Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, Sunday of the Judge
Gospel Reading
Luke 17:20-18:14
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; 21 nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Lo, there!’ or ‘Lo, here!’ Do not go, do not follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of man. 27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was in the days of Lot—they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of man is revealed. 31 On that day, let him who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; 3 and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Vindicate me against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?” 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Revised Standard Version)
Other Sunday Readings
Isaiah 65:8-25
God predicts evil things for those who forsake him, and good things for those who do not (vv. 11-16). Forsaking God is akin to drinking from a muddy pool of water, or ingesting moldy or poisonous food. Sometimes this is intentional disobedience as is the case with Isaiah’s audience choosing to serve other gods over Yahweh, the one true God.
The point is, forsaking God, whether intentional or inherited, like acquiring a disease in a contaminated world, is a deviation from the created order, our natural state of worshipping our Creator. Rather than punishment from a legalistic Judge, if we forsake him, we incur our own distance from God’s Kingdom, we incur our own judgment.
But God promises eating and drinking in his kingdom for those who repent and seek forgiveness and healing. God demonstrates his mercy by creating a new heaven and new earth. He refrains from carrying out the judgment we incur by not remembering “the former things” (v. 17).
Mercy is not withholding harm or deserved punishment toward an offender. Mercy is about showing charity, practical care, and serving others with compassion. This perspective of mercy aligns with the proper perspective of judgment and role of Judge. Rather than an earthly judge doling out punishment for breaking the rules, God, as a loving Judge, offers himself as a refuge and safe haven.
St. Ephrem the Syrian refers to the new heavens and earth as the spiritual life granted to the Church by way of Christ’s incarnation and inauguration of the Kingdom of God. And so the new heaven and new earth is partially fulfilled in that Jesus Christ came to earth bridging divinity and humanity in himself as God incarnate. Those in union with Christ are, therefore, a “new creation,” but continue to look forward to a final reconciliation, a renewed heaven and new earth.
Questions
- What idols or gods do we entertain that block our ears from God calling us?
- What are the qualities of those who receive the curses Isaiah pronounces?
- How do God’s promises (vv. 13-16) and the vision of the new heaven and new earth (vv. 17-25) assuage your shame and potentially affect how you can deal with struggles?
- If the “holy mountain” (v. 11, 25) in this chapter is the Church, then how is the Church presently a representation of heaven on earth? How do we fulfill or fall short of that calling?
Philippians 3:1-4:9
St. Paul refers to true righteousness, not coming from posterity or having earned it through earthly means. In this context, the Jews carried a certain pride of belonging to the people of God by way ancestral descent (3:2-3). After St. Paul gives an account of his credentials (3:4-6), he discounts them as a loss (3:7-9), iterating that everything about us should be subordinate to Jesus Christ.
True righteousness is, instead, knowledge of Jesus Christ, and the true badge of membership as the people of God is by faith (3:9). And it is by faith that we participate in the life of Christ. That is, to be “in” or know Christ (3:9) is to know his faithfulness, to share the power of his resurrection over sin and death by way of suffering, the Cross (3:10).
But we have not yet arrived. Salvation is following the Path with a goal, or finish line (3:12-14). Lest we only think of the “upward calling” (3:14) as heaven in the future sense, St. Paul talks about our present citizenship in God’s Kingdom (vv. 20-21) as we look forward to a final restoration and fulfillment of all things, a new heaven and new earth, already joined together in the person of Jesus Christ.
He thereby made this earth into heaven. (Holy Badarak)
St. Paul tells the Church not to be anxious like the pagans of their time were of their gods. Our God is not out to get us, and Jesus, as Judge, will always hear our case and answer our prayers from seemingly trivial to more significant matters according to his loving will (4:6). Our upward call is to live the resurrection life, give allegiance to Jesus as King, ceaselessly pray, give thanks, meditate on what is good, imitate the saints, and rejoice (4:6-9), because the Lord is at hand (4:5), i.e. God is present in all things, all circumstances, even in what we consider to be superfluous, wasted moments and situations (vv. 4:11-13).
Questions
- What does it mean to know Christ? As an individual? As a parish community?
