"TREASURE"
Proper 12 -- I Kings 3: 5 – 12; Psalm 119: 126 – 132; Romans 8: 26 – 34; Matthew 13: 31 – 33, 44 – 49a
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, July 27th, 2008
Do you have a treasure?
The treasure I think of is a life-changing treasure, something that makes (or made) everything different from what preceded it, and what followed it.
This treasure could be an object, it could be an event. It could be worth little or nothing to someone else, but it means everything to you.
On the other hand, it could be quite valuable, worth lots of money, or it could even be a large sum of money itself.
Today, we hear five short parables about the Kingdom of heaven. They come at us in rapid-fire succession, each one beginning with the phrase, “The Kingdom of heaven is like…” Two of the five have to do with treasure, life-changing treasure.
It is these two parables that we will look at during this sermon….they are the “Parable of the Hidden Treasure”, and the “Parable of the Pearl of Great Price”.[1]
The two parables deal with life-changing treasure, one of which is found quite by accident (the treasure in the field)[2], and the other is the result of a deliberate search.
In each case, the implication our Lord seems to be making is that the treasure that is discovered changes everything! In fact, the treasure is so valuable that it costs everything the finder has in order to obtain it!
That would explain the situation Jesus’ disciples found themselves in…they’d set aside everything in their lives to follow Jesus. Think of Matthew, the tax collector, sitting at his tax booth[3]….Jesus comes along, and says, “Follow me.” And Matthew does, (apparently) right then and there…..We get the impression that Matthew didn’t think about it for very long before he got up and followed the Lord.
Likewise, hear Simon Peter’s words to the Lord, as we read them in Matthew 19: 27….Speaking to Jesus, Peter says, “We have left everything to follow you.”
Indeed they had….For, you see, the kingdom of heaven is so valuable that everything else pales in comparison.
Things that were formerly important to us, suddenly aren’t. Relationships that may have formed the central reality of our lives, now fade into obscurity. Goals that defined who were once were, now don’t.
You see, the kingdom is so valuable that the costs associated with entering it are all worth it!
That seems to be Jesus’ point when He says that the finder of the buried treasure sold all that he had in order to get that buried treasure.
Likewise, the merchant who was in search of the perfect pearl (by the way, pearls had all the value that diamonds do today in the ancient world) sold all that he had to have that perfect gem.
The kingdom costs a great deal in order to enter it….Like Peter, we are asked to assess the importance of things in our lives. We are called to determine their value to us. And then, we are asked to set them all aside in importance. Like Peter, we have to come to that place where we can stand beside him and nod our heads in agreement, saying, “Lord, we have left everything to follow you.” That is the cost of obtaining the kingdom.
So, do you have a treasure? Is it a life-changing treasure, whose value surpasses all other things/relationships and goals in your life?
Is it a treasure that totally defines the central reality of your life? The kingdom of heaven is to be such a treasure, a costly treasure around which all the rest of life is organized.
May God grant us the ability to assess the value of the treasures of our lives, and to realize the surpassing value of the kingdom.
AMEN.
_____________________________________________
[1] These titles are not original to Matthew’s gospel text, but have been supplied by biblical scholars.
[2] Apparently, in biblical times, it was customary for a person to safeguard money or valuables by finding a place to bury them. Jesus uses this practice again in His “Parable of the Talents” (Matthew 25: 14 – 30), where the servant who was given one talent went and hid it in the ground.
[3] Matthew 9: 9
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
10 Pentecost, Year A
"PURITY"
Proper 11 -- Wisdom 12: 13, 16 – 19; Psalm 86: 11 – 17; Romans 8: 18 – 25; Matthew 13: 24 – 30, 36 – 43
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, July 20th, 2008
Purity….
We Americans are greatly concerned with purity: We buy bottled water, and we have air quality laws that regulate emissions from power plants and from our cars (just to cite two examples).
Even the purity of our lawns and fields is a concern these days: ever see one of those lawn service trucks driving around town, you know, the ones that spray our yards with materials that try to promote good growth, while killing off the weeds? (Farmers do the same thing.)
Well, if we look at our Gospel text for today, we’d probably have to come to the conclusion that Jesus would have no use for one of those lawn service trucks. His answer would most likely be: “leave the weeds in with the good growth, and eventually, all the weeds will be gone.”
