May 17, 2026 Hypocrites Matthew 23

The footnotes of my study Bible call Matthew 23, “A vitriolic attack on the leaders of Israel.” Indeed, it is a relentless condemnation of the religious leaders. Let’s remember the context as we’ve been reading these last few Sundays. Jesus is in Jerusalem during Holy Week. He came into Jerusalem on a donkey then caused a ruckus in the temple complex. That lead to the religious leaders challenging Jesus for what he was doing. Jesus fired back with three parables about the failings of the leaders. They in turn set up a series of tests and traps against Jesus. He outmaneuvered them every time. The tension keeps building. If a family therapist were to look at the whole situation they’d say all parties need to calm down, take a step back, breathe a little, and then resume in what would hopefully be a constructive way.

But that’s not what happened. This is one of those cases where there was no way the two sides could see eye to eye. So we roll into chapter 23 and Jesus turns the heat up even more. Of course, all of this escalates until the religious leaders capture him a couple days later and it quickly leads to his execution. So from a family systems and safety standpoint, we’d suggest Jesus should take a softer course of action. But there are times when a softer course of action is simply neither right nor possible.

We need to be careful with this text, however, for it is very easy to misapply it. Historically it has often been misapplied by Christians to target Jews. All sorts of horrors have happened. But it is not just Christian Jewish issues where it can be misapplied. It can be misapplied everywhere we put ourselves on the side of Jesus and then put those we don’t like as against the side of Jesus.

I’ll spare you my many intellectual wanderings as I prepared this sermon, but I will note this. I found that I could put myself into the shoes of a stereotypical conservative and use that world view. I found plenty of evidence that would allow me to see myself as right and liberals as wrong; and then lash out at them with venom and righteous anger… “Woe to you liberals and Democrats…”

I found that I could also put myself into the shoes of a stereotypical liberal and use that world view. I found plenty of evidence that would allow me to see myself as right and conservatives as wrong; and then lash out at them with venom and righteous anger… “Woe to you conservatives and Republicans…”

I could do the same thing with urban and rural perspectives, with blue-collar and white-collar perspectives, with various faith perspectives, and on and on. Perhaps what is most disturbing is that I can also do it with the social statements and many policy perspectives of our own church denomination. Much of what comes out from the synod and national church feels more like virtue-signaling and moral posturing than solid theology. Let’s use that sad truth as a stepping stone towards what Jesus is really getting at.

We humans are social creatures. We live in groups and create societies. It is much easier to live in a group with many people using their individual skills and dividing the labor. A person who lives all alone lives a dangerous and difficult life. It therefore follows that we value belonging to a group. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. But it becomes a problem whenever fitting in takes a higher priority than the truth. That is what happens to religions, philosophies, political parties, and all social groups. That is what Jesus is attacking in our gospel reading.

Several times in our gospel reading Jesus calls the scribes and Pharisees, “hypocrites.” We understand this word to mean someone who says one thing but does another. But the word hypocrite comes from the Greek word for an actor on stage. An actor was a hypocrite because he or she would wear a mask presenting themselves as one person, when in truth they were someone else. Jesus is saying that the scribes and Pharisees are like actors on the stage of society. They presented themselves as one way when they were really otherwise.

Remember, our gospel reading comes after extended conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders. He has been seeing their practices and priorities. He has seen that they use the religious laws to support their own social status and advancement. They are not using the religious laws as if they are welling up from their hearts.

That is two distinctions we have to keep in mind whenever we read these things from Jesus. One, Jesus does not condemn Judaism per se. That is a mistake Christians make often – as if God rejected the Jews because of some fundamental flaws or corruptions in their belief systems. Notice that Jesus even said of the scribes and Pharisees in our gospel reading, “…do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”

That takes us to the second thing. Jesus leaves the religious laws intact. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.” That should cause us to realize that those old Jewish religious laws do have good purpose and intent behind them. The question is what use do you put them toward? Have the religious leaders been putting them towards the purposes of creating faith and building relationship with God, or have they been putting them to use for their own purposes.

I mentioned a couple minutes ago that many things from our own church denomination look more like moral posturing and virtue signaling than actual theology. My critique is that certain teachings of Jesus are picked out to suit a purpose and others are overlooked or dismissed because they do not serve that purpose.

I also said a few minutes ago that the same goes for all religions, businesses, social groups, political parties, and just about every gathering. That is not to condemn all such things, for they are necessary. But Jesus’ teachings make us aware of them so that we can be ready for them.

