Collect for the Fifth Sunday in Lent
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Invitation is Tested and Questioned (Matthew 22:1-46)
Jesus will offer an invitation to the religious leaders and they will respond with testing and questioning.
First will be the Herodians, a political party that supported Herod Antipas and the policies of Rome. Their question will attempt to put Jesus against Roman authority. Jesus demonstrated that we all have dual citizenship; citizenship in our country and citizenship of the kingdom of God.
The second group of leaders, the Sadducees, did not believe in resurrection. They wanted to trap Jesus as they had trapped the Pharisees, that there was no proof of the teaching of the resurrection in the Pentateuch. Jesus teaches that it is more important to understand the power of God than to understand heaven.
One might think that the Pharisees would be celebrating that Jesus shut down the Sadducees; but, in their pride they would not be thwarted from their final attempt to shut up Jesus. The Pharisees, experts of the Jewish Law, wanted to trap Jesus with the Law. Jesus instead summed up the Law, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37) Jesus then invited the Pharisees into understanding who he was, that he was and is the Christ.
In each interaction the groups were trying to trap Jesus and he responded by inviting them to hear and receive the Truth. His parable of the wedding banquet opened this chapter for us. In that parable he is teaching about God’s invitation to all God’s people to come into the wedding banquet, the heavenly feast. In this parable there are those who refuse the king’s invitation, even when the feast is ready and prepared for them. When the elite refused, the invitation went out to everyone, without discrimination. All may come to the banquet. However, if we accept the invitation we’re still expected to show up dressed for the occasion. Appropriate dress given to us by the King, it is the robe of righteousness. We can accept the robe or not.
The Herodians, Sadducees, and Pharisees decided to test and question the truth of the invitation. How do we respond to Jesus’ invitation in our lives?
The Rev. Carla McCook
Rector
No comments:
Post a Comment