At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." And he kept on preaching in many synagogues. (Luke 4: 42-43)

"Because that is why I was sent." Another translation reads, "for this is is my purpose." The Greek - apostello houtos - is literally sent for this, or them or these, the pronoun's meaning must be surmised from context.

Jesus might have been sent to preach the good news of the kingdom of God, or he might have been sent for the other towns, or to the inhabitants of the other towns. I suppose he might have meant all these purposes.

At Capernaum Jesus had done very good work, found friends and followers, and was appreciated by many. But he was aware of a broader calling. It is not clear if Jesus knew what lay beyond Capernaum. But he was ready to take the risk to find out.

Above is Jesus calling Peter and Andrew by Duccio di Buoninsegna. Peter and Andrew were residents of Capernaum.

So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. (Mark 15:42-43)

Jesus has died. Christ has not yet risen. A prominent Jew goes boldly - another translation offers, gathered up courage - to the one who had ordered the execution to receive the body for burial.

Even with the son of God hanging bloody, naked, and dead on the cross we are told Joseph of Arimathea was waiting for the kingdom of God. His intervention with Pilate demonstrates he was not waiting passively.

The Greek translated so benignly as waiting is prosdechomai. This is to actively expect, to accept what is being offered, and to receive to one's self. The Greek suggests reaching out to accept that which is already extended to you.

The kingdom of God is present. The kingdom of God is offered, even - perhaps especially - in the darkest hour. Am I willing to graciously accept? Or am I too proud, or embarrassed, or distracted to receive what I have already been given?

May we each find courage enough to accept the love of God.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it."This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. "I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God." (Mark 14:22-25)

The eucharistic celebration is understood as a moment of transformation. In many traditions the ordinary bread and wine again become body and blood. Christ is present. The kingdom of God emerges in the sacrifice, remembrance, and renewed experience of the sacrament.

Christian communities differ on how this transformation is achieved. The Orthodox and some others observe a discipline of "pious silence" regarding how and celebrate a mystery to be experienced.

Many people of faith perceive this transformation requires a readiness or receptivity. In former times the eucharist was preceded by an extended period of fasting, confession, and prayer. But however it happens, the eucharist is widely perceived as a moment when the kingdom of God envelopes our current reality.

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 'There is no commandment greater than these." "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34)

Jesus answers by quoting from Deuteronomy and Leviticus. He may have also been quoting Hillel, a great teacher of the generation before Jesus.

The question was not entirely authentic. This teacher of the law was not trying to trap Jesus, but he was testing him. The questioner was certain of the answer he was seeking.

Crucially, the questioner was authentically listening to the answer of Jesus and ready to apply its full implications. The commandment to love God and neighbor has priority over religious practice.

The two men encountered each other, each certain of their own truth. But they also listened to each other and recognized a shared truth.

In this listening and insight Jesus acknowledged another who experienced the kingdom of heaven to be close at hand.

Above is a Coptic Christian icon from the sixth century remarkable for showing Christ and Saint Menas as having near visual equivalence.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:23-24)

The Greek translated as "the rich" is chremata. This is a neuter noun form of chrema which is any thing that is consumed or used up.

There are also Greek "things" that are done, or things of interest, or things that are generalized versions of a specific. Aristotle gives considerable attention to "thinghood" and distinguishing between things. Plato characterizes true opinions as kalon to chrema or fine things.

Given the context set out in Mark the translation wealthy may be appropriate, perhaps even preferred. In the final verse above where Jesus is quoted as saying "rich man" the Greek is plousios which is much closer to our current sense of material affluence. But this also means abundantly supplied and, at least for me, underlines the distinct prior use of chremata.

We may be safer in hearing Jesus to say, "How hard it is for consumers to enter the kingdom of God," with the understanding that those who use up, or hoard, or in some way consume instead of create are erecting impediments to their experience of God's intention.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. (Mark 10: 13-16)

The first prayer I can vividly recall offering was when I was nine or ten. The precise words are beyond memory and, in any case, I did not speak aloud.

