Monday, April
2 – Read Matthew 21:23-27 and 22:15-40
Having entered Jerusalem and cleared out
a court of the temple, Jesus courageously returns to the temple day after day to
teach those who want to see him and learn from him. His presence is a
continuing provocation to the religious authorities and their response is to
attempt to trap him with questions designed to get him to commit heresy. In
these passages they ask Jesus by what authority is he doing these things (i.e.,
throwing out the money changers), whether or not it is lawful to pay taxes to
the Roman emperor, whose wife a woman married to seven brothers would be in
heaven, and which commandment is the greatest. None of these questions turns
out to be a challenge to Jesus. They are like slow pitches down the middle of the
plate which he proceeds to hit out of the ballpark. The religious leaders’
anger and frustration grow greater each day.
Reflection Questions: An ancient Greek proverb, later used
by Longfellow says: “The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly
fine”. Do you see a continuing tension between the truth of God and the ways of
the world, even when the ways of the world capture religious leaders? How is
the truth of God emerging from the growing confrontation between Jesus and the
authorities?
Prayer: Dear God, let your truth grow in me.
Help me see the world through your eyes. Amen.
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