2015 Lenten Study in the Gospel of Matthew San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church 902 Danville Blvd., Alamo, CA 94507; (925) 837-5243;

2015 Lenten Study in the Gospel of Matthew San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church 902 Danville Blvd., Alamo, CA 94507; (925) 837-5243; www.srvumc.org

MATTHEW COMMENTARY BOOKLET “Life Together: Learning to Live as the Faith Community”

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2015 Lenten Study Overview…………………………………………………………………. 2 February 22.. Life Together: (1) New Wine for New Wine Skins……………. 3 March 1……… Life Together: (2) Beyond the Rules………………………………… 7 March 8……… Life Together: (3) On A Mission……………………………………….. 10 March 15……. Life Together: (4) The Kingdom of Heaven………………………. 13 March 22……. Life Together: (5) Sharing Mercy and Love in Community… 17 March 29……. Life Together: (6) The Judgment of Jesus…………………..……… 20

2015 LENTEN STUDY OVERVIEW

The season of Lent is a journey in which we have been given the opportunity to grow closer to God through Jesus Christ. Lent begins on February 18 with Ash Wednesday. This Lent we invite you to join a 6-week, Lenten Small Group. Our church has elected to use Grace Imathiu’s book, “Matthew’s Message – Good News for the New Millennium” as our study text. This six- session study approaches the message and application of Matthew’s Gospel as a whole.

Groups meet on various days and times each week during Lent. You may purchase the Lenten text for $10 when you register online or after worship on Sundays in the Courtyard. All proceeds from book sales support the “Imagine No Malaria” campaign, which is the designee for our Lenten giving by our church and conference.

We will also use the “Matthew Commentary Booklet” created by our pastoral team, based on their Lenten Sermon Series entitled, “Life Together: Learning to Live as the Faith Community.” Childcare will be provided during these small group meetings upon request. Please indicate if you need childcare on the online registration form.

Sundays, 9am, Fireside Room, led by Phyllis Meyer Sundays, 10:30am, Wesley 205, led by Dave Coombs Sundays, 10:30 am, Fireside Room, led by Deborah & Johnathan Robinson Mondays, Noon, Fireside Room, Learning Over Lunch led by Phyllis Meyer Mondays, 7pm, Fireside Room, Women of the Night led by Linda Forsey & Merilyn Milam Tuesdays, 7pm, Wesley 205, led by Pastor Sunny Wednesdays, 10am, Rossmoor, Chatty Crones by Elaine Halliday & Pastor Sunny Wednesdays, 7:15pm, Fireside Room, led by Joanne Van Bezey Thursdays, Noon, Fireside Room, Learning Over Lunch led by Pastor Sunny Fridays, 6:30am, Fireside Room, Friday Men’s Group led by Pastor Ron

February 22, 2015 First Sunday in Lent

LIFE TOGETHER: LEARNING TO LIVE AS THE FAITH COMMUNITY (1) New Wine for New Wine Skins

TEXTS: Matthew 9:9-13 (The calling of Matthew – the tax collector) Matthew 9:14-17 (Jesus’ teaching on the old and the new)

THEME: Background and Overview of the Gospel of Matthew As with any good Bible study, it is important to understand the context of the message that emerges from the pages of Matthew’s Gospel. While the following information is provided in more detail in commentary fashion elsewhere, it is important to summarize the “basics” of the world that the writer of Matthew knew and the message that he was trying to impart. We know that the Gospel of Matthew was likely written to and for the newly emerging Church—roughly around 90 C.E. The Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed approximately two decades earlier and the spiritual landscape was changing dramatically. Without the Temple, the Jewish faith was faced with the challenge of redefining itself without what had been its central reference point. The rise of the role and importance of the Pharisees can best be understood as a response to the vacuum of leadership and direction that the Jewish people felt during this challenging time. In contrast, the Christian movement began to gain traction as the “good news” of the gospel made its way outward into the regions beyond Jerusalem and Israel. This outward movement of the fledgling Christian faith was exciting on one hand, but tension producing on the other. More precisely, it created a deepening tension with Judaism and the tradition of the Jewish faith. Was it possible to be a Christian and a Jew? Who could one incorporate the importance of the Jewish tradition into the contemporary expression of the new Christian faith. Matthew (the writer) was attempting to answer this fundamental question as well as other issues related to it. In his effort to provide what might be called, an “instruction manual” for newly formed Christians (catechumens), Matthew stresses the connection