That’s the inescapable conclusion of the Parable of the Tares, as today’s text has come to be known…. “Leave the weeds alone,” Jesus seems to be telling us, “In the end, it’ll be just fine.”
But such advice runs entirely contrary to our life’s experience, doesn’t it? After all, we know that, if we leave the weeds in the field, eventually they will take over the field.
Jesus’ response would clearly be, “No.”
So, today, we are faced with a parable which grapples with a mystery. (Last week’s text, Matthew 13: 1 - 9, 18 – 23, the Parable of the Sower, also dealt with a mystery. It answers the question, “Why do some people accept the Good News of Jesus Christ, and why do some reject it?”) Today’s parable wrestles with the question, “Why do good and evil exist, side-by-side?”
After all, don’t we know that, if left in contact with one another, evil will eventually overcome the good?
Again, Jesus’ answer – seen in the parable today – would be, “No.”
So, let’s look a little more closely at this enigmatic teaching, presented to us modern-day Christians by the Lord Jesus, who is present with us,[1] even until the end of the age,[2] that time when the weeds will be pulled from the field, leaving only the good seed and its fruit.
And, as we do so, let’s recall that – like last Sunday’s reading – today’s parable also contains a detailed explanation of its meaning and the scope of its applicability. Much of the guesswork has been removed by Our Lord’s detailed analysis of its application and meaning.
As we begin, we ought to notice a fine point in Jesus’ teaching….It has to do with the word for “weeds”. The word Jesus uses is (in Greek) zizania. This is a specific word which refers to a species of weed known as “darnel”. Darnel is a grassy plant which has an appearance like wheat in its early stages, making it difficult to distinguish from wheat. It is only later on it the cycle of its growth – when it produces spikes at the end of the shaft - that it can be easily spotted for what it actually is.[3]
No wonder Jesus forbids the pulling of the weeds. Early on, it would be difficult to distinguish the good plants from the bad. The harvest would be lessened – or even ruined – by pulling up the weeds, for the risk is that the good plants would also be removed.
Notice, though, that the servants are keenly aware of the existence of the invading plants. For they come to the sower and ask if they should root out the unwanted plants. They’ve noticed the tares for what they are: weeds!
Apparently, the servants’ ability to judge the good from the bad is imperfect, however, for they are told to leave the weeds in the field until the harvest.
At this point, we ought to turn our attention to the meaning of Jesus’ teaching, first in its original context, then in the context of the situation that confronted Matthew and the churches to whom he was writing, and then, finally, to our situation today.[4]
We begin with the situation Jesus was addressing….Remembering that His calculated use of a specific word to describe a plant that looks like wheat in its early stages, we have to conclude that He is telling this parable as a warning to His followers about the presence of a group that appears – at the early stages of Jesus’ teaching and ministry at least – like the “real” and “good” thing. That group, we know from the overall Matthean context, would be the Scribes and the Pharisees, who were Jesus’ principle adversaries.
Surely, the Scribes and the Pharisees would fit the bill for being darnel, for they taught and rigorously followed the Law of Moses, the Torah. Their intentions, from all outward appearances anyway, seemed upright and good. But remember the fruit of their religion: it was self-serving, and it turned out to be the betrayal and murder of Jesus. When all things had come to their maturity, it was the Scribes and the Pharisees who played major roles in Jesus’ death.
So, it seems possible that Jesus is aiming the teaching we hear today squarely at the religious elite of His day.
Now, as we turn our attention to the situation Matthew’s church (or churches) were facing,[5] we can see that not much had changed. Oh yes, the Temple, along with its priestly caste, the Sadducees, were gone, having been destroyed during the Jewish – Roman War in 70 AD, but the Scribes and the Pharisees survived. And Matthew seems to be locked in theological battle with these leaders of the Judaism of his day.
From the perspective that Matthew and his audience hold, the Jewish establishment looked a whole lot like darnel. For their outward actions and piety had a lot in common with the teachings of Moses and the prophets that Matthew’s group also held in high esteem, but there must surely be a day coming, Matthew probably believed, when the true fruit of their attitudes and actions would be revealed for the weeds that they really were.
And what of our situation today? The Scribes and the Pharisees are long gone. We are no longer locked in theological battle with the Judaism of the 21st century (thank God!).
But the problem of good and bad remains….And the problem of this side-by-side existence can be found in the world itself, and in the Church.
