The
Sunday called Septuagesima, or the
third
Sunday before Lent.
The
Collect.
O
|
LORD, we beseech thee favourably to
hear the prayers of thy people; that we, who are justly punished for our
offences, may be mercifully delivered by thy goodness, for the glory of thy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee and
the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the
elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what
authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? 24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I
also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you
by what authority I do these things. 25The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of
men? And they reasoned with
themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did
ye not then believe him? 26 But if
we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. 27And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto
them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do
these things.
28 But what think ye? A certain man had two
sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
29He answered and said, I will
not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30 And he came to
the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went
not. 31Whether of them twain did the
will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily
I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God
before you. 32 For John came unto you in the way of
righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots
believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye
might believe him. Matthew 21:23-32
Today, Septuagesima Sunday, begins the period of Shrovetide (Pre-Lenten
period) in the Church Calendar. The great worth of the Church Calendar gives us
a chronological perspective of the life of Christ and His Gospel. This is a
time to begin preparing ourselves for the solemn observance of Lent which leads
up to Calvary.
In Matthew, we note Jesus has entered into the gates of Jerusalem for
the last time in His earthly ministry. We read that Jesus was met by multitudes
of the City of Jerusalem who welcomed Him with royal acclamation throwing
before the feet of His donkey their garments, palm branches, and shouting Hosanna
to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna
in the highest. (Matt 21:9) Ironically, the same multitudes would be
screaming for His crucifixion in the courtyard of Pontius Pilate less than one
week later. (Revealing the fickle nature of man's heart) We saw in verses 12-13
of this same chapter that the first order of business for Christ in Jerusalem
was to enter into the Temple and cleanse it of the money changers and those who
those who dealt in commerce by buying and selling therein. He further
demonstrated His Divinity by healing the sick and lame, and restoring sight to
the blind. This was considered a terrible offense, not by those healed, but
strangely enough, by the Pharisees and rulers of the Temple. They burned in
their jealousy and greed for such a compassionate soul as Christ. To these
calloused culprits, compassion and love were undesirable traits, especially if
it threatened their power.
The question at hand is one of AUTHORITY! The Scribes, Pharisees, and
rulers of the Jews had their own neat little nest built which separated them
from what they considered to be the common rabble of the people. They were much
better, you see, than the common people. They had had their tickets punched and
been granted this high status simply because THEY deserved it – or so they
believed. Though their station was a Godly station, they disqualified
themselves through a lack of love and obedience to the God whom they pretended
to serve. Whatever authority they had was no longer of God, but of political
man. It may be true that the overwhelming number of pretenders to the cloth
today is likewise without authority from God to preach. It is my firm belief
that, though I am less than I should be, I am in the first instance a preacher
under authority of God. A true and devout Church (the AOC) has confirmed that
belief in my ordination to Holy Orders. Being consecrated a bishop does not
relieve one of his role to serve as priest and preacher, and the ultimate
authority for his Calling must come from God. It matters not the number of
heads touched in Apostolic Succession if those heads have not hearts touched
and called by God. God is the prime authority and, in the end, the ONLY
authority for preaching. The authority to perform works of righteousness does
not derive from men, but from God.
Beginning in our assigned text, we learn that, after threatening their
profit margin in Temple sales, the chief priests and elders confronted Jesus to
know by what power He had worked such ruin to their daily sales: and they
wanted to know by what authority He did such wonderful miracles of healing. In
my thinking, it is flabbergasting to learn that they considered this a thing
that required some superficial authority of some council of Temple wimps to
grant. A miracle is an authority unto itself, for only God can do these things.
I am stunned to believe that these men KNEW the miracles came from God, but
chose to ignore the fact for the sake of their own impoverished souls. 23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the
elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what
authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?This is the day following His cleansing of
the Temple and His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. By now, they have rallied
their political forces to challenge Jesus. These deceivers were hoping to catch
Jesus off balance and catch Him in a slip of the tongue – perhaps a claim that
would justify them in accusing the Son of God of blasphemy! It is not an easy
debate when the Other Side is able to read your words before they are spoken
and your motives before they are revealed. Their pettiness is likened to the
lowest officials of the Palace asking the King's Son by what authority does He
wear garments of royalty. Today, churches such as the AOC and other of the
faithful, are ridiculed for holding so tenaciously to the Ancient Landmark
remaining faithful to morals and virtues long grown stale in popular culture.
