Separating the Leaven

Collect for Friday in the Third Week of Lent

Grant us, O Lord our Strength, to have a True Love of your Holy Name; so that, trusting in your grace, we may fear no earthly evil, nor fix our hearts on earthly goods, but may rejoice in your full salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Separating the Leaven (16:1-12) 
This is not a good day for Jesus.  It starts with the Pharisees and the Sadducees coming to test him, and ends with the disciples showing a block-headedness that is unusual for Matthew, but common enough in the Gospels. 

The Pharisees and the Sadducees approaching Jesus together is unlikely, as many commentators have stated.  But it is important to the story so that Jesus may make a break with the entirety of the religious leadership.  They come to him and demand a sign, some sort of miraculous event that will prove that Jesus is who he says he is.  Jesus responds by quoting what are a couple of common sayings about the weather.  Eugene Peterson paraphrases it in The Message: "You have a saying that goes, 'Red sky at night, sailor delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning. You find it easy enough to forecast the weather‚' why can‚ you read the signs of the times?"  If they can see the sign in what he has already done, they will receive no sign except the "Sign of Jonah."  Jonah spent three days and nights in the belly of a great fish and then was vomited on the shore.  Jesus will spend three days and nights before rising from the dead.  His resurrection will be a final sign for them.  At the end of the paragraph, Jesus abandons or leaves them behind as opposed to the other encounters in the Gospel where he withdraws.  It is his final word to them before his final confrontation in Judea. (19:3; 22:23)

No doubt still grumbling from that encounter, Jesus then reunites with the disciples.  "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Leaven, or yeast, has many different connotations in the Bible.  In this case, it is clearly negative, meaning that a small amount of their teaching can worm its way into the Gospel, thereby corrupting it.  The disciples are confused, and think he's angry at them for not bringing bread.  Jesus, after probably sighing deeply, reminds them about his miraculous feedings and that he's not talking about bread at all.  In contrast to the Gospel of Mark, they finally seem to get what Jesus is talking about.

So what is it about the leaven of the Sadducees and Pharisees that Jesus finds so objectionable?  The teachings of the two sects of Judaism are very different.  What is the common thread Jesus is concerned about?  It is that both sects are concerned with maintenance of "Checklists" in order to be in right relation with God.  The Sadducees were obsessed with the minutiae of the worship of the temple.  The Pharisees were preoccupied with maintaining moral and ritual purity.  Members of both parties strove to make sure they got all their respective "t's" crossed and their "i's" dotted, and felt themselves righteous because of their hard work. 

In opposition to that, Jesus often violated purity, ritual and sabbath commandments not because they were bad in themselves, but to demonstrate that they had become an object of idolatry for the religious elite.  Jesus taught that the way to reconciliation with God was not through tidy wrote obedience, but through messy relationship.  Jesus was concerned about the spirit and intent of the law rather than the letter.  When the disciples are unable to free themselves of a literal interpretation of the leaven metaphor, they are in danger of sliding back into the kind of wrote observance that the religious elite were guilty of, and for which Jesus had just broken off communication.

When reading this passage in Lent, it is a good time to ask ourselves if we have allowed the leaven that Jesus was so concerned about to creep into our lives of faith.  This leaven was certainly not confined to just the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Why do we practice Lenten disciplines?  Why do we go to church?  Why are we participating in this Bible Study?  Is it in order to fulfill another checklist in our Franklin-Covey planner under the master goal of "Be a more religious person?"  Or is it to have an encounter with the living God and open ourselves up to the transformative power of the water of life?  My guess is, we all have at least some of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees within us. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to separate that portion of the dough out. 



The Rev. David Simmons
Rector
St. Matthias, Waukesha

Jesus Feeds

Collect for Thursday in the Third Week of Lent

Keep watch over you church, O Lord, with your unfailing love; and, since it is grounded in human weakness and cannot maintain itself without your aid, protect it from all danger, and keep it in the way of salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus Feeds (Matthew 15:1-39)

Matthew 15 contains several familiar stories; the most familiar to most of us is the story of the feeding of several thousand people from a modest portion of bread and fish.  For many of us, as children this story illustrated Jesus’ ability to perform miracles.  Perhaps this is all that we needed to take from the “feeding of the thousands.”  However, as we come to understand the story more fully we draw more from it.  One aspect that I have always found helpful is that Jesus was seeking to speak to this crowd but immediately saw that the group’s basic needs must be met first.  I often find this to be a good reminder that as we encounter need in the world we are called first to help meet that need. 

