Gospel for July 2, 2023

Every guest you receive, it’s like you’re welcoming Christ.
[St. Norbert College]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 10:40-42
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus concludes his missionary instructions to his disciples, as he prepares to send them out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6).

His closing words to them are words of encouragement as they go out into a world that will often be hostile and resistant.  He tells them that they are to be his representatives — when they are received with generosity and hospitality, he is being received:

He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.  Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward.

There is to be a “vicarious” nature to the ministry of the disciples.  They are emissaries, ambassadors for Jesus.  And even the offer of cold water will bring reward on those who offer it.

This is reinforced later in Paul’s ministry when he writes:

We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).

And Jesus reinforces this theme of “vicarious representation” when he tells a parable of the separation of the sheep and the goats:

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?  When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?  When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’  The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’ (Matthew 25:37-40).

The disciples are the representatives of Jesus as Jesus is the representative of God the Father.  They are the prophets and the righteous sent in his name.  And those who receive these ambassadors and offer them hospitality will be rewarded as though they had ministered to Jesus himself.

APPLY:  

Following Christ — really following Christ — can be very difficult.  Jesus warns his disciples:

 See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles… Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name (Matthew 10:16-18, 21-22).

But following Christ — really following Christ — is also filled with superabundant rewards.  Jesus says:

Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32).

Among the rewards Jesus offers is that those who represent him (who are the prophets and the righteous because of their relationship with him), will be a blessing to those who offer hospitality to them.  In fact, those who welcome Jesus’ disciples receive the same reward the disciples can expect!

We are not only to offer ministry in Jesus’ name; we are to welcome those who offer ministry in Jesus’ name as though they are Jesus himself — with the same generosity and hospitality with which we would welcome Jesus.

RESPOND: 

I have always been intrigued by the title “vicar.”   The vicar is usually a parish priest in the Anglican church, or a deputy or representative of a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church.  The Pope himself is known as the Vicar of Christ.

The etymology of the word vicar traces its roots back to the 14th century, as an Anglo-French word sharing the same root as vicarious.  Something vicarious is something that is done on behalf of someone else — as when we say that we are saved by the vicarious atonement of Christ.

But vicar also has to do with someone who acts as a deputy, or proxy, or representative of someone else.  In that sense a parish priest acts as a vicar on Christ’s behalf, offering Word, Sacrament and Service in his name.

And even more, all who claim the name of Jesus are to offer ministry as vicars on Jesus’ behalf.  And we are also to welcome those who seek to minister in his name as though they were Jesus himself.

What a culture of kindness and hospitality this would create in our local churches if this were consistently practiced!

Our Lord, you have offered your own life as a substitute for mine.  That is the first and most important vicarious substitution for which I am grateful. Thank you for the call to ministry, and the many ways in which your people have welcomed me as though they were welcoming you!  And may I also treat those who seek to preach your Word and share your sacraments and offer compassionate ministry in your name with the same honor and respect with which I would treat you.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"A Wing and a Prayer: Radical Hospitality" by stnorbert is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 25, 2023

This mosaic of Simon of Cyrene carrying the Cross of Christ is in Aberdeen’s Catholic Cathedral. It is by Gabriel Loire of Chartres.
[photo & description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 10:24-39
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The ministry of Jesus has reached a turning point.  He has been discipling the twelve through teaching and example, but now he has set them apart to go out into the mission field themselves:

He called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness (Matthew 10:1).

Jesus then began to teach them what they were to teach, to whom they were to go, what they were to take with them, etc.  In our current passage, he continues to prepare them for their mission — and he is warning them of the hardships that are to come.

He advises them that:

 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord.

They are deeply linked to Jesus as his followers. What this means is that they will face the same kind of name-calling from his adversaries that he faces; but they will also be protected by God in the same way he is protected:

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!  Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known.

To be called Beelzebul is a profound insult — especially for the Messiah, as we know Jesus to be!  Beelzebul is literally The Lord of the Flies, which is slang for the Devil.  In fact, just before Jesus set apart his disciples and began to prep them for their mission, the Pharisees denounced him:

 By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons (Matthew 9:34).

This is nothing less than blasphemy!  We note that the Pharisees weren’t questioning whether Jesus was a conduit for power — they were questioning the source of his power.

But Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid, because the truth will come out!   

What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.

And his assurance to them goes even deeper than the promise that the truth will be vindicated.  He makes it clear that there are spiritual forces at play here that are far more powerful than mere human authorities:

 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

The question we must ask here is, who is the one who can destroy both soul and body? Is he referring to Beelzebul, or is he referring to God?

Gehenna, historically, is the Valley of Hinnom (Ge Hinnom) which is a valley on the border of Jerusalem.  It had earned a reputation for infamy as the place where children had been sacrificed to the Canaanite god Molech in the days prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.  According to archaeologists, it had also become a kind of town dump even in Jesus’ time.  It was a place of filth, where the bodies of animals and criminals were burned. As a dump, fire and smoke rose from its heaps constantly.  Jesus is obviously speaking metaphorically — Gehenna must refer to Hell itself.  Therefore, it seems clear that he is warning them to be afraid of the one who presides over this place of filth — Satan.

