St Matthew 23: 29 – 36
 
‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, “If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.” Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors.  You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?  Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.  Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.
 
Reflection
 
I don’t suppose anyone reading this has physically killed a prophet, but are we guilty of “killing” God’s messages by ignoring or rejecting them as too hard, or from fear of not being good enough or not having the right words or skill set ?
 
But what is a prophet ? One dictionary definition is: “someone regarded as being in contact with God, speaking on God’s behalf and serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from God to others”.
 
As we read the Bible, the prophets and their messages are clearly identified. God uses them to communicate warnings, comfort, hope, direction, judgments, or promises. Such messages were not always well received, hence Jesus’ references to prophets being ill-treated or murdered. Prophecies can be hard to hear, deliver and act upon.
 
But what of now? God’s communication with humankind has evolved over time, as has our knowledge and understanding of the world, and we believe that God speaks to each of us personally. And in this sense, are we not all prophets? Each being in relationship with God, and as his disciples, required to respond to his message.
 
But discerning whether the ideas and thoughts we have are messages from God is the crux of it.
 
Such thoughts and ideas may enter our consciousness through the persistent ‘nudge’ or thought that won’t go away, our experiences with social media, AI, TV news, our interactions with other people of any faith or none, embracing nature as God’s creation – a whole variety of ways.
 
But we are warned against false prophets and prophecies, so how do we discern the true messages of God? If the message is from God, be it to us, a group or for the public good, it can be tested against the question -“is it loving?”  Where love is, there is God also.
 
Don’t let us kill the message by inaction. God still provides the courage and resources as he did for the prophets of old.
 
Prayer  
 
Lord, help me to hear the prophetic voices of today
and to recognise your speaking to me.
Give me the wisdom to recognise those messages
which are from you and the courage to act upon them.
Save me from the complacency of thinking
that it is others who should respond.
Make me a willing contributor to your prophetic messages
for your people and the world. Amen

St Matthew 23: 23 – 28
 
‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practised without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
 
‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.
 
‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth.  So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
 
Reflection

“Woe to you elders and ministers, hypocrites!  You make out standing orders to church but ignore the poor sleeping rough next to the building!  You love to quote Micah’s words about justice being like an everlasting stream but invest your money funds in guns, alcohol, and fossil fuels!  Pay attention to justice and only then think about the sincerity of your religious practices!

“Woe to you, readers and listeners, hypocrites!  You value the beauty of holiness, the choicest hymns, the shortest sermons, the most poetic of prayers but squabble amongst yourselves, hate newcomers, and resist the truth!  You look righteous but inside you are full of hypocrisy and resentment!

“Woe to you, committees and councils, hypocrites! You write vision statements and mission plans, but fear change more than you fear injustice! You debate structures, constitutions and ministry models, but leave the wounded waiting while you perfect your paperwork!  You protect buildings and processes, yet hesitate to risk yourselves for the sake of the Gospel! You speak of being a pilgrim people, but cling to comfort, control, and church culture!”

I imagine if a visiting preacher offered such thoughts; they’d not be invited back!  If you heard such a sermon you’d probably think the preacher was being too harsh, unfair, and partial even as some of the points hit home.  

As Christians we’re often tempted to see the Pharisees as the bad guys in the story – and in Matthew’s Gospel we have a document written amidst tensions between Christians and Jews as their paths diverged.  It’s easy to be drawn into those struggles and not see our own weaknesses.  Clearly Jesus critiqued an attention to detail at the expense of more important matters; he critiques a trait often found in religious folk who prefer minutiae about inconsequential matters to the difficult task of changing one’s life and living more authentically.  

Prayer

Help us O God,
to keep your Law of justice, mercy and faith,
that we may leave our hypocrisy behind,
and turn to you anew.
Amen.  

St Matthew 23: 13 – 22
 
‘But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
 
‘Woe to you, blind guides, who say, “Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.”  You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred?  And you say, “Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.”  How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?  So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.
 
Reflection
Look: I’m a Children and Youth Development Officer. And I’m a Woke Lefty Liberal to boot. You already know what position I’m taking on this passage.

You can guess the questions I’m going to be asking; the thinly veiled accusations, posed as reflections, that are intended to make you feel guilty about how your actions and practices act as a barrier rather than an encouragement to children and young people coming close to Jesus and developing a personal relationship with the God whom we all worship and serve.

