John Shearman's Lectionary

INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 7, 2010

ISAIAH 6:1-13. Here we have another classic example of a prophet called to a special ministry. As the smoke of the morning sacrifice wafted through the temple, Isaiah had a vision and heard an angelic voice praising the holiness of God. He then realized his own and his fellow Israelites’ unworthiness before God. One of the angelic beings touched his lips with a live coal, thus cleansing him to speak. Isaiah heard the voice of God calling for a messenger and he responded. But the message God gave him to deliver was one of unmitigated judgment.

PSALM 138. Unlike most of the psalms, this hymn of thanksgiving by an individual is thought to be from a small “Davidic collection.” (Psalms 138-145.) This meant that it was ascribed to King David rather than being composed by him. It expresses gratitude for God’s blessing as well as trust in God’s love and purpose.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11. In this passage beginning his great confession of the resurrection, Paul states as simply as possible what he had learned from the apostles. He had met some of them – notably Peter (Cephas) and James – in Jerusalem when he returned there some time after his conversion. First, he concentrated on the facts he had been told. Could this summary have been what the apostles in the earliest Christian community were teaching in the first years after the resurrection? Then he too makes his claim as “the least of the apostles” and reiterates his dependence on God’s grace for that.

LUKE 5:1-11. Behind the gospels as we now have them, there was a long tradition of stories about Jesus’ teaching and miracles repeated by word of mouth before being put into written form. Toward the end of the 1st century CE Luke gave a much more elaborate story than either Mark or Matthew. He connects this story of a miraculous catch of fish with the calling of the first disciples. John tells it as one of Jesus’ resurrection appearances (John 21). Taken together, the tradition represents a promise of the ultimate success of the apostolic mission.

A MORE COMPLETE ANALYSIS.

ISAIAH 6:1-13. Here we have another classic example of a prophet called to a special ministry. My OT professor, the late Rev. Dr. R.B.Y Scott, made this passage the starting point for his lectures on prophecy. He had written a highly regarded book, The Relevance of the Prophets, and at the time he was lecturing to us at McGill in 1948, he was writing the introduction and exegesis of Isaiah 1-39 for The Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 5. His analysis of this passage in this latter volume is a valuable contribution to the understanding of prophetic visions and oracles.

The ancient temple in Jerusalem faced east. The daily sacrifice was offered as the sun rose over the horizon formed by the Mount of Olives. Rays from the rising sun flooded into the temple through its great doors causing its burnished gold and copper accouterments to shine gloriously. As the smoke of the morning sacrifice wafted through the temple, Isaiah, saw a vision and heard angelic voices praising the holiness of God.

Isaiah was possibly a cousin and certainly a courtier of King Uzziah, who had just died. Uzziah’s reign was one of the longest of the kings of Judah, 783-742 BCE. In his last years he suffered from leprosy and was replaced by his son Jotham as regent. This was also the time when Assyrian power was on the rise throughout ancient Mesopotamia and the wider Middle East. Uzziah’s reign included an expansion into both Philistine territory to the west that controlled trade routes to Egypt and Edom, to the south where there were valuable trade routes to Arabia. As the prophecies of Amos and Micah also reveal, this was a very prosperous period in the nation’s history.

In this passage Isaiah was in mourning and went into the temple, as was his wont, to offer a lament. As he worshiped in the familiar surroundings, he sensed the divine presence in a dramatic new way. God, of course, is invisible; yet Isaiah did have such a vision. Or was it just the hem of God’s robe and the attending seraphim, which represented the divine presence to him? Quickly afterward, Isaiah recognized his own unworthiness before God and that of his fellow Judeans. The experience overwhelmed him. That he should become the prophet to proclaim God’s judgment on his nation’s moral and spiritual decay was furthest from his imagination. Great revelations come to faithful men and women in the midst of the mundane experiences of life.

In Isaiah’s vision, one of the angelic beings touched his lips with a live coal from the altar, thus cleansing him to speak for God. He heard the voice of God calling for a messenger and he responded, “Here am I, send me.” But the message God gave him to deliver was one of unmitigated judgment. It must have been a fear-filled experience. To be called to speak God’s judgment against his own people would have frightened the most courageous of men or women in that day of woeful events as is in ours. One only has to hear or see to the attack ads created for contemporary political campaigns to realize how much the prophet exposes him or herself to community ridicule.

Yet there are men and women willing to present the divine alternatives to our petty human machinations of history. The people are the ground-breakers for new advances in faith and witness to the purposes of God in the world. It was so for Isaiah, who with Amos and Micah in the late 8th century BCE set forth a vision of divine justice and righteousness which remains as convincing for us as it was for them. These elements of Israelite prophecy had close affinity to the actual events of that time when the great empires of Assyria and Egypt were in conflict. Israel, the northern kingdom, and Judea itself was constantly threatened with invasion and the imposition of foreign religious practices.

PSALM 138. Unlike most of the psalms, this hymn of thanksgiving by an individual is thought to be from a small “Davidic collection.” (Psalms 138-145.) This meant that it was ascribed to King David rather than being composed by him.

There are some twenty such hymns of thanksgiving by individuals preserved in the religious literature of Israel. Isaiah 38:10-20 and Jonah 2:2-9 are examples found in the OT. The apocryphal books of Ecclessiasticus (Sirach), the Psalms of Solomon and the Odes of Solomon contain others.

Like most others, this psalm is from a post-exilic date. The absence of any thanksgiving sacrifice points to an unusual level of spiritual development rarely found except in some of the prophetic literature which condemned the temple sacrifices. Or it may date from a time before the reconstruction of the temple when the normal sacrifices could not be celebrated. It also reflects a universalism echoing that of Second Isaiah (vss. 4-6) for earthly kings are said to worship God as do the humble; and God does not despise their praise. The psalm ends with an declaration of trust in God’s love and purpose. Vs. 8 certainly provides a very preachable text.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11. Paul states as simply as possible what he had learned from the apostles whom he met in Jerusalem when he returned there some time after his conversion. This probably occurred less than a decade after the resurrection. Some scholars believe it may have been no more than a year or two. Could this have been an early Christian creed? It summarizes what the apostles were teaching in those first years after that momentous event when the apostolic church was feeling the full flush of its new faith.