The thrust of the prayer was to keep me creative, to protect me from the dull disciplines of so many adults.

I don't recall precisely what prompted this prayer. My sense is it was nothing especially dramatic but, rather, a recognition of what Thoreau so accurately calls "quiet desperation."

In Walden the author explains, "Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them. Their fingers, from excessive toil, are too clumsy and tremble too much for that."

Neither Thoreau nor Jesus are advocates of careless ease. Each encourage mindful engagement. Both are exemplars of productive, even sacrificial work.

But it is work given over to good purpose and meaningful outcomes. What are the purposes and outcomes of children? Exploring the world, making friends, self-discovery, building tree-houses, making mud-pies, and every sort of playfulness.

Children can be very serious - even earnest - in their play, but they do not mistake it for more than play. I wonder if this is not a big part of the wisdom to which Jesus is pointing.

It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where "their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." Everyone will be salted with fire. (Mark 9: 46-49)

I don't know about heaven and I don't know about hell, but I do know about sin.

The Greek translated above as sin is skandalizo, our English scandal is easy to recognize.

This is to stumble or to become entangled. The noun form can mean trap or snare.

We are on our way when we are distracted for a moment and fall into the mud... or off a cliff.

Jesus quotes from Isaiah 66 where the most specific condemnation is promised to the most proudly religious:

But whoever sacrifices a bull
is like one who kills a man,
and whoever offers a lamb,
like one who breaks a dog's neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
is like one who presents pig's blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense,
like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,
and their souls delight in their abominations;
so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and will bring upon them what they dread.

This is, perhaps, why "lead us not into temptation" is so prominent in the prayer that Jesus taught. Even our religious practices can become as traps.

Above is Dante Addresses Pope Nicholas III by Paul August Dore. In the Divine Comedy Dante encounters the 13th Century Pope in the Eighth Circle of Hell.

And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." (Mark 9:1)

Jesus has just predicted his own death and explained that denial of self - even unto death - is necessary to come after him.

He promises that before death some with him will see the kingdom of God come with power. In the original Greek this power is the capability, inherent ability, and potential to act.

It is possible to have the power to act, but choose not to act. It is possible for a king to reign, but not to rule. It is possible for power to be present, yet unused.

This does not mean such power is imperceptible or its presence has no influence. Depending on purpose, power can achieve more through subtle influence than direct force.

Has the kingdom of God come with power?

Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade." (Mark 4:30-31)

This is nearly identical to the parable in Matthew. Mark then writes, "With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. "

With that the gospel speeds on to Jesus calming the storm, healing a demon-possessed man, raising a dead girl, and much more. Mark's Jesus is an action hero.

Many scholars argue that the miracle stories are also expressions of the kingdom drawing near. In the person of Jesus the fullness of the kingdom is made present. With one foot in this kingdom and another in God's kingdom he drew them together.

Jesus is a walking parable - parabole or placing one thing beside another - in his life we can perceive how each of us also stretch across both realities. Less commonly parabole means to act in a way that exposes oneself or possessions to danger: a venture, a risk.

Jesus chose to risk a reconciliation of the two kingdoms. Such is the calling of anyone who seeks to follow Jesus.

He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." (Mark 4:26-29)

The kingdom of God grows of its own power.

How it grows is a mystery. It cannot be seen. The Greek - oikeios - suggests it is beyond the man's capacity to know.

Yet when it is time, when it is ready, the man will enjoy its benefit. In fact his very life depends on it.

The parable's emphasis is undoubtedly on the independent power and significant benefit of the kingdom of God.

Yet, once again, our own role - in casting and harvesting - is also noted.

Above is planting season from the Book of Hours (Tres Riche Heures)

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that," 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'" (Mark 4:10-12)

Mark has just offered his version of the parable of the sower and, as in Matthew, the disciples ask Jesus why he teaches in parables.

The response of Jesus suggests he is being purposefully obscure, even misleading. Jesus justifies this by quoting from Isaiah.

