Matthew 22:34-46 When we need advice on important questions in life, we come to wise men. If I want to know to know how to do something related to the church, I’m most likely to pick up the phone and call Bp. Grote (REC). If you wanted to know to invest your money more wisely, you’d call a financial planner. But what if you had the opportunity to go to the wisest man who ever lived and ask Him the... Read more
Matthew 22:15-33 We Christians are amphibians: we dwell in two habitats. We are inhabitants of two universes at the same time. We live in the earthly realm and also the heavenly realm at the same time, and often there is tension between the two. Both of today’s stories deal with this tension, each in a separate way. Both reveal the wisdom that is necessary for a Christian to be both in this world and yet not of it. The first... Read more
Matthew 21:33-46 I’ve struggled today with what to write about the parable of the vinedressers, because Jesus’ point is about the rejection of the Stone which the builders rejected – and as Christians we have not rejected the chief cornerstone. And yet as I gaze more deeply into this parable I see a few things that remind me of my life here on earth. In the first place, I find that I am in a similar situation to that of... Read more
Matthew 21:17-32 “Son, go work today in my vineyard,” our Father says to us (verse 28). God has planted us in His garden, His Kingdom, and He has called each of you to go and work in His vineyard today. It’s a wonderful thing to be planted in God’s garden. It’s a place filled with every kind of fruit that is good to the eye and good to the tongue and good to the stomach. It’s a place of unparalleled... Read more
Matthew 21:1-16 In 1818, Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis was born into a world of dying women. The finest hospitals lost one out of six young mothers to the scourge of “childbed fever.” A doctor’s daily routine began in the dissecting room where he performed autopsies. From there he made his way to the hospital to examine expectant mothers without ever pausing to wash his hands. Dr. Semmelweis was the first man in history to associate such examinations with the resultant infection... Read more
Matthew 20:17-34 Have you ever wanted to be great? I think that’s been a dream of mine since I was little. One of my earliest ways of obtaining glory for myself was to become a great football player. As kids, we used to play at a strip of field at Kenwood Elementary School in Champaign, Illinois, only a block away from our house. I used to be very fast and quick (Mr. Outside), while my twin, Danny, was good at... Read more
Matthew 20:1-16 “That’s not fa-a-a-a-a-ai-rrrr!” That’s the traditional complaint of the child, isn’t it? As adults, we tell our children that life isn’t fair, expecting them to meekly accept this, while we secretly fret and fume about life not being fair in the adult world. At stake in today’s parable from Jesus is the fairness of God. The fairness of God is routinely assailed, even if sometimes in indirect ways. Some more directly shake the fist at God, exclaiming, “Why... Read more
Matthew 19:16-30 Questions are an important part of life. At their best, they demonstrate a vivacious curiosity and engagement with life. My twin brother Danny from an early age demonstrated a tenacious curiosity about things, a trait that has not abated as he and I approach the half-century mark. As a teacher, you realize that questions search out the heart. What does a student understand, and what is he thinking? Jesus was a master at asking deep, probing questions that... Read more
Matthew 19:1-15 Jesus’ teaching on divorce seems so hardcore to us modern, or post-modern, Christians. I mean in Mark’s Gospel He teaches that whoever divorces and remarries commits adultery, and here in Matthew He only adds the exception of sexual infidelity. This isn’t a very forgiving or generous attitude towards divorce, is it? I mean, what if my wife and I just happen to drift apart after a lot of years? What if we’re incompatible? What if I’ve had it... Read more
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Wednesday of Trinity 21 – Matthew 23:1-12
Matthew 23:1-12 Why does Jesus use such scalding words towards the scribes and Pharisees? His words are so caustic that I feel the sting of them 2000 years later – and they weren’t even aimed towards me! I think it’s because Jesus’ kingdom is a kingdom of love and humility (which are so closely related it’s difficult if impossible to separate them). But the scribes and Pharisees, as leaders who lead with pride and not humility, are opposed to His... Read more