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Saint Luke's Anglican Church in La Verne

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Saint Luke's Anglican Church in La Verne

St Luke's Anglican Church is a sacramental and Bible believing Church located in La Verne California.

11/29/2023

The people of Israel are the chosen people of God. 3800 years before the Birth of Christ,
God made an everlasting covenant to be the God to the people of Israel: Genesis 17:7. In Genesis 17:8 , God promised Abraham and the Israelites a land that will be an everlasting possession. In
the Old Testament, we saw the triumphs of King
David and the splendor of Solomon. We saw Israel fall into sin and division which led to Israel being split into the Kingdom of Judah in the South and the Kingdom of Israel in the North. The Assyrians would conquer the Northern Kingdom
over 700 years before the Birth of Christ. The Prophet Isauah, speaking in a pitch black period of history speaks of Christ the King in Isaiah 9:6:

And the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His Name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God,
The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

In 587 BC, the Babylonians would conquer Israel, destroy Jerusalem and decimate the Temple of the Mount. The Jews would return from exile in 537 BC. By this time Israel was under the Persians who allowed them and assisted them in rebuilding the Temple. Some Jews did not return to Israel, settling in other areas of the Near East.
Those who did return, returned to a homeland in ruins. The Temple was utterly destroyed, and historians believed that parts of Jerusalem would remain in ruins for the next 150 years. The Temple would be rebuilt on the former site of the First Temple, but a humble structure.

Herod the Great was a client King of the Southern Province of Judea, which was controlled by the Roman Empire. In 37 BC, the Roman Senate made Herod the King of the Jews. Many Jews in Israel thought Herod was a brutal ruler, especially the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Judicial Body of Israel. Herod engaged in many public works projects including the expansion of the Temple, which included construction of the Temple walls and expanding the grounds from
18 acres to 37 acres. The Prophet Zechariah speaking of Our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem in Zechariah 9;9 said:

Rejoice greatly daughter Zion! Shout daughter Jerusalem! See your King comes to you righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a c**t, the foal of a donkey.

Over 900 years before, King David would enter Jerusalem with the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the presence of God. In 1 Kings 6:8,
The priests placed the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple. When Jesus arrives in Jerusalem and enters the Temple in today's Gospel which is
Matthew 21:1-12. In this case it is the presence
of God Incarnate entering the Temple.

This Sunday marks the beginning of the Christian New Year. It is the First Sunday in Advent.
The word Advent is derived from the Latin word to come, which in turn is derived from the Greek word parousia which means official visit. In the
Near East at the time of Christ, when a king was to arrive, advanced notice was given with great
pomp and circumstance. In the case of Jesus,
who is the King of all creation: Psalm 24:1,
It was the Old Testament Prophets such as Isaiah
over 700 years before, in a dark and violent time
of Israel’s where many struggled to preserve the
Nation of Israel from extinction, prophesied
the coming of the Messiah who is the Light
of the World: John 8:12.

Advent is symbolized by a wreath with 4 candles
that with three being violet and one being pink.
Three violet candles symbolize sin and need of repentance, with the pink candle symbolizing
joy. The green wreath symbolizes life, and the branches connecting it the Crown of Thorns
that Jesus wore during His suffering and death.
The white candle in the middle symbolizes Christ,
the Light of the World, coming to save us from sin and death. The Advent Wreath is utilized in the
Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, and Western Rite
Orthodox traditions.

Advent by many is associated with the Birth of Christ, but many of the Gospel readings speak
of the Second Coming. Numerous Christmas
hymns talk of the Second Coming of Christ.
Pastor David Jeremiah points out that one of
every thirty verses pertains to the Second Coming. The First and Second Coming of
Christ are tied together: the Birth of Christ
leads to His Public Ministry to His death
and Resurrection, and finally the Second
Coming where Final Judgment will come.
The color used during Advent is violet
to remind us of the need for repentance

So in today’s Gospel, we witness the triumphal
entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. In 1 Samuel
5:6-10, King David conquered Jerusalem.
He displaced the Jebusites, who.were punished
by God for their wickedness: Genesis 15:16.
So in today’s Gospel, Jesus is hailed as a great
Prophet by an adoring crowd of thousands.
John 12:12-19 also covers Jesus coming to Jerusalem as a King, and the Prophet Isaiah briefly alludes to it in Isaiah 62:1.