This is from the very start of Isaiah's call to prophecy. In his encounter with God Isaiah has responded, "Here am I, send me."

Isaiah is to say to his people, "Hear and hear, but do not understand. See and see, but do not perceive." (Isaiah 6:8-13)

In Isaiah - and more broadly in the prophetic tradition - disaster can be a process of creative destruction.

Out of pain arises new insights. Out of anguish we may find greater fulfillment. At least these benefits are possible if we embrace the experience in faith.

When this spiritual catharsis is at hand the greater tragedy is to escape its impact and forsake its profound lessons.

I am struck by the parallel of Isaiah and Aeschylus. The following is from Prometheus Bound:

Hear now the sorry tale
Of mortal man.
A thing of no avail
He was, until a living mind I wrought
Within him, and new mastery of thought.
I cast no blame on man; I do but crave
To show what love was in the gifts I gave.
I tell you, sight they had but saw in vain;
Hearing, but heard not; as shapes wax and wane
In dreams, aimless for ever and confused...

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:14-15)

Mark's sequence is the same as Matthew's, the baptism is followed by the temptation which is followed by John's arrest which is followed by the beginning of Jesus' public ministry.

Matthew is explicit that Jesus offered the same message as John: "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2) Mark is is, at best, implicit.

The time: this age, a measure, this specific phase, this state of existence...

has come: is fulfilled, made whole, consumated, completed, is executed...

the kingdom of God is near: approaching, joining, imminent, closing in, at hand...

Repent: change your mind, turn around, perceive anew, look again...

and believe: be persuaded, have confidence, be faithful, trust, be entrusted...

in the gospel: in glad tidings, good news, wonderful message or messanger.

"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest." 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (Matthew 25:24-30)

The third servant was afraid. He was clearly afraid of the master. He was almost certainly afraid of not having the skill needed to care for the talent. He was afraid of failure.

The third servant did not perceive the talent had truly been given over to him. He was convinced it was a test designed to set him up. Contrast this attitude to that of the prodigal son (Luke 15). In that parable the son fully claims what was given him, misuses it, loses all of it, and in desperation returns to his father's house... where he is welcomed and embraced.

Here the servant digs up what he has hidden and sullenly seeks to return it to the master. The attitude is comparable to the prodigal son's brother. There is no indication that the master reclaims the talents given and earned by the other two servants. Neither does he reclaim the single talent from the sullen servant.

Given the usual translation - wicked and lazy - we hear an angry rebuke in the master's response. The Greek words rhyme: poneros and okneros. This "wicked" is to be busy, distracted, annoyed, and harassed. Rather than lazy think slow, backward, and hesitant. Instead of a sharp tone, hear sadness in the master's voice.

The master is not the cause of weeping and gnashing of teeth, any more than the father was the cause of the prodigal son's poverty.

The cause of abundance and its opposite is not made explicit. In both having and not having the Greek verb is echo. This is a state of holding something, including to hold one's self or find one's self. In the Greek myth of Echo deception and frustration cause the self to recede more and more into loneliness.

Above is the Parable of the Talents in stained glass.

"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:19-23)

The parable continues.

The two servants are pronounced good and faithful (agathos and pistos) for being faithful (pistos) in a few things.

What is the nature of this faithfulness?

The Greek suggests being loyal, trustworthy, and convinced. Pistos is the adjective form of the verb peitho. The verb is to persuade or be persuaded. Pistos is to behave as one who has listened, considered carefully, and come away convinced.

Convinced of what?

In verse 14, yesterday's first line, we read that the master "entrusted" his property to the three servants. The Greek is paradidomi. This is a giving over to another to treat as one's own. The master is transferring ownership.

It says something about us that we (or certainly I) immediately assume the master has returned to reclaim his property. This is encouraged by the translation "settled accounts." The literal Greek is to share in elevated conversation, or raise up truth, or talk together of very high things.

The first two servants had confidence that their master had truly turned over his property. They also had confidence in their own ability to make more of what they had been given.