Jesus is offering encouragement and inspiration to his followers:   

Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin?  Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will, but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

Jesus is assuring the disciples of their inestimable value to the Father.  He uses an interesting analogy, reasoning from small things to greater.  He speaks of sparrows, which are sold in the market at the rate of two for an assarion — according to notes this was a small bronze or copper coin with a Greek name that was in current use in the Roman empire.   It was one of the smallest denominations of coins, approximately equal to the wages for a half hour of farm labor.

And yet, Jesus says, these two sparrows, so cheap in the market, don’t escape the notice and will of the Father.  Therefore, the disciples need to be assured — they are made in the very image of God, and are of much greater value to him.  Jesus uses a very similar metaphor in his Sermon on the Mount when he teaches his disciples not to be anxious about anything:

See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they? (Matthew 6:26).

Jesus then makes a decisive application in regard to the loyalty of his disciples to him:

 Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven.

The good confession is a phrase that becomes extremely important in the early church.  To confess is to declare one’s faith in and allegiance to Jesus.  The public confession in the presence of witnesses becomes one of the key criteria necessary for inclusion in the church, along with faith:

If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

Likewise, Paul also writes:

 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12).

But the flip side is also very serious — cowardice and faithlessness in the face of opposition and persecution are not rewarded.  Jesus describes what happens when he is repudiated:

But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

After these assurances to his disciples, Jesus also adds warnings.  Some of what he says may be called “hard sayings:”

Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.

Those who have concluded that Jesus is weak and timid haven’t considered the whole Gospel record.  John the Baptist had prophesied:

 Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.  I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:10-12).

And Jesus seems to make reference to John the Baptist’s preaching a little later in the Gospel narrative:

From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12).

The truth is, Jesus is not always a unifying and peaceful figure.  He warns the disciples that people must make a choice, either for him or against him, and the consequences can even affect the most intimate family relations:

For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  A man’s foes will be those of his own household.  He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.

Note that Jesus doesn’t say that family members are not to love one another — what he does say here is that love for him must supersede even love for family!  This may be a reference to the prophet Micah, who wrote in the 8th century B.C. in Judah.  He was warning the people that their faithlessness and idolatry would be punished, and he denounces the apostasy of the people of Judah.  He declares that in these times there is only one sure thing that they can trust:

Don’t trust in a neighbor.
Don’t put confidence in a friend.
With the woman lying in your embrace,
be careful of the words of your mouth!
For the son dishonors the father,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to Yahweh.
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me (Micah 7:5-7).

Jesus seems to be saying something very similar to his disciples — that parents and in-laws and children may turn against them, but they are to love him.  He won’t fail them.

Finally, he forecasts the adversity and persecution that is to come:

He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me.  He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

This paradoxical statement can only be understood in the light of Jesus’ own mission.  This is the first time in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus has brought up the cross, but it won’t be the last (see Matthew 16:21; 17:12).  He becomes increasingly vocal about the death he himself is to die as they approach Jerusalem.

And he is telling the disciples that they must take up the cross, as he will tell them in more detail:

If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? (Matthew 16:24-26).

Following Jesus requires the ultimate sacrifice — giving up loyalty to family as one’s priority, and even giving up one’s own life.  And yet the reciprocal reward is disproportionately abundant.  The disciple who gives up his own right to himself not only finds life — he finds his true life.

And, for the purposes of balance, Jesus does offer immense rewards to those who follow him without reservation.  He says to the disciples, who are bewildered at the rich young man who declines to follow Jesus because he had great possessions (Matthew 19:16-22) that those who have left everything for him will receive far more than they have given up:

Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:28-29).

APPLY:  

Jesus is aware that his disciples are going to experience adversity as they enter into the mission field.  He is, we might say, offering them an immunization against darkness by warning them and preparing them ahead of time.  And yet he is also reminding them of their inestimable value to God.  Jesus is also strengthening their courage — but he reminds them that their confession of faith in him only really works if they commit themselves completely to him.  Half-measures and lip service won’t do.

These are stark words for many Western Christians where it is reasonably safe to follow Jesus.  Christians in Egypt, Syria, China, Indonesia, and many other lands have personal experience with the kinds of conditions that Jesus describes. They resonate deeply with the warnings and the promises Jesus makes.  They know from experience what it means to face name-calling and even death because of their faith.

But even for Christians in the safer west, where religious freedom is generally respected, there are key points here:

• We are to be as much like our teacher, Jesus, as we possibly can be.
• We are of incalculable value to God.
• We are to openly confess Jesus as our Lord, no matter the consequences.
• Our first loyalty, above all others, is to Christ.
• If we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus, we are to choose self sacrifice and self-denial over security and safety.

RESPOND: 

These are uncomfortable words for Western Christians. They are uncomfortable words for me.  I may console myself that some 37 years ago I entered into full-time Christian ministry, which meant that I went where my Bishop sent me — whether I liked it or not.  It sometimes meant having to make hard calls, and go into places and situations that have been uncomfortable and sometimes (though rarely) a little unsafe.

