Lectionary Notebook Matthew 3:1-12

 Thoughts on the Gospel Reading
2nd Sunday of Advent, Year A
See TEXT below Matthew 3:1-12

Advent Week Two continues the somber themes of an aching wait for Christ, a wait marked by repentance, which is part of our genuine preparation. This was a note we sounded last week from Matthew 24.

Here we are introduced to a rather odd individual -- John the Baptizer. I say odd because of what he wore and what he ate, but to the people of his day he wore the attitude and approach of the prophet, a speaker for GOD. Apparently, John made his appearance suddenly, and began preaching this heavy message, proclaiming the necessity of preparation for the approaching Kingdom of GOD through repentance (a change of mind that leads to a change of action) and baptism (being dipped in water as an expression of GOD’s working in you).

Remarkably, people from all over the region came out to the deserted Jordan valley and heard the Prophet's message and repented and experienced baptism.

His message was simple and profound: “A voice cries out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”(from Isaiah 40:3)

More specifically:

To the people he said:
    1) You're sinners!
    2) Admit it!
    3) Be dunked in the Jordan as a way to be included in the new thing
        GOD is doing.

To the religious he said:
    1) You're like a barrel of snakes
    2) Judgment is coming -- "the axe is at the root" (and that means
         you're included)
    3) Don't presume you're OK just because you are religious
    4) Repent and show it by what you do and how you live

To both he said: The King is on his way. Get Ready!

Thoughts:

GOD HAS HIS SPEAKERS -- BUT NOT WHOM WE WOULD HAVE CHOSEN

The Baptizer is GOD's speaker; GOD's prophet sent to proclaim a “thus saith the LORD" moment to the people. This is actually a very profound and comforting truth, even though his message is genuinely harsh and confrontive. Profound in that GOD, who is under no obligation to touch our rebellious hearts at all, has chosen not to leave us as orphans but instead has chosen to share part of himself with us, which is also deeply comforting. (the most profound expression of this is found in the Christian doctrine of the incarnation)

Of course, we probably would not have chosen a Judaean wild man to speak for us. Which should serve to remind us that we look on the outward appearances (and this is profoundly true) but GOD looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) Said another way, we must be careful not to miss GOD's message because it comes to us in a strange package. Or, said still another way, coiffured hair and pancake make-up that looks gorgeous under klieg lights do make a prophet. Which means the fact that someone can afford television time does not necessarily make one a speaker for GOD; neither does having a blog.

GOD HAS HIS PEOPLE -- BUT NOT WHOM WE WOULD EXPECT

Here the people, hungry for a word from GOD and tired of the religion of the elites, surge to the Prophet and to the baptismal waters, where in a moment all who became wet stood then on equal ground. At the Jordan there were no religious officers or offices, only wet repentant sinners or dry unrepentant ones. All were offered the Kingdom; all were offered new life and a new way to live.

No doubt the religious mostly passed by this dunking, having too much to lose, and choosing instead to keep the status quo. But all else who hungered and who were willing to be humble and to submit to public admission of guilt and a very public dunking, were offered the Kingdom. And, unexpectedly, even those from the borderline of respectability were included in this Kingdom offer.

Perhaps a deeper way into this thought is simply to ask whom you would prevent from entering the Kingdom. If I am honest, I have my list and my categories, don't you? What must be driven home to the deepest place in our hearts is that, if we have learned anything about the Almighty (and I'm not sure we know as much a we think we do),  he offers the Kingdom to all -- to everyone -- and one must literally say no to this offer to miss it.

GOD HAS HIS KINGDOM -- BUT IT IS NOT HOW WE WOULD RULE

To be included in GOD's Kingdom, then (which is now here and also on the way), we must prepare. We must turn from the ways of the self-life and offer our allegiance and our future to the coming King, who is also already arrived. Profoundly, therefore, the Kingdom is something to be done, something specific, something difficult. To be part of the Kingdom -- to prepare to receive it -- we turn from our old ways and turn to the King and the King’s ways, proving this turning by bearing Kingdom acts on our back (take up your cross and follow me). That is, finally, the Kingdom is something to be done!