3 between the Hebrew tradition and the Christian expression. In his understanding of the Gospel, Jesus had come to “fulfill all righteousness,” or a bit more accurately, the hopes and dreams of the Jewish people and the Messiah that they longed for. In Matthew’s eyes, Jesus was the fulfillment of this long awaited hope. In our lesson for this first Sunday in Lent, we can see the editorial hand of Matthew at work, fashioning an interpretation of the teaching of Jesus that squarely underscored that when it came to the law / tradition of the Jewish faith, there was no need to “throw the baby out with the bath” in the formation of Christian thought and expression. The law / tradition still had a place and need not be discarded. It wasn’t a matter of “either – or,” but “both and” as far as Matthew was concerned. While it would not be wise to try to patch an old wineskin with a portion of a new wineskin, he was clear that BOTH wineskins (old and new) need to be preserved. In Matthew 9:17, Matthew makes precisely that point— a point that neither the writer of Mark or of Luke make in their respective versions of this teaching. The reason that Matthew makes this point when other writer’s do not, seems to reflect Matthew’s clear intention to “preserve” both the old ways and the new within the newly emerging Christian faith. While there are, of course, many other dimensions to Matthew’s Gospel that are worthy of our exploration, we do not have the time or space to outline them as a part of this supplementary commentary. It will prove helpful, however, to keep this interpretative lens in mind as you read through the various sections of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew was likely a Jewish Christian, writing to a mostly Jewish Christian audience, seeking to explain just how the old and the new ingredients of their faith blended together in just the right way. A Contemporary Connection: Matthew’s Message for Today When you stop to think about it, many of the issues that proved to be so challenging for Matthew’s first century audience are issues that we must also address. Matthew’s world was a world that was experiencing tremendous change and with it, the challenge of negotiating that change in ways that enabled people to retain the roots of their tradition without obscuring the fact

4 that God, through the word and witness of Jesus, was doing a new thing—one that made it impossible to go back to the way it was. Talk about a “paradigm shift!” Matthew provides us with a first-hand account of the ways in which he attempted to help the diverse and divided people of his time with the “common ground” of being linked together as the Church, the Body of Christ. In our own time, we are mindful of the many issues that divide the contemporary Church. With liberal and conservative factions making their presence and their point of view known, it is sometimes difficult to believe that we will ever find the true unity that allows us to practice our diversity. How is it, we wonder, that we can learn to live together in love and understanding even when we happen to disagree? For Matthew, the answer was quite simple. The “new Israel,” that the Church was called to create, could only be forged through faith and prayer. It wasn’t necessarily important that everyone within the community of faith agree about everything, but it was important that they find agreement in the understanding that in the words and witness of Jesus, there is a blueprint for how to be the Church—how to treat one another and how to be faithful to Jesus invitation to follow. Gracious hospitality and self-negating love are paired with the radical call to counter the culture by choosing the road less traveled, the road that is difficult and yet, leads to life. (Matthew 7: 13) Some Questions… 1) Reflect upon the specific ways you have experienced change in the past ten years? 2) What are the challenges that this change has brought? What are the benefits? 3) What are the changes that are challenging the Church in 2015? Make a list of five or ten of the issues that we are currently facing. 4) How do you feel about tradition and its role in our life together as a community of faith? 5) In what ways might we learn to “preserve” both the old and the new? What might it mean for us to put “new wine into new wineskins?” 6) From your point of view, how is it possible to find “unity in our diversity?”

7) John Wesley once wrote, “In essentials, unity; In non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity.”

What, do you believe, are the “essentials” of our faith? The non-essentials? How can we practice charity in all things? How have you chosen to do that?

March 1, 2015 Second Sunday in Lent

LIFE TOGETHER: LEARNING TO LIVE AS THE FAITH COMMUNITY (2) Beyond the Rules

TEXTS: Matthew 5:1-11 (The Beatitudes) Matthew 5:13-17 (I have come not to abolish [the law] but to fulfill…)