One point stands out in Paul’s repetition of this statement of faith. To him, the resurrection was something experienced by those few who had seen and spoken with the risen Christ. It was also Paul’s firm conviction that the same risen Lord had appeared to him on the Damascus Road. The ambiguity between faith and fact remains with the Christian community to this day. Faith does not attempt to be factual. Rather it expresses a spiritual interpretation of deep and often inexplicable psychic experiences. It uses the language of image, symbol and metaphor to describe what persons of faith have experienced amid the ebb and flow of ordinary events which a reporter or historian might well record differently as observed facts or strange myths.

The resurrection experience symbolized for Paul and the other apostles that Jesus Christ, who had been executed as a criminal, was very much alive. Death had not conquered him; he had conquered death and was now with them in spirit. There were still many living in Paul’s time who could testify to this experience. The reference to the risen Christ’s appearance to five hundred people may be an alternate reminiscence of Pentecost as that event had been told to Paul by the apostolic community.

Quite possibly Paul was the first to connect the death of Christ to the ancient Israelite tradition that sin could be forgiven by the shedding of blood. This belief had its roots in the ancient practices of offering sacrifices to the deity common to all ancient religious traditions. In some traditions human sacrifice had also been quite commonly practiced. Even in Israel as late as the 7th century BCE reign of Manasseh (ca. 687-642 BCE) there had been evidence of this. Among the Jews, animal sacrifice in lieu of human sacrifice was related closely to the celebration of the both Passover and Yom Kippur. In this context Paul interpreted the crucifixion of Jesus as a self-offering which had a similar effect of dealing with the human problem of sin and alienation from God.

Note too that Paul adds himself as “the least of the apostles.” One view of the narrative in Acts presents Paul and Peter as rivals for leadership of the Gentile mission. In Galatians and here, Paul gives some basis for this hypothesis. He numbers himself among the apostles, though with self-deprecating diminution. He goes on to reiterate his total dependence on God’s grace for his status and gives his fellow apostles credit where credit is due. They all share the resurrection faith which is the heart of the gospel for us as well.

LUKE 5:1-11. (Author’s note: This passage is also covered in a new blog posted here: http://studiesinluke.blogspot.com. Look on the list to the left for #7 – Calling The First Disciples. The content of this blog introduced a Bible study with a group of seniors at Glen Abbey United Church, Oakville,ON, Canada.)

Luke tells this story of a miraculous catch of fish in connection with the calling of the first disciples. His version is much more elaborate than the brief accounts of Mark and Matthew. John tells it as one of Jesus’ resurrection appearances (John 21). Behind the gospels as we now have them, there was a long tradition of stories about Jesus’ teaching and miracles repeated by word of mouth before being put into written form. Assuming that all versions referred to the same event, which some commentators doubt, they speak to the future mission of the apostolic church. It appears to be a promise of ultimate success though not without long and difficult toil on the part of the disciple community.

At first, the ekklesia (i.e. the apostolic church) meant simply a group of Jews of humble origins, many of them unlettered and poverty stricken, who had responded to the preaching of Jesus and believed in his resurrection. Then as now, fishing was not always a lucrative occupation, but one which required much skill and patience, hard work and long hours. These men were partners in a small business in which they had invested their whole lives. Catching and marketing of fresh fish, a major food in Galilee at the time, was not always a profitable trade. In that climate, the fish would have to be caught during the night and sold in the marketplace within a few hours. Often the results were disappointing. However, this story is told for its metaphorical significance rather than as a factual vignette of the harsh life of the Galilean fisherman.

Luke has a way of weaving the whole tradition into his story as he tells it. His audience was two generations removed from the events he narrates and unfamiliar with the places in which those events occurred. So he did not have to be concerned about chronological order. His intent was primarily evangelical. For instance, he has Peter call Jesus first “Master,” then “Lord.” Those are titles which Luke reserves for disciples. Non-disciples used the term, “Teacher.” The title “Lord” appears in Luke twenty-one times; twelve of them in pericopes peculiar to Luke. It can be argued that here Luke was thinking in post-resurrection terms when the apostles had fully realized that Jesus was the Messiah for whom such a title was appropriate. As has been pointed out many times, the original creed of the apostolic church was the simple statement, “Jesus is Lord.”

So also Peter’s confession of sinfulness in his plea that Jesus depart from him is appropriate to a post-resurrection attitude. It reiterates the gospel call to repentance as the antecedent to Christian discipleship. Luke had emphasized this as the message John the Baptist had preached (3:1-20) and which Peter had also proclaimed in his Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:38. It may also have some reference to Peter’s denial of Jesus in the court of the house of Caiaphas (22:54-60).

The late Professor G. B. Caird pointed to Jesus’ choice of these “hard-working but intensely loyal men, ever aware of their own shortcomings, as those whom he needed to carry the gospel into the world.” Does not the present evangelistic environment call for a disciple community of similarly dedicated, loyal and hard-working persons? Certainly not those who may lay claim to moral perfection or spiritual greatness would not fit the requirements. Caird’s analysis of this passage is a valuable contribution to the understanding of how prophetic visions and oracles affect us: “On Simon at least the impact he made was a profoundly moral one, resulting in a sense of sin. It was not the miracle that brought him to his knees but the grandeur of sheer goodness.” (Caird, G.B. Saint Luke. The Pelican New Testament Commentary, 1965.)

INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE
Third Sunday After Epiphany
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 24, 2010

NEHEMIAH 8:1-10. The passage tells how Ezra the scribe read the law to the assembled populace after the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt. This reconstruction had taken place under the leadership of Nehemiah, the Jewish cupbearer of King Artaxerxes I of Persia, who had been appointed governor of Jerusalem and Judea in the mid-5th century BC. The point of the story is that, as in the creation story in Genesis 1:1-2:4, great and good work is to be followed by sincere, committed worship.

PSALM 19. This originally existed as two separate psalms, but at some point were combined as one in an exquisite poem. The composite celebrates the wonder of God’s creation and the spiritual value of true devotion to God and obedience to God’s law.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31a. Paul’s image of the disciple community as the body of the risen Christ has stood the test of time. It still speaks with power to our generation. Of less significance for us is the list of offices and functions which he enumerates. His purpose in doing so is to illustrate how the various gifts he had found among the Corinthian disciples could work together harmoniously when each person fulfilled his or her function for the good of the whole community. He moved from this powerful metaphor to show how this could be done through the best gift of all – love.

LUKE 4:14-21. It was the custom in the Jewish synagogues of the 1st century to ask a visiting rabbi to teach from the scriptures. After making an initial tour of Galilee, Jesus went to worship on the sabbath. He was asked to read and interpret a passage of scripture. He chose or was assigned a passage from Isaiah 61 which was to become the model for his ministry. Then he declared to the congregation that this prophecy was being fulfilled in their hearing.

A MORE COMPLETE ANALYSIS. (The RCL recommends omitting vss. 4 & 7 with their lists of names from the lesson.) Until the time of Origen in the 3rd century, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as a unity. They are now again considered as a composite whole edited from earlier sources and memoirs of the two men under whose diligent guidance the walls of Jerusalem and the temple were rebuilt and Israelite law re-established as the guiding principles of late post-exilic life. Most scholars accept that the Chronicler was responsible for the final form of the two books in the 4th century BC. This occurred about a century later than the main events of the reconstruction period in the 5th century BC.

NEHEMIAH 8:1-10. In Ezra 7-10 there is a memoir written in the first person. Similarly in Nehemiah 1-7:5 there is another memoir in the first person. These undoubtedly existed at the time when the editor did his work. The present passage (and the following three chapters, may also be part of the memoir by Ezra which some scholars believe to have been displaced from its original location between Ezra 8 and 9.

This passage tells how Ezra the scribe read the law to the assembled populace after the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt. This reconstruction had taken place under the leadership of Nehemiah, the Jewish cupbearer of King Artaxerxes I of Persia, who had been appointed governor of Jerusalem and Judea in the mid-5th century BC. One of the scholarly puzzles is why nowhere in the two complete narratives do the two community leaders, Ezra, the scribe, and Nehemiah, the governor, ever meet.

This event recalls a similar event two centuries earlier when King Josiah commanded that the rediscovered book of the covenant law to be read before the assembled elders of Judah and Jerusalem. (See 2 Chronicles 34:29-32) The reading of the Torah had great influence on succeeding generations, and still has to this day in the Jewish tradition, just as the reading of scripture in the Christian tradition. Like Christianity, however, how one hears the law and interprets its relevance for the present is always a matter of strong debate and frequently open conflict. Of special note in this passage is the statement about interpreting what had been read.

The actual reading during worship may omit two verses which name members of the community present for the occasion. The best explanation for this omission is that the names are virtually unpronounceable for the ordinary reader unfamiliar with Hebrew. The names are not significant, but the role these people played is. They were interpreters who helped the audience understand what they had heard. It is possible that the scrolls of the law were written in a language – Hebrew – that was unknown to most of the audience, who spoke only Babylonian Aramaic.

The role of the rabbi in the Jewish tradition and of the preacher in our own Christian tradition is to do likewise. Naturally, diverse interpretations could be given, leading to a heterogeneous understanding and application of the same law. Jesus himself also appears to have played a similar role in his disputes with the scribes and Pharisees. The same is true today in Judaism as it is in Christianity. For instance, do the laws relating to liturgy, property, sexuality or murder have the same authority today as they had in the time of Nehemiah or Josiah? And whose interpretation has primacy? Out of such differences denominationalism arose in every religious tradition.

PSALM 19. This originally existed as two separate psalms, vss. 1-6 and vss. 7-14. Differences in style, poetic grace and points of view indicate dual authorship. At some
point they were combined, perhaps by the author of the second part, in an exquisite poem extolling the virtue of devotion to God and obedience to God’s law as of equal spiritual value as wonder at the majesty of God’s creation. This could be a great text for an sermon on the holiness of the global environmental.

In the earlier part of the psalm, there are references to ancient myths about the sun long popular in Egypt and Babylon. But, though making use of such ideas, the psalmist stops short of describing the sun as divine, preferring instead a metaphorical allusion. The thinking of Pythogoras about the music of the spheres may also lie behind the poem. In his attempt to discern the basic principle of the universe, that 6th century Greek Philosopher proposed that numbers determined the harmonies of music, the proportions of architecture, the movements of the sun, moon and stars, and the harmony of the spheres. It is entirely possible that some such cross-cultural influence gave this deeply religious psalmist concepts which he transposed into theological language.

In the second part of the psalm, the author carefully observes the rules of Hebrew poetry. The law is represented by six different synonyms paired with one another through parallelism: law – testimony; precepts – commandments; fear – ordinances. However, these have more meaning to the psalmist than mere synonyms. They are means of grace instructing and warning the devoted Israelite of what God requires of the pious believer.