But I can’t say that I have really “suffered” as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Let me be clear — I don’t think that Jesus demands that we suffer.  What he asks is that we follow him and be willing to take up our cross and follow him.

On Memorial Day recently I thanked my brother for his service in the Navy during a time of war.  He reminded me that he never actually saw action in battle.  I said that wasn’t my point.  He was willing. When he took the oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, and received his commission in the U.S. Navy, he belonged to “Uncle Sam.” They could deploy him wherever they chose, and he was obliged to obey every lawful order.

In a sense, Christians must see themselves as soldiers, who have given up their right to themselves.  But the rewards, as Jesus tells us, are immense — relationship and life with him, forever!

Lord, following you does have a cost.  If we are truly committed to you, then other commitments dim in comparison.  And sometimes we are called upon to make sacrifices.  But if the trade-off is a relationship with the Lord of All Life, the sacrifice is worth it.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Carrying the Cross with Christ" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 18, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 9:35-10:8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus appears to have a very deliberate vision for his ministry.  His movements from the beginning of his ministry reveal careful planning:

• He inaugurates his ministry when he is baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan — and his divine credentials are certified by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father, affirming: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (see Matthew 3:16-17).
• He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. The description that he is led by the Spirit could easily be a covering description of all of his ministry from this point on.  And his ordeal in the wilderness prepares him for the challenges to come (see Matthew 4:1-11).
• He begins his preaching ministry in Galilee, and calls the first four disciples to leave their fishing nets and fish for people. He then begins a busy campaign throughout the towns and villages of Galilee, beginning in the synagogues — preaching, teaching and healing.  His initial message is simple and direct:
  Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (see Matthew 4:12-25).
• Drawn by his preaching, and especially the extraordinary reports of his ministry of healing and exorcism of demons, great crowds begin to be drawn to him. This provides the audience and the occasion for his first major teaching narrative in the Gospel of Matthew — The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7).
• In Matthew 8 and 9, we see Jesus engaged in particular miracles —cleansing a leper, healing a Roman centurion’s servant of paralysis (from a distance, no less!), healing Simon Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever.  He also calms a storm while he and the disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee in a fishing boat.  And he begins to clarify for those who wish to become his followers that there is a cost to discipleship.
• Tensions are also developing — when he casts a multitude of demons out of a hapless Gentile into a herd of pigs in the pagan district in the Gergesenes, the people beg him to leave, presumably because they are terrified (Matthew 8:28-34).  The Pharisees are beginning to question his authority with increasing criticism, and also question the company that he keeps with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:1-13).  Even John the Baptist’s followers question why he doesn’t fast like they do! (Matthew 9:14-17).
• All of these events culminate in several signature healings — the woman who has had an issue of blood for twelve years; Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter whom he raises from the dead; two blind men receive their sight; and a demon is cast out of a mute man, who then is able to speak. The Pharisees react to all of this with a damning accusation:
  By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons. (Matthew 9:18-34).

All of these events bring Jesus and his disciples to this moment in today’s Gospel lection:

Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus is active and busy with his ministry, and he is driven by his compassion.  He sees that he himself is the shepherd of these multitudes, but they are harassed by sickness, demons, and their sins, and they are scattered like a flock of sheep pursued by wolves or thieves.

It is time for the next phase of his ministry plan. First, he exhorts his own disciples to pray:

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.”

This is a powerful metaphor.  Jesus sees that there are multitudes who are in need of ministry (the plentiful harvest), but he will need reinforcements in order to reach them (the harvesters).

Second, he begins to answer his own command to pray for laborers:

 He called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.

We are introduced by name to the twelve who will form the nucleus of his new “Kingdom Movement.”  And he is giving them authority to do exactly what he has been doing. He is multiplying his ministry exponentially.

At this stage of their ministry, though, the disciples are restricted to working among the Jews.  He expressly says that they are not to go among the Gentiles or even enter their cities.  This is interesting because he himself has ministered to a Roman Gentile, and gone into the district of the Gergesenes.  Clearly, this is an interim step in their “internship.”  At the end, they will be told to go and make disciples of all nations — but not yet.

They are to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel for the time being.  This seems to be consistent with the step-by-step goals of Jesus.  He recognizes that he is the fulfillment of the Hebrew law and prophets (Matthew 5:17-20).  Israel was a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6) who were originally called to be a light to the Gentiles for the salvation of the earth (Isaiah 49:6).  Therefore, his first mission is to reform and renew Israel by calling them to repentance. Bear in mind that the disciples were all Jews sent to preach to their fellow Jews.

Finally, he tells them how they are to minister — by following his example:

As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons.

All of this is possible because of his grace.  As they have received forgiveness, healing, and hope from him, so they are to give:

Freely you received, so freely give.

APPLY:  

Perhaps the best place to begin with the application of this passage to our lives is with the last sentence of the Gospel lectionary reading:

Freely you received, so freely give.

