Matthew 26-28

I am putting three days in a row here – 8/7-10 as I will be away from my desk and computer during that span. We begin Ephesians on 8/13. I’ll write again then.

Matthew 26

We now move to the other events of Holy Week as Matthew reports them (remember Palm Sunday was in chapter 22). There are elements in the story that always get my attention. The plot to kill Jesus (26:1-5) reveals that the message and the person of Jesus have become personally dangerous for the religious leaders. These are the chief priests and the “elders of the people”. They want Jesus to be killed quietly so as to not cause a riot (a riot would have led to military intervention by the Romans and would have been even more trouble than Jesus was being). In verse 14 we see one of Jesus 12 chosen followers, Judas Iscariot sell Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver (the price of a common slave).

17-34 are the events of the so called “Last Supper”. Jesus transforms the Seder meal into a celebration of his death and resurrection. In the midst of the meal is the ongoing language of the betrayal (is it I, Lord?) and the prediction of Peter’s denial. I am reminded that even in the holiest of times we are still broken and flawed human beings.

In 36 we go to the garden and Jesus prays what has to be the perfect prayer. He clearly asks for what he wants but still submits to the Father’s will. I think that is the essence of prayer. Ask, be specific, for what you believe you want (how many of us actually know what we want?) but trust God’s providence and grace to provide. Jesus’ act of submission is one of the most profound moments in the entire New Testament. The crucifixion that follows can only follow because of his submission in the garden.

47 to the end report the early hours of Good Friday. Jesus is arrested (thanks to Judas) he is taken to the High Priest for a trial and Peter denies he even knows Jesus while waiting outside. The gospel does not present the disciples/apostles of Jesus in a very good light. We see them as authentic, broken, and occasionally clueless human beings trying to figure it all out.

Matthew 27

Now it is on to Good Friday. Jesus is taken to the Roman governor. This determines the kind of death Jesus is to die. Had he died at the hand of the Sanhedrin he would have been stoned to death. But, at this time in history, the Sanhedrin was forbidden to administer the death penalty (killing citizens was reserved for the mighty Roman Empire).

27:3-10 tells us that Judas may not have been the all evil bad guy we often paint him to be. His attempt to purchase Jesus back indicates remorse and a change of heart. Many speculate that Judas was not trying to get Jesus killed. Many speculate that Judas was trying to force Jesus hand; still believing after all the teaching to the contrary that Jesus kingdom was going to be set up by violence just like every other kingdom in the history of the world.

Matthew contains some details of the crucifixion that are not in the other gospels. The most interesting is in the posting of the guard at the tomb (62-66). In 65 Pilate says take a guard of soldiers and make the tomb as secure as you can. The Greek word for guard is “koustudia” which is a military term. A koustudia was a 16 man security force that fought as a unit as was trained to fill the gap should there be a breach in the shield wall on the field of battle. This is not sleepy Sam, part time security guard. This is a core of 16 Special Forces level trained men armed and fit for battle. When we get to the Resurrection account in 28 and the question is raised “what happened to the body?” No matter what solution we come up with we have to deal with these 16 soldiers outside the tomb.

Matthew 28

Resurrection day is recorded by Matthew as “resurrection with attitude.” My favorite verse in the entire Bible is verse 2:  “And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.” There is a sense of “Jesus is Risen” and I dare you to try and put him back. Remember the 16 member guard unit? They are so freaked by the angel that they play dead (vs. 4).

Angels must have been fearsome creatures. We have no clear picture of what they looked like. There are indications that they can appear in human form but whatever they are whenever they appear they have to say the same thing “Do not be afraid!” Whether it is to shepherd watching their flocks in Bethlehem or Mary and Mary coming to the tomb on the first day of the week, the presence of an angel is a scary thing.

The guard is bought off (11-15) and the Gospel according to Matthew concludes with the “Great Commission”. “All authority in heaven and on hearth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (28:19-20).” Notice that we are not commissioned to make church members, we are not commissioned to build churches, and we are not commissioned to do many of the things that Churches get hung up doing. We are commissioned to MAKE DISCIPLES. The Christian movement will not change the world: Christian Disciples will. A Disciple is a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ who knows their gifts and is using them in mission and ministry. When we make Discipleship the focus and goal of every Christian church the Kingdom of the Heavens will no longer have arrived in spirit but will have arrived in actuality. Disciples of Jesus Christ transform the world and carry out the mission and purpose that Jesus began.