Jesus proceeds to the Temple of the Mount and enters the Court of the Gentiles that surrounded the Sacred Inner Court, which contained the Ark of the Covenant. Gentiles and ritually unclean
Jews were allowed to pray here, but were not
allowed in the Inner Courts. The penalty for
a Gentile or an unclean Jew who entered the
Inner Courts was death . In fact, there was a fence separating the Inner and Outer Courts of the Temple with stones written in Greek threatening anyone with death who illegally entered the Temple.

Jesus enters the Court of the Gentiles. He finds
merchants selling animals for altar sacrifice and
money changers who converted currency from
Roman into Jewish money at extremely high
rates. The Court of the Gentiles was a place of worship. However, the activities of the merchants
was severely disrupting or stopping prayer in
the Court of the Gentiles. Next Jesus casts out the animal sellers and the money changers with a whip made out of cords. Next, Jesus says: It is
written, My Father’s House is a House of Prayer, but ye have made it into a den of
thieves. This event is also covered in Luke 19:45-46.

Here we see Jesus in His full role as Priest, Prophet, and King. He is the Prophet: Deuteronomy 18:15 moving among the people
of Israel. He is the King going into the Capital City: Psalm 24:1. He is the High Priest cleansing the Temple. In Leviticus 16:14, for the atonement of sin, the priest would sprinkle blood of a bull with his finger on the east. side of the Mercy Seat, and then with his finger seven times
directly in front of the Mercy Seat. In this case Jesus being the High Priest is offering Himself as a blood sacrifice to God the Father for the
atonement of the sins of Jews and Gentiles alike.

Today’s Gospel also reflects Our Lord’s Messianic Mission to Jews and Gentiles alike. In John 3:17,
Jesus said He did come into the world to condemn it, but to save it. The Bible refers to
the Gentiles who became Children of Adoption
by faith, which is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. The Apostle Paul writing to the Ephesians who were former pagans
and now Children of Adoption by faith uses the
imagery of the wall separating the inner court
to that the Court of the Gentiles in Ephesians
2:11-14:

Therefore, that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcision which is done in the body by human hands-remember at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made but one, and hath broken down the Middle Wall of Partition between us.

The season of Advent is tied to the Season of Lent, that leads to Our Lord’s suffering and death in which He conquers sin and death on the Cross Romans 8:2, and His Resurrection. After His Resurrection, He appeared before His
disciples and commanded them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This is called the
Great Commission and is mentioned in the Four
Canonical Gospels and the Book of Acts.

Believers throughout the ages are bound by the Great Commission to bring others into the Body of Christ, His Holy Church. The reward for believing in Christ and Commandments is eternal life: John 3:16. As mentioned before,
Advent is the season of repentance, but also being the start of the Christian New Year, which also makes it the season of renewal. Let's bring the season of renewal to those who do not yet Christ, so that they can share in the reward of eternal life.

11/26/2023

The feast of the Passover at.the time of Christ symbolized Israel’s liberation from Pharaoh in Egypt in the Book of Exodus. It symbolizes God sparring every Jewish firstborn male from the sword of Pharaoh in Exodus 11:7-8. Passover
was a mandatory feast that Jews attended at the
time of Christ. Passover is observed by modern Jews as well, and usually falls in March or April
of each year. Passover falls in the month of Nisan, the first month of the Jewish New Year, lasting eight days outside of Israel and seven days inside Israel. One of the main foods consumed during Passover is unleavened bread. Unleavened
bread does not have yeast in it. It was the bread the People of Israel took with them during their departure from Exodus 12:11 says: Eat in haste it is the Lord’s Passover.

As commentators have pointed out, leaven is a symbol of sin. Under the Law of Moses any grain offering was made with leaven was forbidden: Leviticus 2:11. In fact yeast was forbidden to be made in any sacrifice on the altar. Leaven is also
mentioned in the New Testament. In Matthew 6:6-12 Jesus compares the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians to that of leaven. In Luke 12:1, Jesus tells the thousands assembled before Him to be aware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy.
The Apostle Paul in writing the Church in Corinth uses leavened bread as a metaphor for sin in 1 Corinthians 5:1-8. In the passage, a man who was a member of the Church there who engaged in sexual immorality. Paul exhorts them to remove the man from the Church as his sinfulness like leaven could corrupt the entire body of believers. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 5:6:

Your glorifying is not good. Know ye not
that a little leaven, leaventh the whole lump?