This sentence is packed with both doctrine and practice.  We have received God’s grace as a free gift.  With that gift come forgiveness, wholeness, spiritual growth, spiritual gifts, the fruits of the Spirit, and — as the saying goes — “all this and heaven too!”

The most natural response when we receive God’s grace is in turn to share what we have received with others.  This is the sign of healthy disciples.

And we also receive in this passage guidance about how we are to follow the model of ministry provided by Jesus:

• First, we are to diagnose the need. Like the people of Jesus’ time, people of our time are also harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.
• Second, we are to pray for laborers who will help to bring in the plentiful harvest of people who desperately need hope and healing. And we must be aware that as we pray for those laborers we may become the answer to our own prayers, as God calls us to be laborers!
• Third, those who are called to be in ministry have a clear mandate from Jesus — to preach the Gospel that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Moreover, we are to demonstrate this Gospel through healing the sick, cleansing the lepers (those who are outcasts and pariahs), and casting out demons.

This is the message and the method that spread the Gospel from a provincial city in Roman-occupied Judea throughout the entire Roman Empire, and even beyond.  By 313 A.D. Christianity was recognized as a legal religion in the Roman Empire, and soon became the dominant religion in the Empire!  And adherents to Christianity now comprise one third of the entire global population.

RESPOND: 

I took part in an ongoing ministry colloquium some years ago. One of the requirements of the class was that we all had to write a “ministry plan” according to certain specifications.  I found myself a little unenthusiastic, to be honest.

For one thing, I thought we already had a “ministry plan!”  When I read Matthew 9:35-10:8, and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20, and Acts 1:8, and other passages from Scripture, I see the definite shape of a “ministry plan.”

A few years ago I developed a small group ministry in my church, based in part on the old Methodist Classmeetings. (My groups were called “ABCD Groups” because they were the “ABC’s” of discipleship — Accountability, Bible Study, Caring, Doing.  For more information, please click on this link: ABCD’s of Wesleyan Discipleship).

But in fact, I hoped that my model went back much farther than that, to the small group that we know as the “Twelve Disciples.”  Jesus gathered the twelve, and then spent time discipling them — teaching them by word and example how they were to preach and offer ministry in his name.  And then he sent them out to do just that!

And it is very important to remember that these fishermen and carpenters, and a tax collector, all had names and personalities:

Simon, who is called Peter; Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee; John, his brother; Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, who was also called Thaddaeus;  Simon the Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot.

Not to neglect the feminine followers of Jesus:

With him were the twelve, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; and Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others; who served them from their possessions (Luke 8:1-3).

Jesus had a small group ministry and a preaching and feeding and healing ministry with the multitudes.  That still seems to be a pretty good model of a “ministry plan” to me.

Lord, you call us to follow you as your disciples, and you teach us and form our faith, and then send us out.  May we continue to have your compassion for the sheep who are without a shepherd, and we do pray that you, the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into your harvest. Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Matthew 9:37" by Baptist Union of Great Britain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 28, 2020

Every guest you receive, it’s like you’re welcoming Christ.
[St. Norbert College]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 10:40-42
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus concludes his missionary instructions to his disciples, as he prepares to send them out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6).

His closing words to them are words of encouragement as they go out into a world that will often be hostile and resistant.  He tells them that they are to be his representatives — when they are received with generosity and hospitality, he is being received:

He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.  Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward.

There is to be a “vicarious” nature to the ministry of the disciples.  They are emissaries, ambassadors for Jesus.  And even the offer of cold water will bring reward on those who offer it.

This is reinforced later in Paul’s ministry when he writes:

We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).

And Jesus reinforces this theme of “vicarious representation” when he tells a parable of the separation of the sheep and the goats:

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?  When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?  When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’  The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’ (Matthew 25:37-40).

The disciples are the representatives of Jesus as Jesus is the representative of God the Father.  They are the prophets  and the righteous sent in his name.  And those who receive these ambassadors and offer them hospitality will be rewarded as though they had  ministered to Jesus himself.

APPLY:  

Following Christ — really following Christ — can be very difficult.  Jesus warns his disciples:

 See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles…. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;  and you will be hated by all because of my name (Matthew 10:16-18, 21-22).

But following Christ — really following Christ — is also filled with superabundant rewards.  Jesus says:

Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32).

Among the rewards Jesus offers is that those who represent him (who are the prophets and the righteous because of their relationship with him), will be a blessing to those who offer hospitality to them.  In fact, those who welcome Jesus’ disciples receive the same reward the disciples can expect!

We are not only to offer ministry in Jesus’ name; we are to welcome those who offer ministry in Jesus’ name as though they are Jesus himself — with the same generosity and hospitality with which we would welcome Jesus.

RESPOND: 

I have always been intrigued by the title “vicar.”   The vicar is usually a parish priest in the Anglican church, or a deputy or representative of a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church.  The Pope himself is known as the Vicar of Christ.

The etymology of the word vicar traces its roots back to the 14th century, as an Anglo-French word sharing the same root as vicarious.  Something vicarious is something that is done on behalf of someone else — as when we say that we are saved by the vicarious atonement of Christ.