Here's a clue from Jesus what Jesus said that we should take to heart. You’ll remember we read this from verses 6-12, “They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father – the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor – the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Do not hear these words and imagine pompous, stuck-up people strutting around with their noses in the air. Indeed, there are such people. But instead, be conscious of those motives within yourself that cause you to act because you want to fit in. How many things do you post on social media in order to bolster your position before others, or to show to which side you belong? How often do you relish a mistake on the side of those who oppose you, and similarly create defenses when your own side does something wrong?

It is worth considering just how much of our motives are driven by appearances before others. Our jobs, homes, clothes, degrees and education all communicate to the world where we fit in. They buy us social authority. With that authority comes value and security. But these are all incorrect motives. Jesus says that he is the one Teacher. We are all students.

We belong to God. God is our one Father. We are therefore all members of God’s household. And God’s household does not care one bit about our human efforts at rank and praise. All our efforts at superiority, or rightness, or the moral high ground are misguided.

The humility Jesus speaks of is simply knowing that God is your Father and that Jesus is your Teacher. That trust gives us different human priorities. Then, instead of being hypocrites who use our faith for social place and rank, which is what Jesus was so critical of, we turn our efforts authentically to the work of God. Maybe people will like us for it. Maybe they won’t. Either way, it is not hypocrisy to have your life driven by living out the love of God.

May 10, 2026 Challengers to Jesus Matthew 22:15-46

Last Sunday we heard three parables from Jesus that challenged the religious authorities of his day. We remember that Jesus gave them in the temple compound during what we call Holy Week. Not surprisingly, the religious leaders were not happy about it. Today we read responses from several groups posing challenges to Jesus in return.

We’ve looked at these things in the past. There were a number of sects or divisions within Judaism at the time. Prominent among them, and those who appear in our gospel reading today, were:

-The Herodians; those who supported the leadership of the Herod family.

-Also, the Sadducees; who centered Jewish faith on Jerusalem and the temple system. The Sadducees felt that scripture was limited to the Torah, or the books that came from Moses.

-Perhaps in contrast to the Sadducees were the Pharisees. While the Pharisees did accept the centrality of the temple, they were the ones who had synagogues throughout the Roman empire. Teaching was of great importance to them. For them scripture was not just the Torah but the entirety of what call the Old Testament.

-Then in the midst of (and throughout all) of these groups were scribes, lawyers, and other leaders.

Each of these groups sought to undermine Jesus’ authority. They each did so from their own perspective, using their own tactics. Jesus, as we know, mastered them all. We’ve looked at all this in the past when we’ve read these texts. Today, however, I want to take a different approach. Even though these groups and issues are from almost 2000 years ago, we still find that many different groups want to undermine Jesus’ authority or discredit him.

You see, people don’t like Jesus; even today. Oh, most people wouldn’t say that outright. They may say that they like Jesus but they don’t like the religion of Christianity. They say that he was a great spiritual inspirer or maybe a moral teacher, but the religion that grew out of his teachings went wrong. In truth, people who say these things have never really read what Jesus actually taught and what he actually did. Somehow teachings like, “Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” And, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” And also, “Take up your cross and follow me,” all get forgotten.

So lets look at some perspectives today that seek to discredit Jesus. Perhaps the easiest is science, or perhaps I should call it pseudo-science. For true science can neither prove nor disprove God or the reality of Jesus.

For example, people like Carl Sagan, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and even ‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ all have popular writings and videos that use science to disprove the existence of God. Their arguments can be very compelling. Books like The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins make it seem like anyone who believes in God is hopelessly deluded and laughably ignorant. Yet what people like Sagan, Dennett, Dawkins do is take select scientific discoveries and connect them in a philosophical way in order to reach the conclusions that suit their agenda. It’s done so seamlessly that you don’t even realize you’ve left science. None of this is new. What they have done is repackaged late nineteenth century scientific atheism. Their thoughts are actually old ideas being retreaded. Nevertheless, chalk them up as people who want to discredit Jesus. The truth is, as I said a few minutes ago, impossible to either prove nor disprove God’s existence through science. Good science recognizes that and many scientists are people of deep faith.