But yet Jesus in in Matthew 13:33 in a parable says the following about leavened bread:

Another parable He spake unto them; The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and, and hid in three measures of meal, til the whole was leavenef.

Commentators on this passage believe the above mentioned passage the leaven is a symbol of heaven, and in essence of Christ Himself who is pure, sinless, and undefiled. Christ referring to the whole being leavened could refer to the Gospel being spread through the world, making disciples of men, and spreading the Church throughout the world. So instead of leaven being a symbol of sin, in this case it is a symbol of Christ and holiness. Let’s look also at what the Apostle Paul says about leavened 1 Corinthians
5:7:

Purge therefore out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ, our Passover, is Sacrificed for us.

Paul is saying to turn away from sin and disobedience, become a new lump through the acceptance and obedience to Christ’s Commandments communicated to us in the Scriptures, which is the Eternal Word of God.

Now we arrive at today’s Gospel John 6:5-14.
Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee and arrives at Bethsaida. Bethsaida was the hometown of Peter, Andrew and Philip. Mark 8:22-26 tells us that Jesus healed the sight of a blind man near this village. In Luke 9:10-17 as in today’s Gospel Jesus feeds the five thousand.

Prior to the beginning of today's Gospel John or the Fourth Evangelist tells us that a great crowd was following Jesus, because they heard of His healing of the sick. The narrative continues to state that Jesus went onto a mountain which is a steep hill called the Golden Heights,
which is located in the Bethsaida which is located in a valley. The Bible tells us that the timing of this miracle is just before the beginning of the Passover. Luke's narrative on this miracle is that it is late afternoon. Jesus now has to act quickly. He has a multitude of hungry people who need to be fed. The sun was going down. He needed to buy bread as soon as the sun went down there would not be anywhere to buy bread. Under the Law of Moses, business could not be conducted after sundown.

Next, Jesus asks Philip as to where they should be bread? Jesus did not want to send the people to their homes hungry. Philip answered Jesus and stated that they have enough money to buy 200 pennyworth, which is equivalent at the time of Christ of seven months wages for a common laborer. Philip elaborated that even 200 pennyworth will not buy enough bread for that 5000 men assembled here to have a little.

Andrew then comes to Jesus and tells Him that young boy has given Him 2 loaves and 5 fishes.
Who was Andrew? Andrew was the brother of Peter. He was originally a disciple of John the Baptist? He was the first called disciple of Jesus:
John 1:40. Andrew witnessed the multiplication of the fish when Jesus ordered Peter to fish off the shore of the Sea of Galilee: Luke 5:7. The Bible says that the fishes that were caught were so numerous that the fishermen had to fill both ships and the ships began to sink. Andrew is believed to have founded the Church in
Byzantium in 38 AD. Andrew according to secular sources preached in Russia and Eastern Europe. Andrew is also a patron saint in Ukraine, Romania, and Russia. Andrew was martyred in Western Greece in 60 AD. He was crucified on a cross resembling an X.

Here was the faith of Andrew. He had seen the miracle of the fishes on the Sea of Galilee and knew that Jesus would be able to feed the thousands that had been following Jesus. Next, Jesus ordered the disciples to sit down in the grass.

Here Jesus is in full Messianic Role as Priest, Prophet, and King. He is the High Priest praying to God the Father to multiply the loaves and fishes. Jesus may have used something called barley bread. This type of bread is a poor man's bread. The Bread used here by Jesus also represents His suffering on the Cross, and giving Himself as a perfect sacrifice to God the Father.
He is the King tending the needs of His Kingdom.
Psalm 24:1. He is a Prophet doing a mighty work by multiplying the loaves and fishes until all the men are their fill. Deuteronomy 18:15 states that a prophet shall arise from the nation of Israel.

