The following is something I wrote this week while thinking about Matthew 14:13-21, which records Jesus' feeding of the five thousand in the desert with five loaves of bread and two fish.
What does it mean to follow Jesus into the desert? It is to leave Egypt, just as the Jews left Egypt and entered the desert. It is to leave behind false gods and false security (which is truly just slavery) in order to follow the one true God who leads his people through the desert in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. (Ex. 13:21) It is to repent, for the Kingdom of God – in the very presence of this Jesus – is at hand. It is to open oneself to God in simple prayer, and it is to humble oneself with quiet almsgiving and unseen fasting. (Mat. 6) Summing it all up, it is to confess one’s sin and entrust oneself – with fear and trembling, but also with hope – to the mercy of God.
What happens in this desert of confession? Jesus sits us down on green grass. (Green grass in the desert: the miracle before the miracle!) He is, after all, the good shepherd (Jn. 10:11) who makes us to lie down in green pastures and prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies.(Ps. 23:2, 5) The true enemies in this desert are trials and temptations, “for our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh…” (Eph. 6:12) The presence of such enemies in the desert of confession is ongoing. Nevertheless, Jesus feeds all five thousand of us not with meager rations but to the point of complete satisfaction: “All ate and were filled.” (Mat. 14:20)
He does this with five loaves of bread and two fish. Five loaves and two fish: What does this mean? The five loaves: the five books of Moses. The two fish: the Law and the Prophets. In the desert of confession, Jesus feeds us with the Word of God. Said differently, he feeds us with himself. (Jesus is the Word made flesh. Jn. 1) This is the new covenant, and Jesus writes God’s Word not on stone tablets but on human hearts (Jer. 31:33, 2 Cor. 3:3). He does this not because the crowd is full of swell people, but simply because “he saw the great crowd, and he had compassion for them.” (Mat. 14:14)
Twelve baskets are left over: plenty for the twelve disciples who have been called to feed the crowd with God’s Word. The twelve must feed a lot of people with this Word, but they don’t need to worry about whether there will be enough for them too. God's Word has not, and will not, run out. And perhaps the twelve baskets left over aren’t merely for the disciples, but for the totality of the twelve tribes of Israel. The point remains the same: the Word – that is, Jesus’ grace and mercy for those who have followed him into the desert of confession – will never run out, regardless of how many come to him with empty stomachs. It’s true: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Mat. 5:6)
That’s how it happened then, and that’s how it happens now. Five loaves and two fish: “All ate and were filled.” (Mat. 14:20)
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
The Pearl of Great Price
"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45 (NKJV)
This Sunday’s gospel reading contains a number of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. One of the better-known ones is the parable of the “Pearl of Great Price”, which is quoted above. (Thank you, NRSV, for changing the well-known translation and leaving us with the rather colorless “pearl of great value”.)
The most obvious lesson from Jesus’ parable is that obtaining the pearl of great price entails the soul’s surrender of all other things. In other words, those who would enter the Kingdom of Heaven are called to drop everything and follow Jesus. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially given the 1st and 9th/10th commandments: “You shall have no other gods before Me,” and, “You shall not covet.”
The main point of this post is to consider what it means to drop everything to follow Jesus, but it’s worth considering first what the Kingdom of Heaven is. To offer a simple definition, the Kingdom of Heaven is wherever and whenever God is King. This reign of God isn’t a “grit your teeth and do what you’re told” sort of reign. Rather, God’s reign has been definitively revealed in Jesus to be one of grace and mercy. Jesus is the One whose throne is the cross, and he reigns by humbly riding into our lives on a donkey and giving himself to us so that we’re remade into the people God created us to be.
That’s the Kingdom of Heaven, and this side of the resurrection our participation in it is weak and partial. (It gets stronger and fuller as we progress in sanctification.) It’s a Kingdom “not of this world” (John 18:36) and “now we see in a mirror, dimly.” (1 Cor. 13:12) Nevertheless, even the foretaste of the feast to come is pretty great, and there will be a Day when “we will see face to face.” (1 Cor. 13:12)
With that said, what does it mean to heed Jesus’ call to drop everything in order to have the one pearl of great price? One group in particular that has tried to imitate the merchant from the parable quite literally is those who have joined religious orders (i.e. friars, monks, nuns). Their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience are an attempt to follow Jesus more closely by forgoing things (namely possessions, marriage, and autonomy) that can become hindrances to the life of discipleship.