Listen to these three brief Pauline TEXTS that help flesh out this idea:

"Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:12-13 NRSV)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. (Eph. 2:8-10 NRSV)

"If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!" (Rom. 12:14-16 NLT)



Matthew 3:1-12
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths. 
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair 
and had a leather belt around his waist.
His food was locusts and wild honey.
At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
 
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves, 
‘We have Abraham as our father.’
For I tell you, 
God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.
Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit 
will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, 
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand.
He will clear his threshing floor 
and gather his wheat into his barn, 
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

A Very Few Thanksgiving Observations

Thanksgiving is the gateway to Advent and Advent offers countless events and meetings, the preparation of a new liturgical emphasis, the ending of the liturgical year (yet another one gone so quickly). Pressure. Which caused me to think about my people, and the harried lives they lead. For, unlike me and my woman, they have a life besides church. So that what is done here is done in addition to all the other "must do's" on their list. LORD, give them grace and strength.



It is raining today. Because of Thanksgiving our schools released their students early into the dark fall hues, wet and cold. They cover their heads and walk to their cars laughing as they go. LORD, what will be their world? When Christendom finally dies, will they ever hear the Gospel? Or will they only be subjected to some sort of civil religion? "When the Son of Man returns will he find faith on the earth?"


My People, LORD, Thy People, are hurting this day before Thanksgiving. Families are in trouble. Divorce looms. Cancer. Sutures are blood soaked and pain meds are needed. Families grieve the loss of children and parents and spouses. How can they be thankful? But they are, even through their tears. They are better Christians than I am.


John Henry Jowett said, “Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.”  Then, LORD, give me this day before Thanksgiving a grateful heart.

Lectionary Notebook Matthew 24:37-44

Thoughts on the Gospel Reading
1st Sunday of Advent, Year A
See TEXT below Matthew 24:37-44


This Sunday we begin the new church year, we do so by observing Advent. In Advent the church reminds us that we wait. If fact, if we get the correct cadence of Advent there is an ache inside of us, a deep longing for the presence of GOD that nothing else can fill.

We see the brokenness of the world, the violence, the hate, the greed; we see the poor, the cholera filled slums and the swollen bellies of children, and we have this continuous, dull pain that causes compassion and sadness to well up and flow out in prayer:

            O LORD Jesus, how long? How long?
            Ere we shout the glad song
            Christ returneth Hallelujah
            Hallelujah, Amen

But it is precisely here where the struggle for us occurs at the deepest level of our faith-lives. Many of us in the church in the West do not ache at all; we do not long for the Christ-present. Even in these difficult times things are still going too well for most of us and we do not need anything to restrict us or mess with our agendas.

Let's face it, we do not live like most of the world, we have material wealth and the power to structure our own lives, which silently makes Jesus' words here strain our desire and dilute our passion. We have so much invested in this present kingdom that it is unbelievably difficult to have any time or talent for the coming of the his Kingdom. This is called cultural captivity.

The words of the TEXT therefore are especially for us:

THE DAYS OF NOAH
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man."

The days of Noah were days of ordinary time; one day following the next, attention on the present, investment on the self. Then suddenly everything shifted and the world changed overnight. What was normal gave way to a new normal. I cannot read these words without thinking of both the Exodus and Mary's canticle in St. Luke's Gospel.

I call this the great repeal. Think of it, one moment you are the Pharaoh -- on top of the world, and in the next your economy is wrecked, your nation broken in mourning and your wealth is given away! It is startling to think about the repeal of greatness, which should bring us up short as it serves to remind us that no nation, no matter how wealthy, can forget the truth that we reap what we sow.

This, I think, is what Mary is proclaiming in her Magnificat, the broken, the poor, the anawim (the dispossessed) will one day be made whole:

"And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.'" (Luke 1:46-55)

ONE WILL BE TAKEN ONE WILL BE LEFT
The language of exclusion here is particularly difficult for our ears. Since we are sure we are OK (1 Cor.10:12), we also want everyone else to be included. But such is not the case. Not because GOD is not fair, but because he is immanently fair. He gives us the freedom to choose and allows us what we want. Which means to tell us that one is only left out should one chose to be, and some will choose this path.

But there is more here. We must take seriously the truth that it greatly matters what we do. Our behavior causes ripples that never cease, and our actions influence the world beyond our capability to know. This is the power behind Jesus' golden rule, the modern equivalent being: We should only act how we would wish the rest of the world to act.