THEME: Scholars have often suggested that the message of Matthew is divided into five different books—each one representing a major theme or focus. This is likely not by accident as Matthew was steeped in the Jewish tradition and writing to a Jewish audience. His use of these five different “books” or themes would parallel the five books of the Hebrew Bible—known as the Pentateuch. In the first book (Matthew 3:1 – 7:29), the focus is place on radical discipleship and higher righteousness. Matthew challenges the Christian community tomove beyond the righteousness of merely observing the “letter of the law” and to “fulfill the righteousness” intended by the “spirit of the law.” This focus on the “higher righteousness” is one that enables those who practice it to experience the true reality of the Kingdom of Heaven in the present moment of time—not merely in some distant moment in time. Matthew suggests that the kingdom begins now! In Matthew’s description of the so called, “Sermon on the Mount,” we cannot help but notice a striking parallel. Just as Moses ascends to the mountain top in the Exodus story to receive the Ten Commandments, so Jesus climbs the side of a mountain in Matthew’s Gospel to provide a new rendering of the law. As the “new Moses,” Jesus provides his followers with the guidelines that would shape their identity and direction as his followers. In our lesson for this Sunday, we will consider the summary description of radical discipleship as shared in the brief passage known as the Beatitudes.While there is a tendency to view these pithy sayings of Jesus (Matthew 5: 1-12) as if they were intended to be entrance requirements for the Kingdom of Heaven, they are better understood as tools that can be used

7 to uncover a vital and energized faith. Eugene Peterson suggests that the Beatitudes are best understood not as ethical demands, but as congratulatory announcements. In this understanding, they offer a description of a state of being that is not reserved for the future, but can be experienced deeply and fully in the present moment. The blessedness or happiness described in each Beatitude is not so much about “what will be,” but “what already is” for those who live according to the higher righteousness that Jesus proclaimed. The word, “blessed” comes from the Greek word, “Makarios,” which means the “greatest or highest happiness” that one can know—a happiness that was considered a gift from God. While the Beatitudes can be interpreted on many different levels, Dutch theologian van den Heuvel provides a helpful framework for understanding their meaning. 1) They can be interpreted as a portrait of Christ—a summary of the qualities seen in Jesus, the man from Nazareth. 2) A portrait of the Church as it might be by the grace of God and the practice of faithful discipleship. 3) A portrait of the Christ centered life—a reflection of the influence of Jesus’ wisdom and witness. A Contemporary Connection: Practicing What We Preach One of the wide spread criticisms of the contemporary Church is that while if often excels in “talking the talk,” it too often fails when it comes to “walking the walk.” The Beatitudes tend to cut through the pretense and the posturing of a shallow spirituality as they describe the reality of what it is actually like to experience a spirituality that goes far beyond the rules as it reaches into the depths of God’s true intention for our lives and for our life together. There is, suffice it to say, no greater joy than the joy of experiencing that intention. While the Christian faith has sometimes been reduced to little more than rule keeping legalism, these pithy teachings of Jesus remind us of the importance of cultivating a faith that is willing to explore the depths of what, for example, it means to be truly humble (poor in spirit), truly mournful (those who

8 mourn), or truly meek. So often, the definition that our culture uses, in regards to these terms, is not the definition that Jesus intended. Our task, therefore, is dig deep in order to uncover the original meaning or intention that Jesus had in mind. If we do, we will find a set of instructions that offer a radical departure from the cultural mindset of our day and a radical invitation to see and live differently. While this is by no means an easy assignment, it is one that can ultimately offer an experience of joy and happiness unlike any other—the experience of joy and happiness that comes from living according to the will and way of God. As the sixth Beatitudes says so succinctly, “How blessed are the pure in heart—they shall see God.” (Matthew 5: 8) Some Questions…. 1. In order to understand the Beatitudes in a new or different light, you may want to read several different translations. Bible Gateway provides a website that offers these translations. Pay special attention to Eugene Peterson’s translation as found in “The Message.” 2. As you read through these teachings of Jesus, which ones do you find to be the most challenging? Why? 3. Which of the Beatitudes do you find to be the most comforting or reassuring? Why? 4. If you were to choose the one Beatitude that is most needed in your life right now, which one would it be? In what ways might you choose to integrate this teaching into your day to day life? How might you apply it in your everyday agenda?

