The Tenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.
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ET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. (Psalm 66:18)
There is an interesting account in the life of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte at the zenith of his power. A distraught mother approached the military genius with a plea for mercy and pardon for her son. The Emperor responded that the young man had committed two separate offenses deserving death, and justice demanded the sentence to be carried out. “But it is not justice for which I ask” responded the distraught woman, “but it is mercy that I plead for my son.” “But your son does not deserve a grant of mercy!” Napoleon replied. “Sir,” she answered, “If my son deserved mercy, it would not be mercy, and mercy is all that I seek!” “Well, then,” replied the Emperor, “I shall grant mercy,” and he pardoned the woman’s son.
The Collect for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity makes a petition in two points: 1) that God open His ears of mercy in hearing our prayers, and 2) that the Holy Ghost will conform our hearts and desires to ask for those things only that are pleasing to God.
Opening God’s Ears of Mercy
Mercy is a powerful characteristic that gives birth to unmerited grace. It is worth noting that God’s ears are ‘merciful.’ This is not a casual description of God’s ‘ways’ but rather a magnification of a salient characteristic of God – His Ears are FULL of mercy to hear our prayers. Why do we need mercy? It is because justice would condemn us all to the fires of Hell. We do not become sinners at a certain time because we exercised our free will to sin – we are born sinners and are yoked with a nature that can do no good. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psalms 51:5) The only so-called free will that we have is a will to sin. When we have been brought into a close relationship with Christ, our wills to do good are no longer ours, but His. Apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ, we continue as born sinners, and are sinners by our very natures inherited from the blood of Adam. So, justice we must escape if we will live, and it is mercy and grace that is the only remedy for our sinfulness.
“LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants.” Is there anything that will stop those ears of mercy in being attendant to our prayers? The 18th verse of the 66th Psalm quoted above is one cause that God will not hear our prayers. If we are NOT humble servants, but rather have hearts populated by sinful thoughts (even thoughts that do not materialize in sinful actions) God will not hear our prayers. If the sinners free will rules in his heart, God has no reason to be merciful or to hear the prayer. Once our eyes and ears are open to God, His will be open to us. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. (John 9:31)
Even an obedient and humble child may petition the parent for some candy or sweet that is not wholesome for his health. The child knows not the food pyramid and the harm in neglecting it, so the parent knows better and will deny, at times, the innocent, but unhealthy, request of the child. God does so as well. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (James 4:3) If we expect God to listen intently to our prayers, we must deport ourselves as sons and daughters belonging to a great King, and mindful of our familial responsibilities to that Sovereign Parent. If our hearts are to receive the abundance in blessings for which we plead, those hearts must not be brim full of thoughts of iniquity or malice. They must be hearts empty of the world and full of the Spirit of God and His Mind. We dare not ask an urgent favor of one with whom we have had bitter quarrels, but we are very likely to run to the feet of one with whom we have long been friends –one whose mind is consistent with our own thinking. Why is this so? Because like minds are more generous to one another. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor 2:16) Many good and honest men and women have resolved to be righteous, and with earnest intent; but they discover that their free wills cannot achieve righteousness. Before a moment passes they find themselves dogged by many sinful desires and words. If we will be righteous, we must rid our hearts of our human free wills, and take on the Mind that is in Christ to do HIS will and not our own sinful wills. Having that MIND will open the ears of mercy in Heaven to our prayers. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Phil 2:5)
Asking for Those Things Pleasing unto God
What things may a child ask that is pleasing to a human parent? “Dad, I am having trouble with a bully at school. Will you give me some advice?” or, “Mom, many girls in the sixth grade wear make-up. They ridicule my plain appearance. How should I respond?” These are simple pleas for help in real problems that confront the child. The parent realizes the seriousness to the child of such problems and is pleased that the child came to the parent for help. The parent desires the same result as the child – the bullying to be dealt with, or the daughter to be equipped to deal with the wrong kind of peer pressure at school. The petition is a reasonable one seeking good results and not harmful ones. God is exactly like the parent in hearing the petitions of His children. He is pleased when we ask for those things that He is already inclined to grant even before our asking. The lectionary readings today reflect, in the Gospel of Saint Luke 19, the immeasurable mercy of Christ over Jerusalem as He wept over the city. He wanted so desperately to grant them mercy, but they had a different MIND and would have none of it.