SO, YOU TOO MUST BE PREPARED
In this world there are no guarantees; there are not promises other than the LORD's promised presence. So we must know that this day may be our last day; that this hour we may hear the end chime.

How do you prepare for this?

It is clear that we must be sure that all is right between GOD and us, we must prepare to meet our GOD. To be honest, I do not know much what this means, other than to proclaim the message of the King himself -- "Repent and believe."

Repent. This is a change of mind which leads to a change of action. That is, our behavior is to change and bend toward the Son of Man and his life and teachings and actions. It is not enough, then, to offer him our Sunday mornings and save the rest for ourselves. Somehow we must break the stranglehold of the cultural captivity and truly offer ourselves to the Jesus-way. Said differently, what Jesus offers us supremely is a new way to live.

Believe. This is the culmination of all we are, offered to the one for whom we wait -- the one we cannot wait to see -- knowing that in that day all will be made right, including the end of the self-life which so plagues us now. It is only by this freely offered life that we begin to discover that true life lies not in what we accumulate, but, strangely enough in what we give away.

Matthew 24:37-44
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left. 
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left. 
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. 
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”


True Thanksgiving

 

It is good that once a year our nation stops the wheels of commerce and says thank you to GOD for his bountiful blessings, for we are a blessed people. Now, I'm not naive enough to think that all Americans are thankful, but I believe many are, and maybe many more that we could imagine, especially during these difficult days.

And this is as it should be, for gratitude should come easy for us.

Last Sunday evening CBS's 60 Minutes ran a story about how now, on top of everything else, Haiti is facing a cholera epidemic (for more go here). To see the desperation facing these people, is to demand gratitude within ourselves. But, is gratitude enough? Is is enough to be thankful for all our blessings when the world around us shatters into oblivion? Perhaps our blessings are given so that we might share and serve the poor. Perhaps the poor can teach us the real lesson of gratitude. Perhaps we weren't meant to have a big party only for ourselves. Maybe we were to invite others. 

 

Matthew 25:34-40
34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

Lectionary Notebook Luke 23:35-43

Thoughts on the Gospel Reading
Christ The King
Luke 23:35-43 (see TEXT below)




On Sunday we celebrate Christ as King. This is the moment when the church reminds herself that our loyalty, ultimately, is to the living, risen Christ and not to earthly power and human glory, a very difficult lesson to keep in mind when the enormous social pressure from all sides is to offer our time and allegiance to this party or that important cause.

What is also most challenging is that the Gospel reading for today offers us our King, not on his celestial throne but on his cross of execution. This is the primary moment of trial and temptation, supremely for the man Jesus, but also for we who are his followers as well. For Jesus, the cup that earlier he prayed would pass him by is now passing his lips as he drinks fully the bitter, hateful, violent and resentful pain of the world. For us, the trial and temptation is similar. Will we die, too? Will we offer ourselves to the brokenness of the world as GOD'S image-bearers of peace and hope? Or will we instead live for ourselves and for our own? I think a good argument could be made that the church in the West has not done well here. (for more on this see a Douglas John Hall's work on the Theology of the Cross)

To open the TEXT we might ask how we would expect a king to act as he was being executed? What we find are the Gospel accounts offering little in the way of description. Mostly, the King is silent in the face of hate and ridicule. Which leads me to the thought that the Gospels want us to see that there is a dignity to Jesus, even in this moment of extremity. Jesus is composed and willing to let the force of evil hammer him. There is a beauty here that occasionally we find coming out of the frail human flesh under pressure, a beauty that brings a quietness to our spirit. We pause in silence and behold the man, our King.

Said another way, what we see from the cross is an inner endurance in Jesus, an endurance that offers direction for our own lives, such as a strength found in humility, and a strength of purpose and calling. Perhaps the endurance we see in Jesus, as he struggles fixed to a Roman cross, is the strength the church in the West needs to mourn the death of Christendom, and wait for the rebirth of the church.

Here are the lessons I see from this:

Doing GOD's will doesn't mean you always win; sometimes you die. Now, to be sure, resurrection for Jesus is mere days away, but that promise had little to do with the present moment, as he endured the taunts and the shame.

