15th Sunday of Matthew
Scripture: Mt. 22:35-46
Nutshell
Oops!
In Jesus’s day, the Sadducees and the Pharisees often engaged in power struggles with Jesus. They wielded their power to abuse people and assert themselves, and now, they were scarred because Jesus was challenging their power.
Ugh!
The Temple authorities abused their power by using God’s commands to burden the people. Like many of us, they were scared of losing the comforts they had amassed in life. Perhaps, more deeply, they were scared of rejection by their peers or those they wanted to impress.
Aha!
Christ exposes the Temple authorities by showing that the commandments of God aren’t orders meant to put us in line. Instead, they are “… invitations and promises to a new way of life in which, bit by bit, hatred and pride can be left behind, and love can become a reality.”
Whee!
By showing that the Law is about loving God and neighbor, Jesus opens up the possibility of forming lasting relationships. Instead of burdening us with guilt, the Law actually welcomes us to a fuller life.
Yeah!
Because Christ has opened up a new understanding of the Law, we don’t have to worry about status or power. Instead, we can invite our neighbor to sit down and eat with us. We can share what we have, knowing that we’re spreading the Kingdom.
Full Text
Oops!
This week, a new meme went around Facebook. It showed an image of a deacon, vested in gold vestments, piously lifting up his orarion while intoning a petition.
But, the real meat was the caption, which said, “If anyone misbehave, let the deacon be summed.”
This quote is attributed to St. John Chrysostom where he said it in his 24th Homily on Acts.
I, like a lot of Facebook folks, got a chuckle out of it. In fact, I sent it to Fr. Vincent thinking: maybe I should start calling him “my enforcer!”
But, then, I noticed a comment written by a friend from seminary. She’s now a presvytera. She wrote about a time when we were in seminary.
We had been invited to attend a special hierarchical liturgy in New York City. Afterwards, we went over to a beautiful mansion that was used for hosting guests. One room in the mansion was filled with an assortment of all sorts of foods—almost anything you could imagine. It was a feast set for a king.
This presvytera wrote,
“… we were in a basement hallway … when the Metropolitan [not of the Greek church] … marched past us. [We were] … shoved forcibly aside [by the deacons as the clergy entered] … we women and children were held back, and not ushered into a room where a fine spread of food was set up … [while] our seminarian husbands were allowed entry in that well guarded room to feast on shrimp, fish, cheeses, savory cakes; sipping vodka.”
While the meme seemed funny to me at first, after being reminded of this story by a friend, I now looked at it in a different light.
Sometimes, we all fall prey to power struggles. In this case, the deacons of this particular church thought it was their duty to assert their power to make sure their bishop ate first.
Ugh!
In Jesus’s day it was no different. The Sadducees (the Temple priests) and the Pharisees (religious leaders) often got into power struggles with Jesus. Like these deacons, they wielded their power to abuse people and control them.
Because Jesus challenged them, the religious authorities were scarred of him. They disliked him, and, so, they tested him with questions about the Law hoping to trap him and show him to be fraud. And, as we know, in the end, they sought to have him killed.
But, why were the religious leaders so abusive? What was their motivation?
In some sense, they feared the people uprising against them. These leaders had cozied up to Roman power, and many people didn’t like that. The people wanted to be free of Roman oppression, and would overthrow their own religious authorities if it came to that.
But, for these authorities, cozying up to Roman power meant a good life: access to food, luxury, and security.
So, why did the religious authorities burden the people? Well, to assert their position. They were scared of losing the comforts they had amassed in life.
We still see this same power dynamic today. The more we accumulate, the more we’re willing to fight to protect what we’ve accumulated. The more we get, the more possessive we become; the more scarred we become of losing what we’ve amassed … even though we may have been quite content earlier in life when we had very little.
Aha!
But, today, Christ exposes the Temple authorities. He shows us that the commandments of God aren’t orders we can use to protect our stuff. They aren’t regulations we can use against others. They aren’t statutes for husbands to keep their wives in line, or for parents to use against their children.
Instead, they are, as N.T. Wright once wrote,
“… invitations and promises to a new way of life in which, bit by bit, hatred and pride can be left behind, and love can become a reality.”
Whee!
By showing that the Law is about loving God and neighbor, Jesus opens up the possibility of forming lasting relationships.
Think about what Christ says today,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
When someone treats you well, when they do something nice for you, or when they welcome you with a smile, how does it make you feel?
It makes you feel good.
Now, let me ask: are you more likely to treat them well in return? Are you more likely to do them a favor if they ask for one? Are you more likely to help them when needed?
Of course you are!
The Law wasn’t meant to be something to use against people, but something to be used for people … that is, it’s meant to build people up, form relationships, and create community.
Just look around. We can see how the Law of Christ has formed this community. I know this community has been a blessing for me. You’ve all supported me as I struggled with my voice, but even more, you’ve encouraged me. You’ve let me know that I can and will get better.
You see, instead of burdening us with guilt, the Law actually welcomes us to a fuller life.
Yeah!
Because Christ has opened up a new understanding of the Law, we don’t have to worry about status, or power, or possession.
Instead, we can invite our neighbor to sit down and eat with us. We don’t have to be like those deacons I mentioned earlier, the ones who felt they had to “protect the food” so that only the “worthy” could eat.
No! Instead, by living by the Law of love, we gain so much more. After all, having a friend—a brother or sister in Christ—is so much more fulfilling than one meal can ever be.
But, the best part is that as we build relationships, we build community. And, as we build community, we build God’s Kingdom. And, as we build God’s Kingdom, we have Christ in our midst.
May Christ continue to bless every relationship we build in our lives.
Amen!