Trinity XXII- Matthew 18: 21-35

The Collect for the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity reads:

Lord, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This collect dates from at least the eighth century but may be older. It has basic themes that tie together the lessons. It views the Church as a household or extended family under the guidance and protection of God the heavenly Father. He is the source of all goodness and godliness who alone can help His human children to do good.

The Epistle is from Philippians 1:3-11. These are personal comments, wishes, and prayers from the Apostle Paul for the Philippian Christians. He anticipates that their continuing faithfulness will lead to good fruits and the praise of God.

The Gospel is from St. Matthew 18:21-35, an important discussion of forgiveness. The selection begins with a question from Peter about the limits of forgiveness. Our Lord replies indicating that forgiveness must not be viewed as a finite numbers game. He illustrates His point with the Parable of the Cruel or Unmerciful Servant. Christ concludes in Matthew 18:35 with a general statement about forgiving trespasses which reminds us of the petition in the Lord's Prayer.

Trinity XXI- Ephesians 6: 10-20; John 4:46-51

The Collect for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity is an ancient one, first recorded in the Gelasian Sacramentary (a Gallican-Roman rite from the eighth century or earlier). The themes are divine pardon and peace that lead to service.

The Epistle from Ephesians 6: 10-20 is a well-known passage that uses a description of Roman armor to bring out a number of references to the ways that God helps us in the struggles against evil in this world. The Apostle Paul exhorts his readers to be strong, not only for their own spiritual well-being and sanctification, but also in order to pray for him and the advance of the Christian message.

The Gospel from St. John 4:46-54 concerns a topic that is very common in the Scriptures- and very common among all human beings- healing. All people need physical healing from time to time, and even when physical health is good, there are other afflictions of mind and soul. Today’s reading about the nobleman and his son is one striking miraculous healing, but it is more. It is a sign of who Jesus is, and it is a spiritual encounter. The result is that a proud man and his household come to humble faith in Christ.

Trinity XX- The Wedding Feast- Matthew 22:1-14

The Gospel from Matthew 22:1-14 is one of several parables which compare the kingdom of heaven to a feast, in this case, a royal wedding feast. The king prepares the meal and invites the guests, but the invitees despise the invitation. Some simply ignore it while others attack and even kill the messengers sent to them. The king responds to such ingratitude and evil forcefully. He destroys the evildoers and seeks new guests for his feast. In the customs of that time, he even has appropriate garments provided for them. Yet, one guest still refuses to be grateful and to cooperate. He does not bother to dress appropriately, and he is cast out.

By repeating the gracious invitation of the king and the ungrateful responses of some guests, this parable stresses two points about the heavenly kingdom.  First,  the kingdom is based on the graciousness of the divine King. God always has the initiative. He invites people to His feast. He extends the offer of fellowship with Him. He provides all that is needed. Secondly, however, the invited guests are expected to respond in gratitude. People must accept the divine invitation and prepare in appropriate ways. The divine host provides all that is needed to join the celebration, but He will judge those who despise or reject His grace.

As Christians, we must keep both of these points in mind. We are dependent upon the graciousness of God. He invites us; He calls us. And He provides all that we need to enjoy His company. Nevertheless, He also expects appropriate responses from us. Refusing to accept His call and ignoring His gifts brings judgment and exclusion from His presence. 

Trinity XIX- Forgiveness- Matthew 9:1-8

This post is a revised version of a post first published on 10 October 2010.

The Gospel for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity (St. Matthew 9:1-8) is another in the recent readings about confrontations between Jesus and the religious leaders of His time. The friends of a paralyzed man bring him to Jesus to be healed. Our Lord sees their faith and heals the sick man. Instead of starting the easy way and simply telling the man to get up and walk, Christ tells the man that his sins are forgiven. Although Christ does not always view illness as caused by personal sin (see for example St. John 9:3), in this particular case, sin is an issue that has to be remedied. The religious scholars are scandalized because in their tradition only God can forgive sins. Even the Aaronic priesthood would not make such a direct declaration of forgiveness. 

His ability to pronounce forgiveness is precisely the point that Jesus wishes to make. The Messianic Son of Man is God's earthly representative, and He is also God incarnate. So He has the power to forgive sins. This is a new power at work in Christ's ministry. Christ brings the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness, and the risen Christ shares His power to declare forgiveness with His Apostles. They spread pardon by preaching the Gospel in word and deed, by Baptism, and by granting absolution. Through the Apostles, the whole Church witnesses, preaches, baptizes, and grants pardon through confession-absolution. From the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ till the end of the age, God's forgiveness is at work in the world in a powerful new way that cannot be found apart from Christ and His Church.

Trinity XVIII- The Great Commandments- Matthew 22: 34-46

The Gospel for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity is from St. Matthew 22:34-46. These verses contain what seem to be two very distinctive interactions between Jesus Christ and the Pharisees. Yet, upon closer consideration, one can easily see why these two encounters belong together. The question and answer about the Great Commandments show the common heritage between Pharisaic Judaism and Jesus and His followers. Loving the Lord God comes first, immediately followed by loving one's neighbor. That is a significant agreement. 

However, such a general agreement is only part of the story There are still very important differences between Jesus and other religious leaders. There are underlying questions about who God is and who the neighbor is. In the second part of today's Gospel, Jesus raises the question about the nature of God and His work by speaking of the Messiah or Christ. Jesus refers to Psalm 110 to suggest to the Pharisees that the Messiah shares the divine nature, and they are at a loss for words. He uses principles of interpretation that they accept, but they cannot affirm what He implies.

In fact, Jesus highlights the great difference between all humanistic religions and the true Christian understanding of faith. The key issue is about the unique person and nature of Jesus the Christ. In other words, is Jesus Christ the divine Son of God, the eternal Word incarnate? If one follows Christ, the answer is yes, and that answer changes the underlying meaning of the two Great Commandments. If Jesus is who He says He is throughout the Gospels, loving the Lord God also means loving Jesus Christ and following Him. In addition, Christian faith changes the meaning of loving the neighbor. It means loving all people created in God's image, especially those who believe in Jesus Christ.

So let us avoid bland modernistic interpretations of the two Great Commandments. They are not merely broad encouragements to be nice or respectable. The Gospel gives the Commandments a Christian context. They are meant to be applied in light of Jesus' teachings and in light of Jesus' unique identity as the Son of God.