For oftentimes, good and bad are words that characterize the actions of the Church, its leaders, and even its people. Sadly, in our Christian history, there are chapters which chronicle misdeeds of persecution and intolerance, actions which may have had seemingly good motivations at the time, but which have been fully revealed in the fullness of time for the evil that they really were.
Today as well, the Church, its people and its leadership often act in ways that are contrary to the Gospel, even as these actions might be cloaked in the very best religious verbage. People act in ways that turn out to be selfish or self-serving, in ways that do not reflect the teaching of Jesus Christ.
Clearly, we can conclude from the presence of evil within the body of Christ, that is, the Church, that the Church is not the Kingdom of Heaven. No, the Church’s mission is to assist in bringing the kingdom into being, though it, itself, is not the kingdom.[6]
But Matthew’s theology contains a very comforting focus. Throughout his Gospel account, he records Jesus’ teachings that confirm that:
Proper 11 -- Wisdom 12: 13, 16 – 19; Psalm 86: 11 – 17; Romans 8: 18 – 25; Matthew 13: 24 – 30, 36 – 43
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, July 20th, 2008
Purity….
We Americans are greatly concerned with purity: We buy bottled water, and we have air quality laws that regulate emissions from power plants and from our cars (just to cite two examples).
Even the purity of our lawns and fields is a concern these days: ever see one of those lawn service trucks driving around town, you know, the ones that spray our yards with materials that try to promote good growth, while killing off the weeds? (Farmers do the same thing.)
Well, if we look at our Gospel text for today, we’d probably have to come to the conclusion that Jesus would have no use for one of those lawn service trucks. His answer would most likely be: “leave the weeds in with the good growth, and eventually, all the weeds will be gone.”
That’s the inescapable conclusion of the Parable of the Tares, as today’s text has come to be known…. “Leave the weeds alone,” Jesus seems to be telling us, “In the end, it’ll be just fine.”
But such advice runs entirely contrary to our life’s experience, doesn’t it? After all, we know that, if we leave the weeds in the field, eventually they will take over the field.
Jesus’ response would clearly be, “No.”
So, today, we are faced with a parable which grapples with a mystery. (Last week’s text, Matthew 13: 1 - 9, 18 – 23, the Parable of the Sower, also dealt with a mystery. It answers the question, “Why do some people accept the Good News of Jesus Christ, and why do some reject it?”) Today’s parable wrestles with the question, “Why do good and evil exist, side-by-side?”
After all, don’t we know that, if left in contact with one another, evil will eventually overcome the good?
Again, Jesus’ answer – seen in the parable today – would be, “No.”
So, let’s look a little more closely at this enigmatic teaching, presented to us modern-day Christians by the Lord Jesus, who is present with us,[1] even until the end of the age,[2] that time when the weeds will be pulled from the field, leaving only the good seed and its fruit.
And, as we do so, let’s recall that – like last Sunday’s reading – today’s parable also contains a detailed explanation of its meaning and the scope of its applicability. Much of the guesswork has been removed by Our Lord’s detailed analysis of its application and meaning.
As we begin, we ought to notice a fine point in Jesus’ teaching….It has to do with the word for “weeds”. The word Jesus uses is (in Greek) zizania. This is a specific word which refers to a species of weed known as “darnel”. Darnel is a grassy plant which has an appearance like wheat in its early stages, making it difficult to distinguish from wheat. It is only later on it the cycle of its growth – when it produces spikes at the end of the shaft - that it can be easily spotted for what it actually is.[3]
No wonder Jesus forbids the pulling of the weeds. Early on, it would be difficult to distinguish the good plants from the bad. The harvest would be lessened – or even ruined – by pulling up the weeds, for the risk is that the good plants would also be removed.
Notice, though, that the servants are keenly aware of the existence of the invading plants. For they come to the sower and ask if they should root out the unwanted plants. They’ve noticed the tares for what they are: weeds!
Apparently, the servants’ ability to judge the good from the bad is imperfect, however, for they are told to leave the weeds in the field until the harvest.
At this point, we ought to turn our attention to the meaning of Jesus’ teaching, first in its original context, then in the context of the situation that confronted Matthew and the churches to whom he was writing, and then, finally, to our situation today.[4]
We begin with the situation Jesus was addressing….Remembering that His calculated use of a specific word to describe a plant that looks like wheat in its early stages, we have to conclude that He is telling this parable as a warning to His followers about the presence of a group that appears – at the early stages of Jesus’ teaching and ministry at least – like the “real” and “good” thing. That group, we know from the overall Matthean context, would be the Scribes and the Pharisees, who were Jesus’ principle adversaries.