You’ll assume I’m probably going to bang on about how much time and effort you spend making your church buildings fit for purpose – but that purpose doesn’t seem to include bringing children and young people closer to the Kingdom.

The chances are, you’ll reckon, I’ll mention, in a passive-aggressive way, the number of meetings you have to make you feel that you’re busy doing God’s mission but then I’ll wonder how often children and young people feature on those agendas and, if by chance they do, how high up the agenda they are.

And, of course, you’ll be right.

I’m a Children & Youth Development Officer. It’s my job to ask these questions and make these points. So consider them asked and made.

The only question remaining is: are you able to put me in my place by responding positively? I hope you can. For everyone’s sake.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You call out the hypocrisy that hides behind empty words
and remind us that faith is more than appearances.
Forgive us when we focus on looking good
instead of truly following You.
Fill our hearts with honesty,
our words with truth,
and our actions with love that reflects Your kingdom.
Help us to live with integrity,
so that what we say matches how we live. Amen

Dear <>,
 

The URC offers the following prayer for personal and public use as we reflect on and pray for all caught up in the escalating violence in the Middle East.

Eternal One,
we remember before You 
the people of Iran, Israel, Abu Dhabi, Oman, and Bahrain 
and those sailing through the Strait of Hormuz:
all places of pain and division where the nations rage furiously together,
where drones and missiles fly overhead, children cry in bunkers, 
and the bodies of the dead await funerals.
We remember the Earth, herself, 
longing for redemption from humanity’s cruelty,
where every drone and missile wreak havoc and fear
even as they further despoil the earth 
and add to the climate change which brings yet more death and destruction.
We grieve a world where there is neither peace nor justice,
where divisions are made into weapons
and where ideology is used to maim. 
We bitterly regret the failure of diplomacy,
and wonder if it was designed to fail. 
 
Guide now, Prince of Peace, 
those who dare to work for peace, 
those tending the injured,
those seeking to change our world,
those working for democracy and human rights,
and those who advise our political leaders;
that Your wisdom may shine through,
Your compassion be a watchword,
that consequences of our actions may be acknowledged,
and the cries of the children may ring in their ears.
 
Most Holy Spirit,
breathe Your peace to our troubled world,
comfort the parents of the girls killed at the primary school in Minab,
the relatives of those killed in Beit Shemesh,
and all who mourn in these days filled with war.
Inspire Iranians longing for a free and fair society, 
and those who must now lead and guide its future.
Inspire, too, Israelis working for peace and justice,
longing for security and the chance  to finally turn
swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks. 
 
Eternal Trinity of Love,
Source, Guide, and Goal,
help us to work for peace even in a world at war. Amen
 

St Matthew 23: 1 – 12
 
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach.  They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.  They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.  They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi.  But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven.  Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.  The greatest among you will be your servant.  All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
 
Reflection

Sometimes it can seem that no-one else does anything.  We can feel that we have far too heavy a burden and it is impossible to continue.  We probably can do little about these burdens but what we can do is make sure that we are not the people laying burdens on others.  Before we ask someone else to do something we should prayerfully consider if we could do it ourselves. 

Sometimes I hear about people who do so much and do it quietly so very few people know what they have done, these people are nothing like the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus criticised.  They quietly use their time and skill to do things that need to be done, it might be making the tea and coffee after a church service, it might be polishing the brass around the pulpit, it might be visiting a sick person or sending regular “thinking of you” cards to a housebound church member.

We have one true teacher and He is Jesus.  We need to rely upon Him to guide and direct us.  Others might criticise us for what we do, or fail to do, but as long as we know we are doing what Jesus wants us to do we are doing well.  We need to listen to our one teacher who is our Messiah.
Let’s do what we know we need to do quietly and humbly, not looking for praise or thanks from anyone except Jesus who sees exactly what we do and think.  Let us be humble and work as well as we can, doing what we know we should be doing and knowing that even when we do an apparently trivial task, as long as we are obeying Jesus we will be exalted.

Prayer

Loving God, I thank you for all you do for me
show me what you want me to do
and what you want me to leave undone.
Help me to serve you as I should,
in Jesus’ name,
Amen

St Matthew 22: 41 – 46
 
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ‘What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’  He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
 
“The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand,
    until I put your enemies under your feet’”?
 
