Matthew

Chapter 24 & 25

These two chapters constitute the final discourse of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ discussion of the Kingdom of God and the end-time, the eschaton. The discussion begins surrounded by the Temple. His disciples note how magnificent it is. Jesus begins the discussion by talking about the Temple’s destruction. Keep in mind that as Matthew is writing, the destruction of the Temple is in the past. Matthew is writing to Jews disbursed when Jerusalem was already destroyed. For the Jews the destruction of the Temple had to be the end of the world. You will recall that the Temple was the single tangible sign that God gave as a place where they could meet God. The Temple marked the place where God and humanity came together, and now it was gone.

The disciples question, “When wills this happen?” The time and place of the end has been the topic of much expectation and speculation. In the present groups are still making their predictions of the coming of the end time. It is a time marked by great unrest and disquiet. In the midst of the chaos, Jesus warns that their will be many false Messiah is appearing trying to lead people. However, there is only one, and when Jesus returns that day will be unmistakable. The times will be marked by wars, famines, earthquakes. Warfare will be at its highest. Jesus describes them as “birth pangs.” The language depicts the truth that something new is struggling to be born out of the old. That new thing will be God’s kingdom as promised. The birth pangs will include the disciples. They will be put to death and hated for the sake of Jesus’ name. Even disciples will fall away in the great chaos. The words are given by Jesus to warn that such things will happen. The chaos should bring no great surprises. Jesus speaks, however, so that the disciples might be encouraged to endure to the end. Endurance through the chaos will be the guarantor that “good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations.” Only then will the end come. God’s goal is to read all nations through out the world just as he sent Abraham out to do.

Daniel Revisited

These writings of Matthew are reflexive of the style of Apocalyptic Literature. (revelation) Matthew resorts to images from the Old Testament Apocalypse, Daniel. His first image is the desolating sacrilege. In the time of Daniel’s writing, the desolating sacrilege at the first Temple destruction of that of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Greek general after Alexander the Great died who sacked Jerusalem and turned the Temple of Yahweh into a temple to Zeus and sacrificed pigs on the altar.. In the 70AD destruction the victor was Rome, however, the desolating sacrilege was the same, the temple became a temple to the Roman gods. The earth-shaking reality was for them the destruction of the Temple. The center of the worship and their faith center of God’s presence was gone.

Joel’s prophesy is brought to bear upon this great tumult. Joel prophesied that end will be marked by signs in nature itself. The sun will be darkened; the moon will not give its light; stars will fall from heaven and the very powers of heaven will be shaken. It is interesting that Joel’s prophesy also depicts God’s spirit being poured on all human flesh which results in God’s children being prophets. The natural catastrophe leads to the second great image from the Book of Daniel, the Son of Man (Daniel 7) coming on the clouds of heaven “with power and great glory.” Note that the Messianic is the same picture as the Ascension into Heaven, only they he went, this time Jesus returns. Trumpet’s call and the gathering of elect from all over the world accompany the Messianic entrance.

Jesus uses the fig tree one more time as the tool to teach that the end of time will unfold as the seasons on fold. It is part of the divine plan, and like the fig tree that files through its seasons and ends, so will be the end of time. The earth and all things human are passing away, even as we speak all things are moving to that day. Yet, there is a constant. Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” The end of time is about the old passing away and the new being raised up out of the ashes of the old.

Keep Awake!

Jesus portrays a sense of urgency through the writing of Matthew. He sights the Story of Noah and the ark as and example of the need for preparedness as well as an example of catastrophic events that are unfolding. The end can come at any time; therefore, the message is to be a wake. Matthew also sights the event of a robbery to exemplify the urgency. If someone had known when the thief was coming, they would have been prepared. Both examples press urgency as they both press the image of catastrophe.

Matthew teaches through a short example of stewardship (vs. 45-51). Who is the wise and faithful steward? Wise and faithful stewardship – management of God’s property while the master is away – is summed up in the servant whom does his/her job while the master is away so that when the master returns all affairs are in order. Foolish management of the master’s property (household) will result in “cut off” upon the master’s return. The parabolic example is one that ends with that unfaithful servant “being cut in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Chapter 25 gives three parables that teach this message.

The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids – five are prepared in the time of waiting with enough oil for their lambs; five are not prepared and therefore begin to run out of oil. They need to go off to buy more oil. In the mean time the Bridegroom comes, the wedding procession enters the hall, and the doors are bared. When the unprepared maids return they are closed out.
The Parable of the Three Stewards – One of the stewards is given five talents (each talent is equivalent to 15 years wages); one is given two talents; one is given one. In his absence the one with five invested and earned another five; the one with two also invested and earned another two; the one with one was afraid. As the parable tells, he feared because this master, “reaped where he did not sow, and gathered where he did not plant.” Eventually the master returned and each steward gave account of his use of the master’s property. The one who did not use the property because of fear was cast out. There is an expectation that what God gives needs to be used for the master’s purposes.
The Parable of the Last Judgment – The image of Jesus the shepherd takes on another vision from that Good Shepherd of St. John’s Gospel. Here Jesus is depicted as the judge, who like a shepherd separates the flock as those who gain entrance into the kingdom and those who do not. The criteria for judgment are not obedience to the law, but the ways the most vulnerable people in the society are treated. Jesus takes sides; it would appear, with the most vulnerable, the smallest ones of the world. Judgment of the world falls on the line of the world treatment of the little ones.

Keep awake, therefore, and watch not only for the coming of Christ, but watch that we are found doing what God wants us to do.

The last discourse concludes this part of the Gospel of Matthew. What follows beginning with Chapter 26 is the story of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection in which all that he taught throughout his ministry is turned into the concrete example of what God has in mind for the world and the way that Jesus’ disciples are asked to distinguish themselves from the rest of the world. The teaching about taking up the cross is about to unfold for the disciples in a way that is concrete. Jesus takes up his cross for the good of the world, thereby, taking the last seat in the house and accepting the lowest position – the position of servant to all.

Thursday, January 18, 2007