The psalm, probably from the same period as Ezra, the scribe (ca. 450 BCE), ends with a prayer that the worshiper may be preserved from sin and live worthily of his calling as a covenanted soul. For him, the law is no burdensome yoke, but a source of moral strength. Many Jewish people today hold a similar point of view. So do many Christians finding strength and inspiration in Jesus’ invitation in Matt. 11:28-30.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31A. Paul’s image of the disciple community as the body of the risen Christ has stood the test of time. It still speaks with power to many in speaking across the centuries to every generation. Of less significance for us is the list of offices and functions which he enumerates in vss. 27-30. It is impossible to discern whether these were actual offices in the Corinthian community or merely the functions performed at different times by the same leading members like himself. Compare this list also with the shorter one in Ephesians 4:11 which may represent a later development in the leadership structure of the Christian community.

Read the passage with a touch of levity and see if Paul isn’t tweaking his Corinthian converts for their childish behaviour as they squabble about who has the more important gift. One could even create a skit around the parts of the body using paper costumes to represent each organ. A youth group might be enlisted to provide an amusing but thought provoking “sermon” for this Sunday. It might be especially useful for a service that included or was followed by an annual vestry or congregational meeting.

The apostle wanted to illustrate how the various gifts he had discerned among the Corinthian disciples could work together harmoniously if each person fulfilled his or her function for the good of the whole community. He moved on from this powerful metaphor to show how this could be done through the best gift of all – love.

The passage can be interpreted in a wider context than a local congregation or even a denomination. It would make sense to use it for a service celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In a year when democratic elections will probably take place in several countries, it could help to focus what is meant by the phrase “the public good.” James Madison, the Virginia-born champion of religious freedom and fourth president of the United States, may have been the first to popularize the idea of public good as distinct from private rights. He emphasized the importance of protecting both in his Federalist Paper, no. 10 written in 1787. That concept has not been popular in the corridors of power in recent decades. Instead private initiative and enterprise in every aspect of life have been given most attention. Yet the concept of public good is as old as the oracles of the Old Testament prophet Amos. That prophet was speaking of what God wills for all of humanity in the 8th century BCE.

In this passage about the gifts of each person, the apostle Paul made a similar call for each member of the Christian fellowship to be concerned for every other member. What is more, there can be no other approach to living in the real world of globalization and universal communication. The whole Body of Christ can now be interpreted universally as the whole of humanity as is implied in the later letters of Ephesians and Colossians attributed to Paul. As retired Bishop John Shelby Spong wrote in his recent book, Eternal Life: A New Vision Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell:
“The goal of all religion is not to prepare us to enter the next life; it is a call to live now, to love now, to be now and in that way to taste what it means to be part of a life that is eternal, a love that is barrier-free and the being of a fully self-conscious humanity.”

LUKE 4:14-21. It was the custom in the Jewish synagogues of the 1st century to ask a visiting rabbi to teach from the scriptures. After making an initial tour of Galilee, Jesus went to worship on the sabbath. He was asked or was assigned a passage of scripture to read and interpret. As we shall see in next week’s gospel lesson, his interpretation was not what his audience wanted to hear!

Michael Steinhauser made a significant point in an Internet seminar on The Man In The Scarlet Robe by pointing out that although there were at least two major Roman-Hellenist cities in Galilee, Tiberias and Sepphoris, there is no mention in any of the gospels that Jesus entered either of these, but remained in “the surrounding country” (vs.14). Recent archeological discoveries have revealed that there was a significant Jewish population in Sephhoris, scarcely five miles from Nazareth. One can assume that the same was true for Tiberius when Herod Antipas moved his seat of government to that city which he built on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was more of a village preacher than a Hellenistic cynic or an eminent rabbi from Jerusalem. Yet he was certainly being heard by the common people if not by the religious authorities.

Or was this just Luke’s way of lifting up Jesus’ appeal to the common people in contrast to the later opposition of the authorities? Did he have in mind the community for whom he was writing rather than the curious and disbelieving Nazarenes?

Jesus chose a passage from Isaiah 61 – or it was the assigned reading for the day – which was to become the model for his ministry. Then he declared to the congregation that this prophecy was being fulfilled in their hearing. From this dominical mission, the present disciple community has discerned God’s “preferential option for the poor” and the cause of social justice for the most vulnerable in our society.

In recent years we have seen this mission exemplified in the enthusiastic response by countless ordinary people and scientists of high repute to environmental crises around the world. Despite the lack of cooperation from some of the largest and wealthiest countries several governments adopted the Kyoto Treaty as national policy. Others, like that of my own country, adopted the Kyoto Treaty but subsequently ignored what it had agreed to do. For lack of political will the environment still deteriorates and the climate changes more rapidly year after year.

Again, at the recent UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen some governments, like the Canadian, for instance, appear to have withdrawn more and more from their role of developing realistic programs for bringing about a more tolerable protection of the environment and a more equitable sharing of the world’s limited resources. It becomes more important to drive the industrial and commercial systems that increase wealth to the wealthiest than to bring equity and justice those who most needed. The chief motivation of the most powerful is to compete for control of these resources so that as little change as possible in the lifestyle of the wealthier parts of the world will be necessary. One has to wonder what Jesus would say to us if he were to be asked to preach in our community.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE
Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost
Proper 21 Ordinary 26
September 27, 2009

ESTHER 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22. The Book of Esther tells the heroic story of a Jewish woman married the king of Persia, Xerxes (in the Bible, Ahasuerus), who saved her people in the 5th century BC. It is a well-told tale still read in its entirety in synagogues on the Jewish Feast of Purim, said to have originated in this event. It also has relevance for the 20th century history of the Holocaust.

PSALM 124. Yet another of the so-called “Songs of Ascent” believed to have been sung by pilgrims approaching Jerusalem. It thanks God for deliverance from the assaults of some unknown enemy, possibly during a period of political instability and civil strife.