Doing GOD's will doesn't mean all will agree with you; sometimes you are alone. One wise sociologist once said, in a world of people it is very difficult to believe anything by oneself. Should you doubt the truth of this try it sometime. Try standing for something when all around you think truth lies in the other direction.

Doing GOD's will doesn't mean GOD has left you just because it is a struggle; sometimes the struggle is the goal. Remember this: in the midst of the struggle GOD will often offer small, subtle reminders that he is present. I wonder what the 2nd thief's conversation with Jesus meant to the King? Here, in the midst of all this grief and doubt, here as he hangs abandoned, here quietly a frail faith is expressed from the most unlikely source. I simply cannot imagine what this must have done for the man Jesus.

Luke 23:35-43

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said,
"He saved others, let him save himself
if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." 
Even the soldiers jeered at him. 
As they approached to offer him wine they called out,
"If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." 
Above him there was an inscription that read,
"This is the King of the Jews."
 

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,
"Are you not the Christ?
Save yourself and us." 
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,
"Have you no fear of God,
for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly,
for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes,
but this man has done nothing criminal."
Then he said,
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
He replied to him,
"Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise."

Asbury Revival, 1970

 In February, 1970, the Asbury Revival began. The video below offers an account of what happened. The speaker is Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, who at the time was the President of the college. Several of the students came to my church in Mooresville, Indiana in order to share their testimony. I am still affected by their visit even after so long a time.


 


asbury revival

DILWJ | Myspace Video

Lectionary Notebook Luke 21:5-19

Thoughts on the Gospel Reading
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Luke 21:5-19 (see TEXT below)


TODAY’S GOSPEL reading confronts us with the salient features of the sufferings people on the Jesus-way -- especially those of Jesus’ day -- would experience as they walked their way through the post-resurrection time.

Even so, it is difficult to discern the exact time to which Jesus is making reference. We do know that in 70 c.e. Titus the Roman Emperor sacked Jerusalem and subsequently destroyed the Temple. N.T. Wright tells us that Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of this magnificent Temple would be to his hearers like someone predicting the destruction of a national treasure like the White House or the Washington Monument to us.

Of course, these listeners were very interested in his words and wanted to know more. Who wouldn't? So those with him ask, when will this happen? and what will be the signs that the Temple’s destruction is near?

Jesus responds:
See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,’ and 'The time has come.’ Do not follow them When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky. Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name...

These statements are very pointed and had to be heard as quite unnerving.

Wars? Earthquakes? Persecutions?

Now we know that much of this prediction was fulfilled in the book of Acts, at least the persecution part because deep suffering came upon the church. In fact an avalanche of suffering occurred which went unabated for nearly 250 years (until Constantine in 306 c.e. declares himself a follower of Christ).

Wars? Earthquakes? Both those man-made disasters and those natural disasters seem always to be with us. The man-made evil seemingly more easily understood and explained than the natural evil which befalls us. Both are devastating, to be sure, but the Holocaust is in some sense understandable because people can be monstrously evil, and therefore immorality in the extreme reigned. But, take the 2004 Christmas Tsunami, when 227,898 died in seconds. The explanation for this becomes merely scientific and amoral, and in the end unsatisfying.

Ultimately, Jesus words seem strange to us. Such apocalyptic language can easily be off-putting, so grounded are we in the purely rational that any hint of predictions and future-tense-events can leave us cold. Here sophistication trumps naiveté and we often err on the side of how we look to others. Still, it is very difficult to read this TEXT without seeing in some sense the supernatural, spiritual movement of the prophetic office coming out of Jesus for his immediate hearers -- “This is what will happen in the future; be ready and do not be surprised.” Said in this way it makes sense that he would want to prepare them for what they would face after his death. Yet, even without the prophetic notions of the TEXT, his response to: When will the Temple fall? What will happen next?  And How should we respond? makes good reading for us as well.

Let me the offer three ideas:

FIRST: HISTORY IS GOING SOMEWHERE
This is clearly the point that is driving the narrative. It is as if Jesus is saying, “These acts of persecution and war and these natural disasters may seem random and mere flashes of grief, but don’t you believe it. My Father is at work.” What is important for us to remember, when it seems all anchors have let loose and we are being shaken apart from the moorings we have known, that the Father is still at work as well, even at this late date.