Another group that seeks to discredit Jesus is some branches of psychology. I’ve heard of psychologists who’ve written assessments of Christians calling them delusional for believing there is a Being who created them. Similarly, in the world of psychology it is common to say that faith is a crutch of the emotionally weak. Or that a person’s ideas of God are a projection of their own father onto an imagined super-being. I find myself replying that if there is no God and that it is up to you to find your purpose and meaning, then you’ve made life into a taxing ordeal that will leave you hopeless and dead. But, people don’t want to accept what Jesus actually said.

Then there is a group that likes to say that Jesus simply a great moral teacher. Lessons of justice, kindness, and fairness were all given by Jesus; and he is no more nor no less than any other historical moral teacher. These people also say that you don’t need religion at all to have good morals. This point of view is both right and wrong. Jesus was not a moral teacher; although his teachings have moral implications. Jesus is the Son of God who came to reveal God’s ultimate nature – and the power of ultimate self-sacrificial love. That is not strictly morality, and in fact runs counter to morality.

But what is correct is that you do not need religion or a belief in God to be a moral person. The ideas of “natural law” seem to be present across most of humans and across all cultures throughout history. But Jesus didn’t teach natural law. Morality that is natural law is really strategic self-preservation. It is recognizing that anarchy is bad, but cooperation leads to better outcomes, better security, longer life, and a better chance at procreating. Natural law is just realizing that cooperation rather than extreme individualism gives one benefits.

What do the ancient teachings of our scriptures say about humanity’s ability to be moral? Well, let’s ask this. Are people fundamentally good or fundamentally bad? The moralist will say that with enough education and safety humans will naturally be good. It is fear, greed, and ignorance – all of which can be overcome with healthy social conditioning – that lead to evil and bad conduct. It’s all very tempting to believe. We want to believe that we are good at heart. Our faith teaches otherwise.

In Genesis 3 we learn that Adam and Eve transgress. They decide to take their destiny into their own hands. They will know good and evil themselves. The results were disastrous. In the Bible’s story line people start murdering each other in just the second generation. But the Bible is hardly done. Right after the Noah’s Ark story – we’re still only eight chapters into the Bible – we find, “The imagination of the human heart is evil from youth.” (Genesis 8:21) Even so, God says he will not destroy humans. Three chapters later we find the Tower of Babel story. Humans are again trying to be self-determinative. The result is disaster.

Human made morality leads to endless justification. We find that in Proverbs 21:2. You’ve heard me say this before, the only thing we humans are truly good at is making a mess of things. Human morality does not turn to God. It wants to get rid of God. And human morality never leads to voluntarily being crucified. So, Jesus is rejected because do not want to trust God.

Another group that seeks to discredit Jesus is the “spiritual but not religious” group. This one is immensely popular today. Atheism sounds harsh. People don’t want to outright reject that there is a God. But they also don’t want the disciplines and demands of religion; especially a religion like Christianity which says to take up your cross and follow Jesus. Christian love is based on giving of yourself for the benefit of others. That is the core of the religion. The spiritual but not religious person is really interested in self-determination. They don’t want any religion or group getting in their way. But just like people insisting they can be good and somehow moral without God, so too you will never get to authentic self-determination apart from accepting God as your creator, and also realizing that self-determination actually comes not from freedom but from difficulties and constraints. St. Paul wrote, “suffering produces endurance. And endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us. If you have a life freed from all definitions, limits, boundaries and difficulties you may think you’re living a great and fulfilled life. But it is a life without hope, without accomplishment, and without meaning. It is another ironic truth that discovering yourself always comes from limits, boundaries, and hardships.

While I could make a long list of those who oppose Jesus today, I’ll list just one more. This is the go-with-the-flow group. These are people who follow society with very few questions. They want acceptance and approval from others, and so they just do whatever gets that. Even if it is illogical or unsustainable, or hurts their own core values, they do it. Kids sports is always an easy example of this. Why does everyone do it? Because everyone does it. And the more demanding and irrational is the commitment the more people love it. I’ve cited to several of you that the Webster 2nd grade flag football travel team did well last fall. They were invited to a flag football tournament in Florida in February. And indeed, parents took their 2nd graders out of school for a week and traveled to Florida for a flag football tournament. Talk about messed up priorities! But it is even more local. Mother’s Day weekend is not about celebrating mothers around here. Mother’s Day weekend is the Irondequoit Soccer tournament. Many families around here never ever celebrate Mother’s Day. Instead they prioritize the tournament. …core, fundamental family relationships, or kids’ soccer. Apparently soccer is perpetually more important. Go with the flow. When Jesus is in vogue, follow Jesus. When he isn’t, then do whatever is.