NUMBERS 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29. (Alternate) This confrontation between God, Moses and the Israelites arose because the people hungered for better food than the manna they had been given. Moses complained that he had too much responsibility, so God had him gather seventy elders who were also to share the prophetic spirit Moses had been given. Two others, not among the seventy, also received the same spirit, but Moses rebuked those who would limit the gift to the chosen seventy.

PSALM 19:7-14. (Alternate) This portion of a well-loved psalm rejoices in the sanctity of God’s moral law and asks for divine help in obeying it. The closing verse is often used as a prayer offered before a sermon.

JAMES 5:13-20. In an age when scientific medicine was still very primitive, healing the sick had spiritual as well as physical significance, as it still has for many. Anointing the sick with oil and prayer were seen as valid treatment. Repentance, confession and seeking forgiveness were also a very important part of the healing process. Note that the treatment James prescribed was perceived as God’s action, not that of the church elders.

MARK 9:38-50. The issue in this passage still troubles many: Who really is a follower of Jesus? In response to this dilemma posed by John, the son of Zebedee, Jesus appears to broaden the scope of discipleship: “Whoever is not against us is for us.” At the same time, there is a severity in Jesus’ words spoken in crisp metaphors. Preventing others from following Jesus in even the simplest of ways can be virtually unpardonable sin.

A MORE COMPLETE ANALYSIS. The Book of Esther tells the heroic story of a Jewish woman married the king of Persia, Xerxes (in the Bible, Ahasuerus), who saved her people in the 5th century BC. It is a well-told tale still read in its entirety in synagogues on the Jewish Feast of Purim, which is said to have originated in this event. This passage not only gives us the climax to the story of a courageous woman, but of a people’s freedom from fear and from annihilation its enemies.

ESTHER 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22.

Scholars believe that the Book of Esther is one of the latest in the OT to have been written. Dates as far apart as the 5th century BCE soon after the reign of Xerxes (486-465 BCE) and the Maccabean period (c. 165 BCE) have been proposed. No certain historical clues are evident in the text. Its provenance, however, is thought to have been the eastern Diaspora in Persia (modern Iraq and Iran). More than likely it came into the oral tradition through repeated telling from generation to generation. A Greek manuscript in the possession of the Vatican Library (Codex Vaticanus) contains no less than six additions not in the best Hebrew manuscripts. These are all thought to have been created by authors not happy with the original. The name of Yahweh appears nowhere in the Hebrew text, whereas the deity and sacred rites of Judaism appear everywhere in the additions.

The triumph of good over evil, the courage of the heroine and fortuitous circumstances still have relevance for the 20th century history of the Holocaust. Generally speaking, an optimistic view of history permeates the narrative. It is a secular and humanist story rather than a religious one. As Gene M. Tucker, of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, described it in his article in The Oxford Companion to the Bible, the Jews took care of themselves, but they were also very fortunate in making use of their opportunities. In so doing, they controlled their own destiny. This gave them a sense of identity which enabled them to survive in the face of impending catastrophe. This is certainly the way the people of Israel lived through the several conflicts of the 20th century and now are involved in a similar struggle in the 21st century. That is the primary significance of the story of Esther.

PSALM 124. This psalm purports to be yet another of the so-called “Songs of Ascent” possibly sung by pilgrims approaching Jerusalem. It thanks God for deliverance from the assaults of some unknown enemy during a period of political instability and civil strife. Extended periods of Persian and Greek domination in post-exilic times provided many opportunities for conspiracies against overlords. Threats of retaliatory reactions might well have been the occasion for this strife. Or the ever present perils of travel in ancient times may have been the real threats behind this song of deliverance. The psalmist makes the point that without Yahweh’s help, there would have been no escape from destruction.

Several powerful images intensify the message of the psalm. Every line manifests fear. These could well be vignettes from the pilgrims’ journey to Jerusalem. They also render vividness to the poem suggesting that the pilgrims had experienced some very traumatic threats in the recent past. In vs. 3, we catch sight of a fierce attack by angry wild beasts bent on devouring weaker members of the group. In vss. 4-5, a raging flood plunges down a dry wadi through which their path to the holy city lies. The road up from Jericho to Jerusalem has many such dangerous places. The wild beasts again threaten in vs. 6. A bird escaping from a fowlers’ snare in vs. 7 reiterates the peril from which the pilgrims have been delivered.

Nonetheless, there is a larger vision in the mind of the psalmist. The theological concept of God as Lord of History, prevalent throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, has all but vanished from our modern, secular frame of mind. Yet the fear associated with civil strife or international conflicts is ever present. Authorities warn us of the dangers of criminal elements to even the most stable societies. Despite the steadily decreasing incidence of violent crime, political opportunists never cease to cry out hysterically for more severe penalties and longer incarceration for the convicted. More and more armaments flood into every possible war zone to kill and maim the most vulnerable. Diplomats struggle with the difficulties inherent in any intervention in the apparently incessant, vest-pocket wars which have followed the end of colonial exploitation and the ideological confrontations of the Cold War.

In 1945, the noted historian of Christian missions, Kenneth Scott Latourette, published a penchant seventh volume to his History of the Expansion of Christianity. He reviewed the global tragedies of World Wars I and II and the Great Depression when the tide of 19th century liberalism and missionary enthusiasm came to an abrupt end on the battlefields of Europe and Asia. He came to the conclusion that although the Christian church had failed miserably and had been forced to retrench in many parts of the world, it may well have been more potent at mid-century than at the beginning of the period with which he was dealing.

In1992, British mystery writer, P.D. James, set her futurist novel Children of Men in Oxford, England, in 2021. Her parable described how a declining birthrate, tribal, racial and civil conflicts, socially sanctioned violence by security forces, extended imprisonment and capital punishment for criminals brought England to the point of total social, economic and political collapse. Hope lay in the love of God for this confused, conflicted, terrified world, manifested in a baby born to powerless parents in a rude shelter amid the degradation and despair of all but a small, humble, faithful minority committed to reconciliation, freedom and peace. The parallel with the story of the first Christmas is obvious.