Surely, the Scribes and the Pharisees would fit the bill for being darnel, for they taught and rigorously followed the Law of Moses, the Torah. Their intentions, from all outward appearances anyway, seemed upright and good. But remember the fruit of their religion: it was self-serving, and it turned out to be the betrayal and murder of Jesus. When all things had come to their maturity, it was the Scribes and the Pharisees who played major roles in Jesus’ death.
So, it seems possible that Jesus is aiming the teaching we hear today squarely at the religious elite of His day.
Now, as we turn our attention to the situation Matthew’s church (or churches) were facing,[5] we can see that not much had changed. Oh yes, the Temple, along with its priestly caste, the Sadducees, were gone, having been destroyed during the Jewish – Roman War in 70 AD, but the Scribes and the Pharisees survived. And Matthew seems to be locked in theological battle with these leaders of the Judaism of his day.
From the perspective that Matthew and his audience hold, the Jewish establishment looked a whole lot like darnel. For their outward actions and piety had a lot in common with the teachings of Moses and the prophets that Matthew’s group also held in high esteem, but there must surely be a day coming, Matthew probably believed, when the true fruit of their attitudes and actions would be revealed for the weeds that they really were.
And what of our situation today? The Scribes and the Pharisees are long gone. We are no longer locked in theological battle with the Judaism of the 21st century (thank God!).
But the problem of good and bad remains….And the problem of this side-by-side existence can be found in the world itself, and in the Church.
For oftentimes, good and bad are words that characterize the actions of the Church, its leaders, and even its people. Sadly, in our Christian history, there are chapters which chronicle misdeeds of persecution and intolerance, actions which may have had seemingly good motivations at the time, but which have been fully revealed in the fullness of time for the evil that they really were.
Today as well, the Church, its people and its leadership often act in ways that are contrary to the Gospel, even as these actions might be cloaked in the very best religious verbage. People act in ways that turn out to be selfish or self-serving, in ways that do not reflect the teaching of Jesus Christ.
Clearly, we can conclude from the presence of evil within the body of Christ, that is, the Church, that the Church is not the Kingdom of Heaven. No, the Church’s mission is to assist in bringing the kingdom into being, though it, itself, is not the kingdom.[6]
But Matthew’s theology contains a very comforting focus. Throughout his Gospel account, he records Jesus’ teachings that confirm that:
- In the final analysis, when the purposes of God are fulfilled for the world and for the Church, all will be revealed. God and the forces of good will prevail, in the end.
- God will, in His own good time, separate out the bad from the good.
One final note before we close: today’s parable is not a prescription which allows the Church to be complacent or tolerant of evil in its midst. Matthew’s gospel account addresses the need for Church discipline in chapter 18 (verses 15 – 20).
On the contrary, Matthew’s purpose in writing to his original audience, and to us, is to call us to radical discipleship, so that we may be able to distinguish good from evil, and to know that, in God’s good time and purpose, good will prevail over evil. God will, at the close of the age, purify all things in order to bring the kingdom into the fullness of its being.
Thanks be to God!
AMEN.
_______________________________________
[1] Matthew 18: 20 “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
[2] Matthew 28: 20 “And lo, I am with you always, even to the close of the age.”
[3] Notice also – in the Greek - that Jesus’ description of the good seed progresses from “seed” (verse 24), which is connected early on to “wheat” (verse 25), to “grass” (verse 26) to “wheat”. Jesus’ outline of the story follows the growth cycle of the wheat, which is sown as seed but is already wheat, to its early appearance as grass, to its full blown maturity as wheat which is suitable for harvest.
[4] In dealing with any Scriptural text, it’s excellent practice to follow this threefold approach, considering: 1. the original context/situation, 2. the situation the writer faced, and 3. our situation today.
[5] Recall that many biblical scholars today believe that Matthew was writing late in the first century (perhaps 85 – 90 AD) to a group of believers in a church or churches in what we would now know as the country of Syria. These believers were, most likely, Jews and Gentile converts both.
