Today’s Daily Office Readings – Gospel ( Matthew 22:34-46 )
The interesting thing in today’s Gospel, I thought, was the very first verse: “When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.”
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees… With just a single sentence we have a conflict brewing. The Pharisees are trying to one–up Jesus because their rivals the Sadducees have just tried to trip him up and failed. If they can trip up Jesus then they can show that they are the ones who ought to be listened to and respected.
The interesting thing is that the moment the concept of power arises, the possibility of equality disappears. If we believe that we ought to be the ones in power, and we leave that belief unchecked, then eventually we will stop at nothing achieve and maintain that power.
The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.
—Mahatma Gandhi
Which is why it makes sense that Jesus tells them that the two greatest commandments are to love God, and to love your neighbor as yourself. If you do not love your neighbor as yourself, you will assume that you are superior, which sets up the initial seed of seeking power. If you do not love God, you cannot love your neighbor, as loving God requires you to humble yourself. Without humility we cannot love God, and without loving God we cannot love our neighbor.
Mike was called to be the Vicar of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Wickenburg, AZ, and started this call on February 1, 2024. Before taking a call as clergy, Mike worked in IT for almost 25 years, variously working as a back- and front-end web developer, database developer and manager, and as a business analyst. If he’s not engaged in the work of the church, you can find him on a motorcycle, enjoying the ride, or training for an upcoming BikeMS ride.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical History from Seattle Pacific University, and a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary. He attended Sewanee School of Theology for a year of Anglican Studies in the Fall of 2022, and graduated in May of 2023. Mike was ordained as a Transitional Deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona on January 20th, 2024, and will be ordained to the priesthood on July 27, 2024.