- What would you consider to be confidence in the flesh? Has that ever factored into how you gauge your spiritual worth?
- Is heaven only something toward which you look forward or is it something present in your daily life as well?
- How has your experience and knowledge of Jesus transformed the meaning of everything, including suffering?
- We all experience the struggle of our faith in the daily tension of life. How does 4:5-9 offer a way for us to change our perspective as citizens of God’s Kingdom?
- Who do you look to for an example of Christian living? Why? What qualities do they possess?
Background
The judge has no respect for people or their rights. His decisions as a judge have nothing to do with justice or compassion, not even for a poor and defenseless widow. He only grants her persistent request in order to avoid being further annoyed.
The judge in the parable is not meant to be an allegorical representation of God, but a contrast between a corrupt/unjust judge and a holy/just Judge. If this judge, as heartless as he is, and perhaps for the wrong reasons grants her request, how much more will God, our loving Judge, listen and care if he is both just and good?
Be ready
Keep in mind the discourse that precedes this parable: the coming of the Kingdom in the present and in its fulfillment. We must be in a constant state of readiness, which includes ceaseless and faithful prayer. To be ready is to be doing, praying – always. Our constant source of busy-ness, rather than what typically dominates our day, should be prayer and acts of mercy, large or small. That is the fulfillment of our existence as worshipping beings created for communion with God and with one another. Jesus is looking for a particular faith on earth, and through the persistent widow, he gives us clues as to how it is characterized.
The Widow’s Prayer
In the parable of the Unjust Judge, what are the characteristics of the widow and her prayer that Jesus wants us to notice and apply to our own lives?
Ceaseless prayer
As the widow continually pleads her case to the judge, Jesus, in this particular story, draws out the need for and importance of ceaseless prayer. St. Paul echoes this when he informs us as to God’s will:
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Prayer that is offered continually also demonstrates prayer that is grounded in faith, in a spirit of complete dependence, and offered from a heart of humility. Furthermore, that this parable follows a discourse on the arrival of God’s kingdom and the tribulation that comes with it, uninterrupted prayer indicates a sense of urgency, that our faith and salvation is a matter of life and death.
The end of all things is at hand; therefore keep sane and sober for your prayers. (I Peter 4:7)
Urgent and necessary
Are we aware of our spiritual state without God? If the result of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and God is the forgiver and healer of our sinful condition, then how do we, should we spend our time? How often and about what do we pray? How often do we participate in the prayer of our Badarak, which is not only a love song to our Lord, but a request, a pleading before our Judge for salvation, for life!
During Badarak, the priest turns toward the people, raises the chalice and says, “Sa eh gyank, hooys, harootyoon, kavootyoon, yev toghootyoon meghats,” proclaiming the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ to be “Life, hope, resurrection, purification, and remission of sins.” Do we take these things for granted, or do we believe them to be optional?
Imagine a world in which we didn’t have life, hope, resurrection, or purification of sins. In other words, these are just a few things on the list of urgent necessities for our well-being. Read the rest of the Badarak to find more. Thus, sharing Holy Communion is not an option, but essential medicine for life and salvation.
To be like the widow in this story is to be aware of the urgency of our sinful condition and to know to whom we need to turn for healing and salvation.
Prayer is an offering of ourselves to God
Perhaps in certain moments all we can utter is the sound of our own ego, and thankfully, God even listens to that. But he is looking for a rare faith on earth, and prayer as a profession, confession, and cultivation of our faith is an opportunity for us to proclaim God’s mercy and love, to recommit ourselves to our Creator, both individually, and communally as the Church.
Every time we pray we are confessing yet again our faith in the risen Lord and his promise of eternal life.
Create a habit of prayer
How do our prayers reflect our faith and inspire true repentance? What kind of content dominates our prayer? Does the Church’s liturgical prayer (Badarak, Zhamerkootyoon) awaken our faith? (How can we allow God to reach us through the obstacle of language?) The ideal is to create a habit of prayer, where repentance, praise, and reorienting ourselves toward God become a natural and regular part of our lives.
