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Introduction
Matthew’s gospel time and again points to Christ as the fulfilment of the Old Testament and the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven. Israel is therefore given a prominence in this gospel as Matthew sets out how the old covenant is replaced by a new covenant. Writing to second generation Christians, Matthew organises his material in a very systematic way that would have helped the early church teach new converts (probably of Jewish origin) about the life and ministry of Jesus and how this Rabbi fulfilled the prophesies of the Old Testament. Yet it goes still further than that to include teaching for the early church. In Matthew’s account, Christianity fulfils rather than supercedes the old faith. He portrays Jesus as the means by which faith is reformed and renewed in the coming of the King of kings and the Messiah.
Matthew 18:15-20 - Refusal to listen
Hospital consultants know that it is not uncommon for people to turn up to an appointment with a partner or friend. It isn’t that we are afraid of the consultant – it is more likely that we are afraid of ourselves. When it really matters, most of us recognise that we have selective hearing. Our ears function well, but sometimes our brains filter out things that may actually be very important for us to hear – so we have the insurance of a second pair of ears to help us understand fully what has just been said and its implications for our lives.
Jesus knows that people only fully appreciate part of what they hear. In this passage he acknowledges that for some relationships, it is just a matter of sitting down and mutual trust and respect will do the rest. But even within the church, it is necessary from time to time to have two or even three witnesses. There is much to be said about testing out what we think we are hearing from God with a faithful friend. Not because we don’t trust the Spirit to lead and direct us, but because we should never trust only ourselves to hear and understand. And here is the good news – if we agree together about anything we ask God for, then it will be done. “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them.” v20.
Question: When did we last hear clearly about the vision God has for our church? What can we do, as part of our fellowship together, to encourage the work of the Spirit among us?
Matthew 18:21-35 - On forgiving . . . seventy seven times.
Most people fear being in debt. Yet some very big companies make millions on the back of people’s vulnerability. When money runs out before the end of the week, people turn in their thousands to the payday sharks and then very quickly find themselves in debt that is spiralling out of control.
In this story, the man didn’t have the means to settle his debt and the master ordered in the bailiffs to seize all his assets. Sound familiar? But how did you respond when the master hears his plea and sets him free? Was your immediate reaction: “That lucky so-and-so”? And still more indignation is to come when the same man refuses to forgive the debts of those who owe him. That’s not only unfair, it is also unethical.
Our faith rests four square on a question of debt. As the old song puts it: “He paid a debt he did not owe, I owe a debt I cannot pay”. We rarely talk about it. We are ashamed to own up to it. Yet the debt incurred by our sin is the elephant in the room. One church steward once challenged my reference to our sinfulness by saying that the congregation did not like this message being so boldly proclaimed. Yet we live in sure knowledge that God keeps on forgiving us – time and time again – and certainly beyond the seventy seven times referred to by Jesus in our reading.
Question: How shall we prepare ourselves for the day when the master requires repayment? And how much of our behaviour towards others is like the man in the story?
Matthew 20:1-16 - It is just not fair
The newspapers are full of it. Our society is unfair. Whilst we (it’s always ‘we’) work really hard, others sit at home watching daytime television. Whilst we struggle for those little luxuries in life, others have riches in abundance. We hear the message loud and clear and begin to believe for ourselves that society is fundamentally unfair.
In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, nobody stays at home with their feet up. Everyone is a worker. And yet, those siren voices prompting us to compare and contrast, to identify differences and complaints lead everyone to conclude that here is an injustice. It is the same injustice that speaks when someone in a church meeting uses a phrase like “I remember when . . .” to make a point about longevity of membership, or questions why someone has taken “their seat” in church. Our common understanding is that time served/ faithful discipleship counts for something. And of course it does! God has cheated no-one. It counts exactly the same in God’s sight as “the least of my brethren” lest we delude ourselves into thinking that God’s grace requires anything other than our acceptance and devotion.