This is the same Spirit that motivated the psalmist to proclaim trust in Yahweh, the creator of heaven and earth. However imperfect our witness to faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, we still stumble forward into the 21st century, for God is with us.

NUMBERS 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29. (Alternate) This confrontation between God, Moses and the Israelites arose because the people hungered for better food than the manna they had been given. Moses complained that he had too much responsibility, so God had him gather seventy elders who were also to share the prophetic spirit Moses had been given. Two others, not among the seventy gathered at the tabernacle, also received the same spirit, but Moses rebuked those who would limit the gift to the chosen seventy.

This story has all the signs of being a composite of at least two or more traditions. The complaints about manna has many similarities with the Exodus narrative in which the Israelites wished they had not left the flesh pots of Egypt. They had strong memories of plentiful and delicious food. The people weeping at the doors of their tents (vs. 10a & b) and Yahweh’s angry response mark a transition to another story. The remainder of the selected readings (vss.10c-29) form a coherent narrative of the institution of the seventy elders. There is some debate about the exact way in which the stories have been conflated.

Moses’ lament about having too much responsibility (vss. 11-15) sounds petulant but also realistic. He may have been the first spiritual leader, but certainly not the last, to complain about the burden laid on him by his call to service. Is there a good preaching text in that excerpt, especially for the installation of a new pastor?

The final segment of the reading raises an interesting question: How is spiritual leadership to be shared? Various traditions arrange this in different ways. In the lifetime of this writer, my own denomination has moved from a very exclusive concept of ministry to one that is now the most open of any. The male ordained minister with strict character qualifications was regarded as the special leader of the congregation without equal, despite the existence of lay elders ordained to assist. Spiritual leadership now extends to all members of the church regardless of order, gender and sexual orientation. The only requisites are faith in Jesus Christ and commonly discerned spiritual gifts. As vs. 29 implies prophecy is the gift of God.

PSALM 19:7-14. (Alternate) This portion of a well-loved psalm rejoices in the sanctity of God’s moral law and asks for divine help in obeying it. The closing verse is often used as a prayer offered before a sermon.

This second part of the much moved psalm reflects the Persian period (6th-4th centuries BCE) when the tradition of a renewed commitment to Mosaic law dominated every aspect of life in Israel. The numerous synonyms for the law, five in all, also recall the Wisdom literature such as Psalm 119 and Proverbs. So too do the phrases “making wise the simple” (vs. 7) and “the fear of the Lord” (vs. 9). The poem places great emphasis on separation of the faithful Israelite from his pagan neighbors by maintaining rigid adherence to the law and its provision for ritual purity and personal innocence. He prays to be guarded from even the most inadvertent sin (vs. 13) that might corrupt him. The poet is imbued with the spirit if not the actual influence of the 5th century prophet Ezra.

Meditating on such things played a large part in the religious tradition of Israel in late pre-Christian times. The Pharisees of New Testament, and in particular Saul of Tarsus, represented prime expressions of this legalist tradition. The closing verse is often used as a prayer offered before a sermon, but it has more to do with making a spiritual gift acceptable to God equal to a sacrifice on the altar.

JAMES 5:13-20. In an age when medicine was still very primitive, healing the sick had spiritual as well as physical significance. Prayer and anointing the sick with oil were seen as not only valid treatment, but at times the only treatment available. Note that the treatment James prescribed was perceived as God’s action, not that of the church elders (vss. 14-15). Repentance, confession and forgiveness of sin also played a part in dealing with illness. Furthermore, prayer and helping the wandering disciple return to God’s ways had effective moral and spiritual results.

The sky-rocketing costs of modern medical technology, pharmacology, public and private medical insurance plus the reduction in tax-funded medical services has increased public anxiety about health care to unprecedented levels. Infectious diseases once thought to have been conquered by antibiotics drugs have returned with renewed vigour. Greatly increased international travel has exposed every corner of the globe to diseases once confined to isolated regions. Scientific research has only begun to unravel the mysteries of the human genome or immune systems. Every political party has proclaimed its favoured solutions to the growing global problems of ill health due to overpopulation, environmental degradation and hopeless poverty. Television has brought scenes of unbelievable human suffering into every living room. In such circumstances, what good ever will come from prayer, praise, confession and anointing?

Although now practised only in limited ways, such disciplines as personal prayer, public healing services, anointing with oil and private confessions have never completely disappeared from the church. Nor should they, if we take this passage seriously. James advocated the spiritual approach to ill health in a world that knew little else. Of course this cannot be the only means we take today to respond to a global pandemic. Nor can medical science and technology be isolated from the spiritual foundations on which they were built. Many pioneers of modern medicine were devoted church members first and foremost. Motivated by faith, they began their research careers within the fellowship of the Christian church. They recognized that they were discovering the handiwork of God as they solved some of the riddles of healing, health and wellness.

A nurse with nearly 40 years of experience was stricken with breast cancer and forced into early retirement. Nearly thirty years later, she had lived through three traumatic courses of chemotherapy. Despite poverty and the physical limitations of advancing years, she still maintained active participation with other seniors in her local congregation. Although reluctant to share her deepest feelings or personal faith even with her closest relatives, her attitude received praise from her doctors and inquiries from a scholar researching the relationship between attitude, emotions and wellness in cancer patients. She died just short of her eightieth birthday still contributing to medical science’s search for experimental medications that would help find relief for her particular recurrent form of the disease that took her life.

Our language expresses the spiritual basis of all healing, health and wholeness. These ordinary English words – healing, health, wholeness and holy – have their derivation in their ancient Germanic root word hale.