March 8, 2015 Third Sunday in Lent

LIFE TOGETHER: LEARNING TO LIVE AS THE FAITH COMMUNITY (3) On A Mission

TEXTS: Matthew 9:35-10:15 (The Mission of the Twelve) Matthew 10:16-42 (The Cost of Mission)

THEME: The second section of Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 8:1-11:1) shows that Jesus wants his disciples to see, very early on, that they are to replicate his ministry in the world. They are called to mission. Obviously Jesus does not promise his disciples a free lunch. Following Christ will prove to be a costly endeavor because it will require true disciples to be like their Lord. The word apostle means sent ones. No sooner are the disciples designated as apostles than they are sent out to the towns of Galilee. Jesus assembles a brood of unlikely partners in ministry. This is anything but a collection of men who already see life from the same perspective. Included in this little band was Peter the optimist (Matthew 14:28; 26:33, 35), but also Thomas the pessimist (John 11:16; 20:24, 25); Simon the onetime Zealot, hating taxes and eager to overthrow the Roman government, but also Matthew, who had voluntarily offered his tax collecting services to that same Roman government. What united these men is the mission of God. Matthew 10:5-6 may surprise some readers. Jesus says, essentially, “Stay in Galilee!” Literally, verse 5 reads, “Do not go away on the road of the Gentiles.” Samaria was to the south, and was populated by people despised by pure Jews. Why this prohibition? Jesus stood at the nexus in salvation history where as a Jew and the Son of David he came in fulfillment of his people’s history as their King and Redeemer. Yet his personal claims would offend so many of his own people that he would be rejected by all but a faithful remnant. Why increase their opposition by devoting time to a Gentile ministry? His mission, as predicted, was worldwide in its ultimate aims; and all along he warned that being a Jew was not enough. But, his own people must not be excluded because premature offense could be taken at such broad perspectives. Therefore, Jesus restricted his own ministry primarily (15:24), 10 though not exclusively (8:1-13; 15:21-39) to Jews. He himself was sent as their Messiah. The messianic people of God developed out of the Jewish remnant and expanded to include Gentiles. 10:16ff. Notice how the concern of Jesus’ discourse to his disciples moves to a larger stage. He starts his mission instruction for a small mission in Galilee, but as he progresses the instruction it is obvious that Jesus has the mission of his future church in mind (Matthew 28). We will always have works to do and we will never get to all the places we ought to go before Christ’s second coming. The disciples would not get to all the world’s cities in our day, but we should get on with the Great Commission anyway. We need to keep moving even though there is the cost we need to pay because we are called to mission! A Contemporary Connection: Missions is changing, and changing fast. Relentless global developments are opening up new opportunities and challenges for a church called to show God to the world. Some are unbelievably exciting—others are rather scary. But in the midst of all the change, one thing is sure: our call, our hope and our God will always remain strong. The global Church is changing quickly. Writers like Philip Jenkins (The New Christendom) have pointed out that these days the greatest growth and population of the Church is in the global south and east. But that’s not the whole story—just as the world has globalized, so has the Church. Increasingly, advances in communication and travel are allowing the church in all parts of the world to cooperate with each other in incredible ways. The old wells of Christian tradition are now realizing they are increasingly surrounded by hosts of equal partners from all cultures and nations. Because of this, many are saying it’s important for the Church in all world areas to give up on the idea of “independence” in mission. Instead as David Bosch pointed out in his epic Transforming Mission, mission is best accomplished in “interdependence,” by relying on each other and our own unique gifts. The world, and how we reach it, is also changing. We’ve already mentioned how globalization is creating new forms of interconnectedness, but it doesn’t stop there. Migration and relocation of people groups is creating multicultural

11 situations where they didn’t used to exist. And although it’s been harped on over and over, we can’t ignore that post-modernism, secularism and religious pluralism have overhauled much of Western culture, turning it into a challenging mission field. As John Stott of the Lausanne Movement has famously pointed out, mission is no longer to “places,” so much as to “people.” Being a missionary is no longer restricted to going overseas—obviously, as you can cross cultural lines in minutes right here in the City of Danville! Combine that with the reality of a globalized church and you get an incredible new picture of missions. Some Questions…. 1. How are you at uniting with Christians of a different social or political viewpoint? What are the categories of life or thought that are hardest for you (old—young, middle-class—poor, educated—non-educated, black—white, etc.)? What can you do to grow in this area? 2. Consider the images Jesus uses in Matthew 10:16. What is pictured when Jesus says his disciples are sheep among wolves? What does it mean to be shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves? What should this teach us about evangelism? 3. Notice the balance between the promises of persecution and promises of protection/reward in these verses in Matthew 10:17-42. Make a list of these. Circle those you have experienced in your Christian journey. What has it cost you to follow Christ?