I think Lutherans can learn a lot from those who have joined religious orders. However, the point I want to make here is that we stand to learn even more from Luther, who left his life as a friar and criticized the monastic institution of his day. Often Lutherans have interpreted this to mean that we need not give up anything to have Jesus as King in our lives. However, Luther’s point was precisely the opposite.
When Luther left his life as a friar, it wasn’t because he thought that he didn’t need to give up anything to follow Jesus. Rather, Luther rejected monasticism because monasticism itself had pretended to be God’s Kingdom on earth and, for that reason, it needed to be given up. In Luther’s time it was common to refer to monastic life as a “state of perfection”, which (mis)led people to believe that upon joining a monastery they would automatically find themselves in the Kingdom of God.
But Luther saw quite clearly that it was fully possible to drop some false gods upon joining the monastery, only to pick up other false gods peculiar to monastaic life. And perhaps the most subtle false gods that plague devout Christians are those of self-chosen religious works and self-achieved forms of righteousness. As soon as we begin to make the pearl of great price into something we can possess or achieve, then we lose the real pearl, which is the merciful reign of Jesus.
Luther left his life as a friar not because he thought that Jesus isn’t serious about dropping all of our false gods in order to follow him. He left his life as a friar because he knew that Jesus’ call meant dropping every single false god that there is, especially self-chosen religiosity and the claim that such “works” make one righteous before God.
So that's the lesson of the merchant and the pearl of great price. As evidenced by Luther, the call to drop everything and follow Jesus is an absolute call. It tears us away from clinging to even the finest pearls this world has to offer, and it removes every worldly ground of righteousness. However, it does so only in order to give us the one pearl of great price – Jesus – and the one sure ground of righteousness – his mercy.
This Sunday’s gospel reading contains a number of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. One of the better-known ones is the parable of the “Pearl of Great Price”, which is quoted above. (Thank you, NRSV, for changing the well-known translation and leaving us with the rather colorless “pearl of great value”.)
The most obvious lesson from Jesus’ parable is that obtaining the pearl of great price entails the soul’s surrender of all other things. In other words, those who would enter the Kingdom of Heaven are called to drop everything and follow Jesus. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially given the 1st and 9th/10th commandments: “You shall have no other gods before Me,” and, “You shall not covet.”
The main point of this post is to consider what it means to drop everything to follow Jesus, but it’s worth considering first what the Kingdom of Heaven is. To offer a simple definition, the Kingdom of Heaven is wherever and whenever God is King. This reign of God isn’t a “grit your teeth and do what you’re told” sort of reign. Rather, God’s reign has been definitively revealed in Jesus to be one of grace and mercy. Jesus is the One whose throne is the cross, and he reigns by humbly riding into our lives on a donkey and giving himself to us so that we’re remade into the people God created us to be.
That’s the Kingdom of Heaven, and this side of the resurrection our participation in it is weak and partial. (It gets stronger and fuller as we progress in sanctification.) It’s a Kingdom “not of this world” (John 18:36) and “now we see in a mirror, dimly.” (1 Cor. 13:12) Nevertheless, even the foretaste of the feast to come is pretty great, and there will be a Day when “we will see face to face.” (1 Cor. 13:12)
With that said, what does it mean to heed Jesus’ call to drop everything in order to have the one pearl of great price? One group in particular that has tried to imitate the merchant from the parable quite literally is those who have joined religious orders (i.e. friars, monks, nuns). Their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience are an attempt to follow Jesus more closely by forgoing things (namely possessions, marriage, and autonomy) that can become hindrances to the life of discipleship.
I think Lutherans can learn a lot from those who have joined religious orders. However, the point I want to make here is that we stand to learn even more from Luther, who left his life as a friar and criticized the monastic institution of his day. Often Lutherans have interpreted this to mean that we need not give up anything to have Jesus as King in our lives. However, Luther’s point was precisely the opposite.
When Luther left his life as a friar, it wasn’t because he thought that he didn’t need to give up anything to follow Jesus. Rather, Luther rejected monasticism because monasticism itself had pretended to be God’s Kingdom on earth and, for that reason, it needed to be given up. In Luther’s time it was common to refer to monastic life as a “state of perfection”, which (mis)led people to believe that upon joining a monastery they would automatically find themselves in the Kingdom of God.
But Luther saw quite clearly that it was fully possible to drop some false gods upon joining the monastery, only to pick up other false gods peculiar to monastaic life. And perhaps the most subtle false gods that plague devout Christians are those of self-chosen religious works and self-achieved forms of righteousness. As soon as we begin to make the pearl of great price into something we can possess or achieve, then we lose the real pearl, which is the merciful reign of Jesus.