MARK 9:38-50. The issue in this passage still troubles many: Who really is a follower of Jesus? In response to this dilemma posed by John, the son of Zebedee, Jesus appears to broaden the scope of discipleship: “Whoever is not against us is for us.”

How wide should we open this door? Some Christians would prefer that is be kept firmly guarded against all who do not confess Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord, or express a firm conviction by repetition of the creedal formula of the Holy Trinity. Others would regard all people of good will open to the inspiration of the Spirit and able to participate actively in the mission and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth to the contemporary world. Ambiguity remains.

Dialogue among different religious traditions, said a recent authoritative declaration of the Roman Catholic Church, begins with defining where we stand in relation to others who do not share the same doctrinal position. Yes, replied representatives of other Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions, but let us charitably work together for the common good of the whole community. A radical and rigid orthodoxy may speak the truth from the perspective of one tradition and may well be necessary for theological debate. However, such a declaration may actually impede ecumenical and interfaith dialogue in the short term. The spiritual reality to be hoped for is that we have not yet heard the last word.

A Buddhist writer quoted a frequently recited approach to living in the modern, pluralistic world: think globally and act locally. We need to contemplate the interdependence of all people and all things. Nothing exists except in relationship with all other things. Even our smallest actions have vastly greater consequences. Is this not what Mark quotes Jesus as saying in this passage?

At the same time, there was a severity in Jesus’ crisp metaphors in this passage. None of these exaggerated metaphors should be taken literally. Acting on any one of them would be disastrous to ourselves and to those with whom we are associated. The warning remains clear nonetheless. Preventing others from following Jesus in even the simplest of ways can be virtually an unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE
Proper 20 Ordinary 25
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
September 20, 2009 This is one of the few Old Testament passages which gives prominence to the role of women in ancient Israel. As pictured here, the supremely efficient homemaker receives the praise of her husband and children. It is definitely not in keeping with contemporary views emphasizing equality and the sharing of home and family responsibilities. Yet there is something very relevant to our time in the last two verses.

PROVERBS 31:10-31.

PSALM 1. This psalm is actually the introduction to the whole Psalter. It sets forth the theme of the whole collection of Israel’s religious poetry and hymnody as “a book for the pious.” As one commentator put it, this psalm speaks to all ages too in saying that we all “must reckon with the Lord, who is ever mindful of our ways and our deserts.”

JEREMIAH 11:18-20. (Alternate) This poetic excerpt appears to come from a longer passage ending at 12:6 and dealing with the plot against Jeremiah’s life by some of his own kinsmen from Anathoth. This brief confessional poem reveals something of Jeremiah’s nature. In vs. 20 he prays for the destruction of his personal enemies believing that his own enemies were God’s enemies too.

PSALM 54 (Alternate) This brief prayer for God’s help has the normal features of a lament: appeal (vss. 1-2); complaint (vs. 3); petition (vss. 4-5); and vow (vss. 6-7). There is no evidence of any particular date, although the late compilers of the Psalter found a fancied connection with David’s life to attribute it to him.

JAMES 3:13-4:3, 7-8a. This little collection of sayings springs straight from Israel’s tradition of moral wisdom. They may also be a list of virtues and contrasting vices similar to those found in Greek moral philosophy of the late centuries BC. True to Israel’s religious heritage, however, their real source was a spiritual relationship with God, as we learn in 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

MARK 9:30-37. Bound for Jerusalem, Jesus continued teaching his disciples that the cross would be his inevitable end. Now that they knew he was the Messiah, however, they had another agenda. Which of them were to have prominence in the Messiah’s kingdom? It took a child set in their midst to show them what serving with really meant. To be with him in his divinely appointed glory involved humiliation like his. Naturally they didn’t get it.

Do we even now? If that is what is involved, who really wants the cross of discipleship? The principle of it all seems so out of touch with our age with its motifs of selfishness and success.

A MORE COMPLETE ANALYSIS. This is one of the few Old Testament passages which gives prominence to the role of women in ancient Israel. As pictured here, the supremely efficient homemaker receives the praise of her husband and children. This view tends to counteract some of the more negative attitudes found in other passages about women in Proverbs, particularly those which describe women as luring young men to sexual misadventures.

PROVERBS 31:10-31.

The poem was written in acrostic form in which the first letter of each verse follows the order of the Hebrew alphabet. Although not evident in the English translation, this had two advantages for Hebrew students: the style indicated that the teacher was dealing seriously with the subject; and it aided memorization.

The description of this woman’s activities outside her home is not in keeping with ancient tradition. A literal reading of vss. 16, 18 and 24 depict her as one who plays a significant role in the economic world. Her tasks, however, seem related to normal household duties such as weaving (vs. 19) and the making of fine clothes for her family and for sale (vss. 19, 21, 22 and 24). There is one exception: vs. 16 shows her engaged in a real estate transaction in order to plant a vineyard. This would have been her husband’s responsibility, not hers.

The passage is definitely not in keeping with contemporary views emphasizing gender equality and the sharing of home and family responsibilities. Yet there is something very relevant for our time in the last two verses. It can be used for a sermon bringing out the essential necessity of improving the role of women in the social, political and economic life of every community. Asked why so many radical feminists arose within the Jewish community, a Jewish colleague replied enigmatically, “A woman rules supreme in every Jewish home.” When pressed to explain, he would not elaborate any further.

This reading has been used as part of a eulogy at a devout Christian woman’s funeral service. It is questionable whether that is a legitimate use of scripture for such an occasion. It ranks with the passage from Ecclesiasticus 44: “Let us now praise famous men and our father who begat them.”

PSALM 1. This psalm forms the introduction to the whole Psalter. Although some scholars prefer to limit it as the introduction to the first collection (Pss. 1-41), it sets forth the theme of the several collections as “a book for the pious.” Its Hebrew vocabulary as well as its theme come from a time when zeal for the study of the law was paramount in Israel. This would indicate the period of Ezra, (5th – 4th centuries BCE) to whose influence it shows some indebtedness. However, it could be as late as the time when wisdom and the law were equated in the late Greek period about the end of the 3rd century BCE.

