“THE HANGED ONE”
Saint Matthew 22. 34-46
Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity: 21 September Anno Domini 2008
Fr Watson SSP
Pharisees were people well educated in the Old Testament Scriptures who were part of a Jewish political party that had a lot of power in the Israel of Jesus' day.
They were hypocrites because they expected all other people to do things their way and keep all the rules and regulations-the same laws that the Pharisees were experts at getting out of doing.
Adam was the first Pharisee. Eve was a Pharisee. Pharisees blame others first and then try to justify their own disobedience and bad actions. Pharisees like to judge others; to lecture others; to feel superior to others. Pharisees didn't like foreigners, or people that spoke a different language. Pharisees thought their own culture and nation were better than any others. Pharisees put comfort, standard of living, life-style and public opinion above truth, mercy, and sacrifice. Pharisees didn't believe that God could be man, or appear in humble flesh and blood. Pharisees did not want to accept a religion that included outsiders or dirty foreigners or people with loathsome diseases. Pharisees delighted when their political opponents (the Sadducees) were put down, silenced, and embarrassed.
Pharisees were just like all of you; all of America; all of Lutheranism; all of Missouri.
Pharisees, both back then and today, prided themselves on how much they knew. They/you basked in Bible knowledge of facts, historical trivia, rightness of doctrinal rigor, special status in salvation, and personal piety and rectitude. Pharisees did not see God's face in hidden things. The ego of Old Adam fails to see Christ Jesus in things which are weak and scandalous.
The Bible is not about how to live your life. The Bible is Life itself because in the Scriptures is Jesus Himself-His identity (who He is) and His Life (what He did, does and will always do).
Though the Pharisees knew the Commandments by heart they didn't understand the purpose of the Lord's Rules. The Law is not something to feel good about. The Law says: "you're guilty; you're a law-breaker; you're going to die for High Treason." The sinfully pompous certainly know that there are Ten Commandments and that the most important One is the First One! But that's Doctrine and correct Doctrine saves no one. Only the Lord died on the cross to pay for your guilt, not the Bible, not the Book of Concord, not your correct "state-of-mind." Jesus always speaks the truth even when it is uncomfortable. Jesus says love your enemies. Love the Pharisees. Love those who are really just like you even though they may smell, wear funny things on their heads, worship gods that you don't believe are gods and want to hurt you. Jesus loves them. Jesus died for them, for you and for all hypocrites-all sinners-all men.
Yes it's true that all the Old Testament hangs on the Ten Commandments. All the Word of God that is the Law is found on those two tablets of stone. The Law is preached forth in the lives and teachings and martyrdoms of Moses and all the Prophets. God's will for your perfect obedience is there in Hebrew and in all translations. The Pharisees thought they did love God with all their heart, soul and mind. They did not. The Pharisees did maintain that they loved their neighbor, that is, those they wished to consider their neighbor, as themselves. They did not.
The Law is meant to show man that he is dead and that he cannot do God's will. The Law is meant to show man that man is not God. Only the Lord God can keep the Law perfectly. Only the Lord Christ, the Messiah, can pay the penalty for your failures. Only Jesus is the God/Man sent from the Trinity. Jesus is telling the hypocrites, all hypocrites the Good News of Himself when He says that all the Law, that is all the doing, all the obedience, all the fulfilling and completing of the Law hangs on the Law and the Prophets. For Jesus is testified to in all the Law and the Prophets. Jesus is the content of all the writings of Moses and Isaiah; the content of all the preaching of Micaiah, Jonah, Elisha and Elijah. All the weight, burden, pain and punishment of the 10 Commandments, of the two tablets of Torah, of the deposit of Hebrew Scripture hangs on Jesus. He took that bloody bill, that past-due account of damnation upon Himself and allowed it to be nailed into His innocent flesh along with all of your trespasses which pinned Him to the tree for six long hours. There were six days in creation but there would be six hours of the pains of hell for the Lamb in re-creation-in atoning for you.
When the Law works on you, when you know that you have done wrong, not just because you've momentarily "slipped" but because you are wrong, you are broken, you are by nature a Pharisee, Jesus comes to you on His Crucifix to show you wear all of your misdeeds were hung out to dry after being washed clean in His blood. That Cross of cleaning and healing, of restoration and forgiving, is here now for you. That crucifix of Good News is spoken into you this moment with the love and mercy and pity and tenderness of your God and Lord, the God/Man of King David's revelation. That vicarious satisfaction is placed on your tongues and drunk with your lips.
Jesus is enough. There is no reason any longer for questions for the Answer is here now for you.
In the Name of The Father and of + The Son and of The Holy Ghost