The
Rev. Joseph Peters-Mathews
St.
Joseph-St. John, Lakewood
1
October 2017
Proper
21, Pentecost+17
Matthew
21.23-32
In
today’s gospel text
we have two blurbs
about Jesus interacting with
Matthew’s
favorite foil: the Pharisees.
Whenever
Jesus
talks to and about the Pharisees
it’s important to take
it
with a little grain of salt.
Matthew
was pretty angry.
It
shows in his writing,
particularly when Jesus
condemns the pharisees.
The
first half of our text
is a challenge
to Jesus’ authority:
“By what authority are you doing these things,
and who gave you this authority?”
The
way the lectionary is set up
we’ve missed some pretty crucial
information.
What
are the things that Jesus is doing?
Why
are the Pharisees upset?
This
excerpt from Matthew’s gospel
happens at the peak of the narrative
drama.
Jesus
has returned to Jerusalem
and is on his way to the cross.
Just
before today’s text,
Jesus has
entered Jerusalem with a parade
mocking
the empire with whom the Pharisees are colluding;
turned over the tables of the money changers in
the temple;
healed the blind and lame in the temple;
and said that the Pharisees are the blind leading
the blind.
Now
he’s rolled up in to the temple
and started teaching.
I
can understand
why the Pharisees would say
“Who said you can do
this!?” or
“Just who do you think
you are?!”
And
Jesus?
Doesn’t indulge them.
Jesus
asks a question himself,
“When all those people
were following John the Baptizer
to the desert
was that from God or humanity
made?
When a voice came from heaven
saying I was the voice’s
son
with whom
the voice was well pleased,
to listen to
me
was that from God or
humanity made?”
The
Pharisees are stuck.
In
their positions of power and authority,
like most leadership positions,
they have to have a
pulse
on they vision
and those they lead’s expectations and hopes.
The
voice said to listen to Jesus.
If
they say it’s from God,
why aren’t they listening to Jesus?
If
they say it’s a deluded cult
the crowd that makes up that deluded
cult
will completely ignore the Pharisees
for guru Jesus.
They
take the calculated way out,
the way that too many leaders forget
is an option
and a better option than
faking it all the time.
They
say,
“We don’t know.”
Jesus
helps them out,
and not very politely.
He
says,
“Clearly this is from God
and if you make it
into the kingdom of heaven
expect the
people
you consider the worst sinners
ahead
of you in line.
They heard John,
repented,
and returned to being
faithful.
You heard John
and didn’t believe.
Even when you saw
people coming back to
the faith
you still didn’t
believe.”
That’s
a lot packed into nine verses!
From
a challenge
to a secret conference
to a story about children
who do and don’t work
as their father asks
to Jesus saying that the Pharisees
aren’t helping anyone.
As
followers of Jesus,
what are we supposed
to do with this text?
What’s
the Good News?
How
does it apply to us?
How
are our lives changed?
Right
now
I think our lives are changed
by answering the Pharisees’
question,
“By what authority
are you doing these things,
and who gave you this authority?”
To
answer those questions
we have to figure out “these
things.”
Last
week I talked about
discerning and sharing
how we’re tending the vineyard.
In
my notes to many of you
I mentioned
looking forward to learning
the way’s we’re serving Jesus together.
The
things, the works, we’re called to be doing
are rooted in our baptismal
promises:
continuing in the
apostle’s teachings,
in the prayers,
and in the breaking of the bread;
persevering in resisting
evil, and,
whenever we
fall into sin,
repenting
and returning to the Lord;
proclaiming by word and
example
the Good
News of God in Christ;
seeking and serving
Christ in all persons,
loving our
neighbors as ourselves;
striving for justice and
peace,
and
respecting the dignity of every human being.
The
actions that these promises lead to
change the world.
They
bring people to Jesus
and his love for all people.
The
break down systems of racism
and other ongoing powers of
oppression.
They
are a hope
for seeing Jesus’ return.
By
what authority do we do these things?
By
what authority do we change the world,
starting with St. Joseph-St. John
then on in to Lakewood?
That’s
rooted in our baptisms too:
We have the authority
of Jesus the Resurrected Christ
to whom we were joined in our baptisms.
We have the authority of the Church,
who when we were
baptized said,
“We receive
you into the household of God.
Confess the faith of Christ crucified,
proclaim his resurrection,
and share with us
in his eternal priesthood.”
We
have a busy time in the coming months,
with lots of ways to share in
Christ’s eternal priesthood.
All
Saints Sunday is a month away,
at which we’ll recommit to those baptismal
vows —
I invite you to meditate
on them in the coming days.
They’re
on page 305 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Our
pledge ingathering is in December,
and I trust you’re already
considering
how your financial gift
to St. Joseph-St. John
does help to
change the world.
Our
annual meeting and elections will be in January,
and invite you to continue in the
prayers
for this church,
for the people who will be elected,
and of discernment about whether you should run.
Confess
the faith of Christ crucified,
proclaim his resurrection,
and share in his eternal priesthood.
Change
the world
with the authority of Christ.
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