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’  No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
 
Reflection 
 
Which child is your favourite? There are any number of attempts at forced choices that don’t lead anywhere. The classic conundrum….. Wordplay, whataboutery, riddles…. They are all here in this little passage highlighting the age-old play on words that so often results in misunderstanding, misdirection, or, heaven forfend, fake news!!!
 
In today’s social media world the dualistic/reductionist questions asked are making a comeback. Too often literalism rules, when what is required is the time and nuance to ease out of them in a similar manner, add one little stretch. The subtle response probably won’t be caught, but will aid folks hear a new story in just a little bit. As it did for Jesus listeners in his to and fro with the Pharisees, hearing him ask question after question of them.. 
 
The great sadness here is in the last line, “nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.” 
 
We seek to know the boundaries, to establish the limits and practice the restrictions, exploring safely the Spirit’s expectations. We are not prepared for the shock of her inclusivity. We resist a universal acceptance, irrespective of another’s social, ethnic, religious, political, financial standing. 
 
“Insiders” and “outsiders.” That’s what we understand. That’s what we want to assess. A person’s skills, her language abilities, his cultural customs, her values and beliefs, his readiness to assimilate, her commitments….. to make sure they are on the same page as us.
 
Asking questions is directly related to good. It is in the interplay of question and response, and question of a response, etc. that we test for the common good. When economic theories trump questions about same, we are in deep difficulty. This is the real world equivalent of not asking religious questions – when they stop we are in deep difficulty.
 
Testing questions, helpful questions, require that everything be up for grabs. They also respect provisional responses knowing that they will be tested in time to come.
 
Prayer
 
The Holy Spirit is an unrestricted ocean of compassion,
always moving, patient with the questioner;
seeing the hidden agenda a question reveals,
never demeaning the one who asks.
Insiders. Convenient, comfortable, acceptable, safe.
But then the Holy Spirit shatters our conventions,
breaking our traditions, smashing down our barriers.
In the power of love the gift of grace allows 
a flood of compassion to cascade justice
on all who are in Her way

St Matthew 22: 34 – 40

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.  ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’  He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

Reflection

Wouldn’t life be simpler if this was the only rule that we needed to follow?  To love God with all we have and to love our neighbour as ourselves.  Yet we have libraries full of individual laws and rules that need to be remembered and followed and enforced and punished.

Even our creeds have got longer and more detailed since their inception.  The first creed “My Lord and My God” (John 20:28) has been expanded to a full page of text with almost every detail spelt out.

I wonder if this is a reflection on our ability to “follow the rules” and “sing from the same hymn sheet” or an attempt to install and maintain control over what is done and believed.

The God we love cannot be contained into a box or a rule book or a creed, and I wonder if that is what scares us into writing prescriptive statements to cope with that awesomeness?!

If only life required the rule of love to be the only rule, and all our actions were borne out of that, then wouldn’t life be simpler?

Maybe I’m a dreamer, but we run the risk of making our God too small and our faith too restricted if we try to dot every i and cross every t in our attempt to understand what is beyond comprehension.

With love as our motive, everything else is done through that love and, in an ideal world, everything works to the benefit of all.  Until that ideal world exists, I guess we’ll just have to keep following the rules!

Prayer

God of love, we try so hard to understand you by reducing you to a list of rules and regulations.  Help us to see beyond our limitations to see your wonder.  Help us to use your love as the foundation for everything we do and say and so allow our understanding to go beyond the written word.  With love as our guide show us how to live by loving you and each other with all that we have. Amen

St Matthew 22: 23 – 32

The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying,  ‘Teacher, Moses said, “If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.”  Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother.  The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh.  Last of all, the woman herself died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.’ Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God,  “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.’  And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.

Reflection

The Sadducees in our passage sound more like bad stand-up comedians than theologians. A woman marries seven brothers, each one dying in turn. “So,” they ask the audience, “in the resurrection, whose wife will she be?” 

They’re mocking the whole idea of resurrection because they were the theological conservatives of their day believing only in the five books of the Pentateuch – where resurrection is not mentioned.  Jesus, like the Pharisees, accepted more writings – in what we now call the Bible – as authoritative hence his scathing reply:

“You are wrong,” he says, “because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God.”