The message here is, we need not be afraid (“do not be terrified” reads the TEXT) for we know that there is an ultimate end and that the convulsions of the present do not mean things are out of control. Instead, they signal the birth-pangs of the new world, the world of the Kingdom of the Christ. Now, if taken seriously, this is a rather surprising way to live -- hope in the face of suffering and challenge. But, only a person of faith can consistently place this type of grid over the world, and without it the world becomes even more dark than it already is.

There is a danger here. Namely, that when by faith we see how GOD providentially uses the decisions of people (often people doing evil), and when we see the on-rush of these natural eruptions, we might choose to do nothing in the world to make it better, either waiting complacently for the end or fearing we will contradict GOD’S work (e.g. Camus’ The Plague). This is truly evil on our part, and it flies in the face of all the Christ offered in this calling we have received. Which, said another way, means we are to fight with all our being to offer justice and peace to a world awash in blood and gore, believing that this too is part of the coming of the new age of the King.

The spirit of this age, led by the forces of hate and destruction, are fighting tooth and nail to stop the Kingdom movement found in the Jesus-way. Above all, evil (not as entity but as a well-spring of hate and evil behavior) consumes what gives into it. If we surrender to the present evil age (either by choice or by inertia) -- with its hate and its meanness and its death-as-life -- we actually become part of the forces against the King and the Kingdom (no matter if we name him as ours our not), which means we too will ultimately be overcome and destroyed.

SECOND: CHRISTIANS ARE NOT ABOVE SUFFERING
This truth is axiomatic in the rest of the world, but here in the West it has been a long time since it hit us up close and personal. Of course, there are those here who attempt to signal to us that we are loosing our Christian freedoms everyday, but they do so from relative comfort, on $1000 dollar computers in homes or offices air conditioned and heated. Not so their brothers and sisters around the world.

Take, for example, the very recent massacre of Christians in a Baghdad church. These people were killed simply because they were followers of the Christ. The church was attacked during Sunday Mass and 52 were killed and over 70 were wounded. This is horrible; but it has always been so. The brutality of the world toward the followers of Christ is well documented. Our church calendars are papered with the remembrances of the Saints brutalized and butchered for the faith. (This is why abuse and persecution coming from Christians is especially heinous -- we should know better).

Here we must inform ourselves about the struggle or our brothers and sisters and then stand with them as they suffer. For most of us this will mean a daily prayer regimen that offers intercession. There are also other ways to become directly involved. I often refer to the Voice of the Martyrs as a help for direct action, but there are other places toward which to turn as well.


THIRD: SUFFERING OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY
Finally, Jesus reminds his hearers that suffering presents the hidden opportunity to offer testimony. The TEXT reads: Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.  It will lead to your giving testimony. (There are other good, biblical examples of this: Jesus before Pilate [John 18:33-38], Peter before the religious [Acts 4:1-12], and Paul before the religious [Acts 22:1-8]).

It must seem to the casual observer that concern about one’s testimony when one is being persecuted is absurd, but the person on the Jesus-way is no casual observer. Instead, the follower of the Christ signed on for this task, specifically. For, it was in our promise of allegiance to the living-risen Jesus that we offered everything we have and everything we are -- even our very lives. (“Deny yourself, Take up your cross, Follow thou me.”)

Said another way, to offer testimony while on trial follows the pattern of Christ, himself (Heb.12:2), who is the one toward which we are being daily conformed (Rom.8:28-30).



Luke 21:5-19
While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here--
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
 

Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" 
He answered,
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he,’ and 'The time has come.’
Do not follow them! 
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end." 
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
 

"Before all this happens, however,
they will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name. 
It will lead to your giving testimony. 
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. 
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death. 
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
 By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

Lectionary Notebook Luke 20:27-38

 Thoughts on the Gospel Reading
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Luke 20:27-38 (see TEXT below)



TODAY’S GOSPEL reading from the lectionary is a reminder of how certain religious leaders -- the Sadducees -- were constantly challenging Jesus’ teaching and authority, to the end that they might accuse Him and dismiss Him.

