Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Entrance Antiphon Cf. Ps 68 (67):6‑7, 36 God is in his holy place, God who unites those who dwell in his house; he himself gives might and strength to his people.

Collect O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy, bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Scripture today: Jeremiah 18:1-6; Psalm 145; Matthew 13:47-53

Jesus said, Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all these things? Jesus asked. Yes, they replied. He said to them, Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old. When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. (Matthew 13:47-53)

The Judgment The judgment of God, as presented in the Scriptures, is one of the foundations of Revealed Religion. God’s goodness was shown in his placing the first man and woman in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15) and endowing them with many good things. But they sinned (Genesis 3), and their terrible choice brought down on them the judgment of God (Genesis 3: 16-24). The action of the Serpent in tempting them also brought on it the divine judgment (Genesis 3:14-15). Let us notice, though, that this divine judgment is expressed in terms of this world. Their lot — and that of the Serpent — is described as a degradation of this life. The sin of mankind becomes so great that God again judged and the flood came and swept all away, except for Noah who had kept God’s commandments. Again, the judgment of God is expressed in terms of the destruction of man’s temporal life and prospects. The wages of sin are death, and the death portrayed is death as experienced here and now. God promises salvation, and he establishes his Covenant with Abraham. Prosperity will come if there is obedience and fidelity to the Covenant. We see this pattern throughout the Old Testament. The Pharaoh is punished with terrible afflictions, and his forces die in the Red Sea which closes over them as they cross in pursuit of the Hebrews. The Hebrews themselves are given the reward of victories in the Promised Land, and when they disobey God they suffer humiliating reversals. The historical books are replete with temporal afflictions that are presented as divine judgments. The terrible destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was above all a judgment: God had withdrawn his protection because of the infidelity of his people. The prophets exhorted the people to return to the Lord and they would experience his love and his favour. With this tradition and perspective behind them, we can understand the devastation of Christ’s disciples at the crucifixion. How could this be, for Jesus was the Holy One of God? — even the demons said as much. Christ’s enemies portrayed it as a judgment.

Even John the Baptist appears to portray God’s judgment primarily in terms of what will happen to sinners in this life. He speaks of the vengeance of God drawing near, and that “already the axe has been put to the root of the trees” (Luke 3:9). He was puzzled at our Lord’s ministry because, it seems, he could not see evidence of the divine judgment at work. But our Lord has a markedly different emphasis from all this. In speaking of God’s judgment with its reward and punishment, Christ depicts it as primarily occurring in the Hereafter. He does indeed make reference to the judgment of God working out in this life. He told one person he healed not to sin any more, or something worse would befall him. In Matthew 24, there are clearly passages about the eventual destruction of Jerusalem. On the way to Calvary he met the women who were sorrowing over him. He told them not to weep for him but for their children. A judgment was coming. However, his pre-eminent emphasis is that God’s judgment will come at the end, both of one’s own life and of the world. The parable in today’s Gospel is typical of many. At the end there will be the judgment of God. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age.” Elsewhere he tells the parable of the rich man and the poor man Lazarus. Throughout their respective lives, there was no judgment, but after they die, their situation is completely reversed. This indicates that there is a particular judgment — a judgment by God on the individual immediately after death, together with his sentence. The rich man is forthwith condemned to the flames of Hell, while Lazarus is rewarded by being at peace with Abraham. Most notably, there is our Lord’s description of the General Judgment in Matthew chapter 25. The judgment of God on all those who ever lived will be the grand finale of human history. A very important and distinctive component of Christ’s revelation is his teaching on God’s judgment at the end.

Is it not foolish to live as if this does not matter? All of ordinary civil life is affected by the fact of sanctions. One cannot drive on the roads, nor conduct any business, nor do anything in society, without taking account of the law, and the sanctions which the law will impose on infringements. What Christ has revealed is part of a piece with the natural order, of which he is the Creator. There is nothing more important for us to bear in mind than the most certain of all things that is ahead of us, the judgment of God. It is inescapable, and this life is a trial in preparation for it. The result of that judgment will be eternal. The sensible man will bear it in mind every day.

(E.J.Tyler)

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