March 15, 2015 Fourth Sunday in Lent

LIFE TOGETHER: LEARNING TO LIVE AS THE FAITH COMMUNITY (4) The Kingdom of Heaven

TEXTS: Matthew 13:1-23 (From Synagogue to Seashore) Matthew 13:24-58 (The Characteristics of the Kingdom)

THEME: Matthew 13 forms a bridge from Jesus’ ministry in Galilee to his long- march to Jerusalem and the cross. He was ministering in the synagogue (12:9), but now we find him on the seashore. After chapter 12 Jesus never again teaches or preaches to the Jews per se. From this point on in Matthew the reader will notice a broader picture. The emphasis is now on the world. With this chapter we come to the third major teaching of Jesus. But this time, instead of the bold teaching of the Sermon on the Mount (5-7) or the predictions of persecution given to his disciples (10), Jesus teaches incognito. He teaches in parables. A parable is not a fable. The latter does not describe a real-life situation. In a fable, animals talk and trees sing. A parable compares two subjects in order to teach a simple point. The word itself means a throwing together. A parable throws together two things to make a point, to create a surprise, to show a contrast. But it does so in such a way as to stimulate the curiosity of the listener. Parables are clever teaching tools. The Gospels record twenty-seven different parables from the mouth of Jesus. Matthew 13 contains seven parables, each teaching something about the kingdom of God. Various outlines of the seven parables have been proposed. This study will follow the outline of Fredrick Brunner who sees in Matthew 13 three sets of two parables followed by a somber seventh. Brunner’s break- down is as follows1: Two Field Parables: (1) Sower 13:3-9, (2) Weeds 13:24-30 Two Little-Power Parables: (1) Mustard Seed 13:31-32, (2) Yeast 13:33

1 Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew, 2 volumes. Baker, 1987. 13

Two Gem Parables: (1) The Hidden Treasure 13:44, (2) The Fine Pearl 13:45-46 The Warning Parable of the Net 13:47-50 When Jesus begins his ministry the kingdom of God is at the heart of his message (Matthew 4:23). Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom can be found in the seven parables of Matthew 13. For those steeped in the Old Testament Jesus throws a curve ball. He doesn’t teach that the kingdom will come suddenly, in one fell swoop. Instead, Jesus teaches about the secrets (NIV) or the mysteries (NASB, etc.) of the kingdom. The secret of the kingdom is this: what the Old Testament writers expected to occur suddenly will take place in stages. Each of the seven parables in Matthew 13 illustrates this mystery. The kingdom comes when the soil and the seed get together (Matthew 13:3- 9). It is a marriage of seed and soil. The seed is the word of God proclaimed by the Sower of God. And the kingdom begins to come in a life when the ‘soil’ receives the seed of the word for itself. Then it begins to germinate and shoot. The parable of the weeds and the wheat is unique to Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-42). If nothing else, this parable shows the followers of Christ that neither the church nor the world will be perfect until the very end comes. There is an irony with regard to the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast (Matthew 13:31-35). While the parables are very brief, occupying only a few verses, they have been the subject of strong debate as to their meaning. Two schools of interpretation have achieved popularity. First there are those who see these parables as a prophecy of the corruption of the church before the end of the age. These interpreters take their cue from the fact that yeast is often used as a symbol of evil in both the Old and New Testaments. (see, Matthew 16:12; Mark 8:15, Galatians 5:9; 1 Corinthians 5:6). Most, however, take these parables in a more natural sense. Jesus is teaching about the mystery of the kingdom. Jesus is encouraging his disciples (and Matthew is encouraging his readers) with a profound truth. What looks puny and small will one day be great and glorious. The image of the birds coming to roost, however, would have been eloquent to those reared on the Old Testament (Ezekiel 17:23; Daniel 4:12, 20-22). It is the Gentiles who are in mind. Jesus is hinting not only that this apparently tiny