In addition, commentators on this passage
believe that Jesus distributing the loaves to His disciples is a foreshadowing of the Last Supper. Perhaps the implication and message to His disciples that the breaking of bread represented Jesus being handed over to His enemies, treated spitefully, suffer on the Cross and then rise from the dead. Evangelist Billy Graham stated that a sermon should have two things in it: The Cross and the Resurrection.

The Bread in this passage represents not only bodily nourishment but the Eternal Word of God.
Both Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 Jesus states that it is written man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Next, Jesus orders the fragments be placed in the 12 baskets so none of the fragments are lost.
The numerology here is interesting.. The fives loaves represent the first five books of the
Old Testament. The two fish the body of believers under the Old and New Testament, and the Old and New Covenant. The 12 baskets represent the Nation of Israel, and part of Our Lord’s Messianic Mission first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. The baskets could also represent the Church of Christ and the fragments of Bread His Eternal Word to be distributed to make disciples of all nations or the Great Commission
mentioned in the Four Canonical Gospels
and The Book of Acts.

The passage ends with the men assembled who had witnessed the miracle marveled of the fulfillment of the Old Testament Messianic
Prophecy of a Prophet arising from within
the Nation of Israel; Deuteronomy 18:15.
Anglican Priest Father Massey Hamilton Shepherd points out that Our Lord’s works as a Prophet dwarf those of the Old Testament Prophets. The Prophet Elisha in 2 Kings
4:42-44 multiplied 20 barley loaves to feed 100 men;by contrast Jesus fed 5000 men.

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:13 states that of all things three endure: faith,hope, and love. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. Andrew and the young boy had a belief or faith that Jesus would be able to feed the multitudes with the scarcity
of food. Hope is the confident belief that God will bestow His gifts or grace in the future. Psalm 27:14 tells us to be strong, take heart, and wait on the Lord. Perhaps some of the multitude in the passage waited in joyful expectation for the Messiah to come heal them, and feed in body and the Eternal Word of God. Then the last being love. John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not
perish, but have everlasting life.

In John 6:15, it stated that the multitudes wanted to take Him by force and make Him their King. But it said that Jesus withdrew to a mountain.
Many commentators have pointed that many
Jews believed that the Messiah would be
a conquering King who would expel the foreign
occupiers, and restore Israel to a United Kingdom
that would be equal to or surpass that of either
King David or Solomon. When this didn't happen,
many Jews became disillusioned. Even two of the disciples of John the Baptist ask Jesus in
Matthew 11:3: Art thou He should that come or should we look for another?

Even in this modern era, there are many that see the ills of the world and wait for Jesus to return
in glory. They see this as a day when all the world's ills will be eliminated, and paradise
on earth will occur. But yet for this day to come
we must do our part. Two Bible verses come to mind regarding this; John 14:12 says: He that believeth on Me, the works I do, he shall do
also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go into my Father. Let's also
look at Mark 13:35-38:

Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when
the Master of the House cometh at even or at midnight, or at the , or cockcrowing in the
morning: lest coming suddenly He find
you are sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.

So we as believers have to do what we are able to usher in the Kingdom of God, and usher in the Second Coming of Jesus. Believers throughout the ages are bound to make disciples of all
nations , as spoken of as the Great Commission, in the Four Canonical Gospels and the Book
of Acts. But how do we do this? We get them at Our Lord’s Command to sit in the grass and be fed the loaves that represent His Eternal Word. By receiving this Bread of Life: John 6:35, they will grow in wisdom, hopefully become more like Christ, and inherit eternal life.

But what will that eternal life look like? Revelation 19:9 states that all believers who ever lived will be invited to attend the Great Wedding Feast in Heaven where God the Word, Jesus Christ will be, along with God the Father, and the Holy Ghost. Psalm 16:11 tells us that there is fullness of joy in heaven. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says: But as it is written , Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who
love Him. Revelation 21:1-4 tells us we will be in eternal union with God and that grief, loss or separation will be a thing of the past. The Bible says we will remember these things no more.
Instead will be in eternal union with Christ the
King and the Life-Giving Trinity.

11/19/2023

Sermon Notes: 24th Sunday After Trinity
By Father David Valentini
Gospel: Matthew 9:18-26.