All who ever argued with God before have lost the contest– either
through ignorance of His Will, or power. These wicked priests and elders are
about to have the same experience – an experience to which they should, by now,
be accustomed. He thwarted their best wisdom so many times that a continued
debate makes them appear as imbeciles. 24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in
like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, whence was
it? from heaven, or of men?The battle,
though the smoke will rise a bit more but briefly, puts the chief priests and
elders squarely in their place. There is no answer that will achieve their
original design after this inquiry from the embodiment of Wisdom. The
subsequent reasoning of the Temple leaders reveals the poverty of their
argument:
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If
we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe
him? 26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold
John as a prophet. 27 And
they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. At
the end of this chapter and this discourse, having lost any advantage by
subterfuge, they resort to their favored weapon – brute force. However, being
politicians and not men of God, they feared the people and burned in their evil
hearts awaiting a more opportune moment of treachery.
Now comes a parable of two sons whose natures are at contrast one with
the other. It is a short, but beautiful, parable of hope and grace to you and
me; but it could also have applied to the Temple leaders had they had hearts
that were acceptable to God.
28 But what think
ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go
work to day in my vineyard. 29 He answered and
said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.30 And he came to
the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went
not.31 Whether of them twain did the will of
his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say
unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before
you.32 For John came
unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans
and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not
afterward, that ye might believe him.
You and I may find our own identity revealed in this wonderful parable.
The Two Sons featured represent all of professing Christendom combined. We all
most likely fall into one category or the other. Please do not insist that you
have never been a publican or an harlot, for you and I certainly have been in
one sense or the other. We have sold out our hearts for what we considered a
cheap profit at some point (harlot). We have denied God at some point with our
unfaithful lifestyles or public testimony (again harlot, for spiritual adultery
against the Bridegroom is greater sin than physical adultery). We have all
benefitted the interest of the world more than the interest of God at some
point in our lives. (Publican). The publican was a Jewish public tax collector
who worked for the bosom enemies of the Jews– the Roman Empire.
The parable presents us with two different members of one supposed
family. One will be a true son (one who at first has rejected God through his
life's choices, but relents later and comes to God), and the other unfaithful
to the father (who, like the modern professed Christian who enthusiastically,
and with great fanfare insist on following Christ but later renege).
Alfred Lord Tennyson has written in The Ancient Sage:
Faith
reels not in the storm of warring words,
She
brightens at the clash of `Yes' and `No,'
She sees
the Best that glimmers through the Worst,
She feels
the sun is hid but for a night,
She spies
the summer through the winter bud,
She tastes
the fruit before the blossom falls,
She hears
the lark within the songless egg,
She finds
the fountain where they wailed `Mirage!'
We are directed to the key to Godliness and that is Faith in God.
Whether that faith comes to the desperate sinner's heart, or the accomplished
artist; the morally but godless upright, or the depraved drunk; the mistress or
prostitute; the physician or the addict - is immaterial to the result. The
faith that comes to the unsuspecting heart through the unmerited grace of God
is ALWAYS sufficient for thee.
Promises are not taken with any degree of solemnity in today's society.
A newly elected President may swear an oath to uphold the Constitution of the
United States, yet act with immediate dispatch to dismantle that Constitution
once the swearing is done. A bridegroom or bride may swear an oath before God
to remain faithfully wed "until death do them part" and yet in the
next year apply for divorce. Their promises before God seem to have meant very
little to them.
So many evangelical churches today will go to great lengths to gain a
public profession of faith from their charges, but leave them wondering by the
roadside of faith as to what more may bless their souls. There is no nurturing,
so often the profession of faith will die of neglect. How can we know if the
profession of faith by a stranger who enters one night at church is genuine,
especially if that stranger has not come to learn who Jesus is in an intimate
way?
If we say that we believe and later abandon our profession, are we not
as the second son? If we have lived lives of sin and vice for many years, yet
come to knowledge of our Lord so true that all of our life is turned upside
down, do we not represent the first son. Which would you rather be – the first
who said he would not obey, and later came to obey: or the second who said he
would obey, and later disobeyed? Would we not be as the seven women of Isaiah
4:1? And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We
will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy
name, to take away our reproach.
(Isaiah 4:1) Do we, like these seven women, desire only to be called by
the name of Christ – CHRISTIAN –and not wear His garments of righteousness? Do
we prefer to be identified with His Holy Name for the sake of appearance by
eating our own bread and not His Bread of Life? Are we nominal Christians only
when we enter into public life, or the political scene; or do we remain
committed to the Christian faith in season and out? Which are you, my friends?