples begins with adoration before moving on to supplication.

Notice that the emphasis on daily bread harkens back to when God's people were wandering in the desert and fed by manna.  They were not to gather more than their needs for the day, trusting that God would supply them manna again tomorrow.  We'll see this emphasis on trust again later in the sermon.

We also see the emphasis on forgiveness being something we receive to the measure we give it.  Forgiveness becomes much more than vertical (me and you, God!) as it expands to the horizontal (me and you, neighbor!). 

The discipline of fasting is not to bloat a spiritual resumé for the community.

As we go through the Lenten season, this reading explores our motivation for pursuing spiritual disciplines.  It may be helpful for us to examine how much of our behavior is determined by a high moral or ethical standard and how much is influenced by how we will be perceived by our peers.  Of course, this is impossible to measure but maybe rich to consider.

It is good to recognize at least that most people want to be liked and well-thought-of!  But at the end of the day, according to Jesus, the driver for our action should be oriented more toward God than what we might get out of it.

Prayer for the day:

God, of your goodness, give me yourself,
for you are sufficient for me.
I may not ask for anything less
than what befits my full worship of you.
If I were to ask anything less, I should always be in want,
for in you alone do I have all.
Amen.

Prayer by Julian of Norwich, 14th century

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

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Seven

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:21-48 (NRSVUE)

This may be a true statement. How is Jesus
asking us to go beyond it?

As we continue with Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, we find that today's teaching seems to be about taking our relationships seriously.  In today's society, with increased polarization, the ending or cutting off of relationships seems to be trending.  

According to Bowen's Family Systems Theory, this is not a healthy response to relationship.  In the first century, people didn't have the mobility that we experience today.  So, maintaining healthy relationships was important for everyone involved because of proximity.

Jesus mentions reconciliation and states that we should be careful when angry with someone that we don't call them derogatory names.  I'm reflecting on how often "fool" or other derivatives enter my mind during the day.  My guess is that we could all do better here.

Prohibitions on adultery and divorce are also relational.  Of course, these came out of a patriarchal system where a man could divorce a woman, but the reverse was not a possibility.  The disallowance of divorce was a leveling of power between gender - it didn't make them equal, but it was a movement.

Jesus seems to ask for us to have integrity in our relationships (imagine that!) where we can be taken at our word.  He doesn't want us to bring God into the mix for our convincing arguments.  Jesus sees this as a misuse of God's name which is prohibited in the Ten!

Retaliation makes the whole world blind and toothless. Jesus recognizes that when there are power differentials such as between a Roman soldier and a Jewish citizen, one might get on top of the abuse by asserting one's freedom of choice to go beyond what was being asked.  Take the power back!

Finally, we are asked to love our enemies.  Jesus is not talking about love as a feeling as much as love as an action.  If we believe God loves them, can we remember that as we interact with them?  

As we reflect on the Beatitudes at the beginning of the sermon, adopting humility, mercy and peacemaking can move us a long way toward accomplishing all that Jesus lines out for us here.

In reviewing the different pieces of today's reading, which causes you the most heartburn?  Why do you think that is?  If someone were to be able to accomplish all that Jesus lines out here, that person would be strong indeed.  This person would have a sense of self - identity - that others could not take away with their words or actions.  They would practice healthy boundaries.  They would seek to make the world a better place just by being in it.  I pray for this strength for you today.

Prayer for the day:

You have called us, O God, to be your people.  You have loved us and chosen us for your own.  Clothe us with your compassion, your kindness, your humility, your gentleness and your patience.  Help us forgive one another as you have forgiven us.  And bind us all together in perfect unity of your love. Amen.

Prayer adapted from Colossians 3:12-14 (Good News Bible)

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

 

A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Six

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-20 (NRSVUE)

This is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount which goes through chapter seven.  Matthew provides this material of Jesus' teaching that isn't found in Mark (which Matthew is patterned after).  Luke has similar (but shorter) material in the Sermon on the Plain contained in 6:17-49. 

As we begin with the Beatitudes, we begin to see a teaching that varies from the common wisdom of the day.  

Common wisdom believed that God rewarded the faithful within this lifetime through easily identifiable blessings such as long-life, general good health, many children, and plenty of food and resources.  Accidents didn't just occur but were rather judgments on a person for something bad they had done.  

The Hebrew Bible has many verses from Proverbs and other places that seem to favor this view.  But it also contains other wisdom literature such as Ecclesiastes or Job as well as many of the prophets that challenge the simplicity of this theology.  Jesus seems to be shaped more by the latter than the former.

As Christians, we are called to a more complex faith.  We are called to humility and compassion through the Beatitudes.  And we understand that through the lens of Christ, we find the scriptures fulfilled.  

Which one is blessed?

We see the term righteousness used three times within today's reading.  As we remember from chapter one, the idea of being righteous would have referred to being a parent or advocate for the outsider or person in need.  To be righteous means that one doesn't observe a poor person and declare, "You must have done something awful to deserve this!  Who am I to go against God's judgment by helping you?"

This isn't meek, merciful or pure in heart.  

Rather, a righteous person would seek to help.  Evidently, Jesus observed scribes and Pharisees with the more simplistic theology because he says that our righteousness must exceed theirs.

To be blessed, we must hunger and thirst for things to be set right for all people.  We must be willing to endure persecution for it.  

Where do we see these values being exemplified today?  If they seem in short supply, how might we be called to live them out as an example of good news for the world?  Today, I would invite you to pick one of the Beatitudes and periodically pray on it that you might understand it for your life and reflect it in your actions.

Prayer for the day:

Vulnerable God,
you challenge the powers that rule this world
though the needy, the compassionate,
and those who are filled with longing.
Make us hunger and thirst to see right prevail,
and single-minded in seeking peace;
that we may see your face
and be satisfied in you,
through Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Prayer by Janet Morley, England, 20th Century

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