Jarring Time

Matthew 21:33-46

According to our gospel reading for today Jesus’ opponents were able to grasp the meaning of his words, but only to a certain extent. “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them” (Matthew 21:45). The problem was that while they understood that Jesus was talking about them, they were not able to grasp the validity of what he said. To them Jesus was a nuisance and not the Son of God. The chief priests and Pharisees considered themselves devout people of great faith, but they were so wrapped up in their own expectations that they missed the fact that God was standing (and speaking) right in front of them. What they needed was an attitude adjustment.

In the film version of John Grisham’s novel A Time To Kill, Jake, a young defense attorney, makes his closing argument to the jury. He begins by asking the twelve men and women to close their eyes and to imagine the scene he is describing: the brutal assault on a young black girl by two white men, the various horrific things they did to her, the fact that they ignored her pleas for mercy and how they left her for dead. “Can you see that?” Jake asks the jury. “Now, imagine that little girl is white.” The impact of Jake’s words is instantly apparent. The jarring change in perspective makes all the difference in how the jury members perceive the case at hand.

The chief priests and Pharisees might have been jarred into a change of perspective by Jesus’ parable, yet they were not receptive to what Jesus was saying. What about you and me? Are we receptive to God’s word in such a way that we can hear it and be moved by it? Are we willing to be corrected of our false assumptions, to at least entertain the notion that God’s will is other than what we may expect? It is so easy to condemn the chief priests and Pharisees for their hardheartedness, but unless we are open to God’s word we may miss the chance to be jarred into a change of perspective ourselves. During Advent, as we await the arrival of Jesus Christ, it is important to allow God to speak to us and then to really listen to what God is saying. Otherwise we may well miss the chance of a lifetime. We always have more to learn; but are we really willing to be taught?

Prayer: Lord, allow us to be moved by your word, and when we are reluctant to listen jar us from our complacency that we may live as your people, guided by your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho

Matthew 21:23-32

Jesus told a parable about two brothers. When asked by his father to work in the field the first brother said no, but later relented and went. The second brother agreed to the task but changed his mind and did not go. “Which of the brothers did the will of the father?” Jesus asked. “The first one,” his listeners answered (Matthew 21:28-31). In contemporary terms the point of the story seems to be “better late than never.”

What if the second brother changes his mind yet again? What if, after thinking about what he has done, he realizes he was wrong and finally goes to the field to work? Will he not have done the father’s will then? In telling the parable Jesus is giving his listeners the opportunity to finally get it right. And more to the point, in relating the story to us as readers, Matthew’s gospel is giving us a chance to amend our own behavior. There are consequences to our actions or inaction, but Jesus parable is a call for repentance just as John the Baptist called for repentance before him.

As we wind our way through Advent we will have many chances to accept or decline the will of God. But in the anticipation and hopefulness associated with this season of the church year we will also have many chances to recognize our failures and to repent of them. Look around. In the shelters and on the street corners, in troubled homes and among the lonely and distressed there is still work to be done. Now, as much as ever, our hands and hearts are needed in the field. Now is the time to say, “I go, sir,” and to mean it and to do it.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to live out your claim on our lives, that we may serve your will in all we do, now and always. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Adding It All Up

Mark 11:12-26

Our reading from the gospel today includes what is commonly referred to as “The Cleansing of the Temple.” This is one of a handful of accounts that appear in all four gospels in essentially the same form (Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-19, Luke 19:45-48, and John 2:13-17). Each tells the story of Jesus entering the temple in Jerusalem and driving out those who did business there, selling livestock or changing money. Quoting from the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, Jesus accuses these business people of changing the temple from a house of prayer into a haven for thieves. In short, worldly qualities and values had taken root within this most holy of places, where God’s presence alone was to be recognized.

Jesus’ response to the state of affairs in Jerusalem should not surprise us. As was often said of him, he was zealous for God’s will. But I wonder what Jesus might do were he to enter one of our congregations today. In fact, this is a question we all should struggle with. Financial concerns occupy a great deal of time for church leaders. Annual budgets, stewardship campaigns, endowments, investments, bequests, building loans, insurance policies, salaries, utilities and so forth are constant factors of church life. Have we turned our places of worship into erstwhile financial institutions? Well, frankly, we are probably more money conscious than we should be. Most spreadsheets leave little room for faith as a line item. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Giving, in and of itself, can and should be a form of spiritual discipline; a “get-to” not a “have-to” as it were. But it should not replace prayer, study, or active participation as our primary function.

In my opinion the congregations that worry the most about money are probably the ones in most danger of considering it to be essential for survival. Ultimately money should only be seen as a tool to do the work of the Lord, not as a reason for being. Financial well-being is important, but a Spirit-filled, Christ-centered group of people can accomplish great things with very little, as long as God is at work there.

Prayer: Lord, bless us with the tools we need in order to serve you most faithfully. And help us to use what we have wisely and generously. In Jesus’ name. Amen.