[6] I am indebted to M. Eugene Boring’s analysis in this regard, as it is contained in his commentary on Matthew, found in The New Interpreter’s Bible (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995), p. 302.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
9 Pentecost, Year A
“GETTING THE MESSAGE”
Proper 10 -- Isaiah 55: 1 – 5, 10 – 13; Psalm 65: 9 – 14; Romans 8: 9 – 17; Matthew 13: 1 – 9, 18 – 23
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, July 13th, 2008
Our Lord must want us to really “get the message” in the parable we hear today, which has come to be known as “The Parable of the Sower”. For He provides not only the parable itself, but a detailed explanation of its meaning.
That will also be true of the Gospel reading for next week, which is entitled, “The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares”.[1]
These two parables are unique in this respect, for in Matthew’s Gospel account, oftentimes the parables which are recorded there do not have a detailed explanation of their meaning, and their applicability. When we do see a comment about a parable in Matthew, it is often appended to the end of the teaching itself, and the note often deals with the intended target of the teaching. An example would could be found in Matthew 18: 33, where we read this comment at the end of a parable concerning forgiveness, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
But here, today, we have Jesus’ detailed explanation of the meaning of His teaching, and its applicability. That will also be the case next Sunday, as well.
Our Lord wants us to “get His message”, loud and clear.
So, let’s turn our attention now to the text, first of all, and then to its application to first to the situation Jesus and His original disciples encountered, then to Matthew’s church, and then, finally, to our situation today.
Beginning first with the situation that Jesus and His original disciples faced, we see from the context that Jesus’ message has met with rejection and hostility in some places, even as it has been received by some in other places. Not only had the Scribes and the Pharisees rejected the message, but many residents of some of the towns in Galilee such as Chorazin, Capernahum and Bethsaida had also rejected the Good News.[2]
As the disciples returned from their first missionary journey, bearing the news that some had rejected this great and wonderful message, no doubt questions had begun to arise in their hearts and minds. Perhaps they were perplexed by the reception that they had experienced. If so, Jesus’ explanation might have helped them to understand one of the great mysteries of life: “Why do some reject – or ‘not get’ the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven?”
Turning now to Matthew’s situation (remembering that he is writing perhaps late in the first century[3] to a church or churches which were composed perhaps of both Jews and Gentiles, and which might have been located in modern-day Syria), we can see that Jesus’ teaching allowed these late first century disciples to understand why some of the people among whom they lived rejected Jesus’ message, and why some accepted it.
Not much has changed today….We might often wonder why some people come to believe the Good News, why they join with other Christians to form the body of Christ, which is the Church,[4] and why others either outrightly reject the Gospel, or are simply indifferent to it.
So much for the immediate situation of the three periods which we often consider when studying a Gospel text: the immediate situation faced by Jesus and His disciples; the intended audience that the Gospel writer had in mind; and our situation today.
Now, we should consider the text itself.
Notice, first of all, that Jesus identifies external and internal causes for the rejection or acceptance of the Gospel message:
Proper 10 -- Isaiah 55: 1 – 5, 10 – 13; Psalm 65: 9 – 14; Romans 8: 9 – 17; Matthew 13: 1 – 9, 18 – 23
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, July 13th, 2008
Our Lord must want us to really “get the message” in the parable we hear today, which has come to be known as “The Parable of the Sower”. For He provides not only the parable itself, but a detailed explanation of its meaning.
That will also be true of the Gospel reading for next week, which is entitled, “The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares”.[1]
These two parables are unique in this respect, for in Matthew’s Gospel account, oftentimes the parables which are recorded there do not have a detailed explanation of their meaning, and their applicability. When we do see a comment about a parable in Matthew, it is often appended to the end of the teaching itself, and the note often deals with the intended target of the teaching. An example would could be found in Matthew 18: 33, where we read this comment at the end of a parable concerning forgiveness, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
But here, today, we have Jesus’ detailed explanation of the meaning of His teaching, and its applicability. That will also be the case next Sunday, as well.
Our Lord wants us to “get His message”, loud and clear.
So, let’s turn our attention now to the text, first of all, and then to its application to first to the situation Jesus and His original disciples encountered, then to Matthew’s church, and then, finally, to our situation today.