This moment in scripture doesn’t tell us what heaven is like — it tells us what it’s not. It’s not a place where patriarchy persists. It’s not a continuation of our unjust social systems. It’s not about ownership or status or who belongs to whom. Jesus says, in the resurrection, people are “like angels” — not locked into old categories, but free.

So maybe now we feel we can heckle these mirthless minstrels, who misunderstood heaven, but are we any clearer?  Do we picture a VIP lounge for the saved? Angels, harps and pot plants?  Somewhere where people understand the rules and do it our way? Somewhere just like here but better coffee?

But Jesus says no. That’s not the point.

God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Heaven isn’t a reward we wait for — it’s a reality we’re called to reflect. Paul wrote that now we “see through a glass, darkly” — we don’t get the full picture. But we see enough to know heaven has nothing to do with possession, patriarchy, or pious exclusion.
It’s about justice. Liberation. Resurrection life that starts now.
So let’s look for the places where resurrection is breaking in — where the living God is calling us to raise the poor, the excluded, the broken systems.

Heaven is not about who gets what when we die. It’s about what love does while we live.
 
Prayer

God of the living, 
strip back the myths we sell and buy,
of harps and mansions in the sky.
Replace it with something
real, living and now.
Amen.

St Matthew 22: 15 – 22

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?  Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Reflection

The Pharisees ask Jesus what seems like a simple question: “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” The problem is: if Jesus says “yes,” ordinary Jewish people would see him as a traitor. How could he tell them to pay their money to their Roman oppressors? But if he says “no”, the Romans would see Jesus as a revolutionary to be removed. So Jesus does what he often does, and answers their question with another question. He gets them to bring him a denarius – the equivalent of about 10 pence – and asks them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

The image on a denarius was of Tiberius Caesar, and it said “Tiberius Caesar, son of divine Augustus.” In other words, “Tiberius Caesar, Son of God.” And on the reverse it read, “pontifex maximus”, which means “High Priest.” It was also well known that the coins – regardless of who’s pockets they were in – all ultimately belonged to the Emperor.

Compare this with what the Bible teaches about human beings. We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). We are not gods, but in and through Jesus, his death and resurrection, we can be adopted into God’s family as sons and daughters (Ephesians 1:5). We can become royal priests (1 Peter 2:9) – those able to approach God and to hear from Him – with Jesus as our great High Priest (Hebrews 3:1).

‘Can it be any clearer?’, Jesus seems to be suggesting. Give Caesar back his worthless silver coin, and give to God what is God’s – your very life, made in His image.

Prayer

Creator God, you made me in your image.
Loving Christ, you restored your image in me.
Holy Spirit, you sanctify and empower me to live for you.
Help me to give you my all, today and every day.
To love you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love others as myself.
Amen.

St Matthew 22: 1 – 14

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:  “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.  The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.  So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Reflection

A friend invited me to the Stewards’ Enclosure at Henley Regatta to watch him row for Jesus (The Cambridge College!). Henley is a posh gig. But he didn’t tell me about the dress code. On a boiling hot day, I turned up without a jacket. I was refused entry. It was humiliating and brutal.

There is something brutal about Jesus’ words in this parable. A man strays into the wedding banquet, dressed improperly. He is unceremoniously ejected.

But the parable is about grace isn’t it? Part of a string of Passover pronouncements, when Jesus upends self-righteous morality. Those who initially were not invited to the feast, find themselves attending. Those on the A-list didn’t notice the groom arriving and missed the party.

Jesus is uncompromising about the self-righteous who ignore his dress code. They have no place in the kingdom – unlike the sinners, failures, and outsiders clothing themselves in a righteousness that is not their own. So we need to be very careful about our own goodness.

Grace is seen as soft and comfortable, but this is a tough morality – something uncompromising forcing us to make hard choices: to stand alongside the unlovely. Jesus talks about both the bad and the good coming to the feast. This suggests to me that, in His Kingdom, there will be people that we like and people who are harder to love. But they are also invited and chosen. It seems that some unsavoury characters are entitled to carry the Cross of Jesus. They are our family too.

Jesus’ tough morality goes further. Some moral choices are the province of worldly Caesars and it seems we have to let them have their due. But not with total passivity – we are called to get on with the tough things that are God’s due also.

Prayer

Lord, give us strength
when making difficult decisions that You call us to address.
Give us grace to love all those that You call into Your family,
remembering that we, also, are called by your grace.
Amen.