Luther left his life as a friar not because he thought that Jesus isn’t serious about dropping all of our false gods in order to follow him. He left his life as a friar because he knew that Jesus’ call meant dropping every single false god that there is, especially self-chosen religiosity and the claim that such “works” make one righteous before God.
So that's the lesson of the merchant and the pearl of great price. As evidenced by Luther, the call to drop everything and follow Jesus is an absolute call. It tears us away from clinging to even the finest pearls this world has to offer, and it removes every worldly ground of righteousness. However, it does so only in order to give us the one pearl of great price – Jesus – and the one sure ground of righteousness – his mercy.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Blessed Are They
Blessed are the poor in spirit. That is, blessed are those whose spirit does not covet and cling to things. Blessed are those who gratefully receive all things from the hand of God, and humbly rely on Him. Blessed are they, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn. That is, blessed are those who lament the fact that this world is not as God intends it to be. Blessed are they, for God will make good out of evil, and He will comfort those who grieve over iniquity and suffering.
Blessed are the meek. That is, blessed are those who do not insist on their own way. Blessed are those whose hearts are gentle and docile, and blessed are those whose lives are humbly entrusted to the merciful movement of the Holy Spirit. Blessed are they, for they will inherit the Promised Land.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. That is, blessed are those who hope for God to rectify and redeem the evils of this world. And blessed are those whose ongoing desire is to be increasingly filled with the righteousness and love of Christ’s Spirit. Blessed are they, for they indeed will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful. That is, blessed are those who patiently bear one another’s burdens, just as Christ bears theirs. Blessed are those who know that their own sin is in fact a big log in comparison to their neighbor’s sin, which is only a speck. Blessed are they, for they will obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart. That is, blessed are those whose hearts are not divided among many various false gods. Blessed are those whose entire lives are one long prayer of “thy will be done” to the one true God. Blessed are they, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers. That is, blessed are those who say “no” to gossip and backbiting. Blessed are those who interpret others’ actions in the most charitable light. And blessed are those who labor for reconciliation, unity, and good will. Blessed are they, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. That is, blessed are those whose commitment to goodness and truth persists even in the face of suffering and rejection. Blessed are those who persist in faith, hope, and love, even and especially when such virtue is despised by the world. Blessed are they, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
And blessed is Jesus Christ, the One who speaks and embodies these blessings. Blessed is He, and blessed are his people. That is, blessed are those who receive Him and his mercy, and are thereby transformed by his Spirit into his image.
Blessed are they.
Blessed are those who mourn. That is, blessed are those who lament the fact that this world is not as God intends it to be. Blessed are they, for God will make good out of evil, and He will comfort those who grieve over iniquity and suffering.
Blessed are the meek. That is, blessed are those who do not insist on their own way. Blessed are those whose hearts are gentle and docile, and blessed are those whose lives are humbly entrusted to the merciful movement of the Holy Spirit. Blessed are they, for they will inherit the Promised Land.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. That is, blessed are those who hope for God to rectify and redeem the evils of this world. And blessed are those whose ongoing desire is to be increasingly filled with the righteousness and love of Christ’s Spirit. Blessed are they, for they indeed will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful. That is, blessed are those who patiently bear one another’s burdens, just as Christ bears theirs. Blessed are those who know that their own sin is in fact a big log in comparison to their neighbor’s sin, which is only a speck. Blessed are they, for they will obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart. That is, blessed are those whose hearts are not divided among many various false gods. Blessed are those whose entire lives are one long prayer of “thy will be done” to the one true God. Blessed are they, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers. That is, blessed are those who say “no” to gossip and backbiting. Blessed are those who interpret others’ actions in the most charitable light. And blessed are those who labor for reconciliation, unity, and good will. Blessed are they, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. That is, blessed are those whose commitment to goodness and truth persists even in the face of suffering and rejection. Blessed are those who persist in faith, hope, and love, even and especially when such virtue is despised by the world. Blessed are they, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
And blessed is Jesus Christ, the One who speaks and embodies these blessings. Blessed is He, and blessed are his people. That is, blessed are those who receive Him and his mercy, and are thereby transformed by his Spirit into his image.
Blessed are they.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Mercy Revoked
Lately I’ve been doing a comparative reading of the Book of Concord and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. (Fun stuff, I must say.) The particular topic on which I’ve been focusing is repentance, which constituted a point of disagreement between Lutherans and Roman Catholics during the Reformation.
