Printer Friendly VersionDo you ever wonder if the religious community today, namely the Church of
Jesus Christ is communicating the right answers for people? I suppose that
would depend entirely on what are the questions!
In looking at the biblical stories that have been handed down to us by the
church throughout its history to be preached on this Sunday, a few observations
have to be made.
1.) Did the religious leaders, the church of that day, whom Jesus was addressing
in the gospel, answer the questions of the people based on the Ten Commandments
articulated in the Old Testament Lesson?
2.) After Jesus completed his address to the religious leaders in the gospel,
how did they know he was talking about them?
3.) In the end, where the “rubber meets the road,” isn’t the
answer, Jesus Christ? Paul sure seems to think so based upon the epistle lesson
from Philippians.
It seems to me that our Lord makes it very plain in the gospel story that
he is the cornerstone of all of life and that the Pharisees were living contrary
to this reality. In fact there may have been a hint that the Pharisees were
missing the point of the kingdom and perhaps living contrary to the commands
mandated in the Old Testament lesson of Exodus for today.
The sad part about this is that they were the religious community of the day, those to whom people were looking for life's answers; to know God, to live in obedience to God’s commands. And yet at this point in the gospel the Pharisees were beginning to plot ways in which they could "kill the Son of the Vineyard owner," the one who possessed all the answers!
In these days people are no different. Just like those we read about in the
Bible, people are looking for answers to the hopelessness of their lives which
the Christian community can provide. Are we giving the right answers?
How about the possibility of what Paul said to the church at Philippi? Essential,
there is no life without Jesus Christ.
Paul, formerly known as the Pharisee Saul, is the perfect witness. In the
epistle lesson he gives his story of how his life was changed by the cornerstone
of all life - Christ. What makes this so unique to the gospel is that he was
at one time counted among those who would "kill the Son" like the
religious leaders in Matthew, as well as all those who would be identified
with Christ. Now he counted his life as "nothing when compared to the
life of Jesus Christ!" Paul knew and you can preach it too that there
is no real life without Jesus Christ!
What is your life like?
The answer is found in the person and message of Jesus Christ. He is the place to begin and the one whom all of life must be centered in, then the answers to life’s question begin! First, we have to start asking…Amen.
