Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
Matthew 23:32 (NIV)
The eyes of the world have shifted to Rome in recent weeks. Tomorrow, the Vatican’s College of Cardinals will begin their conclave to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis I. In my humble opinion, the Roman Catholic church is, in many ways, successor to the religious earthly kingdom that Jesus faced off against in His final days. The College of Cardinals in their fine robes and red hats will convene in all their pomp under the priceless artwork of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel to hold their secret election.
Make no mistake, it is an earthly kingdom. The Roman Catholic church is the largest land owner in the world. The Vatican is its own nation. In recent weeks I read of one Catholic bishop who spoke out about the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment and the need to minister to the world’s immigrants and refugees. In the next sentence he decried the fact that the Roman Catholic church does not have the funds to do so and requires the generosity of others to the support the efforts. That said, the Roman church is the owner of countless priceless works of art. The Vatican bank has billions in assets. Then there is all that land it owns.
It seems to me that the hypocrisy of the religious kingdom of the high priests and Pharisees in today’s chapter is an apt description of the Vatican kingdom.
That said, in today’s chapter Jesus concedes that the ones He criticizes “sit in Moses seat.” He begins His critical diatribe by telling His followers to submit to their authority. It is a similar conundrum when Paul tells the believers in Rome to submit to all governmental authority (Rom 13:1-7) when it is that same authority who will imprison Paul and chop off his head. Being a citizen of the eternal Kingdom of God while living this life of temporal earthly exile creates such fascinating and complex realities.
I continued meditate on the events of today’s chapter with the wide-angle lens I used in yesterday’s chapter when Jesus crushed His debate opponents, the pompous religious power brokers of the Temple in Jerusalem, 5-0 and left them licking their wounds of humiliation back in the locker room. Jesus now turns to the crowd and lets loose with a message of seven woes of criticism for the Temple religious leaders.
The most powerful of his opponents were not present, but his opponents and their political minions were as prevalent as priests and nuns in the Vatican. In the crowd were political spies. It was also true that within the powerful party of Pharisees were some who were loyal to Jesus like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Perhaps they remained when their colleagues retreated to the locker room.
The seventh and final woe in Jesus complete list of hypocrisies is the fact that is was His opponents forebears who had martyred God’s righteous and His prophets “from Abel to Zechariah” which is like when I write “from Genesis to Revelation.” Jesus is once again making a huge and sweeping historical generalization. This religious system that is supposed to be God’s representatives on Earth, will instead execute God’s own Son. Jesus knows it is coming. He tells His opponents to “complete what your ancestors started.” He then foreshadows that the killing will not end with Him. They will execute the apostles, prophets, sages, and teachers that He will send to them after His ascension. His opponents will hunt them down and execute them, as well. The book of Acts bears witness to the veracity of Jesus’ prophetic words.
In the quiet this morning, I find myself once again pondering the complexity and conundrums of being a disciple of Jesus, a citizen and ambassador of God’s eternal Kingdom in this fallen world under the dominion of the condemned but very present Prince of this World. The realities Jesus faced in the conflicts of the final week of His earthly journey are still very real, still very present in our current human realities.
I am subject to corrupt human authorities in many different human systems from family, to religion, to government. My role as a disciple of Jesus and ambassador of heaven is to do the very thing Jesus told His followers in today’s chapter:
“So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do.”
I don’t control large, complex human systems of government and religion, though I have tremendous influence on the small human systems of family, business, and local community. My role is to follow Jesus’ example in my circles of influence, cultivating and bearing the fruit of God’s Spirit in my daily words, actions, and relationships. As I do this, I mindfully pray for leaders, representatives, and a College of Cardinals in Rome. May they also be mindful of being fruitful disciples of Jesus in their much more powerful and influential circles of influence.
If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.