But vicar also has to do with someone who acts as a deputy, or proxy, or representative of someone else.  In that sense a parish priest acts as a vicar on Christ’s behalf, offering Word, Sacrament and Service in his name.

And even more, all who claim the name of Jesus are to offer ministry as vicars on Jesus’ behalf.  And we are also to welcome those who seek to minister in his name as though they were Jesus himself.

What a culture of kindness and hospitality this would create in our local churches if this were consistently practiced!

Our Lord, you have offered your own life as a substitute for mine.  That is the first and most important vicarious substitution for which I am grateful. Thank you for the call to ministry, and the many ways in which your people have welcomed me as though they were welcoming you!  And may I also treat those who seek to preach your Word and share your sacraments and offer compassionate ministry in your name with the same honor and respect with which I would treat you.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"A Wing and a Prayer: Radical Hospitality" by stnorbert is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 21, 2020

This mosaic of Simon of Cyrene carrying the Cross of Christ is in Aberdeen’s Catholic Cathedral. It is by Gabriel Loire of Chartres.
[photo & description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 10:24-39
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The ministry of Jesus has reached a turning point.  He has been discipling the twelve through teaching and example, but now he has set them apart to go out into the mission field themselves:

He called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness (Matthew 10:1).

Jesus then began to teach them what they were to teach, to whom they were to go, what they were to take with them, etc.  In our current passage, he continues to prepare them for their mission — and he is warning them of the hardships that are to come.

He advises them that:

 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord.

They are deeply linked to Jesus as his followers. What this means is that they will face the same kind of name-calling from his adversaries that he faces; but they will also be protected by God in the same way he is protected:

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!  Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known.

To be called Beelzebul is a profound insult — especially for the Messiah, as we know Jesus to be!  Beelzebul is literally The Lord of the Flies, which is slang for the Devil.  In fact, just before Jesus set apart his disciples and began to prep them for their mission, the Pharisees denounced him:

 By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons (Matthew 9:34).

This is nothing less than blasphemy!  We note that the Pharisees weren’t questioning whether Jesus was a conduit for power — they were questioning the source of his power.

But Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid, because the truth will come out!   

What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.

And his assurance to them goes even deeper than the promise that the truth will be vindicated.  He makes it clear that there are spiritual forces at play here that are far more powerful than mere human authorities:

 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

The question we must ask here is, who is the one who can destroy both soul and body? Is he referring to Beelzebul, or is he referring to God?

Gehenna, historically, is the Valley of Hinnom (Ge Hinnom) which is a valley on the border of Jerusalem.  It had earned a reputation for infamy as the place where children had been sacrificed to the Canaanite god Molech in the days prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.  According to archaeologists, it had also become a kind of town dump even in Jesus’ time.  It was a place of filth, where the bodies of animals and criminals were burned. As a dump, fire and smoke rose from its heaps constantly.  Jesus is obviously speaking metaphorically — Gehenna must refer to Hell itself.  Therefore, it seems clear that he is warning them to be afraid of the one who presides over this place of filth — Satan.

Jesus is offering encouragement and inspiration to his followers:   

Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin?  Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will,  but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

Jesus is assuring the disciples of their inestimable value to the Father.  He uses an interesting analogy, reasoning from small things to greater.  He speaks of sparrows, which are sold in the market at the rate of two for an assarion — according to notes this was a small bronze or copper coin with a Greek name that was in current use in the Roman empire.   It was one of the smallest denominations of coins, approximately equal to the wages for a half hour of farm labor.

And yet, Jesus says, these two sparrows, so cheap in the market, don’t escape the notice and will of the Father.  Therefore, the disciples need to be assured — they are made in the very image of God, and are of much greater value to him.  Jesus uses a very similar metaphor in his Sermon on the Mount  when he teaches his disciples not to be anxious about anything:

See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they? (Matthew 6:26).

Jesus then makes a decisive application in regard to the loyalty of his disciples to him:

 Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven.

The good confession is a phrase that becomes extremely important in the early church.  To confess is to declare one’s faith in and allegiance to Jesus.  The public confession in the presence of witnesses becomes one of the key criteria necessary for inclusion in the church, along with faith:

If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

Likewise, Paul also writes:

 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12).

But the flip side is also very serious — cowardice and faithlessness in the face of opposition and persecution are not rewarded.  Jesus describes what happens when he is repudiated:

But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

After these assurances to his disciples, Jesus also adds warnings.  Some of what he says may be called  “hard sayings:”

Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.

Those who have concluded that Jesus is weak and timid haven’t considered the whole Gospel record.  John the Baptist had prophesied:

 Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.  I indeed baptize  you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:10-12).

And Jesus seems to make reference to John the Baptist’s preaching a little later in the Gospel narrative:

From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12).

The truth is, Jesus is not always a unifying and peaceful figure.  He warns the disciples that people must make a choice, either for him or against him, and the consequences can even affect the most intimate family relations:

For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  A man’s foes will be those of his own household.  He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.