Tomorrow we will consider the third servant.

"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. (Matthew 25: 14-18)

From the beginning the Master recognized differences between the three servants.

"Each according to his ability," we are told.

Each was given resources and opportunity matching his ability. The Greek is dunamis derived from dunamai. The most common English translation is "power."

A substantial part of Plato's dialogue Theaetatus (and some other dialogues) is committed to understanding the meaning of dunamai. Writing nearly 400 years before Jesus, in the dialogues dunamai is the outcome of action and a state of becoming.

According to Plato ability, power, talent, skill - even living itself - is meaningless without present action. Stasis is death. To live is to change.

"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matthew 25:6-13)

Those who were ready - hetoimos - went in to the wedding banquet.

What might have happened if the foolish ones had remained with the greeting party?

Which is worse? Running out of oil or the distraction of going to purchase new oil?

If they had remained with the wedding party their oil might have run out on the way to the banquet.

It would have been embarrassing. But would they have been allowed into the banquet?

To be fully prepared is clearly better. But even if not fully prepared we can be attentive to context and purpose.

In this case the purpose was to greet and accompany the bridegroom.

Knowing our purpose and remaining committed to that purpose is part of being ready.

Above are five sad maidens from St. Finbarrs Cathedral, Cork.

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. (Matthew 25:1-5)

All had accepted the invitation. All were ready to celebrate.

Five considered the chance of delay. Five did not.

All were tired. All fell asleep.

Five were prepared. Five were not.

How do we prepare for the kingdom of heaven? Tomorrow we will complete the parable.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. (Matthew 23:13)

No one is more anti-religious than Jesus. This is one of seven woes - expressions of grief - ascribed to the religious establishment of the day.

The religious are hypocrites, an English word derived directly from the Greek hupokrites, a stage actor, a pretender, one who says words without always understanding the words.

Through self-serving misrepresentations of reality the religious shut - kleio - close, lock, shut up the kingdom of heaven.

The religious leaders do not eiserchomai su - enter in yourselves, move through the entrance, arise, come into, partake, engage, take possession - of the kingdom of heaven. The religious stand in the way of others moving into the kingdom.

Empty words are dangerous. They distract. They obscure. They impede. We are not to act religiously, we are to take action so that we enter into the kingdom of God.

"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "For many are invited, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:8-14)

The parable continues.

Given the turn-of-events shouldn't the concluding line be, "For many are invited, but a few are thrown out?"

Was this one friend - the Greek is closer to clansman - the only guest who had failed to don his wedding robes?

What is Jesus saying when it is explicit that both good and bad people have been gathered, yet the focus is on what one man is wearing?

Or is the king's attitude the result of the man's speechless non-response to his question?

Would the man have been allowed to stay if he had responded with thanks or an apology or a request for forgiveness or just an excuse?

The kingdom of heaven requires us to do our part. The original guests rejected the invitation. Most of the random guests found an opportunity to change into their party clothes. The one guest who stood out in his street clothes was given an opportunity to explain.

It is not our party. We don't have to do much. But we do have to show up ready to celebrate.

Above is the Wedding Feast at Cana by Paoli Caliari (Veronese).

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet." But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. (Matthew 22:1-7)

This Friday I will host a lunch. While celebratory, it is not nearly as elaborate as the wedding feast Jesus describes.

I am bringing a few state leaders together to meet with key members of the new presidential administration.

One who I invited sent his regrets. He had a prior commitment. Another I invited was scheduled for the same commitment. But this second person accepted my invitation and sent regrets to his original host.

One perceives this lunch to have a potential far beyond the prior commitment. The other does not perceive this potential.

How do we discern potential? How should we engage opportunity? Whatever we decide there will be consequences.

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: " 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." (Matthew 21: 42-43)

Jesus continues his confrontation with the Chief Priests and Elders by drawing on Isaiah's Song of the Vineyard. He quotes directly from Psalm 118.

These are paradoxical sources, especially given the threatening tone of Jesus.

