6th Sunday after Pentecost
Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 145:8-14; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
After finishing his missionary speech to the disciples, Jesus receives a visit from some envoys of an imprisoned John the Baptist (Matthew 11:2-15). Apparently, John heard what Jesus had been doing (v. 2). They asked (v. 3), “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” – Ouch! – Jesus replied, “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me (vs. 4 -6).” – Ouch, back at you!
Is it me, or is Jesus beginning to receive the hostility he just prepared the disciples for in chapter 10? And guess what? It is coming from cousin John. Jesus then deescalates the situation by praising the role of the Baptizer in his coming, but the initial tense exchange with the followers of John sets the tone for what we hear in our gospel lesson for today.
First, Jesus tells the listening crowd they need to stop being such wining babies and come to terms with what kind of expectations they have. He seems in no mood for unfair and harsh criticism (verses 17-19).
Next, Jesus express frustration with places that did not welcome his message. As Jesus predicted, not everything went well (verses 18 to 24; skipped for this Sunday). Jesus then lets the audience know that not everyone – besides the Father – can fully grasp the meaning of the deeds done in his name (vs. 25-27). I suspect Jesus fully knows how physically and emotionally spent those spreading the gospel may find themselves. It’s a lot, but the Christ can take it for them. “Come to me …”
In the letter to the Romans, Paul realizes that we all remain prisoners to sin and keep doing what we don’t want to do. We have the will to do what is right but not the power. We need Christ to save us.
Zechariah proclaimed:
“Lo, your king comes to you
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope (9c, 12a).”
The psalmist sings:
“The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made (Psalm 145:8–9).”
Jesus’ missionary discourse in the 10th Chapter of the Gospel of Matthew ends in a positive tone. When Jesus began instructing the disciples, the expectation was that sometimes they would be well received (verses 11-13); sometimes they would not be (verses 14-15). No percentages of one or the other were given, but he spends most of the discourse on the resistance, conflict, and difficult choices the proclaimers and receivers of the Word will face. Twenty-five verses later, we finally have a few verses dedicated to the positive outcomes of proclaiming the good news in Jesus’ name.
There are a few things worthy of unpacking in this short gospel segment about welcoming the way of seeing things that Jesus proposes. First, a pecking order of representation is established. Whoever welcomes an envoy representing Jesus (the disciples) welcomes Jesus himself and ultimately welcomes God in their lives because Jesus represents the Father. The readers of the text should not take this lightly, which brings us to the next thing going on here. Disciples are welcome in Jesus’ name because they belong to him and in God’s name because Jesus belongs to God. Extending hospitality even to “little ones,” those of low status who could be the disciples themselves, is to welcome the Kingdom of God come near through Christ.
Here disciples are prophets, for they speak in Jesus’ name and, therefore, God. If you share a Lutheran perspective on righteousness, those prophets can only speak in Jesus’ name because of the faith they receive as a gift. It does not matter who they are or where they came from. They would not have enough faith to bear the good news of Jesus Christ if not empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Then there is the issue of reward. Those who are gifted with faith, receive the Word, and walk with Christ, can only find life and strength (Matthew 10:39; 7:24-25).
I wonder if this is the point Paul is trying to make in the segment of the letter to the Romans we receive today: after we have been saved by grace through faith after Jesus has traded himself, we now play for the team tasked with bearing witness to better things. What is the point of continuously showing up for the old team? They would get us nowhere. The new self needs learning, practice, and development. It will stumble and may surrender to old routines, but again, the reward from “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23; NRSVue).”
“Happy are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance;
they exult in your name all day long
and extol your righteousness (Psalm 89:15–16; NRSVue).”
Bridging Faith 