Since the Sadducees had no belief in the resurrection, this was their default area of argument. I get the sense that this “whose wife is she anyway” was no new line of attack. Instead, this was probably a tried and true conundrum that they had often used to silence those who believed in resurrection. What they had not counted upon, of course, was Jesus’ authoritative knowledge of the subject. That is, the fact they were speaking with one who knew what the entire afterlife was like put them at a special disadvantage.

You can almost hear the chuckle in Jesus’ voice, “Silly Sadducees, there’s no marriage then. For the resurrected things will be different; things will be made new then. And, of course, the reason Jesus speaks with such authority was his origin, and the fact that He Himself was about to walk that same road -- the first-fruits of many brothers and sisters (St. Paul).

But, there is something else here in the TEXT, a statement that somewhat troubles me, and one that actually connects powerfully with last week’s homily about Zacchaeus and how the Gospel changes the heart and behavior. Notice, the TEXT reads: Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.

Notice the phrase: those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age. The words, deemed worthy (which is actually one word in the Greek) trouble me. What could Jesus mean by deemed worthy? Who can be worthy of the Kingdom; who can measure-up to its entrance calling?

Well, of course, on the face of it we know we are not worthy of the Gospel. In fact, we instinctively recoil against this because we know ourselves to be sinners, plain and simple. So, we offer ourselves -- sin and all -- to the Christ, we offer our lives to the King & the Kingdom, and in so doing we receive the gift of GOD found in the work of Christ on the cross and the resurrection. But now we must also be deemed worthy of the Kingdom?

The word here translated deemed worthy is the Greek word -- καταξιόω, and in the best manuscripts it is used once in the Luke (here), once in Acts, (5:41) and once in 2 Thessalonians (1:5).

Let’s look for a moment at these other two TEXTS to help us understand what we are reading here...

Acts 5:33-42 -- The Trial of the Apostles
33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. 34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; 35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. 36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves : who was slain ; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered , and brought to nought. 37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished ; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed . 38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone : for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought : 39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. 40 And to him they agreed : and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go . 41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:1-6
1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It is written to the church in Thessalonica, you who belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 3 Dear brothers and sisters, we always thank God for you, as is right, for we are thankful that your faith is flourishing and you are all growing in love for each other. 4 We proudly tell God's other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. 5 But God will use this persecution to show his justice. For he will make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering, 6 and in his justice he will punish those who persecute you.

Notice, how both the Acts TEXT and the Thessalonian TEXT tie being worthy to Kingdom to suffering here and now....

Which reminded me of an additional passage from St. Luke’s Gospel:

Luke 14:25-33
25 Great crowds were following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters -- yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me. 28 "But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at you! 30 They would say, 'There's the person who started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!'

Here is the issue, then, it is the cost of pursuing the Gospel.  Notice, you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, so don't begin until you count the cost.

The point Jesus is making is that to follow him involves cost, sometimes great cost, and we are to recognize this upfront prior to our decision to follow. Here I think of those fellow-followers around the planet who suffer so much for the sake of the Gospel. (go here)

Perhaps the best way to grasp what is at stake is to think of what the Kingdom cost the King...

Philippians 2:5-11
5 Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. 7 He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. 8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This, then, must be our path as well!  This narrow way, this steep path is that for which we signed on to follow the living Christ. To stay faithful in the midst of struggles, this shows us worthy to the calling we have received to follow the Christ. To endure hardships as a good solider, this shows us worthy to the calling we have received to follow the Christ. To be ready to follow when it is convenient and when it is inconvenient, this shows us worthy to the calling we received to follow the Christ.

Finally, think of these two TEXTS:
2 Corinthians 11:22-28
22 They say they are Hebrews, do they? So am I. And they say they are Israelites? So am I. And they are descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 They say they serve Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in jail more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not. 27 I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of how the churches are getting along.

2 Timothy 4:1-8
1 And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus -- who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and follow strange myths. 5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you. 6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me -- the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.



TODAY'S TEXT:

Luke 20:27-38
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,
"Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother. 
Now there were seven brothers;
the first married a woman but died childless.
Then the second and the third married her,
and likewise all the seven died childless. 
Finally the woman also died. 
Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be?
For all seven had been married to her."
Jesus said to them,
"The children of this age marry and remarry;
but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead
neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die,
for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God
because they are the ones who will rise. 
That the dead will rise
even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,
when he called out 'Lord, '
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,
for to him all are alive."