Reformation

Oct 26 - Nov 1

Deuteronomy, Matthew

As Moses nears the end of his farewell address to God’s people, he warns them about a particular type of person, a person who does not seek to follow the true God. He describes this person as one who “blesses himself in his heart” when he hears the Word of the Lord. In the Gospel of Matthew, this idolatry reappears with the Pharisees, a wealthy young man who approaches Jesus, and even his own disciples, all of whom have hearts turned inward, in hopes that the Word will bring them personal gain or glory.

What does the Lord do with such hearts? He plucks them from among his people and turns them over to affliction. If they wish to worship in the temple of self rather than God’s, they will get their wish. For generations, it will be clear to all people how far that worship really takes them.

But Jesus repeatedly turns the attention of his audience away from the world’s measure of glory and toward the lowly. We are not to believe conditionally, as the heart wants to, but fully, as a child does. We are not to go through the motions of prayer like the Pharisees and other self-righteous people, but recognize our miserable condition and cry out boldly and persistently to the Lord for mercy, even when those around wish we wouldn’t.

We can do this because we know how Jesus made himself one of the lowly for our sake. His death and resurrection have moved the mountain of sin and cast it into the sea. As withered trees, he makes us alive to bear fruit. And this is only the beginning. The full reward is in the kingdom to come, a place where the earthly treasures of wealth and prestige pale in comparison to what he has in store. Not one will ever be cast out. So, for now, healed and alive, we eagerly follow and faithfully serve.

Pentecost 19

Oct 19 - 25

Deuteronomy, Matthew

As Moses continues to lay down all of the laws God’s people are to follow, we are presented with one particularly interesting picture. In the event of a murder, an accused Israelite must seek a city of refuge that God has established where justice can be carried out. For the innocent, it is a haven, but for the guilty, it is a place of reckoning.

As it happens, many prefer to approach Jesus like their own personal city of refuge, a place where the Son of God can be measured and found wanting, where their own “perfect” justice is to be executed. Here, even Christ must prove himself by submitting to the law as they do. So they ask for signs and authority. Even a small demonstration would go a long way: he could wash his hands and pay their tax.

But the Son of God does not submit to hypocrites. For all their obsession with outward cleanness, their hearts are filthy and far from him. As a result, what comes out of their mouths is toxic. They are a spiritual leaven that corrupts the bread, and instead of nourishment among God’s people, soul-sickness follows.

But the mountain of the Transfiguration is a different kind of place. Here, none can stand before the Son of God. Just a glimpse of Jesus’ true glory is enough to press the most outwardly righteous faces into the dirt. But rather than pronouncing judgment on the guilty, the Father reveals Jesus as the way to salvation. He is pleased with his Son, who has kept his law perfectly. We are to listen to him.

There is now no need to seek a city that will acquit our unclean hearts. Jesus’ death and resurrection has cleansed them, and the minute observations of human law are replaced by the mustard seed of faith. We listen and believe. Dogs that we would otherwise be before him, we approach our Lord with repentance, persistence, and faith. Even a crumb of his grace and mercy is enough. And however he answers, the Son of the living God is glorified.