As evidenced by the following quote, Lutheranism identifies two parts to repentance: contrition for sin, and faith in Christ’s mercy. “Now, properly speaking, repentance consists of two parts: one is contrition or the terrors that strike the conscience when sin is recognized; the other is faith, which is brought to life by the gospel or absolution…Thereupon good works, which are the fruit of repentance, should follow.” (Article XII of the Augsburg Confession)
The Roman Catholic teaching, in contrast, identifies three parts to repentance: contrition, confession, and satisfaction/reparation. (It’s worth noting that all three parts presuppose faith.) Specifically the third part – satisfaction – has divided Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism. Whereas Lutheranism teaches that moral improvement should follow repentance, Roman Catholicism puts such improvement actually within the category of repentance. The rationale? “Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused.” (CCC 407)
It’s not my intention here to resolve the disagreement, even though I’m convinced the two views are reconcilable. Rather, I want to underscore the necessity of the fruits of repentance and the possibility of God revoking his mercy. The parable of the “unforgiving slave” in Matthew 18 illustrates these emphases quite nicely, even if disconcertingly.
If you recall, the slave begs his lord whom he owes a large sum of money, “Have patience on me, and I will pay you everything.” The lord’s response: “Out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.” However, the slave then proceeds to refuse mercy to a fellow slave who owes him money. The lord’s response this time: “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?” Further: “And in anger the lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.”
The lord’s response to the forgiven but unforgiving slave in the parable is a sobering warning: God is not mocked, and he will revoke his mercy from the unmerciful. There’s a direct connection here with what 1 Corinthians 11 says about receiving Communion in “an unworthy manner.” Because the Lord’s Meal is for the forgiveness of sins, those who partake in it while persisting in impatience and unkindness toward others thereby “eat and drink judgment against themselves.”*
The point of all this? I think it serves as an important warning, especially to Lutherans who do not include the fruits of repentance in the definition of repentance proper. Certainly the “fruits” are not to be confused with the source of their growth (which is God’s Word of mercy), but nor can the fruits be lacking if true conversion is to happen. For “even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:10)
*Impatience and unkindness toward others was indeed what some of the Corinthians were guilty of. Contrast such behavior in 1 Cor. 11 with the definition of love in 1 Cor. 13: “Love is patient; love is kind…” No wonder why Ignatius of Antioch referred to Communion as a “love feast.”
As evidenced by the following quote, Lutheranism identifies two parts to repentance: contrition for sin, and faith in Christ’s mercy. “Now, properly speaking, repentance consists of two parts: one is contrition or the terrors that strike the conscience when sin is recognized; the other is faith, which is brought to life by the gospel or absolution…Thereupon good works, which are the fruit of repentance, should follow.” (Article XII of the Augsburg Confession)
The Roman Catholic teaching, in contrast, identifies three parts to repentance: contrition, confession, and satisfaction/reparation. (It’s worth noting that all three parts presuppose faith.) Specifically the third part – satisfaction – has divided Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism. Whereas Lutheranism teaches that moral improvement should follow repentance, Roman Catholicism puts such improvement actually within the category of repentance. The rationale? “Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused.” (CCC 407)
It’s not my intention here to resolve the disagreement, even though I’m convinced the two views are reconcilable. Rather, I want to underscore the necessity of the fruits of repentance and the possibility of God revoking his mercy. The parable of the “unforgiving slave” in Matthew 18 illustrates these emphases quite nicely, even if disconcertingly.
If you recall, the slave begs his lord whom he owes a large sum of money, “Have patience on me, and I will pay you everything.” The lord’s response: “Out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.” However, the slave then proceeds to refuse mercy to a fellow slave who owes him money. The lord’s response this time: “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?” Further: “And in anger the lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.”
The lord’s response to the forgiven but unforgiving slave in the parable is a sobering warning: God is not mocked, and he will revoke his mercy from the unmerciful. There’s a direct connection here with what 1 Corinthians 11 says about receiving Communion in “an unworthy manner.” Because the Lord’s Meal is for the forgiveness of sins, those who partake in it while persisting in impatience and unkindness toward others thereby “eat and drink judgment against themselves.”*
The point of all this? I think it serves as an important warning, especially to Lutherans who do not include the fruits of repentance in the definition of repentance proper. Certainly the “fruits” are not to be confused with the source of their growth (which is God’s Word of mercy), but nor can the fruits be lacking if true conversion is to happen. For “even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:10)
*Impatience and unkindness toward others was indeed what some of the Corinthians were guilty of. Contrast such behavior in 1 Cor. 11 with the definition of love in 1 Cor. 13: “Love is patient; love is kind…” No wonder why Ignatius of Antioch referred to Communion as a “love feast.”
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