Beginning first with the situation that Jesus and His original disciples faced, we see from the context that Jesus’ message has met with rejection and hostility in some places, even as it has been received by some in other places. Not only had the Scribes and the Pharisees rejected the message, but many residents of some of the towns in Galilee such as Chorazin, Capernahum and Bethsaida had also rejected the Good News.[2]
As the disciples returned from their first missionary journey, bearing the news that some had rejected this great and wonderful message, no doubt questions had begun to arise in their hearts and minds. Perhaps they were perplexed by the reception that they had experienced. If so, Jesus’ explanation might have helped them to understand one of the great mysteries of life: “Why do some reject – or ‘not get’ the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven?”
Turning now to Matthew’s situation (remembering that he is writing perhaps late in the first century[3] to a church or churches which were composed perhaps of both Jews and Gentiles, and which might have been located in modern-day Syria), we can see that Jesus’ teaching allowed these late first century disciples to understand why some of the people among whom they lived rejected Jesus’ message, and why some accepted it.
Not much has changed today….We might often wonder why some people come to believe the Good News, why they join with other Christians to form the body of Christ, which is the Church,[4] and why others either outrightly reject the Gospel, or are simply indifferent to it.
So much for the immediate situation of the three periods which we often consider when studying a Gospel text: the immediate situation faced by Jesus and His disciples; the intended audience that the Gospel writer had in mind; and our situation today.
Now, we should consider the text itself.
Notice, first of all, that Jesus identifies external and internal causes for the rejection or acceptance of the Gospel message:
- The soil along the path:[5] Remembering that a parable “places alongside”[6] a commonly known situation with a spiritual one, and recalling that Jesus often used agricultural images to make available the mysteries of God, we can see from this first illustration that Jesus identifies the first condition which is the cause of rejection: hardness of heart. Because the soil along the path has been beaten into a hardened condition by the passing of many feet, the seed of the message of the Kingdom cannot penetrate the soil. Consequently, because the seed is exposed and vulnerable, the forces of evil are able to easily snatch it away. So, this first illustration identifies two external cause for rejection:
1. hardness of heart, and
2. the activity of the evil one, which implies an internal condition, hardness of heart, which is the result of external forces/activity. - The rocky soil:[7] Here, we see an internal condition which stems from the very basic characteristic of the heart itself: it’s simply too hard for the Good News to penetrate for meaningful and lasting fruit to appear. Now, notice that Jesus nuances this condition by adding the feature of an initial reception of the seed of the Gospel message. Jesus doesn’t simply say that the soil is rocky, but that He implies that it has some receptivity to it. It is, indeed, capable of allowing the seed to penetrate at least a little, and for allowing some growth to appear. However, since there is no depth to the soil, the hardships which had greeted Jesus and His disciples’ proclamation of the Kingdom, and which also greeted Matthew’s audience, caused a falling away from the message.
- The thorny soil:[8] Now, we encounter good soil, but soil which has been infested with thorns. (This is a foretaste of next week’s text, in which Jesus will describe the soil of the Church, which is composed of both good and bad wheat.) Here, the causes for crop failure are external…the soil is fine, but the external cares of the world and the lure of wealth “crowd out” the desired crop.
- The good soil:[9] Finally, the seed encounters good and receptive soil, soil which is loose enough to have the depth necessary to receive the seed of the message, a message which is “heard and understood”,[10] and which is not the host to undesirable elements which would make hearing and understanding impossible.
What might the implications of this text be for us today? As I consider that
question, may I pose the following points for your consideration?: - The generosity of the sower: Notice that the sower (Jesus) is generous in casting the seed….its goes everywhere! Rocky soil, soil that is hardened by years of life’s “traffic”, and soil that is infested with thorns, in addition to the good soil. Our Lord casts the seed of the Kingdom of Heaven far and wide. Such generosity defies human logic and human prudence…why sow the seed on hardened or rocky soil, for example, when the prospects for a good harvest are so poor? Perhaps the implication here is that we must see the situation as God sees it, and not as we might be tempted to see it: If left to our own natural inclinations, we might shy away from joining God in sowing the seed here, there and everywhere. We might want to restrict our distribution of the Good News of God’s kingdom to those who already show the best signs of receptivity.
- Spiritual warfare: In my years in the Army, and especially in the part of my military career that were spent in the infantry, a key lesson was drummed into us: never underestimate or overestimate the capabilities of an enemy! Here, too, in the spiritual realm, we must be aware of the capabilities of the evil one, who wages spiritual warfare against the spread of the Kingdom of Heaven. No doubt, our parable today will remind us, that the forces of evil will register some victories. Some will reject the Good News, falling victim to the enemy. However, there will also be some great victories, for some seed will fall into good soil, which will bear (by historical standards in ancient Palestine) excellent harvests.