The Evangelist Billy Graham once said all of mankind’s problems resulted from Original Sin.
Sin is merely doing or thinking something that goes against the will of God. The ancient Jews believed that sickness resulted from sin. Psalm 117:07 says Fools because of their rebellious ways and because of their iniquities were afflicted. The Bible also talks about sin being transmitted from generation to generation in 1 Kings 15:3 and Deuteronomy: 5:9.

Today’s Gospel is Matthew 9:18-26. Jesus is in the village of Capernaum. There is a continuing theme in the New Testament that Jesus when He was not teaching or praying was often on the move. Every second of His Public Ministry was accounted for and used to the glory of God. Here in this Gospel, Jesus is on the move, when a synagogue leader approaches Jesus. Mark 5:22 provides the official’s name as Jarius.

In Matthew’s narrative, we learn that the Jewish religious leader has a young daughter that had just died. Luke 8:42 gives the young girl’s age at 12 years old. The Bible does not tell us how the young girl died. Death was common among children at the time of Christ, due to the scarcity of doctors in ancient Israel.

Next Jarius tells Jesus that his young daughter has died, pleads with Jesus to come to his home, and lay hands on her that she would live. What's interesting is that there is no mention of other children. Perhaps that the little girl is his only child . Jarius may have heard about Jesus and His miracles and looks upon Him as a Prophet or even the Messiah. Either way, the faith of Jarius is sufficient to believe that Jesus can bring his daughter back to life. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.

As Jesus is going with Jarius to his home, a woman with a blood disease touches the garment Jesus was wearing. The Bible says that the woman had suffered from a blood disease for 12 years. Matthew’s narrative does not mention a husband , children, or friends. The woman may have been a poor widow. She may have been rendered unclean by the priests, and unable to enter the Temple or Synagogue. She may have been an outcast in Capernaum with little or no hope of a better life.

The woman touching the cloak of Jesus was a bold move. Under the Law of Moses it was forbidden for men and women to have physical contact unless the two people involved were married. Possibly the intent behind the statute in ancient Israel was to prevent fornication or adultery. The Lord heals the afflicted woman and commends her for her faith that resulted in her healing. Being made whole, the now healed woman could be rendered clean by the priests and fully rejoin society.

Next, Jesus enters the home of Jarius and hears wailing and minstrels playing flutes. Minstrels were often used by even the poorest of the poor in Jewish society to mourn the loss of someone who had died. In Jewish culture at the time of Christ, the deceased was anointed with fragrant oils, wrapped in fine cloth and then laid in a tomb. The tomb was owned by the family of the deceased. The complete process of a Jewish funeral could last seven days in which people would mourn at the home of the deceased and bring food.

Next, Jesus rebukes the crowd for their lack of faith and tells the assembled crowd that the young girl is not dead, only sleeping. Many commentators on this passage state that the young girl was not dead, but in a coma. Well this is not for certain, Saint John Chrysostom commenting on the sleeping girl observes the following:

By this saying, He soothes the minds of those that were present, and shows them that it is easy for Him to raise the dead; like He did in the case of Laxarus, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.

Anglican Priest Massey Hamilton Shepherd observed that in the time of Christ there were Jewish exorcists and other healers quoting the Hebrew Bible and praying over the afflicted with little to no results. Our Lord by raising the young girl from the dead shows Jesus in His Messianic Role as Priest, Prophet, and King. He is the High Priest, praying to God the Father to heal the girl. He is a King exercising Lordship over His creation. He is a Prophet doing mighty works.

Near the end of the passage after Jesus stated to the crowd that the girl is only sleeping ;,the crowd scorned him and laughed at what He said. What many commentators have interpreted this to mean is the following; when the ancient Jews meant by sleep, that the soul had gone to the afterlife called Abraham’s Bosom or Sheol. Secondly, that Jesus is telling the crowd not to mourn and not make any funeral preparations yet, as the implication here is that Jesus is going to do something about it. That is when the crowd laughed at Him.