Question: the context of this story is a vineyard – a place where fruit is in abundance. How can we re-educate our minds to value things as God does? What will it take for us to adopt kingdom principles instead of earthy values?
Matthew 21:23-32 - Wilful antithesis?
I don’t know if you have ever attempted to buy clothes with and for a teenager? Every suggestion from Mum or Dad is greeted with an antithetical response. “Don’t like that”, “O, Mum, I can’t wear that”. It seems that everything that is suggested needs to be repelled and everything that looks great gets the response from Dad “You are not going out looking like that, young lady!”
In the context of a Rabbi who is honoured and revered in Jewish society, here is Jesus meeting with people of like mind. The Chief Priests and Elders were schooled, just as he was, in the Torah and they both worship the same God. They are part of the same family. So much in common – and yet poles apart. They appear to value the exact opposite. And so the verbal game of cat and mouse ensues to the point that the Elders say “We can’t decide” v27.
So much of the teaching of Jesus has a focus on outcasts. His actions are more in the style of a prophet than a Rabbi and so the religious establishment is right to be defensive and cautious. One thing is clear: when it comes to sparring with Jesus, they seem to quickly throw in the towel fearing the knockout blow. How can one confident individual stand so strongly against the establishment of his day? Could this be an answer to the “authority” question?
Question: There was once a saying “My word is my bond” – meaning that you can utterly trust what I tell you. Jesus lived by that same maxim. What you see is what you get. How easy do we find it to do the same within our workplace or in our meeting with others?
Matthew 21:33-46 - Here comes the servant of the king
You do your best to protect your property – a wall of loose stones to keep wild animals at bay and a wooden watchtower raised up so that there is a lookout for thieves and predators. For the Jewish leaders there was more than a whiff of “de ja vu” (see Isaiah 5:2). Not for the first time, an accusing finger is pointed at them because they assume that everything before them is theirs and forget that our lives are lived in a bigger cosmos where the creator God is control.
But, of course, it is not easy for us to see and hear these words as they did – fresh and for the first time. The killing of the son would probably mean nothing more than an escalation of the demands of the owner to those listening. It is only as these words are read with hindsight that the penny drops and the parable’s full significance is understood.
God has sent many servants and prophets to claim what is rightfully his. Now he sends his only Son who enters to confront those who have taken charge of the vineyard – and they set upon him and kill him (cf Matthew 27:25)
Question – It is true that sometimes speaks to us – time and again – and yet we do not get the message so loud is our own arrogance and self-centredness. What messenger has he sent to you in recent weeks?
Matthew 22:1-14 - I cannot come . . .
My diary is full. There are important meetings to attend. I have been suffering with this headache. Sorry – what I really mean to say is this “I have many, many excuses and I am genuinely struggling to discern which is the best to use on this occasion”. I cannot come – or more correctly – I don’t want to attend. It’s my choice and I was trying to spare your feelings.
I have enjoyed re-watching the great political comedy with Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington screened in the late 1970’s and early eighties – called “Yes, Minister”. Since then, many real politicians have agreed that the script writers get very close to what really happens in government – it is a masterclass in how to spin your way out of trouble with a phrase that sounds plausible but which, in reality, is just another excuse.
In the parable, a much more important issue is at stake. This is not a diplomatic incident. This is not ruffled feathers that require felicitous grooming. This is a king inviting you to come. Not unlike receiving that card in the post from Queen Elizabeth inviting you to the royal garden party at Buckingham Palace. I, for one, did not turn down the invitation!
Notice how Matthew takes the refusals very seriously: “those I invited did not deserve to come” v8. Could this be a reference to the arrogance of the Children of Israel? “Go to the street corners and invite anyone you can find” commands the king (v9) – although we should guard against seeing this as a desperate search for bums on seats. God’s command is to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19) so that all can share in the heavenly banquet prepared for all people.
Question: How many times have you heard the voice of the Lord calling? How often does this feel like an invitation to something difficult/imposing, rather than to join the party and share food and wine with the king?