14 seed will grow to a remarkable size, but that it will spread beyond the narrow confines of Judaism and provide a home for the Gentiles2. Because of their Old Testament background Jewish listeners would have been surprised to find Jesus using yeast as a symbol of the kingdom of heaven. Yet, Jesus’ followers must have seemed like yeast to the Pharisees and teachers of the law. The remaining three parables of Matthew 13, each unique to this Gospel, teach both the joy and the terror of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus spoke four parables to the crowds (13:1- 35) and then three to his disciples for teaching the secrets of the kingdom. A Contemporary Connection: The English word Kingdom is translated from the Greek term Basileia that is used more than 160 times in the New Testament.3 The Hebrew equivalent is Malkuth and virtually all biblical scholars define these terms as the “kingly rule, reign, sovereign authority” of God. The Kingdom of God is not defined in geographical, spatial, physical, temporal, or territorial terms. It is not a domain, but the dominion of God. The Kingdom of God does not mean a territory in which God is King; it means a condition of the heart and mind and will where God is Lord of all.4 Many people think of Kingdom of God as a place you go when you die, rather than the sovereign rule of God brought from Heaven to earth. N. T. Wright argues that this incorrect reading of the Gospels has resulted in a great deal of confusion regarding the Kingdom of Heaven: “It is as though you were to get a letter from the president of the United States inviting himself to stay at your home, and in your excitement you misread it and assumed that he was inviting you to stay at the White House.”5 The unfortunate consequence is an apparent blindness to the presence of the Kingdom of God in our midst (Luke 17:20-21).

2 Michael Green, The Message of Matthew. IVP, 2000. 3 Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission. Crossway, 2011. 4 William Barclay, The Parables of Jesus. John Knox Press, 1999. 5 N. T. Wright, How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. HarperOne, 2012. 15

Some Questions…. 1. The gospel of the kingdom is available for everyone who recognizes its value. It is there for those who stumble on to it almost by accident (the Gentiles), and for those who have spent their life in a spiritual quest (the Jews). The only requirement is to recognize the value of what is found. How was it that you came to know Christ? Did you stumble on to the Christian faith? Or did you find Jesus and his kingdom after a long, careful search? 2. Some Christians recoil at the notion that we come to God to fulfill our happiness or joy. But the idea is thoroughly biblical. Consider the place of joy/happiness in the life of a believer from the verses [• Hebrews 11:6 • Psalm 16:11 • Acts 20:30 • John 15:11]. 3. Respond to the quotation below. How does the way you live your Christian life reflect (or not reflect) these words? “The desire to be happy is a proper motive for every good deed, and if you abandon the pursuit of your own joy, you cannot love man or please God.”6 4. Frederick Brunner says, “The moral is clear: Preach the gospel! And a negative moral is corollary: It is not by telling people to make sacrifices that they make sacrifices. In theological language, it is not first of all by preaching God’s law that people do God’s law; it is first by telling people of God’s treasure that people make the sellings that are necessary in the following of God.”7 What are the sellings of your Christian life? What was the cost of the Kingdom of Heaven to you?

6 John Piper, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals. 2002. 7 Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew, 2 volumes. Baker, 1987. 16

March 22, 2015 Fifth Sunday in Lent

LIFE TOGETHER: LEARNING TO LIVE AS THE FAITH COMMUNITY (5) Sharing Mercy and Love in Community

TEXTS: Matthew 14:14-21 (Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand) Matthew 18:21-35 (The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant)

THEME: This week we are looking at two distinctly different passage that are found within the “fourth book” of Matthew (refer back to week 2 if you need clarification about the 5 different books within this Gospel). In our first passage, we find that in his time of mourning for John the Baptist, Jesus is followed by thousands of people desiring to learn and be healed by him. The text says that Jesus had compassion for them and performed healings for those in need. However, the disciples do not seem to share this same compassion and want to send the people back into town because it was late and they needed to eat. However, through the blessing of what little they had, Jesus and the disciples were able to feed everyone gathered in that place and end up with 12 baskets full of leftovers. Some theologians and scholars believe that what happened on that evening was miracle in a different sense than our tradition teaching.They believe that when the people assembled saw that the Disciples were willing to share the little they had with the crowd, that inspired everyone else to share what they had with the other people gathered there as well. However, whether we take this story literally as Jesus multiplying the food or symbolically as the community caring for one another, we find that the same lesson applies. The lesson which tells us that when we share together in community, God will always provide an abundance so that all needs are met. In our second passage, we find Jesus telling the parable of the unmerciful servant. Through this parable, Jesus reminds his followers that God forgives and shows us mercy and call us to pass on this action to others. It can be so easy for us to forget how much mercy we have received and be ready to ridicule others for their shortcomings. However, we must we remember the