Note that Jesus doesn’t say that family members are not to love one another — what he does say here is that love for him must supersede even love for family!  This may be a reference to the prophet Micah, who wrote in the 8th century B.C. in Judah.  He was warning the people that their faithlessness and idolatry would be punished, and he denounces the apostasy of the people of Judah.  He declares that in these times there is only one sure thing that they can trust:

Don’t trust in a neighbor.
Don’t put confidence in a friend.
With the woman lying in your embrace,
be careful of the words of your mouth!
For the son dishonors the father,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to Yahweh.
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me (Micah 7:5-7).

Jesus seems to be saying something very similar to his disciples — that parents and in-laws and children may turn against them, but they are to love him.  He won’t fail them.

Finally, he forecasts the adversity and persecution that is to come:

He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me.  He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

This paradoxical statement can only be understood in the light of Jesus’ own mission.  This is the first time in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus has brought up the cross, but it won’t be the last (see Matthew 16:21; 17:12).  He becomes increasingly vocal about the death he himself is to die as they approach Jerusalem.

And he is telling the disciples that they must take up the cross, as he will tell them in more detail:

If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? (Matthew 16:24-26).

Following Jesus requires the ultimate sacrifice — giving up loyalty to family as one’s priority, and even giving up one’s own life.  And yet the reciprocal reward is disproportionately abundant.  The disciple who gives up his own right to himself not only finds life — he finds his true life.

And, for the purposes of balance, Jesus does offer immense rewards to those who follow him without reservation.  He says to the disciples, who are bewildered at the rich young man who declines to follow Jesus because he had great possessions (Matthew 19:16-22) that those who have left everything for him will receive far more than they have given up:

Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:28-29).

APPLY:  

Jesus is aware that his disciples are going to experience adversity as they enter into the mission field.  He is, we might say, offering them an immunization against darkness by warning them and preparing them ahead of time.  And yet he is also reminding them of their inestimable value to God.  Jesus is also strengthening their courage  — but he reminds them that their confession of faith in him only really works if they commit themselves completely to him.  Half-measures and lip service won’t do.

These are stark words for many Western Christians where it is reasonably safe to follow Jesus.  Christians in Egypt, Syria, China, Indonesia, and many other lands have personal experience with the kinds of conditions that Jesus describes. They resonate deeply with the warnings and the promises Jesus makes.  They know from experience what it means to face name-calling and even death because of their faith.

But even for Christians in the safer west, where religious freedom is generally respected, there are key points here:

• We are to be as much like our teacher, Jesus, as we possibly can be.
• We are of incalculable value to God.
• We are to openly confess Jesus as our Lord, no matter the consequences.
• Our first loyalty, above all others, is to Christ.
• If we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus, we are to choose self sacrifice and self-denial over security and safety.

RESPOND: 

These are uncomfortable words for Western Christians. They are uncomfortable words for me.  I may console myself that some 37 years ago I entered into full-time Christian ministry, which meant that I went where my Bishop sent me — whether I liked it or not.  It sometimes meant having to make hard calls, and go into places and situations that have been uncomfortable and sometimes (though rarely) a little unsafe.

But I can’t say that I have really “suffered” as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Let me be clear — I don’t think that Jesus demands that we suffer.  What he asks is that we follow him and be willing to take up our cross and follow him.

On Memorial Day recently I thanked my brother for his service in the Navy during a time of war.  He reminded me that he never actually saw action in battle.  I said that wasn’t my point.  He was willing. When he took the oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, and received his commission in the U.S. Navy, he belonged to “Uncle Sam.” They could deploy him wherever they chose, and he was obliged to obey every lawful order.

In a sense, Christians must see themselves as soldiers, who have given up their right to themselves.  But the rewards, as Jesus tells us, are immense — relationship and life with him, forever!

Lord, following you does have a cost.  If we are truly committed to you, then other commitments dim in comparison.  And sometimes we are called upon to make sacrifices.  But if the trade-off is a relationship with the Lord of All Life, the sacrifice is worth it.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Carrying the Cross with Christ" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for July 2, 2017

Every guest you receive, it’s like you’re welcoming Christ.
[St. Norbert College]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Matthew 10:40-42

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus concludes his missionary instructions to his disciples, as he prepares to send them out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6).

His closing words to them are words of encouragement as they go out into a world that will often be hostile and resistant.  He tells them that they are to be his representatives — when they  are received with generosity and hospitality, he is being received:

He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.  Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward.

There is to be a “vicarious” nature to the ministry of the disciples.  They are emissaries, ambassadors for Jesus.  And even the offer of cold water will bring reward on those who offer it.

This is reinforced later in Paul’s ministry when he writes:

We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).

And Jesus reinforces this theme of “vicarious representation” when he tells a parable of the separation of the sheep and the goats:

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?  When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?  When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’  The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’ (Matthew 25:37-40).

The disciples are the representatives of Jesus as Jesus is the representative of God the Father.  They are the prophets  and the righteous sent in his name.  And those who receive these ambassadors and offer them hospitality will be rewarded as though they had  ministered to Jesus himself.