Another familiar story from Matthew 15 is that of the woman seeking deliverance for her daughter who is possessed by a demon.  Again, as young people we saw this as yet another examples of Jesus’ ability to heal and perform miracles.  This brief story, however, is far deeper.  I have heard this passage preached a number of times and always find something new in it.  As followers of Jesus it is sometimes hard to come to terms with what appears to be the fact that Jesus really couldn’t be bothered with this woman and her daughter.  Even more interesting to me is the fact that the mother essentially talked-back to Jesus and, frankly, called him out.  Given the gender roles of the time this had to have been quite startling.  And what does Jesus do in this situation?  He rewards her and her faith.  That instant had to have been revolutionary in and of itself.

For all these great stories, during Lent I find that in terms of Matthew 15 I draw more from the portion of the chapter that speaks about the things which emanate from our hearts.  If Lent is to be a time of reflection, of discipline, of re-focusing and renewing our faith, I find the verses 1-20 to be very helpful.  Here we have another example of Jesus challenging the scholars and leaders of the day, taking them to task for their laws and traditions that have no place in the New Covenant.  Jesus tells us that it is what is in our hearts, and what that may lead us to do, that defiles us.  He rejects the hand-washing traditions about which some people were presumably rather obsessed.  He points out that unclean hands do not defile us but unclean hearts do.  This provides another example that the faith Jesus calls us to has far more to do with how we act, how we treat one another, how we honor God through our words and actions than whether or not we adhere to old purity customs such as ritual hand-washing.  It is this new call to us as followers that I find helpful during Lent.  What does God really require of us?  Are we living our lives in a way, led by our hearts, which is pleasing to God or do we simply follow our human desires?  Taking time to reflect on our own hearts is, to me, at the core of Lent.

Marcus White

Trinity Church, Wauwatosa

Jesus Feeds, Heals and Teaches

Collect for Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent

Give ear to our prayers, O Lord, and direct the way of your servants in safety under your protection, that, amid all the changes of our earthly pilgrimage, we may be guarded by your mighty aid; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus feeds, heals and teaches (Matthew 14:13-14:35)

Today’s readings are familiar stories of Jesus’ ministry in and around Galilee. They also happen to be two of my favorite passages of Holy Scripture; the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus walking on the water to his disciples whose boat had drifted away, “far from the land.”

When I first told a friend of mine that I would be writing about the feeding of the five thousand, she commented that it was the perfect reflection for me. She knows me well and knows I am the type of person who loves to feed others. According to the Meyers-Briggs Personality Indicator, I am a bit more of an extrovert than an introvert and, for the most part, I am energized by being with others. But the truth is, I am the most comfortable when I can feed them and create an atmosphere of welcome and care.

So, I reflected on that for a while; thinking about what it might have felt like to the disciples who, through God’s grace, fed the multitude with an abundance of food that came from relative scarcity.  This prompted me to think about another dear friend of mine who also likes to feed others, make them feel welcomed and cared for. Having been the recipient of her gracious care, I am mindful of what it feels like to be hungry and in need and to be cared for. Imagine what it must have felt like to have been among the five thousand! You have just spent the afternoon listening to Jesus, watching him cure others and praying over them. (Perhaps Jesus even prayed for you.) And then, you are fed with an abundance of food. Wow.

Then comes the “You of little faith” story.  After feeding the five thousand, Jesus sends the disciples off in their boat, sends the crowd on their way and he goes to a mountain to pray. Upon his return we read that the boat had been “battered by the waves, was far from land, for the wind was against them.”  So, Jesus decides to walk on the water to join the disciples. At first they’re frightened by what looks to them like a ghost walking on the water. Peter challenges Jesus and says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  (You know the rest of the story.) Jesus simply says, “Come.”  Peter steps boldly out of the boat and is holding his own as he walks on the water in response to the Lord’s command, “Come.” But then the wind picks up, Peter feels unsteady, looks away from Jesus and begins to sink. He cries out, “Lord, save me!” As Jesus reaches out and to catch Peter, he admonishes him saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

I’m on the vestry at Trinity, Wauwatosa. In the past year, we read the book Jesus Freak: Feeding-Healing-Raising the Dead, by Sara Miles. We’ve had lots of discussion about what it means to feed others and to be fed. We’ve explored what it means and what it looks like to step out in faith to feed, heal and to figuratively “raise the dead.” In these two Scripture stories Jesus calls the disciples to action. He calls for actions of faith that empower the disciples to feed and to walk. What I am reminded of in the story of Peter’s doubt is how easy it is to be filled with good intention and move boldly into action, only to be buffeted about by uncertainty and then lose my way.

