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Thomas Becket, 12th Century Archbishop of Canterbury, is someone who has been venerated and has captured the imagination of many. He is listed in our own Lesser Feasts and Fasts of the church. He was the inspiration of many plays, including one by T.S. Eliot and another by Jean Anouilh that was eventually turned into the classic 1964 film Becket. You may be familiar with his story already.
Here are the key things to note. Becket served as Lord Chancellor to King Henry II. Part of his role was to make sure everyone paid proper tribute to the King of England, including the churches. When the previous Archbishop of Canterbury died, Henry II came up with a brilliant idea: why not appoint his friend and loyal servant to this position.
Henry thought having Becket on his side would keep the church in line. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Becket went through a transformation. Before, he had been frivolous in his dress and style. Now he embraced the aesthetic, that is, he rejected all things having to do with sensual pleasure. He really took hold of his new spiritual role, and he began to be an adamant supporter of the church and her powers in the world.
This led him into conflict with King Henry II. Becket wanted his priests to not have to be tried in civil court and thrown in prison. He wanted the church to maintain her property, not the crown. He wanted the church to have the authority to do God’s Will, not be a vassal of the state.
At the height of the conflict, Henry II said something to those around him which is often quoted as “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” Four knights who were present took this as a sign that Henry wanted Becket dealt with, so they rode to Canterbury Cathedral where they murdered the Archbishop.
Here was Becket, the man Henry chose to be Archbishop of Canterbury, doing his job. Here was a man who turned his life around and dedicated it to God. Yet Henry couldn’t abide that. He wanted someone who would just do what he wanted.
Now the dispute between Becket and Henry II was long and drawn out. It had a lot to do with hierarchy, power, and control. In many ways it turned petty. It certainly shows the deep seeded issues of the church at that time, as well as those of the state. Yet in the end, Becket was trying to do right for the church, and Henry wouldn’t allow that.
These past three weeks have been a trilogy of sorts. We began looking at the complaining of God’s people, not unlike Henry’s complaint at not getting what he wanted. Last week, we saw that theme of complaint turn into one of obedience, specifically obedience to the Lord. We see that continue this week through the Lord’s declaration of the Law in the form of 10 Commandments.
We’ve seen God’s words to us and our response. Today we continue to see the opposite ends of our possible responses to the Lord.
One comes in a form similar to, yet more horrible than, what we see with Becket. Here we get yet another parable with a vineyard. In this parable, the Landlord leases to tenants who refuse to give their due to him. The Landlord sends two set of his slaves to collect, yet each time they are killed and injured.
Finally, the Landlord sends His Son, thinking the tenants won’t dare to touch Him. Yet the tenants rise up and kill Him, with no regard to the consequences to follow.
The Landlord once again represents God. The slaves stand in for many things. They represent the Law the God has given to show the tenants how to live. They represent the Prophets, who God sent to help the tenants repent and turn back. They represent John the Baptist and all others who paved the way for Jesus.
The Son of course is God Himself in the form of Jesus Christ in this world. Just as the tenants in the Parable killed the Landlord’s Son, so too did we kill Jesus when He came to this earth.
For all the horror we see in the Parable today, there is hope in what we see with Paul in Philippians. Here is one of those tenants, who persecuted those coming to speak for the Lord. Yet Paul eventually found sense. He gave up all he had before to take on Christ Jesus. He has forgotten what lies behind, his past persecutions and understanding of God and the world. Now Paul is listening and paving the way to a new and different future, all because of his recognition that Christ Jesus has made him His own.
Paul changed. Our hope is that maybe we can to.
At times I’ve heard people ask the question, “What would you do if Jesus walked in the door right now?” It’s a silly question in some ways, for we already know the answer. We already did it over 2000 years ago. Jesus walked in our doors and we killed Him.
Just as in our Lord’s Parable, we who serve God, each and every one of us, know that the servant is treated no better than the master.
Now we speak a great deal in the church of the Second Coming, Jesus’ Return. We speak of it in our services. We speak of it in our prayers. We speak of it in our Creed and in our Outline of Faith. We don’t know all the details but we do know it will happen.
So in that Return, how will Jesus find us then? Will it be the same as before? Will we be like the Ancient Israelites, complaining in our freedom all the way? Will we be like Henry II, wanting our own will instead of God’s? Will we be like the tenants in the vineyard, ready to kill the Son and anyone else who might come to us for what is ultimately God’s? If we are not ready, God can raise up those who will be. The Parable is very clear on that.
Or instead, can we be like Paul? Can we turn back from our former abuse to the Lord? Can we now embrace Jesus, as He has embraced us? Can we turn back from our time as enemies and come to Jesus as friends and servants on the way?
These are the questions we need to ask ourselves, as individuals, as parishes, and as the church universal. My hope is that we can join Paul. My hope is that we can turn back from being God’s enemies. My hope is that just as Christ Jesus embraces us, our response to Him will be one of love and a resounding “yes.”