- The forces of life and living that crowd in: We made the remark awhile earlier in this sermon about the “forces of living” which crowd out the seed. Today, as it was in Jesus’ time, and has been ever since then, the cares of the world (read: just plain living!) and the lure of wealth are ever-present realities. Many in the times in which we live are simply too busy – or are too preoccupied – to be “bothered” by the things of God. In the 21st century, distractions abound which can crowd out God’s call to us. Perhaps that’s the greatest threat the Gospel message faces today: distractions and the call of the acquisition of possessions and wealth.
One final comment: Today’s teaching calls us to examine the soil condition of our own hearts. If your life experience is anything like mine, I can identify in my own life’s history and experience all four of the soil conditions that Jesus identifies in His parable today. There have been periods of hardness of heart, caused by the pressures and preoccupations of the “traffic” of life, just plain living. There have been periods in which the soil of my heart has been pretty hard and rocky, times when there seemed to be some good growth occurring, but which was choked off when difficulties arose. There have also been times when the cares of life choked off any possibility of hearing and understanding God’s word and God’s will for my life. But – thanks be to God – there have also been times when the Word encountered loose and receptive soil, soil which could support good growth and could produce a good harvest for the kingdom.
Perhaps your experience is like mine.
So, the question comes to all of us this morning: “What is the condition of the soil of my heart this morning?”
May we, by God’s grace and the working of the Holy Spirit, be enabled to see the conditions of our hearts, that we may be receptive to the Word and producers of good fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven, that the fruit of the seed sown in our hearts may provide more see for the sower to cast generously in this community of Mt. Vernon and the world.
AMEN.
__________________________
[1] Matthew 13: 24 – 30, 36 - 43
[2] See Matthew 11: 20 - 24
[3] Scholars often date Matthew’s Gospel account to the period 85 – 90 AD.
[4] We might remind ourselves that a key point of Matthew’s theology is that the Church is composed of people who have come to believe the Good News, and who have become disciples of Jesus, following His teachings.
[5] Verse 4 (and the explanation, verse 19)
[6] The root meaning of the word “parable” comes from the Greek, which combines the prefix “para” (“beside”) with the verb “bole” (to place/put).
[7] Verses 5 and 6 (and the explanation, verses 20 and 21)
[8] Verse 7 (and the explanation, verse 22)
[9] Verses 8 and 9 (and the explanation, verse 23)
[10] Jesus’ description, verse 23
Sunday, July 06, 2008
8 Pentecost, Year A
"REST!"
Proper 9 -- Romans 7: 21 – 8: 6; Matthew 11: 25 – 30[1]
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, July 6th, 2008
“Come unto me, all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”[2][3]
This passage, in which we hear Jesus’ offer of rest to all those who come to Him, is a rarity in Matthew’s Gospel.
Week by week, we have heard Matthew prod and urge us to take up the challenges of the Kingdom of heaven. Each page in Matthew presents us with messages that are hard to hear, difficult to read and ponder, and challenging to our understandings of Jesus’ mandate, to follow Him.
But not so today….Today, instead, we get a break from Matthew’s proddings. Today, we hear, “you will find rest for your souls, and “for my yoke is easy, and my burthen is light.”
Jesus’ invitation to become “yoked” to Him stands in sharp contrast to the “heavy burdens” the leaders of first century Judaism, the Pharisees and the Scribes, laid on the shoulders of God’s Chosen People. We read Jesus’ words in Matthew 23, verse four, which says, “They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their fingers.”
Jesus’ message, announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of heaven, had largely been rejected by the people who lived in the towns around Galilee. Matthew, chapter eleven, records the rejections that Jesus and His message had encountered. Apparently, the heavy religious burdens were more comfortable and more familiar than the light burden that Jesus offered.
To our sensibilities today, it doesn’t make sense, does it? Aren’t we supposed to take up the heavy challenges of religion? Isn’t life in God hard? Isn’t it tough to try to live the way God wants us to? After all, aren’t we supposed to “deny ourselves, and take up our cross” to follow Jesus, as we heard in our Gospel reading last Sunday?[4]
Reconciling Jesus’ blunt warnings about the difficulties of the Christian life, which we have heard last Sunday and in some of the Sundays before that, with Jesus’ offer of “rest”, and an “easy yoke” isn’t easy.