In her book, Jesus Freak, Miles points out that Jesus consistently chose unconventional table fellowship as a sign of God’s kingdom. I am mindful of how God’s kingdom is reflected in my own church community. I am thankful for the power we draw from one another through prayer and the way in which we see Christ in one another.

Through this power, this gift of God’s grace, I see individuals as well as the community of Trinity, stepping out, being fed and in a multitude of literal and spiritual ways feeding others. We are being fed and feeding others through the abundance of God’s blessing on our gifts as individuals and as a community of faith. Through this Lenten season, I am praying about where God is calling me to feed and to be fed. I am praying that when I step out, I will keep my focus on Christ in the hope that I will not falter. But, if I do, (and I probably will) I know Christ will reach out to me… all I need to do is to call out to him.

Carlynn Higbie

Trinity Church, Wauwatosa

Experiencing God in Ways We Might Not Expect

Collect for Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent

O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom you have given a fervent desire to pray, may, by your mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Experiencing God in Ways We Might Not Expect (Matthew 13:53-14:12)

What an odd combination of readings!  Check it out for yourself.  Doesn’t it seem a bit odd that Matthew would write about Jesus being rejected in his hometown, and in the next “breath” talk about John the Baptist’s death?  Sometimes I find it helpful to review the text and focus on the actions of the characters.  In this case, Jesus is rejected and the people are offended because someone they knew, someone they watched grow up as a child, could claim such authority.  They viewed Jesus as a child, and of course what child could have authority over them.  Even though they recognized Jesus’ “wisdom and these deeds of power” they could not bring themselves to accept what they just experienced.  I think today we would call this a major case of denial.  Even though they witnessed Jesus first hand, they could not accept him.

The story of John’s death takes place in the past.  This is Herod’s memory of John’s death.  And that caused me to look back to the first line in chapter 14 where Herod said, “this is John the Baptist”.  Herod recognized something in Jesus.  He recognized a divine power, the same power he saw in John.  And therefore thought Jesus was John resurrected.  And Herod’s response was fear.  He feared John because John spoke the truth to him.  John would not let him get away with marrying his brother’s wife just because he was king!  John called Herod to change, to repent and seek God again.

In both cases Jesus was recognized as someone of power, wisdom, and authority.  And in both cases he was resoundingly rejected.  At home because they “thought” they knew him and could not see past their current understanding.  They could not accept Jesus even though they were witnesses to his wisdom and deeds of power because it didn’t fit with their previous experience and understanding.  Herod understood Jesus to be a prophet but also knew that admitting that would mean he would have to confess his own sins and make a change in his life.

I think Matthew puts these stories together to show us that if we are to follow Jesus, we must be open to experience God in ways we might not expect, and sometimes if we do, we might hear or see something we don’t like in ourselves.  And yet, aren’t these concepts taught in self-help books, business leadership classes, support groups, and many schools?  Be open to new ideas!  Don’t be threatened by those ideas that challenge us!  Be willing to change!  And although we don’t follow this advice much better in business than we do in our spiritual lives, it must be good advice since so many have copied it from Jesus!

The Rev. Mark Moore

Rector

St. Paul's Church, Watertown

A Lesson in Abundance

Collect for Monday in the Third Week of Lent

Look upon the heart-felt desires of your humble servants, Almighty God, and stretch forth the right hand of your majesty to be our defense against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Lesson in Abundance (Matthew 13:1-52)

Jesus is the kind of teacher who asks his students to discover the point of the lesson for themselves—and that is the best kind of teaching there is. Despite Jesus’ attempts at explaining the parables, the disciples don’t seem to get it. They have not yet learned to see for themselves what Jesus is saying.