Nothing has changed. We don’t have Herodians, Sadducees, Pharisees, and other ancient Jewish sects challenging Jesus. But we just have different names for the same dynamics.

Following Jesus is hard. It’s going to cost you. Most don’t want to pay the price. But those who do find themselves on the path to true life. How all those who prioritize things above Jesus will fair when God judges, is not our concern. But it is our commission to spread the gospel which says that truth, wholeness, love, and life are found in the often difficult way of Jesus. And it is definitely worth it.

May 3, 2026 Leadership, Humility, and Belonging Matthew 21:28-22:14

 I had to be at Atonement, Brighton on this Sunday and created this hymn sing in place of the sermon.

 

D: Hymn Sing Introduction

What makes a true leader?  What is at the heart of our faith?  What does it mean to belong in God’s family?  These are questions that find answers in the three parables from Jesus that we will read.  But before we turn to them, we will read a vision from the prophet Zechariah.  It was written in October or November of 520 BC.  Several decades earlier, the Babylonians had conquered the Jews and destroyed Jerusalem.  By the time of Zechariah the Persians had conquered the Babylonians.   The Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild.  Central to the rebuilding efforts was the rebuilding the temple.  But that work stalled often.  The people needed to be reminded of the promises of God and the purpose of the temple.

 

E: First Reading Zechariah 8:18-23

The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: 19Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah: therefore love truth and peace.

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, the inhabitants of many cities; 21the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Come, let us go to entreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’ 22Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’

 

D: Reflections on the Reading

At the time Zechariah was writing the Israelites needed a boost of hope and an infusion of promise.  They needed to be reminded that God has chosen them, and that God was working through them on behalf of the whole world.  Zechariah’s prophesy worked.  Within four years the temple had been rebuilt.  It returned to being the center of Jewish religious life.

But what happens if those words are taken out of context?  What if Zechariah’s prophesy is taken to mean that the Jews, as God’s chosen people, are somehow inherently superior to all other people?  What if the Jews become smug?  What if they start to look down on other nations?

Christians can fall victim to the same problems.  When Christians start to think that their faith, or their relationship with God, or their morality is somehow superior to others then the entire point of faith in Christ is undermined.  Inasmuch as God works through us to bring about his kingdom, we do so with humility, knowing it is by God’s grace that God created us and honors us with his work.

O Christ the Same was composed by Timothy Dudley-Smith for the 1972 dedication of a new building of a mission.  It based on the text of Hebrews 13:8; reminding us of our constant need for Christ.  The words are set to the Irish tune Londonderry Air, better known for the song O Danny Boy.

 

Sing: O Christ the Same

 

 

B: Introduction to Matthew 21:28-32

We are wrong to think that all of the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day were united against him.  They were not.  Even though enough called for his execution that they carried the day, many were not in favor of it.  Most notable among them were Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

Keep that in mind as we read the next three parables.  All three of them are directed at the Jewish religious leaders.  Jesus speaks them on Monday of Holy Week.  Jesus’ criticism of them is not universal.  But he is saying that for many, the arrogance that can come from misapplying prophesies like Zechariah’s is driving their faith.

 

D: Second Reading Matthew 21:28-32)

[Jesus said to the religious leaders] ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” 29He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. 30The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

B: Reflections on the Reading

John the Baptist had a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  Those who realized their sins accepted what John had to say.  Those who felt their religiosity gave them superior morality were offended by John.  Many of the religious leaders had built their lives on having superior morality.  That made them both wrong, and it made them blind to what God was doing.

In the parable there are two sons.  The first son disobeys his father’s command to work in the vineyard.  This son represents the “sinners” of Jesus’ day.  When they encountered the promise of forgiveness they return to God and do his work.  The second son says he will do his father’s will, but then does not.  This son represents the religious leaders.  They give lip service to their faith, but because they think they are superior, they lack the humility to take up the real work of faith.

Will You Let Me Be Your Servant was written by Richard Gillard and first published in 1989.  It is a Mennonite hymn that points out the true humility that undergirds authentic faith.  Gillard is not a musician by trade.  In fact, he has no musical training whatsoever.  He is a computer programmer who taught himself guitar.  He says that the idea of the hymn percolated for nearly a year before it took shape.  The third verse, about holding a Christ-light, “lived on a scrap of paper in the bottom of my guitar case in my brother-in-law’s home during a 1976 tour of England, Scotland, Europe, and Isreal.”