If he had stopped with Isaiah the warning might have been clear. The fifth chapter of Isaiah is full of woeful warnings. "Therefore as the tongue of fire devours stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust, for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 5: 24)

Psalm 118 includes its own woes and worries, "All nation's surrounded me... they surrounded me on every side... They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns. (Psalm 118: 10-12)

But the Psalm begins with, "O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever." It includes, "Hark, glad songs of victory... The Lord has chastened me sorely but he has not given me over to death."

Jesus uses the image of falling. The psalm relates, "I was pushed hard, so that I was falling but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

The Greek that is translated above as "crushed" is likmao. It's most common usage is in the scattering and winnowing involved in separating the good grain from it's chaff.

What we hear and how we understand is often more a reflection of our predispositions than what is actually being said.

"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' " 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted? "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. (Matthew 21: 28-32)

Jesus is speaking with the Chief Priests and Elders at the Jerusalem Temple.

I can imagine standing nearby wincing at these words.

Unlike the Chief Priests and Elders, I might have recognized the value of Jesus' teaching. I have always identified with Joseph of Arimathea.

Out of this sympathy, I would have urged Jesus to deference and care in his language.

I would have cautioned Jesus to not allow his passion to interfere with how others might hear him.

I would have deserved the rebuke to Peter, "Get behind me Satan."

Prostitutes and tax collectors come to Jesus sure of their sin and entirely dependent on grace. I come with mixed feelings and still seeking to self-justify.

Above is Christ Cleansing the Temple by Rembrandt. The first question above - tis dokeo or what do you think - deserves an extended meditation. In tone and approach Jesus is consistently rational - even empirical - in his approach. He does not dictate. Rather he tells stories and asks others for their perceptions of meaning. Even here, in one of his sharpest encounters, he is seeking to open others to new insights through their own intellectual effort.

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' "The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." (Matthew 20: 8-16)

Heaven does not abide by the principle of equal pay for equal work. The kingdom of heaven does not perceive value as an expression of investment or output.

Instead the reward is the same for each and all who participate in the work.

A denarius was the typical payment for a day's labor. It was enough for a family's daily bread, shelter, and clothing. Any less and someone would go hungry.

The grumbling is interesting. As the parable makes especially clear, this was the agreed upon wage. It was what the workers were expecting and would have found sufficient... until they saw what others were paid.

The Greek word Jesus is given for laborers is derived from ergon. Aristotle wrote that to discover and live consistently with our ergon (function, task, work) is the key to our happiness.

"Being eudaimon (foundational happiness and well being) is the highest end, and all subordinate goals—health, wealth, and other such resources—are sought because they promote well-being, not because they are what well-being consists in. But unless we can determine which good or goods happiness consists in, it is of little use to acknowledge that it is the highest end. To resolve this issue, Aristotle asks what the ergon of a human being is, and argues that it consists in activity of the rational part of the soul in accordance with virtue." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' Because no one has hired us,' they answered. He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' (Matthew 20: 1-7)

The kingdom of heaven seeks us out. Do we want to be found?

In many cities and towns there is a place where day laborers gather in order to be found. Employers - especially from the construction and agricultural sectors - fill in their short-term labor needs by arriving early, choosing who they need, transporting those chosen to the work site, and paying in cash.

In the United States most of these day laborers are illegal immigrants, usually recently arrived. They are vulnerable to arrest. When they are hired they are vulnerable to being underpaid or not paid and having no recourse. If they are not hired they are vulnerable to hunger and more.

According to one study, "The price of the work is negotiated between the laborer and the employer... the employers almost always pay more than the federal minimum wage of $5.15/hr, usually at least $6 per hour. The types of work that have the most demand are construction, landscaping and moving/hauling. The worst paying job is landscaping ($6 per hour). The best-paying jobs are construction and electrician, with wages up to $13 per hour. The workers say the most people get hired on Saturdays, but they stress it depends on the week and the weather."

