Pentecost 24

Pentecost 24 Proper 28
Beware that no one leads you astray.

There are three things that can lead us astray. The three things are the distortions of our own individual desires, the distractions of our culture, and the deceits of Satan.

As Jesus approached the time of his arrest and execution he warned his students about the dangers of being led astray. The immediate occasion for this warning was their reaction to the impressive edifice and religious power of the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Temple was indeed impressive. It was one of the wonders of the ancient world. It had been under construction some 18 years before Jesus was born and its construction continued for some thirty years following his death and resurrection.

It was the third Temple built in Jerusalem. Solomon had built the first around 1,000 B.C. . The Babylonians destroyed that Temple. Nehemiah and Ezra built the second Temple in 516 B.C. It had fallen into decay over the centuries. King Herod began a massive reconstruction of the Temple in 18 B.C.

Herod’s Temple was massive and beautiful. But, it was less a place of worship than a place of nationalistic pride and aspiration to power. This aspect of the Temple is what impressed the disciples. They were captivated by the outward and visible form of the massive stones, the gold and precious gems, the large numbers of people who came from all over the world to worship in that place. They missed the inward and spiritual grace. The missed God’s plan and purpose for the Temple. They missed the invitation to reunification with the love of God through worship.
Only forty years after the resurrection of Jesus, zealots would seize control of Jerusalem, slaughter the Temple priests and lead the people into a disastrous war against Rome that would end in the total destruction of the Temple. It has never been rebuilt.

As the disciples exited the Temple that day, they felt the temptation of the lie. The temptation was not in the impressive edifice of the Temple. The temptation was in the lie that God is power. The lie also tells us: you can have that power.

God certainly is powerful. But, God is not power. God is love.

With virtually all other people of their generation, the disciples believed God was power. They wanted to share that power. They wanted Jesus to manifest that power.

For the disciples, power meant the immediate and miraculous fulfillment of their desires. It meant the exaltation of the nationalistic aspirations of Israel. And, it meant the triumph of Satan’s fundamental lie that through separation from divine love people can find fulfillment through the will to power.

Jesus warned his disciples of the impending destruction of the Temple. All of the signs were there. It didn’t require prophetic revelation to see how the religious politics of Jerusalem would impel the people into direct military conflict with Rome. But, no one saw it coming except Jesus. No one saw it coming because no one wanted to believe that the problem they faced was not in the political realm but in the spiritual realm. No one saw the final consequence because every one wanted the war and everyone believed that God would intervene to give them victory in the war.

As Jesus very accurately discerned the social and political climate of the day, so he looked into the souls of men and saw the rise of deceivers. The apostle John would later name these deceivers "antichrist’.

The antichrist is one who claims to speak for God but who also rejects the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ.

The antichrist is both deceived and is a deceiver. In his self deceit he is convinced he and he alone speaks for God. His message is formed and empowered by distortions, distractions and deceits.

Jesus warns his disciples and us: be wary of people who claim to speak for God. Be wary of teachers who tell you what you want to hear. Be wary of religious leaders who hold the outward forms of religion but deny the inward and spiritual grace. Above all, be wary of the lie that Satan brings forth to obscure the Truth.

The truth is a person: Jesus Christ.

It is important to ask questions. All questions are helpful. The pre eminent question is: what is the truth? How does this teacher bring forth the essential truth revealed in Jesus Christ that God is real, God is personal, God is Love, God is Jesus Christ?

What does this teacher say about Jesus Christ?

It does matter what we believe. It matters so much that Jesus warns us to be wary. Question. Read the scriptures. Pray. Above all else, immerse your soul in the love and holiness of God at the altar in worship.

There are three lies that lead us astray. Three deceptions that lead us away from Truth. Those three lies are the disordered desires of our own hearts, the distractions of our surrounding culture, the deceit of Satan that if God is real then God is power.

The disciples desired victory for Israel, wealth and power for themselves. Their desire for God’s blessing was good. But, they had allowed their own fear, self will and pride to distort that desire. They had embraced the culture of death that sought dominance over other people, the world, and God himself. They had allowed Satan to seduce them with the most potent and subtle of all seductions: the will to power.

Jesus warned his disciples as they were caught up in the rush of power they felt as they walked through the impressive magnificent wonder of the Temple. Be wary. Be wary of those who would tell you what you want to hear. Be wary of the way of power. Many will come with that message. Many who have been deceived by that message will also seek to deceive you.

Hold fast to the truth. The truth is a person. The person is Jesus Christ. The truth is that God is real, God is personal, God is love, God is Jesus Christ. Hold fast to Him and He will immerse your soul in the eternal love of His Real Presence in the Holy Sacrament of the altar. It is there you will know clarity of thought, purity of heart, humility of will.

Be wary that no one leads you astray. It does matter what you believe. It does matter how you believe. Draw close to the diving love and compassion of Jesus Christ. In His love you will find the healing of all of your desires. In His love, you will find the fulfillment of all of your dreams.
Accept no substitutes. It is Jesus and Jesus alone who is the fulness of Divine Love offering himself to all people everywhere, offering Himself to you here and now.

Remember the words of the co-eternal Beloved of the Father: be wary that no one leads you astray from love.