Next Jesus raises the young girl from the dead. In Luke’s account the Third Evangelist said that her spirit returned to her, and that Jesus commanded the girl’s parents to give her something to eat: Luke 8:55. Jesus raising the young girl from the dead is a foreshadowing of the Resurrection, similar when He raised Lazarus from the dead in Luke 11:44. Secondly, the Bible says the young girl’s spirit rejoined her body which could be a foreshadowing of what the Apostle Paul talks about having glorified bodies after the Final Judgement and when we will be with God for all eternity in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58. Thirdly, by giving the young girl something to eat, it is symbolic of the Word of God, the Eternal Word. Let's look at John 6:35:

I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh shall never hunger, and He that believeth on me shall never thirst

The passage ends with the people who witnessed the miracle marveling at the raising of the girl from the dead, and that the fame of Jesus went throughout the land. Notice that there were two types of people that witnessed the raising of the young girl from the dead: those who believed that the girl rose from the dead via the hand of Jesus, like the disciples who believed that Christ Himself rose from the dead, and those who did not believe that Jesus rose the girl from the dead; these people resembled the religious leaders and common people who disbelieved that Jesus rose from the dead. Matthew Henry’s commentary on this last part of the passage goes one step further and observed the following:

Dead souls are not raised to spiritual life unless Christ takes them by the hand: it is done in the day of His power. If this single
Instance of Christ’s raising someone newly
dead so increased His fame, what will be His glory when all that are in their graves shall hear His voice and come forth; those that have done good to be the resurrection of
life, and those that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation.

Today in the year 2023 it is estimated that over 150,000 die every day. Around six million children under 15 die per year, translating to 16,000 per day. One in this modern era could imagine the grief that parents must feel when their child dies, and to experience the worst fear of any parent to bury their own child. World leaders, to the middle class , to the very poor have all lost children through disease, war, and starvation.
In a recent documentary, now deceased President H.W. Bush, expressed grief over the loss of his daughter Robin over 55 years before. The scars never fully healed

Going back to Billy Graham , the Evangelist pointed out that there are two types of believers::those who truly are Christians, and those who grew up in the Church but do not believe in the Gospel, His teachings, and His Commandments. Maybe they are like the people in Isaiah that the Lord observes in Isaiah 29:13:

Wherefore, the Lord said, , Firsomuch as the people drew near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have far removed their heart from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men.

But the all hallmarks of a true believer echoed In
Matthew 22:37-40:to love God with all thy heart,
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. So
In loving God and His Son Jesus Christ, we obey His Commandments and believe in His gifts or His grace. One of those gifts of grace is that Jesus overcame sin and death on the Cross: Romans 8:2. But also like the young girl who Jesus raised from the dead, and as the Apostle
Paul points out in Romans 6:4 that we share in the Resurrection of Christ through Baptism. But let's look at the Resurrection. Because as mentioned before Jesus rose from the dead we share in that Resurrection but also inherit eternal life. Let's look at what the Apostle Peter says about our subsequent resurrection and reward of eternal life in 1 Peter 1:3-4:

Blessed be God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you

The question is are we true believers, lukewarm believers, or don’t believe at all in the truth of
the Resurrection, Christ, and His Commandments
? If we are true believers, we inherit the Kingdom that Jesus said was prepared since the foundation of the world: Matthew 25:34. If we are lukewarm Christ will spit us out of His mouth:
Revelation 3:16. The nonbeliever, those who have rejected Christ will be thrown for eternity in the lake of burning sulfur: Revelation 20:11-16.
In the end, the choice is ours.

11/09/2023

Sermon Notes By Father David Valentini
23rd Sunday After Trinity
Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22.

The Nation of Israel had been ruled all or in part by different foreign nations for about 700 years before the Birth of Christ: first the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and finally the Romans. Many Jews looked back to the Golden Age of David and Solomon, and saw the coming of the Messiah who would restore Israel to her former greatness.
Even our Lord's disciples in Acts 1:6 just before His Ascension ask Jesus when will Israel be restored.

There were at the time of Jesus periodic attempts of revolt against me Roman Rule. Judas of Hezekiah led a revolt around 15 AD against Roman Rule. Judas claimed to be the long awaited Messiah. The rebellion was quickly put down from Roman forces. The Romans would often crucify the rebels and do so on traveling and trade routes as a clear message against the consequences of insurrection. Those being crucified would often linger on the cross for days in excruciating pain and be devoured by vultures.