The problem with our prayers is that they are often too ME-centered. Give ME a promotion at work; give ME the new house I am seeking to acquire; give ME some stellar gift that sets me apart and above my fellows. These prayers ask things that are not pleasing to God to grant. But if we ask for those things that will bless God’s heart and are in conformity with His own Will, how rich and profound will be our blessing. What is that greatest blessing of being of one Mind with God? And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7) We, too, must be willing and able to bear a cross of suffering for others as Christ has born for us: Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind (1 Peter 4:1) Which mind? The Mind of Christ. If ever you are confronted with an honest moment of doubt as to whether or not an action or thought is Godly, just imagine that Christ is standing right beside you (for He is). Does that thought change the context of doubt for you? Reader, are you a humble servant in your prayers? Do you seek to ask for those things only that you know to be pleasing to God? If you do not know that which is pleasing to God, then that forms the basis for another very Godly prayer, doesn’t it?
This Collect sets an excellent example of a prayer that God will love to hear. The petition is not for personal advantage, but uttered from humility, and a sincere desire to ask only for those things pleasing to God. The wisdom inherent in such a prayer is this: that our minds be conformed to that of the Mind of Christ so that the things we ask are really those things which He is predisposed to grant and consistent with His favor.
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HEREFORE, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Matt 23:34-39)
We often believe, wrongfully, God condemns us for our sins, but He does not. It is our sins, themselves, that condemn us. God watches our foolish ways often with a sorrowful heart – if we ONLY KNEW the harm we are doing to others… to ourselves….and to the loving and pure heart of God – by our mindless sinning! One of the greatest sorrows known to the human heart (a heart that is numb compared to that of God) is that of unrequited love. To love another with a love that is unto death, and then to have that object of our greatest affection treat our expressions of love with disdain and rejection is painful beyond explanation. But there are always many reasons that our love for another could be rightfully unrequited, because we humans are not perfect. There may have been a thoughtless word or gesture we made at some moment of greatest hurt to the other party of which we took no notice, or a thousand other reasons; but God is perfect and blameless of every human flaw. He loves with a perfect love, and He has done all things to deserve our own undivided love. We are NEVER justified in trampling upon the love and sacrifice of God for us.
God, in the beginning of Creation, made a beautiful Garden at Eden and placed man in the most opulent existence imaginable. Knowing that man would be most joyful if he was unmindful of the deathly knowledge of sin, God gave to man, out of a deep love for His crowning creation, one command only. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen 2:16-17) God gave this command out of love and not malice for He knew the man would become knowledgeable of sin and subject to the penalty of it if he (man) disobeyed. The weak character of man is such he could not keep even ONE commandment, much less TEN. He disobeyed, fell from grace, and opened wide the gates of Hell for all of his progeny down until our own day.
It is interesting to note that God did not give the commandment to Eve but to Adam. It is apparent from Eve’s discourse at the ill-fated Tree that Adam had been her teacher of all that God had said to him. Adam ate, and Adam died. He brought upon all creation relentless sin and death. God did not cause Adam to die – Adam’s disobedience caused Adam to die (and all of us as well)! We are guilty as charged and responsible for our condemnation. Insofar as we are engineers of our own sinfulness, we are, as the poet, Mr. Henley has said in INVICTUS, “I am the master of my fate, and the captain of my soul.” If, however, we seek a more worthy Captain, Master, and Bishop of our souls, we need to turn them over to One who cares more for our souls than we can care for them ourselves. That Captain, Master, and Bishop would be the Lord Jesus Christ who died for the sins He did not commit in order to save us from dying from those sins we DID commit.