So what is Jesus saying, in these parables? Each one of them is rich in meaning and symbolism. But, taken all together, what is especially powerful about these parables is that each of them point to God’s abundance. The seeds that fall on good soil bring forth an astonishingly large harvest “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matt. 13:8). Considering that a harvest of four to tenfold was considered normal[1] that is an amazing yield! The wheat in the field comes up, despite being planted with weeds. The mustard seed grows into a great plant, despite its tiny size. The yeast, mixed with three measures of flour, would make enough bread to feed about 100-150 people.[2] There is definitely a theme of God’s abundance in these parables.

And perhaps this is what makes Jesus’ lesson so difficult for the disciples, and for us, to see for ourselves. As Jesus says, “Many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it” (Matt. 13:17). It is difficult to see that we are recipients of God’s abundant love, generosity, and grace, even when we claim that we want to see it. Maybe we do this because we find it hard to believe that we actually do receive, and deserve, blessing.  And yet, even if God’s gifts do sometimes fall on thin or thorny soil, or if we occasionally plant weeds among the riches given to us, we still receive abundance from God. More than that, God’s abundant gifts to us are always present, even if we don’t immediately recognize them for what they are. The trick is learning to see these gifts for ourselves. Only then can we can truly appreciate them. So perhaps our project for Lent is this: to try to see more clearly the gifts that God has already given us.

The Rev. Anna Doherty

Rector

St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, Hartford, WI

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[1]  Boring, M. Eugene. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Volume VIII. Abingdon Press, Nashville: 1995. Page 303.

[2]  Ibid. Page 309.

Rest for the Weary

Collect for the Third Sunday in Lent

Almighty God, you know that I have no power in myself to help myself: Keep me both outwardly in my body and inwardly in my soul, that I may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ the Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Rest for the Weary (Matthew 11:2-12:50)

Jesus isn't pulling any punches in these chapters filled with teaching, healing, and run-ins with the authorities. He compares his opponents to whiny “children sitting in the marketplaces” (11:16); he pronounces woes upon the cities that witnessed his “deeds of power” and yet “did not repent” (11:20); he flouts the laws prohibiting work on the sabbath (12:1-14); and he calls the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” (12:34) and worse. But amid all the vitriol are some equally significant moments of mercy, like the restoration of a man's withered hand (12:13-14) and a demoniac's senses (12:22).

I think there's an important insight bound up in the contrasts found in this eighty-verse emotional roller coaster. On one hand, we are reminded that Jesus is nothing if not demanding. With his words he warns repeatedly of the coming “day of judgment” (11:22, 12:36), and with his actions he calls his followers to join him in sacrificial solidarity with all who are needy, ailing, or marginalized (11:5, 11:19, 11:25, 12:13-14, 12:22). There's no doubt about it: the Lord expects great things from us.

AND there is tender reassurance here too, a reminder that God mercifully equips us for the work ahead. We saw at the beginning of Chapter 10 how Jesus gave his disciples authority to do their healing work in the Judean countryside. Now at the end of chapter 11 he promises us all a still greater gift: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (11:28-30).

We hear these words so often that I think it's easy to overlook their counter-intuitive implication. But it seems like the message is this: the rest and refreshment goes (or rather comes) hand in hand with our willingness to shoulder, as it were, the responsibility God places upon us. It is in taking up the work of the gospel that we receive the rest our souls so long for. How exactly does that work? Beats me. My guess is that it helps us reevaluate the weight we were originally carrying.

Kyle Oliver

Seminarian studying at Virginia Theological Seminary

St. Francis House Episcopal Student Center, Madison

Israel's Repudiation of Jesus

Video for Week 3, March 27-April 2

Israel’s Repudiation of Jesus

Matthew 11:2-16:12

Discussion Questions

We witness people starting to question Jesus and his role more fervently this week.  I wonder when you may have had a time in your life when you questioned God, when you questioned Jesus?  Where did you find God/Jesus in this time?

We hear of people, especially the Pharisees, questioning Jesus and wanting him to be put down, to be arrested and tried.  Throughout these struggles and questions, Jesus remains true to who he is and what he has come to do.  What do you think it was like to be one of the disciples in the midst of this back and forth?  What was it like to be in the midst of this struggle?

Jesus strives to make his word and works clear to those around him.  Is there a place of clarity for you in this week’s readings?  In the Gospel of Matthew?