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There are only two religions in the world. Many of you are probably surprised to hear me say that, given the fact that there is this -ism and that -ism and many other -isms out there, but the fact remains that there are only two religions in the world. They are polar opposites in many ways, yet at times they are indistinguishable to the point that those who claim to be of the one are really of the other. One is right, and one is wrong. Today’s Old Testament and Gospel lessons show us examples of adherents to these two religions. Today’s Epistle tells of the consequences of both religions.

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The ancient Hebrew scholar and historian Joseph ben Matityahu, better known as Titus Flavius Josephus, recorded the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem in AD70:

Now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury (for they would not have spared any, had there remained any other work to be done), Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and Temple, but should leave as many of the towers standing as they were of the greatest eminence...and...the wall [that] enclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison, as were the towers also spared, in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valor had subdued; but for all the rest...it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind.
And truly, the very view itself was a melancholy thing; for those places which were adorned with trees and pleasant gardens, were now become desolate country every way, and its trees were all cut down. Nor could any foreigner that had formerly seen Judaea and the most beautiful suburbs of the city, and now saw it as a desert, but lament and mourn sadly at so great a change. For the war had laid all signs of beauty quite waste. Nor had anyone who had known the place before, had come on a sudden to it now, would he have known it again.

He claims, even, that 1.1 million people were killed during the siege, and another 97,000 were captured and enslaved. When describing the massacre, he wrote,

The slaughter within was even more dreadful than the spectacle from without. Men and women, old and young, insurgents and priests, those who fought and those who entreated mercy, were hewn down in indiscriminate carnage. The number of the slain exceeded that of the slayers. The legionaries had to clamber over heaps of dead to carry on the work of extermination.

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Of all the parables of Jesus, this one has to be the most fun for theologians; at least, from what I’ve read before, many have spent so much effort explaining this parable, and the explanations are widely divided. Much of the explanations are always an attempt to explain who the characters in the parable are supposed to represent. Most everyone agrees that the master is supposed to represent the Father, but they quickly diverge from there. Some would suggest that the manager is supposed to represent the Son and that the debtors are supposed to represent mankind which Christ saved. “Then why,” some ask, “did the manager only cancel part of the debtors’ debts? Christ paid the price for our sin in full, there should be nothing left!” This second group offers the idea that the manager is the believer and the debtors are unbelievers. “Then why,” some ask, “was master angry at a believer? If we believe in a loving God of grace and mercy, He wouldn’t be angry at believers, but forgive them.” And the suppositions go on and on and on from there; back and forth bickering over why one character could represent this person and not the next, and so on and so forth, ad nauseam.

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One of the hoops I had to jump through upon entering the seminary was to take some psychological exams. While I found the exams tedious and mostly spurious, I suppose there is some merit to administering them to men who are seeking to undertake the noble task of being an overseer. (cf. 1 Timothy 3:1) For one thing, there is a high rate of depression among the clergy, across all Christian confessions—even I have dealt with bouts of it—and these exams could be helpful in identifying men most susceptible to depression (or other issues) and provide them with tools and resources to help them deal with whatever issues may pop up when they do.

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“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.”

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“This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Oh, those Pharisees...so right, yet they get things so wrong! We tend to pick on them a bit, don’t we? With good reason, I suppose. These are the hyper-righteous folks of Jesus’ time. They are at the temple as often as they can be. They know Moses and the Prophets forward and backward. They speak long prayers. They give generously to the temple. They teach the law without reproach. They follow the law to high precision (no, not perfectly, but nearly perfectly). This all sounds well-and-good, doesn’t it?

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When it comes to the rich man and Lazarus, you probably hear it with some preconceived misconceptions. You are not alone in that regard, though the way you come at those misconceptions likely differs from the people who first heard of them from Jesus.

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What does the Holy Trinity have to do with Holy Baptism? In an answer: EVERYTHING!

• http://www.usconstitution.net/
• http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html

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You know it’s coming, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’ve dealt with the pain for far too long, and nothing you’ve done has been able to settle it. It’s time to have it taken care of. The appointment was made, and good for you it is same-day. You arrive, are ushered to the back. There’s a pinch. Your breath-rate increases as you hear it; the whine of the drill. Finally, the cavity is being filled. It’s agonizing and unpleasant, but you know the end result will be good; in a little while, the pain will be gone, and you will be able return to normal oral activity.