APPLY:  

Following Christ — really following Christ — can be very difficult.  Jesus warns his disciples:

 See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles…. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;  and you will be hated by all because of my name (Matthew 10:16-18, 21-22).

But following Christ — really following Christ, is also filled with superabundant rewards.  Jesus says:

Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32).

Among the rewards Jesus offers is that those who represent him (who are the prophets and the righteous because of their relationship with him), will be a blessing to those who offer hospitality to them.  In fact, those who welcome Jesus’ disciples receive the same reward the disciples can expect!

We are not only to offer ministry in Jesus’ name; we are to welcome those who offer ministry in Jesus’ name as though they are Jesus himself — with the same generosity and hospitality with which we would welcome Jesus.

RESPOND: 

I have always been intrigued by the title “vicar.”   The vicar is usually a parish priest in the Anglican church, or a deputy or representative of a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church.  The Pope himself is known as the Vicar of Christ.

The etymology of the word vicar traces its roots back to the 14th century, as an Anglo-French word sharing the same root as vicarious.  Something vicarious is something that is done on behalf of someone else — as when we say that we are saved by the vicarious atonement of Christ.

But vicar also has to do with someone who acts as a deputy, or proxy, or representative of someone else.  In that sense a parish priest acts as a vicar on Christ’s behalf, offering Word, Sacrament and Service in his name.

And even more, all who claim the name of Jesus are to offer ministry as vicars on Jesus’ behalf.  And we are also to welcome those who seek to minister in his name as though they were Jesus himself.

What a culture of kindness and hospitality this would create in our local churches if this were consistently practiced!

Our Lord, you have offered your own life as a substitute for mine.  That is the first and most important vicarious substitution for which I am grateful. Thank you for the call to ministry, and the many ways in which your people have welcomed me as though they were welcoming you!  And may I also treat those who seek to preach your Word and share your sacraments and offer compassionate ministry in your name with the same honor and respect with which I would treat you.  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"A Wing and a Prayer: Radical Hospitality" by stnorbert is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 25, 2017

This mosaic of Simon of Cyrene carrying the Cross of Christ is in Aberdeen’s Catholic Cathedral. It is by Gabriel Loire of Chartres.
[photo & description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Matthew 10:24-39

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The ministry of Jesus has reached a turning point.  He has been discipling the twelve through teaching and example, but now he has set them apart to go out into the mission field themselves:

He called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness (Matthew 10:1).

Jesus then began to teach them what they were to teach, to whom they were to go, what they were to take with them, etc.  In our current passage, he continues to prepare them for their mission — and he is warning them of the hardships that are to come.

He advises them that:

 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord.

They are deeply linked to Jesus as his followers. What this means is that they will face the same kind of name-calling from his adversaries that he faces; but they will also be protected by God in the same way he is protected:

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,  how much more those of his household!  Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known.

To be called Beelzebul is a profound insult — especially for the Messiah, as we know Jesus to be!  Beelzebul is literally The Lord of the Flies, which is slang for the Devil.  In fact, just before Jesus set apart his disciples and began to prep them for their mission, the Pharisees denounced him:

 By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons (Matthew 9:34).

This is nothing less than blasphemy!  We note that the Pharisees weren’t questioning whether Jesus was a conduit for power —they were questioning the source of his power.

But Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid, because the truth will come out!   

What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.

And his assurance to them goes even deeper than the promise that the truth will be vindicated.  He makes it clear that there are spiritual forces at play here that are far more powerful than mere human authorities:

 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

The question we must ask here is, who is the one who can destroy both soul and body? Is he referring to Beelzebul, or is he referring to God?

Gehenna, historically, is the Valley of Hinnom (Ge Hinnom) which is a valley on the border of Jerusalem.  It had earned a reputation for infamy as the place where children had been sacrificed to the Canaanite god Molech in the days prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.  According to archaeologists, it had also become a kind of town dump even in Jesus’ time.  It was a place of filth, where the bodies of animals and criminals were burned. As a dump, fire and smoke rose from its heaps constantly.  Jesus is obviously speaking metaphorically — Gehenna must refer to Hell itself.  Therefore, it seems clear that he is warning them to be afraid of the one who presides over this place of filth — Satan.

Jesus is offering encouragement and inspiration to his followers:   

Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin?  Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will,  but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

Jesus is assuring the disciples of their inestimable value to the Father.  He uses an interesting analogy, reasoning from small things to greater.  He speaks of sparrows, which are sold in the market at the rate of two for an assarion — according to notes this was a small bronze or copper coin with a Greek name that was in current use in the Roman empire.   It was one of the smallest denominations of coins, approximately equal to the wages for a half hour of farm labor.

And yet, Jesus says, these two sparrows, so cheap in the market, don’t escape the notice and will of the Father.  Therefore, the disciples need to be assured — they are made in the very image of God, and are of much greater value to him.  Jesus uses a very similar metaphor in his Sermon on the Mount  when he teaches his disciples not to be anxious about anything:

See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they? (Matthew 6:26).

Jesus then makes a decisive application in regard to the loyalty of his disciples to him:

 Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven.