 

Sing Will You Let Me Be Your Servant

 

E: Introduction to Matthew 21:33-46

 Jesus followed the parable of the two sons with another more vivid one.  Here the vineyard is Israel and the tenants are the religious leaders.  The son of the landowner is Jesus.

 

B: Third Reading Matthew 21:33-46 ‘

Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” 39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ 41They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’
Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes”?
43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. 44The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

E: Reflections on the Reading

Most people consider themselves to be highly moral.  It seems to be a part of the human mind that whenever we want to do something we invent a morality to justify it.  That way we never feel bad, or at the very least we always feel justified.  Taken to the extreme we find things like Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s book, Crime and Punishment.  While the main character is wracked with guilt after murdering someone, before he commits the horrific crime we get to see his mind work to justify it.  He tells himself that if he kills an unscrupulous pawnbroker he will then be enabled to perform great deeds.  He tells himself that certain crimes are justifiable if done by “extraordinary” men who will then use the evil for good.

This, of course, is complete nonsense.  Even though he gets away with the murder itself, he suffers intense inner turmoil through the rest of the book.

It is unlikely that we will let our morality so slide as to become murderers.  However, we still have the tendency to invent a morality to justify every action in our lives.

Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart is a hymn that does not allow such moral justification to occur.  It was written by George Croly and first published in 1867.  The hymn’s words are inspired by Galatians 5:25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.”

 

Sing Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart

 

D: Introduction to Matthew 22:1-10

We will look at the next parable, the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, in two parts.  This parable is an allegory.  The king represents God.  The invited guests are the Israelites.  The slaves sent to invite people represent the prophets God sent to his people.  When the invited guests refuse to come, the king appears to go into a tirade.  He orders that they be killed and their dwellings destroyed.  This may seem extreme, but in light of the destruction of Jersualem by the Romans in the year 70, we realize this parable carried prophetic truth.

 

E: Fourth Reading Matthew 22:1-10 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” 5But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” 10Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

 

D: Reflections on the Reading

As Christians, we need to remember that we are those invited after the original guests refused to come.  It appears that Christians have had a tendency to gloat over this even from the earliest days.  In Romans chapter eleven, St. Paul reminds the Christians that there is no room for this.  He says, “So I ask, have [the Jews] stumbled so as to fall?  By no means!  But through their stumbling salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous…  But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast over the branches… You will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I may be grafted in.’ That is true.  They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand only through faith.  So do not become proud, but stand in awe.  For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you.  Note then the kindness and the severity of God.”

In Christ There Is No East or West was written by William Arthur Dunkerley in 1908.  He was a popular writer of the time who used the pseudonym, John Oxenham.  In total he published 44 novels, 10 books of poetry, and several religious books.  Of this hymn he says that he, like other writers, had “stray lines” come to him, he knew not “how or whence.”  He had to get them out.

 

Sing In Christ There Is No East or West

 

B: Introduction to Matthew 22:11-14

The second part of the Parable of the Wedding Banquet takes a startling turn.  One of the guests, invited at the last moment, is thrown out for not having the proper attire.  How can someone be expected to have proper attire if they’ve been invited to something at the last minute?

 

E: Fifth Reading Matthew 22:11-14

‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless. 13Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 14For many are called, but few are chosen.’

 

B: Reflections on the Reading

The final words of this parable serve as a warning against self-righteous arrogance among God’s new people.  This man represents Christians who think that following Christ is easy, and that God’s grace can be exploited.  Not so.  The wedding garment represents the new righteousness expected of those who follow Jesus.  This is not a righteousness that leads to superiority or arrogance.  But it is a righteousness that respects God’s ultimate power as Creator and Judge of all.

Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus reminds us of the cost Jesus paid for our salvation.  Our sinful selves hurt other people and God’s good creation.  While we can never be perfect, we strive to live in a way that honors what Jesus did for us.  Even that does not earn us salvation from God.  Yet we know that doing anything less than our best for God at all times makes a mockery of our Lord’s love for us.

This is a Lenten hymn written by Sigismund von Birken.  It is based on Luke 18, where Jesus sets his face to Jerusalem.  The hymn asks us to journey with Jesus and take on the pains of what lies ahead, and then to also hope in the promises of God.

 

Sing Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus