29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A 22nd October 2023.
Lectionary readings:
Isaiah 45 v1-7; Psalm 96 v1-9; Thessalonians 1 v1-10; Matthew 22 v15-22.
Knowing and Believing.
I wonder if King Cyrus of Persia ever knew that God was using him as an instrument in the release of God’s chosen people from captivity in Babylon? Isaiah sees God’s hand in this.
Cyrus released all the captives taken by the Babylonians and allowed them to return to their native lands. Was this simply an astute political move on his part, designed to make the former captives more amenable to his over lordship of the region?
Paul asserts that the Christian community in Thessalonica are in no doubt that God loves them and has chosen them to be his people. Timothy had reported back to Paul (in Athens) about the Thessalonian’s faith, their works of love, their example to others and their hope concerning the second coming of Lord Jesus. These believers knew and believed that God is the ruler of all and that Jesus is his son, the Messiah promised in Hebrew scriptures.
Matthew tells us of a group of stooges sent by the Pharisees to trap Jesus into saying something wrong. They start off by buttering up Jesus with compliments about his ministry; “Teacher, we know that you are honest. You teach the truth about what God wants people to do. And you treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are.” (Matthew 22 v16b).
They may have known about Jesus from first-hand observation or witness testimony, but they did not believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jesus is aware of their motives and turns the tables on them, sending them away confounded.
Knowing about something is one thing, knowing and believing that something is true is another matter entirely. Our faith relies on both knowing and believing.
We are challenged to discern the truth of God’s word as revealed in scripture; and believe that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit is God’s way of showing us how much he loves us. We are part of God’s creation, he wants us to thrive, to live our lives responsibly, caring for others and for the planet we depend upon for our collective well-being.
Cyrus may have known about the God of the Jews, but I don’t think he personally knew or believed in God.
The Pharisees considered themselves to be the true sons of God’s chosen people. They knew their scriptures, but they did not believe that Jesus was their promised Messiah.
The Thessalonians, many of whom formerly worshipped idols, came to know Jesus and to believe in the one true God as a result of Paul’s missionary work. They were baptized and received the gift of the Holy Spirit, then spread the good news concerning Jesus, their saviour, far and wide.
Where are you on this scale of knowing and believing? Are you a Cyrus, a Pharisee or a Thessalonian?
Bible quotations are taken from the Contemporary English Version.