The good confession is a phrase that becomes extremely important in the early church.  To confess is to declare one’s faith in and allegiance to Jesus.  The public confession in the presence of witnesses becomes one of the key criteria necessary for inclusion in the church, along with faith:

If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

Likewise, Paul also writes:

 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12).

But the flip side is also very serious — cowardice and faithlessness in the face of opposition and persecution are not rewarded.  Jesus describes what happens when he is repudiated:

But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

After these assurances to his disciples, Jesus also adds warnings.  Some of what he says may be called  “hard sayings:”

Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.

Those who have concluded that Jesus is weak and timid haven’t considered the whole Gospel record.  John the Baptist had prophesied:

 Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.  I indeed baptize  you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:10-12).

And Jesus seems to make reference to John the Baptist’s preaching a little later in the Gospel narrative:

From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12).

The truth is, Jesus is not always a unifying and peaceful figure.  He warns the disciples that people must make a choice, either for him or against him, and the consequences can even affect the most intimate family relations:

For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  A man’s foes will be those of his own household.  He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.

Note that Jesus doesn’t say that family members are not to love one another — what he does say here is that love for him must supersede even love for family!  This may be a reference to the prophet Micah, who wrote in the 8th century B.C. in Judah.  He was warning the people that their faithlessness and idolatry would be punished, and he denounces the apostasy of the people of Judah.  He declares that in these times there is only one sure thing that they can trust:

Don’t trust in a neighbor.
Don’t put confidence in a friend.
With the woman lying in your embrace,
be careful of the words of your mouth!
For the son dishonors the father,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to Yahweh.
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me (Micah 7:5-7).

Jesus seems to be saying something very similar to his disciples — that parents and in-laws and children may turn against them, but they are to love him.  He won’t fail them.

Finally, he forecasts the adversity and persecution that is to come:

He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me.  He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

This paradoxical statement can only be understood in the light of Jesus’ own mission.  This is the first time in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus has brought up the cross, but it won’t be the last (see Matthew 16:21; 17:12).  He becomes increasingly vocal about the death he himself is to die as they approach Jerusalem.

And he is telling the disciples that they must take up the cross, as he will tell them in more detail:

If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? (Matthew 16:24-26).

Following Jesus requires the ultimate sacrifice — giving up loyalty to family as one’s priority, and even giving up one’s own life.  And yet the reciprocal reward is disproportionately abundant.  The disciple who gives up his own right to himself not only finds life — he finds his true life.

And, for the purposes of balance, Jesus does offer immense rewards to those who follow him without reservation.  He says to the disciples, who are bewildered at the rich young man who declines to follow Jesus because he had great possessions (Matthew 19:16-22) that those who have left everything for him will receive far more than they have given up:

Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:28-29).

APPLY:  

Jesus is aware that his disciples are going to experience adversity as they enter into the mission field.  He is, we might say, offering them an immunization against darkness by warning them and preparing them ahead of time.  And yet he is also reminding them of their inestimable value to God.  Jesus is also strengthening their courage  — but he reminds them that their confession of faith in him only really works if they commit themselves completely to him.  Half measures and lip service won’t do.

These are stark words for many Western Christians where it is reasonably safe to follow Jesus.  Christians in Egypt, Syria, China, Indonesia, and many other lands have personal experience with the kinds of conditions that Jesus describes. They resonate deeply with the warnings and the promises Jesus makes.  They know from experience what it means to face name-calling and even death because of their faith.

But even for Christians in the safer west, where religious freedom is generally respected, there are key points here:

• We are to be as much like our teacher, Jesus, as we possibly can be.
• We are of incalculable value to God.
• We are to openly confess Jesus as our Lord, no matter the consequences.
• Our first loyalty, above all others, is to Christ.
• If we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus, we are to choose self sacrifice and self-denial over security and safety.

RESPOND: 

These are uncomfortable words for Western Christians. They are uncomfortable words for me.  I may console myself that some 37 years ago I entered into full-time Christian ministry, which meant that I went where my Bishop sent me — whether I liked it or not.  It sometimes meant having to make hard calls, and go into places and situations that have been uncomfortable and sometimes (though rarely) a little unsafe.

But I can’t say that I have really “suffered” as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Let me be clear — I don’t think that Jesus demands that we suffer.  What he asks is that we follow him and be willing to take up our cross and follow him.

On Memorial Day recently I thanked my brother for his service in the Navy during a time of war.  He reminded me that he never actually saw action in battle.  I said that wasn’t my point.  He was willing. When he took the oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, and received his commission in the U.S. Navy, he belonged to “Uncle Sam.” They could deploy him wherever they chose, and he was obliged to obey every lawful order.

In a sense, Christians must see themselves as soldiers, who have given up their right to themselves.  But the rewards, as Jesus tells us, are immense — relationship and life with him, forever!

Lord, following you does have a cost.  If we are truly committed to you, then other commitments dim in comparison.  And sometimes we are called upon to make sacrifices.  But if the trade-off is a relationship with the Lord of All Life, the sacrifice is worth it.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Carrying the Cross with Christ" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.