Most have made a perilous journey across the border. They have left home and family. They live as fugitives Each day they awaken early hoping to be chosen.

Very few of us have done half as much to prepare ourselves to be chosen for the kingdom of heaven.

Tomorrow we will continue the parable.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19: 23-24)

The rich young man has just sadly departed.

From the exchange with Jesus (see Matthew 19:16-22) we learn that the young man observed the commandments. In his social relationships he was just and even generous.

Jesus seems to say that in the young man's observation of these principles he is already experiencing the kingdom of heaven. But the young man was not satisfied by this validation. Something was still lacking.

If you wish to be complete - teleios - fulfill your purpose - here is what you do, Jesus told the young man.

It is implied the young man recognized what Jesus was saying to be true. But he could not - yet - do so.

Above is Matthew's story in stained glass from Grantham England.

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19: 13-14)

Jesus could also be translated as saying, "Release the children, do not prevent them from coming to me, they are present to the kingdom of heaven."

The Greek eimi is translated three times in scripture as belongs. It is translated as a form of "am" one hundred thirty-eight times.

The children exist with the kingdom, are one with kingdom, are of the same substance as the kingdom.

Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have made themselves eunuchs because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it." (Matthew 19: 11-12)

The context is a discussion of marriage and its place in God's intention. But Jesus offers a response that might be applied more broadly.

Some are born creative, others were made that way by men, and others have become creative to advance the kingdom of heaven.

Some are born smart, some are born to power, some are born optimistic or energetic or empathetic.

With the help of family, schools, the military, labor unions, workplaces and other human institutions many find skills they did not know they had.

Some find themselves or refashion themselves for the kingdom of heaven.

The last sentence does not capture the full meaning of the Greek. Choreo, translated here as accept, is to leave oneself open, to make room for something new, literally it is cultivated ground ready to be planted.

To what are you called? For what are you intended? Open yourself to the seeds of heaven.

"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." (Matthew 18: 28-35)

The reign of any ruler is much more than the ruler's specific decisions.

Whether the ruler is Augustus Caesar, Charlemagne, Lincoln, Hitler, or George Bush the priorities, policies, and even personality of the ruler tends to suffuse the reach of his or her reign.

Failure to comply with the priorities of the ruler has consequences.

Jesus taught us to pray, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." This is a key component of "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

We are forgiven. Whatever our failures the reign of God is predisposed to compassion and creativity.

There are, apparently, two preconditions: we must ask forgiveness and we must extend forgiveness to others.

In my own experience to fail to forgive is in itself a form of torture.

Whether I fail to forgive myself or another is to be trapped in anger, resentment, or worse. The parable teaches us that failing to forgive is contrary to the reign of God. Such a choice has consequences.

Above is the Unmerciful Servant by Rembrandt.

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. (Matthew 18:23-27)

This is the first half of the parable. Tomorrow we will attend to the second half.

Jesus tells us the reign of God is extravagantly generous.

The ruler wants to sunerio logos. Settle accounts is accurate and may best fit the context. But logos is the same Greek that opens John's gospel as, "In the beginning was the word."

Logos is - more commonly - meant as fundamental reality or the organizing principle of the universe. The ruler wants to lift up, elevate, apply logos.

In doing this the ruler finds he is owed a considerable debt. Certainly this is what the ruler would find with me. The ruler has every right to require me to repay.

But when I ask for patience and promise I will repay the debt, the ruler responds by simply canceling all I owe.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18: 1-4)

To experience the reign of God we must become like little children.

Each child is unique. It is difficult to generalize. The stereotypes run from little barbarians to little angels.

We might give particular attention to the instructions to change and to humble ourselves.

Unless we strepho - change, covert, return, turn and tapeinoo - bring low, reduce, and behave modestly - we will not experience the kingdom of heaven.

Last week I was flying. There was a three or four-year-old in the seat across from me. He was largely lacking in self-consciousness. He was not projecting a persona, he was being himself. This was not always pleasing to his earthly father.

Our heavenly father wants us to be ourselves.