17 words in the Lord’s Prayer which we say each week: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…” Both of these stories serve to remind us that part of being the church means embracing and showing God’s love to the community though welcome and mercy. The church is not here to break people down and leave them hungry but rather to nourish them both physically and spiritually. A cliché phrase comes to mind when looking at these passages: “You can’t out give (or out forgive) God….Just Try!” A Contemporary Connection: Often, it is easy for us as the church to get focused on ourselves. There are so many things that need to be taken care of… Electric Bills, Building Maintenance, making sure the right ushers are scheduled, etc. While many of those things are very important we can get so caught up in the details that we feel there is no time to attend to anyone or anything outside of the church. Perhaps this is one of the reasons there are so many outside of the church who see us as hypocrites. Because on Sundays we look at Jesus and hear his teachings about radically welcoming the stranger and showing forgiveness to all people but then our doors to the sanctuary are locked Monday thru Saturday. Then during fellowship time after church we are too afraid to walk up to that person we don’t recognize and say “Hello.” We are blessed to be part of a church that has the motto of “Open Hearts, Open Doors and Open Minds,” but Jesus reminds us that having the motto isn’t enough….we must also live it out. Some Questions…. 1. hen was a time you were shown mercy (even if you didn’t deserve it)? How did you feel after receiving it? 2. What does it mean to you to be a part of a church that has the motto “Open hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors?” 3. In what ways have you seen God’s abundance in your life and in the life of the community? 4. In what ways do you enjoy giving back to the community? Why those particular ways?

5. What do you think is the local Church’s responsibility to its surrounding community? 6. In what ways have you seen SRVUMC involved in our surrounding community? What new opportunities do see for us to get involved in? 7. If SRVUMC closed tomorrow, would non-members of the church notice? Why or Why not?

March 29, 2015 Passion/Palm Sunday

LIFE TOGETHER: LEARNING TO LIVE AS THE FAITH COMMUNITY (6) The Judgment of Jesus

TEXTS: Matthew 21:1-11 (Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem) Matthew 21:12-17 (Jesus Cleanses the Temple)

THEME: In the scripture readings from Matthew 19:2 – 26:1, we encounter the last of the five “books” or sections that comprise the main body of Matthew’s message. This section is one that concerns itself primarily with the theme of judgment. While judgment is a loaded word in the vocabulary of our present day culture, it is a word that cannot be ignored when considered the witness of Jesus and the implications for his time and for ours. Although there is always the danger of being too quick to claim the authority to judge (being judgmental), there is also a danger in failing to realize that the Gospel message is one that does not shy away from the reality of God’s judgment. In the narrative of Matthew’s Gospel, there is a building tension between the radical teaching of Jesus concerning the nature of discipleship and the conventional wisdom of the religious-economic-political establishment. In Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees (one of the representative parties of the “establishment), this tension becomes palpable. The contrast between the “good news” of the emerging kingdom of heaven and the legalistic demands of the Pharisees is striking. As the plot of Matthew’s gospel thickens, it is clear that something’s got to give. In this concluding section, the theme of judgment comes into focus. The judgment of Jesus is expressed in the form of several parables and also in seven specific indictments of the practices of the Pharisees (“Woe to you!”). These teachings pull no punches as they make it clear that the paradigm of power, wealth and privilege that operates at the heart of the religious-political establish is in no way compatible with the radical discipleship that Jesus invited his followers (the Christian community) to practice.

In our lesson for this, the sixth Sunday of Lent, the table is set for the final drama that will take place in the City of Jerusalem during what we now refer to as, “Holy Week.” The first portion of our lesson (Matthew 21: 1-11) concerns the “triumphal entry” of Jesus into the city. There is, of course, a sense of great joy and celebration among those who welcome Jesus, but this joy is not shared by the political and religious leaders who observe from a distance. What the people see as a promise is understood only as a threat by the authorities. And, not without reason. Jesus’ choice to enter the city on the back of a donkey / colt is one that echoes and reinforces the ancient vison of the prophet Zechariah—a vision that spoke of the king of peace, “humble and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9: 9) Although the choice to ride a donkey was hardly one that smacked of kingship in the dominant culture of the time, the authorities were not blind to the fact that Jesus was playing upon the ancient hope of his people that the Messiah would arrive by this same mode of transportation. As unlikely as it may have seemed, Jesus’ entry was, by design, making a statement against a system built upon violence, oppression and war. Anyone familiar with the Jewish tradition would recognize that this was his way of announcing the reign / kingdom of God’s peace. In the very next passage, Matthew builds upon this theme of judgment by including the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple (Matthew 21: 12-17). While some have interpreted this prophetic act of civil disobedience to be an indictment against the unethical practice (price gouging) of the vendors / money changers who were present, it was actually, far more serious than that. Jesus choice to overturn the tables and chase away those who sat at them, was actually an indictment of the Temple sponsored system that practiced what Marcus Borg has termed, “the politics of holiness.” The politics of holiness were responsible for separating first century Jewish society into a “caste system” of clean and unclean, acceptable and unacceptable, those who observed the law and those who did not. Not surprisingly, those who benefited from this segregated society were those who held positions of power and prominence, both politically (Roman rulers) and religiously (High Priest, Pharisees, Saducces).