St. Gregory of Narek, as always, gives us a model of how to pray or plead before God just as the persistent widow did:
O compassionate Lord who loves mankind, almighty God, as you consider these words of pleading, treat them as a confession from a contrite soul fallen at your feet in repentance. And as you judge, note and weigh the tearful soul, the heaving sighs, the quivering lips, the dry tongue, the clenched face, the good will in the depth of the heart, you who are the salvation of humanity, the seer of the undone, the creator of all, the healer of invisible wounds, the defender of the hopeful and the guardian of all, to you glory forever and ever. (Prayer 20H)
Jesus, our Judge
Thankfully, Jesus, our holy and just Judge never grows impatient. He is without prejudice, and he values us as his creation, including the defenseless, those on the fringe and cast aside by society.
Also, as our Creator, he knows the appropriate time and way to answer our prayers, especially when our prayers are not in our best interest. In the meantime, as we presently live in and also look forward to the coming of God’s kingdom, as we pray persistently and according to God’s will, our patience and trust in God is strengthened, the purpose of prayer ultimately being about communion with God and with one another in this very moment.
The Just Judge
Do we ever stop and consider why the Gospel Book rests in the center of the altar (when Badarak is not being celebrated)?
Courtroom imagery
Think of the area where we worship as a courtroom, which is how Armenians designed and imagined it. On the elevated platform (բեմ) is the altar bench, upon which our Judge, the Word of God, sits at the center.
The Gospel, the Word of God, is not a message, nor is it words on a page, but the person of Jesus Christ, in whom we live and by whom we are judged. And we are his altar, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and so the Judge, Jesus Christ the Word of God, who is the Gospel, should stand at the very center of our lives.
The role of judge
According to modern understanding, a judge is someone who punishes criminals or releases the innocent. But the role of a judge in the ancient and Armenian sense is much different, in which meting out punishment was just one aspect.
A judge acted as an arbiter for family issues and individual problems. A judge was someone who provided clarity and solutions to questions that seemed to be without resolution. They were looked upon as rulers rather than punishers. Perhaps this helps us understand why we refer to Jesus as Judge.
The courtroom, then, is not a punitive scene, and Jesus as our holy Judge rules our lives as Healer rather than punisher. Rather than first conjuring up images of punishment and blame, we can think of judgement as justice and vindication, even if it includes discipline.
And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons?—
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor lose courage when you are punished by him.
For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:5-7)
Pleading our case: Lord, have mercy
With that in mind, as we approach the bench, either from the դաս / ատեան or from the holy altar, what case do we persistently plead before our Judge? In its simplest form, it is the same prayer from the publican that we read in Luke’s Gospel immediately following the parable of the Unjust Judge: “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).
We stand before the Gospel, Jesus Christ himself, the source of life from which, beginning with Adam and Eve, we cut ourselves off, producing sin and corruption. This voluntary movement away from God manifests itself in insecurities, sickness, addictions, shame, worry, jealousy, gossip, lust, and anger.
We leave Badarak and go throughout our week unchanged, distanced even further from God. We ignore our neighbor when Jesus tells us to be the Good Samaritan. We place ourselves at the center of our lives, instead of God, where he rightfully belongs. We walk the line, testing the boundary of how much we need God in our lives, living comfortably at the spiritual minimum. We reimagine God and the Church in our own image, according to the trends of culture or our own selfish desires. And so we repeat over and over, Der voghormya, Der voghormya, Der voghormya.
Bring your pain to the bench
Only the Gospel, Jesus Christ, the true Judge, forgives and brings us back to health, makes us whole, as he shares his divine life with us, his Body and Blood, transforming us and making us like him. So to the bench we bring our pain, wounds, and distractions and cast ourselves on the mercies of the Just Judge. That is true penance and it is exactly the kind of faith for which God searches this earth.
In contrast with the unjust judge, St. Gregory of Narek proclaims our Judge as compassionate:
In everything and toward everything you are upright, O God. You judge justly and weigh fairly. You measure truly and dispense blessings. You act with goodness and uphold steadfastness. You seek clarity and embrace enlightenment. You admonish with experience and examine with forbearance. You are without guile and arrogance, but in all things show gentleness, tranquility and compassion. (Prayer 64A)