Matthew 25

Matthew 25 has three parables that contain a similar lesson and warning. Simply put there will come a time when we will be held accountable for how we lived our lives and what we did with what what God gave us. The parables are:

The ten bridesmaids (1-13): the five wise ones brought extra oil for their lamps. The five foolish ones did not. In the wedding customs of the 1st century the arrival of the bridegroom was often a surprise. The guests were given some advance warning as to the week and approximate day but the hour was unknown. However, when the bridegroom arrived the wedding was held the the week long feast began. Wise and prudent wedding goers would be prepared for all contingencies. The admonition is to keep awake. Jesus is coming we need to be ready to receive him.

The parable of the talents (14-30) is a lesson in stewardship accountability. All of us have been gifted by God with the time, talents, treasures, relationships, testimonies, etc. that are in our lives. Stewardship reminds us that all that we have all that we are and all that we dream of being is a gift from God. In the parable, the five talent guy trades up and improves what he has been given -- and is commended and rewarded. The two talent guy trades up and improves what he has been given -- and is commended and rewarded. The one talent guy does not know the nature of his master -- he believes him to be harsh, hard and fear inducing -- and so, out of fear he hides what he has been given. He is punished. For you and I the lesson is simple: as a Christ follower the day will come when I will face my Lord and Master and be required to give an accounting of what I did with this life and the abundant resources that are in it. Did I use it all for myself or did I extend my Master's kingdom?

The Parable of the sheep and the goats (31-46) rings with the simple phrase: "whatever you did for the least of these you did it for me." What we choose to do for others in this life, Jesus takes personally. The face of the poor, the face of the down trodden, the face of the least, the lost, the lonely is the face of Christ. When I choose to serve others in this life Jesus takes that as service done to him. What have I done for the least of these: the hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, or imprisoned?

We would be wise to take notice and engage in ministry, use our talents and, as always, to be prepared for Christ's return.

Matthew 24

This chapter is often called the "little Apocalypse" in Matthew. The tricky part is that Jesus appears to be talking about two separate events. One in the near future. The other one is in the distant future. The near future prediction has to do with the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. This prediction begins with 24:1-2. Jesus then shifts to a discussion of the "end of the age" (24:3-8) which speaks of signs in the heavens, wars and rumors of wars and proceeds to speak of persecutions that will be a portend of the end. We then shift back to the destruction of Jerusalem (15-28). Here Jesus is describing the destruction of Jerusalem that happened in AD70. Galilean rebels revolted against Roman Rule in AD67 and actually took and held the city of Jerusalem and the fortresses at the Herodion and Masada. Rome sent General Titus to "pacify" the region and Titus and his army leveled the city of Jerusalem in AD 70 and proceeded to do the same to the Herodian and Masada by AD 73.

Verse 29 returns to the "end of the age" conversation with apocalyptic signs and wonders in the heaves and in the earth and the coming of the Son of Man in power with the sound of the trumpet. The chapter ends with some more general lessons about paying attention to what is going on around us (spiritually and culturally speaking) and the need to be on our guard. Verse 45 begins a parable about the faithful and unfaithful servant. The faithful one does his master's bidding and is ready when he returns. The unfaithful assume that when the master is delayed he is not coming and proceed to behave as if they were actually in charge. The end result is that wonderful biblical phrase: "weeping and gnashing of teeth (51)."

Matthew 23

This chapter is an extended denunciation of the religious leaders and practices of the 1st century. The Pharisees, according to this passage, were experts at practicing the externals of religion. Jesus accuses them of missing the point. In modern times if they were Christians they would be wearing large crosses and carrying big leather bibles (5). They would covet public recognition of their good religious character and would deeply enjoy being honored at events and gatherings (6). However, behind closed doors was another matter. They did not learn humility or servanthood. Their religious practices ended up making many people worse off than when they started (here I imagine the moral failure of some modern Christian leaders and the devastating impact this had on the members of their communities). They would be specialists in what people were allowed to do or not allowed to do. They might keep their business closed on Sundays for religious purposes but under pay their employees. The bottom line, for Jesus, was that though they may have looked great on the outside there had been no internal transformation: and that IS the point.

Christ followers are changed from the inside out. When we focus on legal matters and keeping the law we try to change from the outside in. In the long run this will never work. It is the change of heart that leads to the changed life. We also know that when the heart is changed it will lead to changed focus, changed attitude and changed practices. I begin to participate in the things that will continue the process of transforming my heart and life. But it works from the inside out -- hence Jesus speaking of dirty cups and white washed tombs (25/27). He summarizes "So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (28)." This chapter is a reminder of what we have been reading in Matthew from the beginning. The Kingdom of the Heavens is among us. Living into the new reality changes who we are and, therefore, profoundly changes what we do.