At the very center of Jesus’ ongoing confrontation with the religious leaders of his time was his conviction that in the Kingdom of Heaven, there could be no division between clean and unclean, that all were included, all were welcome to sit down at the feast that God had prepared. With this understanding in mind, we can see how Jesus’ choice to upset the tables in the Temple courtyard was really a symbolic act of judgment leveled against a system that insisted on separating and excluding—to the benefit of a few and the expense of many. Jesus’ judgment against this oppressive and exclusive system is, once again, voiced through the ancient prophetic witness: “My house shall be called a house prayer for all peoples (Isaiah 56:7); but you are making it a den of robbers.” (Jeremiah 7:11) By combining these two prophetic voices, Jesus is making it clear that, first of all, the Temple is not the exclusive province of the powerful and elite, but the intended home for all people. “Peoples” can most accurately be translated as “Gentiles.” Secondly, as Marcus Borg points out in his book, “Jesus: A New Vision,” the phrase, “den of robbers” can be most accurately translated as the “violent ones,” a reference to those who believed that their association with the Temple provided security in spite of their violations of the covenant. In other words, those who proclaimed “exoneration by association.” Jesus’ judgment exposed the fallacy of their perspective and the practice that it generated. In sharp contrast the abuse and oppression that the Temple system had generated, Matthew informs us that, after overturning the tables, Jesus welcomed “the blind and the lame” and cured them. This would seem to be Matthew’s way of reminding the reader that Jesus had come to ensure that the Temple would be used for its intended purpose of providing healing and wholeness for all—especially those often ignored or excluded by the dominant culture. A Contemporary Connection: The Tension Between Grace and Judgment As people of faith, we often speak of the importance of grace and the gift that it offers to us. Yet, this emphasis on the role of grace in the dynamic of our faith should not obscure the reality of judgment. While grace is a gift that God insists on offering—without hesitation or reservation—this does not mean that judgment does not also play a role.

The choice to ignore the invitation of grace and its premise that we are all forgiven—in spite of our brokenness—is one that creates the consequence of disconnection with others and with God.In this sense, then, we are judged— not by the indicting finger of God—but by the consequence of our choice to refuse the offer of grace. In Jesus’ time, the concept of grace was foreign to the religious authorities and their understanding not only of others, but also of themselves. They felt as if they were beyond the reach of grace and had no need of its gift. The reality, of course, is that their need was greater than they realized. In the parables that he told and in his choice to overturn the tables in the Temple, Jesus was illustrating in vivid ways that these individuals who thought so highly of themselves and, in fact, chose to “play God” in their judgment of the acceptability of others, would actually experience the consequences of their failure to make room for grace. In this sense then, they would be “judged” for their failure to extend the grace that God had already extended to them. While Jesus was quite clear in his teaching concerning the dangers of being judgmental, it is also fair to suggest that our witness of faith is one that inevitably must make judgments about the values of our surrounding culture and how these reflect—or not—the call of Jesus to follow in his footsteps. In this sense then, we are called to judge what is a reflection of God’s intention for our lives and what is not. While this is not often an easy task, it is one that we often cannot avoid. As Christians, we tend to side with the Apostle Paul and his assertion that “it is by grace that we have been saved.” The choice to ignore or deny this premise does have its consequences. This is a judgment that we bring upon ourselves. Some Questions… 1. Is there a difference between judgment and judgmentalism? If so, describe that difference. 2. How does the concept of judgment fit in the gospel of grace? Or does it? 3. Is it possible that judgment is something that we experience more as a consequence than as something that God levies against us? 4. When you reflect upon the judgment of Jesus as depicted in this final section of Matthew’s gospel, what is it that he is really judging?

5. As you think about the application of this message to our own time and place, what would Jesus judge? What areas of our political, economic and religious life would likely be the focus of his judgment? 6. In what ways might our own lives and witness of faith reflect the judgment of Jesus—without allowing ourselves to become judgmental?