Israel at the time of Christ was divided among religious and political lines. The Zealots favored armed rebellion against Rome. One of them, Simon the Zealot, would become an Apostle of Jesus, and is mentioned in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13. The Essens believe in a Jewish priesthood and ritualistic purity in the Temple. The Pharisees believed in an oral interpretation of the Law of Moses, and believed that the body and soul would continue after death. They were staunch opponents of the idea that any king should rule Israel. The Sadducees believed in a literal interpretation of the written Law of Moses, and did not believe in the resurrection of the body and soul after death. The Herodians wanted the restoration of the Herodian Dynasty and therefore wanted a.king to rule Israel. Lastly, there were bitter debates over how much that Greek culture and philosophy should influence Jewish religious and political life.

The First Century historian Josepsus commented on the political tension between the Jews and Romans in Israel at the time of Jesus; it centered on the image of the Roman Caesars on coins and banners carried by the Roman Legions. The Jews believed it was forbidden under the Law of Moses to make an image of a man , as they believed it was the violation of the Second Commandment in Exodus 20:4 and akin to worshiping a false god, and therefore blasphemy. Blasphemy under Jewish Law was defined as contempt for God, and was punishable by death under the Law of Moses.

By the time of the events of today's Gospel passage. Jesus had amassed a large following of thousands of people who followed Him everywhere He went, healed many, resurrected a man from the dead Lazarus in John 11:1-21, performed many miracles, and fulfilled all of the 365 Old Testament Messianic Prophecies. Some have speculated that the power brokers during our Lord's Public Ministry feared that Jesus would become so powerful and make a separate peace with the Romans. They feared such a move would be a threat to their political and religious power.

The timing of the interaction in this Gospel is after Our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The Old Testament Prophet Zechariah in the
Zechariah 9;9-12 predicted this event over 500 years before the Both of Christ. The Bible says that after Jesus came to Jerusalem, He taught daily in the Temple. This is where we begin the mediation on Today's Gospel Passage.

The passage begins with the Pharisees discussing among themselves on how they can get rid of Jesus. The Pharisees were the largest and most popular sect of Judaism in Israel. They believed in an oral interpretation of the Law and charged widows exorbitant fees for legal expertise, which was forbidden under the Law of Moses. That is why Jesus called the Pharisees devourers of widow's houses in Matthew 23:14.
Many of the Pharisees despised Jesus because that He was characterized as a King. The Pharisees hated the monarchy and some commentators feared that Jesus would make peace with Rome and in the process eliminate their political power. Jesus had several arguments with the Pharisees on God and the application of the Law of Moses. Every time the Pharisees encountered Jesus they tried to get Him to commit blasphemy, which was punishable
by death.

So the Pharisees send a group to Jesus in the Temple composed of some of their assistants, and the Herodians. The Old Saying politics makes strange bedfellows rings true here. The two groups were diametrically opposed to each other: the Pharisees hated the idea of a king ruling Israel, while Herodians fully embraced it.
But there is an old saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Where in the Temple did the interaction take place? It could have taken place on the steps of the Temple, the Court of the Gentiles, or there were rooms in the Temple where theological discussions took place , with learned men sitting on cushions. Such a room may have been used when Jesus was with the Doctors of the Church in Luke 2:46-49 when He was 12 years old.

The group of men begin by calling Jesus Master.
They are in acknowledging that Jesus is a Teacher in the interaction. Under the Jewish system, both the student and the teacher could ask and answer questions. This comes from the School of Hileil which was established around the time that Jesus was a toddler.

The disciples of the Pharisees and Herodians begin by praising Jesus for being a true Teacher of the Laws of God, and caring not for the Laws of Men. The group then asks Jesus is it lawful to pay tribute or taxes to Caesar? Taxes paid by Jews to the Roman Government amounted to one percent of all the taxes they had to pay. Jews also had to pay a Temple Tax. But some Jews saw paying taxes to Rome as a sin, and that the Jewish tax collectors who made a handsome living in the employ of a foreign government were beneath contempt. Even Jesus in Matthew 18:17 compares an unrepentant sinner to a Gentile or a Tax Collector.