In the Gospel lesson at hand, Christ has been pronouncing ‘woes’ on the Scribes and Pharisees. Inherent in His woes are warnings to modern religionists and professional clergymen. One of the woes issued by Christ is of sufficient threat to those lovers of filthy lucre that they have seen to it that verse 14 of this chapter in Matthew has omitted from modern Bible versions based on the corrupted manuscript evidence. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. (Matt 23:14) What could possibly offend the masters of the fleece in this verse that would prompt them to relegate it to a mere footnote in the NIV, ESV, and other modern versions? Perhaps it might be the STEALING of widow’s houses, or the long and elegant prayers designed more for the ears of men than those of God?
Jesus continues His pronouncement of prophecy and condemnation to a people for whom He has come to die in redemption of their sins if only they will believe God. 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city. Christ draws a line of delineation between the Scribes whom He has sent to the Jews and those who claim the title in name only. Those Scribes and Pharisees to whom He is speaking are imposters – written in large relief! Experience has shown that having a seminary degree does not necessarily qualify a man as being sent by God (though properly received can be a tremendous benefit); nor does the absence of such a degree disqualify, necessarily, a man as being called by God (else the Apostles would be imposters – all except Paul) Rather than being emissaries of God, these imposters are those who murder His emissaries and persecute His true Scribes.
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Christ is the Word (John 1:1). He is Alpha to Omega in the Greek alphabet – and, so, everything in between those first and last letters. But Christ is also the first and last letter of every other alphabet, including, again, everything in between. We see this demonstrated here in the reference to the first and last prophets mentioned by Christ – Abel to Zacharias (from A to Z in the English alphabet). He is the Word of God dressed in the vocabulary of every nation, tribe, and tongue. The false ministers of that day, who predominated in the chairs of authority, were pronounced guilty of all the righteous blood shed upon the earth. How can this be? These men murdered the prophets of God. Those who do not belong to God do not receive the imputed righteousness rendered to those who are His chosen seed; therefore, only those prophets truly sent by God, and their blood, could be considered righteous. These, the Scribes and Pharisees killed. These were matters of current fact.
Christ prepares to deliver a sorrowful prophecy of events that would soon transpire involving Jerusalem and the Jews. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. Christ will now issue a verdict, decided by their own wickedness, that shall be passed upon them in the very generation standing around Christ; but before pronouncing the sorrowful events to come, Jesus again expresses, in deep groaning’s, His profound love and care for the Jews and Jerusalem – a love that is rejected and turned back in hate and malice. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! How Christ would have delighted in the people and leaders of Jerusalem flocking to Him and under His loving wings for protection and preservation (there is no other sure means of protection and preservation), but they refused. Not only did they refuse His invitation, but they also killed the messengers sent by God!
As soon as the embers cooled after the Mount Saint Helens volcanic eruption of 1980, the forest rangers went in to assess the damage to the natural environment. All vegetation stood in ashes. One of the rangers saw a mother partridge burned to a crisp. Her wings were spread wide. The ranger, with disappointed pity, kicked the dead bird aside. As he did so, the rangers noticed several healthy baby birds run from under their dead mother’s wings. That is only a small illustration of the love God has for us – and the unrequited love Christ had for Jerusalem and her people. He even wept over the city prior to His last entry. Jesus was well aware of the death He would suffer at the hands of the Jews (by His own volition); and He also knew that His Father would certainly bring a deserving judgment against the city, or apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. It saddened the heart of Christ to contemplate this judgment that would come.
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. Not only your Temple, but all of your Holy City! In 70 AD the Roman General Titus developed and encircling land blockade of Jerusalem and erected siege walls and engines against her walls. To reject the salvation of God (Jesus) is tantamount to exposing oneself to all the evils of Hell. All who do so will be left desolate for desolation is all that exists apart from God Almighty. Can you imagine the sorrow in the heart of Christ in saying to those whom He loved dearly, your house is left unto you desolate? 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. These men had heard these words pronounced just days earlier; and they shall hear the same once more on the return of Christ in glory. They will not hear these words the second time as detractors and proud malefactors, but in the kneeling position of contrition and worship – and from their own mouths: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:9-11) He who comes in the Name of the Lord comes in the Person of the Lord. If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE Lord THY GOD (Deut 28:58)
Friend, do you also go in the Name of the Lord?
Yes, you do if you are CALLED Christian and are committed to the title.
Are you called Christian?
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