October 27, 2023

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1.27)

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court...or… as I truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” (Matthew 5.25a, 26)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

So, today’s reflection is following up where I left off yesterday concerning the reconciliation of our debts (spiritual more so than physical.) I mentioned foreshadowing, the hint of what is to come. I will not say that Jesus had such an intent in mind when He taught this and other lessons in the “Sermon on the Mount(ainside).” But, I am considering it as a lens through which I can see the application of such a lesson and lessons as gospel “teaching moments.” Jesus generally spoke to the people at more than one level because there were many levels (culturally, maturity, intellectually and spiritually) of people in the crowds surrounding Jesus. What if He was presenting with a foreshadowing view into the future? What might that look like in this particular admonition concerning the resolution of ill-will or some kind of indebtedness to another?

As we read through the gospels, we will find several vignettes where Jesus makes a statement about tithing from the widow’s mite to the declaration of “My Father’s House is made for prayer for the nations but you have made it a den of thieves and robbers.” As we read these critical teachings by word and deed, we do hear a sharp condemnation of those who have been given the responsibility for the leadership of the Jewish nation. It is especially poignant as we consider that such directives are aimed first at the spiritual realm of our lives overarching any other aspect. If the heart and spirit are not in alignment with the Word and Will of God, then nothing else really matters in the long run. How sad that the leadership of the Temple in Israel’s day (recognize there was no king of Israel because it was under Roman rule) considered their personal “long range future” as more important than the righteousness of Israel and God’s people. They saw the people serving their own needs and fiscal welfare as a priority with religion and the pursuit of righteousness as the means to achieve their end. In the end, however, Jesus warned them that such thinking would bring about “the fall of the House” and in a great manner. What was that scripture exactly? It has been quoted time and again in various venues, particularly in houses of government. Ah yes, such as in Matthew 25 or Mark 3, “A house divided against itself shall be brought to desolation; every house or city divided against itself shall never stand.” Wow, put that against Jesus declaration, “I tell you not one stone of these buildings in all their greatness shall be left standing upon another on that day.” (Matthew 24) And there was such a division of the “house of God,” “the city of Jerusalem” and the people of God (Jew and Gentile alike.)

That “division” was made evident in the relationship which existed between Jesus and the disciples and Caiaphas (the High Priest) and his disciples. Nowhere more so than when the straw that would break Caiaphas’ back would have Jesus arrested and taken to court to stand trial for blasphemy. The background noise for Caiaphas was bound in his own words “better for one man to die (be offered as a sacrifice) than for a whole people to suffer (especially his people.)” (John 11) There was no going back at that point. There was no sense of reconciliation when the point of no return had been passed. Of course, for the Temple leadership aligned in agreement with or in fear of Caiaphas (and Rome) that point had been crossed long before the trial of Jesus. Jesus knew it and had been preparing His disciples for it and its consequences since the beginning of their ministry. Could it have been rooted here in the very Sermon on the Mount(ainside)? For the leadership, the opportunities were given to those who came out to hear what He was preaching and teaching. His message was not that much different than John the Baptizer’s “Repent and make yourselves right before God. Make a straight path, be baptized and prepare for the coming of the Lord, the Messiah of God.” What did they do instead? They returned to the Temple without question but filled with their tithes and offerings of fear, bitterness, personal angst and spiritual conflict. They made these offerings to Caiaphas with the hope of reward and blessing. Some believed but most doubted. And here is the interesting consequence. They paid for their lack of reconciliation by the destruction of the very Temple they thought to preserve. Their alliance, or dalliance, with Rome (as their forefathers had done with other nations) worked against the very fabric of the faith they were intended to have and to lead others by. The price of it was high. But, so then was the price which Jesus paid because He bore the true burden of the sins confessing Himself before God and not man (Caiaphas, Pilate, the Sanhedrin or the Pharisees). He would pay every last “cent” of what was owed to God on account of sin as if salvation could ever have been bought and paid for. The weight of such payment far exceeds anything this world could manifest in all of eternity. This is how great our sin is in and over our lives. We can ignore but it won’t go away. We can “self-improve” but there is not enough energy nor stamina. We can only trust in the Lord our God who in Christ Jesus satisfied the requirement of salvation which was simply “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength as well as to love your neighbor as you yourself have been loved by God.” And just when the Adversary (the true Adversary being Satan himself) believed the captivity was complete, the force of reconciliation brought hope to life, light in the darkness and joy out of mourning. God was satisfied by the faithfulness of just one “man.” Jesus was, is and will always be the one “one” who could fully accomplish the task of paying the debt in full while in “prison,” that is the grave. Now there was only the possibility of life and that being life eternal. The womb was empty, there was no turning back. Rebirth comes only in spirit and not in flesh. The cross was empty, there was no greater means to subjugate humanity. It failed to permanently silence life with death. The tomb was empty. Death had no lasting hold on any. And this we must come to terms with. Death is but a moment and that moment is a release. However, dying is much different because it seems as if it never ends. And for those who fail to reconcile their differences, dying is the only option on earth as it is in Hell. Now I call that foreshadowing!

PRAYER IN LIGHT OF GOD’S WORD:

Father, You have revealed to us best in Jesus the Christ. By Him and Him alone shall we gain the eternal life and our place in eternal rest, living for You always. Show us more and by Your Holy Spirit instruct us in the way we should go, the truth we should reveal and the life we shall live with you forever. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.