Next Jesus rebukes the group of assembled men calling them hypocrites and asking them why they are tempting Him? Jesus is asking them why they are tempting God Himself? Deuteronomy 6:16 forbids the tempting or testing of God.

Next, Jesus rebukes the group for their wickedness. He then demands to see a tribute coin and asks the men whose name and image are on the coin? They said Caesar. Jesus then responds and tells them to render unto God the things that are God's and the things that are Caesar's that are Caesar's. The passage states that Our Lord's detractors marveled and went their way.

What did our Lord mean when He said to give unto God what is God's and what unto Caesar what is Caesar's? In a strict sense, Jesus was saying to the men who questioned Him: Pay your Temple Tax and satisfy the Laws of God and pay your tribute tax to Caesar to satisfy the Laws of Man. The Temple Tax was inaugurated by God in Exodus 30-12-16 where God instructed Moses that everyone will pay a Temple Tax who is twenty years old or older. Verse 15 tells us that the Temple Tax is for the atonement of sins. Jesus in Matthew 17:24-27 pays the Temple Tax for Peter and Himself. Jesus instructs Peter to go catch a fish in a nearby lake, open its mouth, and states that he will find a coin sufficient to pay his Temple Tax and that of Jesus.

So the Temple Tax was utilized for the upkeep of the Temple in Jerusalem, paying for the incense used there, and for the atonement of sin. The tax paid to the Roman Government was used for public work projects, for the Roman Legions, and other various expenses. It may have been strange that Jesus paid the Temple Tax, but it was required under the Law of Moses. In Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus states that He did not come to abolish the Law of Moses but to fulfill it.

The Bible tells us to honor both religious and secular authority. It is a common tendency among many to honor secular authority as something separate from Almighty God. But the Bible tells us that God controls both the religious and secular authority. Psalm 24:1 tells us that Jesus is the King of all creation.
Handel's Messiah tells us that Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord's. A tradition in the Church of England prior to Christmas was for the English Monarch to present gifts for Christ the King to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Romans 13:1 states that all ruling authorities have been instituted by God. Daniel 2:21 states that God sets up kings and removes kings. Titus 3:1 tells us to submit to lawful authority to be ready for every good work.

There are examples in the history of the early Christian Church where good works turned the hearts of one Roman Emperor and converted another. Christians were persecuted in the Roman Empire from 55 AD to 313 AD. They were exiled, tortured, and murdered. However, in 173 AD the Roman 12th Legion primarily composed of Christians fought so bravely in Germania that the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius suspended persecutions of Christians in the Empire. In 313 AD the Emperor Constantine via the Edict of Milan ended persecution against Christians permanently in the Empire for their good works. One of the reasons was that the Chriistians as the Emperor Galerius stated prayed to their God for our safety, for that of the Republic. Constantine became a Christian in 337 AD, and Christianity became the official religion of the Empire via the Edict of Thessalonica on February 27, 380 AD.

The good works of those early Christians by honoring both God and secular authority has influenced leaders in American history. George Washington was inaugurated in New York City April 30, 1789; it was stated the President kissed the sacred pages of the Bible that was placed on a crimson cushion. Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War regularly attended Evening Prayer at Saint John's Episcopal Church in Washington DC.
President John F. Kennedy was quoted as saying Do not pray for easier lives, pray to be better men. President George H. Bush was concerned that the United States was fighting a just war during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. A just war is a Christian approach to war characterized by all other channels that have been explored to avoid an armed conflict, strikes are only carried out on enemy combatants and targets and not civilians, and that both sides explore and implement the quickest end to the conflict possible.

American historian Charles Francis Adams talks about the velocity of history. Events in our world are happening at a swift pace. Many of these events point to the return of Christ. Upon the return of Christ all of mankind will be judged.
One way we will all be judged is how well we have honored and obey lawful civil authority as mentioned previously and was instituted by Almighty God. Let's look at Romans 13:2:

Whosoever resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

For many in this modern age obeying both lawful secular authority and Almighty God is difficult.
But Matthew 22:37-40 states that we are to love God will all thy heart, all thy soul, and all thy mind. To the best of our ability we are to obey all of the Commandments of God conveyed through Sacred Scripture. The reward is eternal life, an existence beyond our wildest dreams.

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