“THE LAST FARTHING: THE FEAST OF FORGIVENESS”
Saint Matthew 5: 20-26
6th Sunday after Trinity: 28 July Anno Domini 2019
Father Jay Watson SSP
The Lord’s Words are directed to you, that your words towards other Christians—your brothers and sisters—would be merciful. And because you fail to recognize and love your brothers and sisters, Jesus’ words in our Gospel are harsh condemnation of your sin and falleness.
The Lord is not saying that you can’t call a liar, “liar,” or a thief, “thief.” Reality is reality. Things are what they are. And The Word is used to rebuke, chastise, and call Saints back from the precipice. But, it’s not your moral indignation or your “put-upon” emotions that do anything. It’s not you and your chittering gossip and self-inflated ego that corrects people and rescues them from doing wrong. No one is nagged or insulted to salvation. “The Lord is the Strength of His people. He is the saving Strength of His anointed.”
“The Word of The Lord endures forever” is not a pious old aphorism talking about the always present reality of precepts and universal verities. But rather, The Blessed Logos, 2nd Person of The Ineffable Holy Trinity, now and forever Incarnate, lives and reigns at the Right Hand of The Father with The Paraclete, giving to ALL those IN HIM that same life and salvation through the forgiveness of sins.
That’s a lot of generic “theology talk” ain’t it?
You will go to hell and burn for all eternity if your sins are not forgiven. The fact that you don’t even realize that most of the things you’re thinking and saying, much less doing, are not sins, puts you in danger. Christ’s Word of Law, found in both Testaments, is meant to confront you, show you the monster that the sinful you really is, and kill it dead—filet you like a bottom-dwelling carp. The High Places of your “old Adam” have to be cut down, so that, the only High Place you are desirous to be found at, is where The Fruit of Mount Calvary is distributed. And that is here at His High Altar of Pulpit, + Font, and Communion Rail. Forgiveness.
Ideally, every homily should be so carefully crafted that the pastor “calls out,” without naming the individual, every current and presumptuous sin that is infecting every parishioner assembled in the pews—with laser like specificity. The once a year re-read of Exodus 20, doesn’t “cut it.” Perhaps the pastor could visit your house each week and inquire of the sins you’ve been emmeshed in. Or, he could wait for you to come to Individual Confession—for the sake of Absolution. We’ll see.
Jesus says to you: “ye have heard that it was said by them of old time (Moses in Exodus and Pastor Watson this morning reading same) thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment; but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” It is the heart before the lips; it is the mind and will of your sinful nature before the expression of the filthy trespass. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” (Mt. 15.19)
You are not right. No one is right. All are broken and rotten. The shelf life is expiring. The clock is ticking and the strands are fast fraying. “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Rom. 3. 10-12) Jesus speaks to you: “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” It doesn’t. You being “right” with God is exactly the same as Caiaphas’ and Anas’ rightness before The Lord: Zero, Zero, Negative to the Infinite Zero. Yes, re-read James: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (Ja. 2. 10) Or better yet Read Paul’s letter to the Romans and his own plaintiff cry to God over his inability to do good, to be right; of his inability to refrain from doing wrong, to be unrighteous. Woe to Paul. Woe to you. Woe to all.
Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The JUST (the Just Man, The Just One) shall live by faith.” (Rom. 1.17) The enfleshed God, The Messias God/Man Christ Jesus is Righteousness. He is Right. He is Right in your place, for you. He is perfectly right in doing, keeping, concluding, and fulfilling Exodus 20, The Torah, the Twin Tables, of Loving God perfectly and loving all (the neighbor) perfectly. He is outside you and your fallen heart, doing and being RIGHT forever and ever. Those who have Christ—Righteousness—in His absolving Word of Peace and in His precious and soothing balm of True Body and True Blood, they, YOU, have Righteousness by the gift of Jesus’ Faith. This is your free gift. He Who paid the uttermost farthing of His Body and Blood given and shed, now feeds you the same as Righteousness delivered.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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