Matthew
7, 1-29
2nd
August Trinity
Be
on your guard against false prophets of healing. They come to you in the
garments of peaceful lambs, but inwardly are rapacious wolves. You shall
recognize them by the fruits of their deeds. Never will you harvest grapes from
a thorn bush, nor figs from thistles. Every noble tree brings forth good fruit,
but a wild tree only forms unusable fruit. A noble tree cannot bear bad fruit,
and a wild tree cannot form good fruit. A tree that does not bring forth good
fruit will be cut down and put in the fire. Therefore, recognize them by the
fruits of their deeds.
Not everyone who addresses me with “Lord! Lord! “ can be taken up into the kingdom; only he who accomplishes the will of my Father in the heavens. In the future, when the light of God breaks over the earthly darkness, many will call to me. They will say, “Lord! Lord! have we not worked in advance for your revelation? Have we not driven out spirits of destruction in honor of you? Have we not gathered multiple powers for your word?”
Then
I will freely say to them, ‘I do not know you. My paths are not your paths.
Depart from me, for you serve the forces of chaos [the downfall of the world].’
Everyone
who hears such words from me and acts accordingly will be like a man who wisely
built his house on bedrock. The clouds burst, the waves rose, the winds blew
and beat against that house. But it did not totter, for it was founded upon the
rock.
He, however, who hears such words from me
and does not act accordingly is like a man who foolishly builds his house upon
sand. The rain comes down, the floods rise, the winds blow and beat upon the
house, and it collapses with a great crash.”
When Jesus had completed saying this, the people were greatly moved, for he spoke to them out of spiritual authority, as if the powers of creation themselves spoke out of him, and not like their teachers of the law [canon-lawyers].
When Jesus had completed saying this, the people were greatly moved, for he spoke to them out of spiritual authority, as if the powers of creation themselves spoke out of him, and not like their teachers of the law [canon-lawyers].
2nd Sunday Summer
Trinity
Matthew 7:15-27
In today’s Gospel reading, we
hear what is called a “hard saying”. It is evidently not enough to be able to call
upon the Lord by name. And furthermore, the ability to prophesy, to exorcise
demons, or to work wonders are also insufficient as entry cards into the
kingdom of the heavens. And why is that? Are they not laudable activities?
The bedrock upon which we build
our house of the spirit is taking Christ’s abiding and unconditional love into
our own selfhood. He, Love, is the foundation for all our inner progress, for
our endurance despite life’s storms and the flooding of our emotions. Through
human beings working with Him, earth becomes a new heaven.
For Heaven
humbled itself, toward earth made its descent;
When will earth
arise, and become heaven-bent?[1]
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