How might we reconcile the two?
The answer, I believe, lies at the heart of Matthew’s theology. Let’s recall what that theology is:
Proper 9 -- Romans 7: 21 – 8: 6; Matthew 11: 25 – 30[1]
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, July 6th, 2008
“Come unto me, all ye who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”[2][3]
This passage, in which we hear Jesus’ offer of rest to all those who come to Him, is a rarity in Matthew’s Gospel.
Week by week, we have heard Matthew prod and urge us to take up the challenges of the Kingdom of heaven. Each page in Matthew presents us with messages that are hard to hear, difficult to read and ponder, and challenging to our understandings of Jesus’ mandate, to follow Him.
But not so today….Today, instead, we get a break from Matthew’s proddings. Today, we hear, “you will find rest for your souls, and “for my yoke is easy, and my burthen is light.”
Jesus’ invitation to become “yoked” to Him stands in sharp contrast to the “heavy burdens” the leaders of first century Judaism, the Pharisees and the Scribes, laid on the shoulders of God’s Chosen People. We read Jesus’ words in Matthew 23, verse four, which says, “They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their fingers.”
Jesus’ message, announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of heaven, had largely been rejected by the people who lived in the towns around Galilee. Matthew, chapter eleven, records the rejections that Jesus and His message had encountered. Apparently, the heavy religious burdens were more comfortable and more familiar than the light burden that Jesus offered.
To our sensibilities today, it doesn’t make sense, does it? Aren’t we supposed to take up the heavy challenges of religion? Isn’t life in God hard? Isn’t it tough to try to live the way God wants us to? After all, aren’t we supposed to “deny ourselves, and take up our cross” to follow Jesus, as we heard in our Gospel reading last Sunday?[4]
Reconciling Jesus’ blunt warnings about the difficulties of the Christian life, which we have heard last Sunday and in some of the Sundays before that, with Jesus’ offer of “rest”, and an “easy yoke” isn’t easy.
How might we reconcile the two?
The answer, I believe, lies at the heart of Matthew’s theology. Let’s recall what that theology is:
- Matthew’s focus is on the everyday life of the here-and-now. That is, Matthew emphasizes what Judaism called the (Hebrew: “walk”) of God, walking in God’s path, day-by-day.
- At the same time, Matthew never loses sight of the “big picture”. That is to say, Matthew emphasizes that what we do as Christians in everyday life has eternal consequences. Matthew has his sights firmly set on the “last things” of God (the eschaton, a word which comes from the Greek word for “last”).
- Jesus’ continuing presence is known within the community of believers. “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”.[5] Furthermore, Jesus’ presence will extend with the body of believers, the Church,[6] until the end of time, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”[7]
So Matthew’s focus invites us to come into connection with Jesus through the gathered body of disciples, that is, the Church. In so doing, we walk alongside Jesus, who leads us, in all that we do and say.
Such an awareness leads us to understand Jesus’ image and use of the word “yoke”.
For two oxen that are yoked together (most likely, a very familiar image to Jesus’ listeners in the first century), lighten the burden for each other only when they walk together, evenly distributing the load between them. For one ox to try to do the work alone would not work well. Nor would it work for one of the two to pull more or most of the work, for the stronger one would bind the yoke against the neck of the weaker one.
No, Jesus’ images calls for a partnership.
So, the rest we seek offers us a yoke that is “easy”, not a cessation from the work of the Kingdom….Jesus does not offer us “ease”, only a yoke that is “easy”, and a burden that is “light” because Jesus shares in the work with us, until the end of time.
Thanks be to God! AMEN.
_____________________________________
[1] We are using only the Epistle reading (Romans) and the Gospel reading (Matthew) instead of the customary Old Testament and Psalm readings which are usually used, since we are using the 1662 Book of Common Prayer for today’s special service. This Prayer Book did not provide for Old Testament and Psalm readings for the celebration of Holy Communion.
[2] Matthew 11: 28, KJV (King James Version)
[3] We are using the King James (Authorized) Version in service this Sunday, in keeping with the recreation of an historic service that would have occurred at Christ Church, Philadelphia, following the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776.
[4] Matthew 10: 38
[5] Matthew 18: 20
[6] It’s work noting that Matthew is the only Gospel writer to use the word “church”, Matthew 18: 17.
[7] Matthew 28: 20
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