“Marked In Love”
Saint Matthew 22. 15-22
The Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity: 30 October Anno Domini 2005
Fr Watson
Unbelievers will always attack Jesus and His Word. They will deny His true identity as well as His work of redemption. They deny that there is any need for redemption because they dismiss the concept of damning sin. Sinners, as sinners, do the same thing. Your old natures also craft and scheme so that the Lord's Word would not be as demanding, cutting, severe and holy upon you as He wills it to be. The hypocritical and self-righteous Pharisees sent some members of Herod's "staff" to try and incriminate the Lord in a web of rhetoric, casuistry and political intrigue. They gave Jesus false homage: "Teacher we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth." They lied in their words, motives and conduct. They didn't really think this Galilean carpenter was a truth-bringer. They most assuredly did not think that He spoke for God. They didn't follow His teachings and commands. This is just like your "old Adams" as well. Do you follow His desire to study and meditate upon His words? Do you read the Sacred Scriptures? Do you call out "Lord, Lord" yet neglect to love Him and to love your neighbor? When one of His teachings goes against your politics, comfort zones, and modern prejudices do you seek to use His words to soften His otherwise clear meaning. Do you read and apply the Word of God selectively? Yes, we are all liberal higher-critics at heart. Our hearts are filled with blackness and stench. Our homes so filled with electronics and phosphorescent altars are bereft of charity and the sacrifice of worship and praise. Our pockets so filled with our money and stuff are void of mercy and alms for the poor. When confronted by God's Commandments we equivocate, parse, explain away, mollify, obfuscate and justify ourselves, with clever words and riddles. "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" What that question meant for the Herodians was, "Galilean Rabbi, are you a loyal Jew and an opponent of Rome [in which case Rome should kill you for insurrectionism] or, are you a loyal subject of Empire and thus an opponent of Israel; a quisling and collaborator? [In which case zealous Jews should kill you for betraying your own kind]. "Answer our question Rabbi...and remember, your answer is a 'lose - - lose' proposition." Both unbelief and sin seek to trap God and kill Him. In reality, it is lack of faith which must be put to death; it is sin which must be daily drowned.
The "Word made flesh" cannot be caught in word-games or blame-games. You cheat at the rules of life every chance your fallen nature has, only the Maker can redeem the last chance you have for winning the real prize.
The coin of the earthly realm, minted by the earthly government, is subject to whatever rules and regulations the monarch or mob place upon it. Is it lawful to obey the law? Yes. Is it lawful to drive 70 in a 70 mph zone? Yes. Is it lawful to pay the taxes which the government has imposed? Yes. Render honor and obedience to those secular rulers and authorities which are placed into your lives, yet do nothing contrary to the will of God.
The coins in your pocket, the "reserves" in your 501Ks, IRAs and TSAs are not going to be taken by you anyway when you leave this world. Man's image is stamped upon temporal things; to man these momentary benefits accrue. The Lord knows His own. He has known you from before eternity.
Your Redeemed body has been stamped and engraved with a different image and mark. You no longer wear the "mark of the beast," but rather the cross of the Crucified One. You were imprinted with His holy monogram in the Waters of your Baptism. Because of your sins of idolizing man's graven images (money, power, emotion, and all that flows from the unholy "self") One had to have the proper retributive inscriptions made upon the Real Tablet, the Genuine Word, the Just Bearer of iniquity and payment. This was not a coin carved with a stylus or pen; this was the Precious Body of God chiseled with whip, reed, spike and spear. Your Savior wears in His precious hands, feet, head and side, the inscription of the Law meant for you. For You! Ah, those are the words that matter: "For You." He died to forgive you. He died; therefore you are forgiven. He gave His body on the tree for you. He was crucified; therefore you are absolved. Want proof? Need evidence; a pledge of His past action? Take eat! He shed His blood to wash you clean. He bled the blood of God, For You! That same liquid of life eternal is yours today as well. Take drink! Want more proof? Need constant daily reassurance? You have His love letters, His brotherly missives to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest. And, always remember, you bear His image on your spirit for His name was inscribed on your flesh; His holy mark, His Triune-Trademark, your baptismal birthmark. You are marked in love...
In the Name of The Father and of The Son + and of The Holy Ghost