Matthew 22

The opposition to Jesus begins to intensify. Jesus continues to tell parables that indicate that the religious leaders have missed the point, or have lost their way, or are going to be replaced. The parable of the Wedding Feast (1-14) is another story to remind the religious leaders that they have missed the point and that the blind, the lame, the broken and the down and out are coming into the kingdom in droves.The challenges, in the best Rabbinical tradition comes in the form of questions.

Question about paying taxes (15-22): the Herodians and the Pharisees conspiring together is as odd as it could get. This is the Tea Party and the labor unions working on a joint project. The Herodians were collaborators and Roman supporters -- very politically motivated. The Pharisees were hyper religious and only engaged politically when it was deemed necessary for their survival. To have them collaborating to try to trick Jesus with this "paying taxes" question is odd indeed.

The resurrection question (23-33) is a lesson in absurdity from the Sadducees. The Sadducees were the priestly class in Jerusalem. They were ultra conservative and only kept to the first 5 books of the bible (the Torah). They did not believe in angels, the resurrection from the dead and other things. Their question, the one bride for seven brothers (I love verse 27 -- "last of all the woman died" -- I would think after grieving all 7 brothers she either died of grief or exhaustion) is manufactured and ludicrous. Jesus points out the absurdity of the question and tweaks them back.

The Great Commandment question (34-40) is a common question from Jesus time. If there are hundreds of commandments some of them must be more important than others. Jesus response was a common one for the time -- this is not ground breaking. The great commandment is the Shema -- love God with your heart, soul and mind. The second commandment: love your neighbor as yourself. This is biblical living 101. Everything proceeds from loving God first and our neighbor as ourselves. If we can stay focused on God first and doing what is best for others at all times . . . we will be living the life the Kingdom of the heavens came to bring!

Matthew 21

Matthew begins to bring the gospel to its culmination: the death and resurrection of Jesus. Each of the stories, parables and encounters for the next 5 chapters is moving us toward that conclusion. The journey begins with Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This Palm Sunday journey is a journey of a couple of miles. From the top of the Mount of Olives the entire city of Old Jerusalem is laid out at one's feet. From there, through the Kidron valley and into the Golden Gate is a half an hour's walk. It draws a crowd.

Jesus first act upon entering the city and the Temple mount is to clear the money changers and those who had turned the Temple Square into a market place. Churches have to be aware of doing anything that might make it appear that they are selling and or buying spiritual goods and services. The sellers of animals, the money changers, etc. are all making money off of the spiritual needs of the pilgrims who have come for worship. Remember that the worshipers need the animals and birds etc. to offer as a sacrifice for their guilt and for fellowship with God. The money changers are converting "secular currency" for "temple currency" -- at a significant profit, of course.

Jesus authority is questions (23-27) and in response to this he tells two parables: the parable of the two sons: who does the will of his Father: the one who says he will go and doesn't or the one says he won't go but actually does? The answer is the one who actually did what the Father wanted (regardless of what they said they were going to do!). The Hebrew Prophets hammered this point over and over again: don't serve God with you lips, serve God with your deeds!

The parable of the wicked tenets is clearly leveled at the religious leaders in Jerusalem. They are the tenants that have been given responsibility of the vineyard and are not being faithful. Hoarding and keeping the kingdom for themselves. Jesus is the coming King that will replace the old with something quite new. Needless to say, the Pharisees and the Scribes and chief priests are not happy (21:46) and begin to look for ways to have Jesus arrested. He is now a threat to their livelihood and their way of life.

Matthew 20

Continuing the theme that the values and expectations in the Kingdom of the Heavens will be different than the values of the world at large, Jesus addresses both fairness and leadership. The parable of the workers in the vineyard is a reminder to those who would say they have "earned something" because of their longevity in the vineyard that the only reason they work the vineyard and are compensated for the work is the grace and largesse of the vineyard owner. We who are Christ followers must avoid the very dangerous trap of assuming that because we have been Christ followers for a longer time than others that somehow this makes us "more important" or "holier" or somehow "closer to God" than other people. There is a conversation to be had about spiritual maturity which can only come with experience, but one hallmark of spiritual maturity would be humility and a willingness to make room for others. Being "closer to God" or "further away from God" is only from a human perspective. God is just as close to me as God is to every other human being on the planet. When I turn and begin to live into that closeness my perception changes and I become aware of what was already there.

The request of the Mother of James and John (20-28) is the subject of this Sunday's message at Christ Church, Amherst, New York. Leadership is not controlling others. Leadership is not "forcing my will and opinion on others". Leadership, from the Christian perspective, is not "lording it over others." Leadership is servanthood at its finest. That is to say, the leader's primary responsibility is the health and development of the group. This understanding, to say the least, is radically different from what is usually presented as leadership in our schools, workplaces, and government and, sadly, in our churches.