The “blessed” (Heb. = ‘esher) of the opening line conveys more than happiness, but a sense of being right with God and with the world. It may also give rise to a certain condescension toward others who do not meditate constantly on the law. The image of a tree by a stream and thus well watered would have been a powerful one in the dry climate of Israel. The contrasting image of the wicked who is “like chaff which the wind drives away” only reinforces its effectiveness.

In vs. 5 yet another image depicts the eschatological day of judgment when Yahweh will separate the righteous from the wicked. A similar image occurs frequently in the OT prophets and in NT parables of judgment (cf. Matthew 25). While having a negative connotation, this still must be considered a significant element of the Christian as well as the Jewish tradition. As one commentator put it, the psalm speaks to all ages in saying that we all “must reckon with the Lord, who is ever mindful of our ways and our deserts.”

In different times and for different traditions, such issues assume greater importance than at other times and for other traditions. The final image in vs. 5 is more comforting for the religiously devout. It could have been drawn from the exclusive temple Court of Israel where only circumcised males, b’nai b’rith (“sons of the covenant”), were admitted after having purified themselves according to the prescribed holiness code. Extensive water works in Jerusalem such as the pools of Bethesda and Siloam made provision for this ritual necessity.

The debate about the appropriate trinitarian formula to be used in baptism could well be regarded as a counterpart to this judgmental process. Is the correct formula to recite the names “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” or the functions of the Trinity, “Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer?”As vs. 6 of the psalm indicates from a Christian perspective, how a believer relates to God and neighbour, and shows this in his/her behaviour may be of greater importance to God than whatever rituals he/she may perform.

JEREMIAH 11:18-20. (Alternate) This poetic excerpt appears to come from a longer passage ending at 12:6 and dealing with the plot against Jeremiah’s life by some of his own kinsmen from Anathoth. This brief confessional poem reveals something of Jeremiah’s nature. In vs. 20 he prays for the destruction of his personal enemies believing that his own enemies were God’s enemies too. Jeremiah revealed this attitude in several other instances (17:18; 18:23; 20:11). Of course, he and the religious practices of his time fell short of the NT approach of forgiveness for one’s enemies. His attitude is still very common in the world of power politics and terrorism.

The hostility of Jeremiah’s kinsmen may have arisen from Jeremiah’s support for Josiah’s reformation and advocacy of the Deuteronomic centralizing of worship in the temple in Jerusalem. He came from a family of priests who served one of the local sanctuaries which this reform abolished. However, some scholars have seriously questioned this assumption because as a young man he would not have had the authority to take such a strong position. Other scholars believe that the Jerusalem priesthood was behind the plot against Jeremiah, to the point of making an attempt on his life (7:1-15; 26).

Some scholars have tried to rearrange the text by placing 12:6 between 11:18 and 19 to make of the whole passage about the prophet’s persecution read more cogently. These alterations are clearly seen in The Jerusalem Bible: Reader’s Edition (Doubleday 1968). They place emphasis on the persecution Jeremiah suffered from both his own relatives and his community. In 12:1-5 another question comes to the fore: why the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper.

PSALM 54. (Alternate) This brief prayer for God’s help has the normal features of a lament: appeal (vss. 1-2); complaint (vs. 3); petition (vss. 4-5); and vow (vss. 6-7). There is no evidence of any particular date, although the late compilers of the Psalter found a fancied connection with David’s life to attribute it to him.

Vs. 1 contains a reference to God’s name which stands for a virtual second self, agent of God’s working in the world. According to a Jewish source, nothing in the Torah prohibits a person from pronouncing the name of God. Following the destruction of the temple destroyed and the prohibition on pronouncing The Name outside of the temple, pronunciation of the name fell into disuse. Today, it is represented by the Hebrew letters corresponding to the English Y-H-V-H. The use of these letters remind people not to pronounce YHVH as written. By inserting vowels, German scholars gave this tetragrammaton the pronunciation of “Yahweh.”

Vs. 3 states that the cause of the psalmist’s appeal: an unexpected attack by some unknown enemy. This opponent in characterized with considerable feeling as insolent, ruthless and atheist. The psalmist’s faith brings solace, but with a measure of vengeance (vs. 5).

The poet’s trouble appears to have been in the recent past for a sacrifice of thanksgiving has yet to be made (vs. 6). This will not be done as a mere obligation, but as a free-will offering, and not without a sense of satisfaction that he has triumphed over his enemies. The whole prayer shows how human these ancient psalmists were in expressing their feelings so frankly.

JAMES 3:13-4:3, 7-8a. In his excellent study, The Way of Wisdom, the late Professor R.B.Y. Scott described the international context of wisdom literature found in many ancient Middle Eastern cultures. He noted that OT Wisdom bore little that was distinctively drawn from the background of the Law and the Prophets. This little collection of sayings springs straight from Israel’s tradition of moral wisdom within the broad spectrum of humanistic insights. Behind these lay a long history of lay folk wisdom about human experience and relationships. Others have seen in this passage a list of virtues and contrasting vices similar to those found in Greek moral philosophy of the late centuries BCE. Whatever their source and true to Israel’s religious heritage, they had been filtered through an abiding, spiritual relationship with God, as we learn in 4:8a “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

The closest parallel to James’ moral guidance for everyday living may be found in the ethical teachings of the apocryphal book Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. As H.C. Key proposed in his introduction to this document (The Old Testament Pseudepigraphia, Vol. 1: Apocalytpic Literature and Testaments. James H. Charlesworth, editor. London: Dartman, Longman & Todd, 1983), it was probably written in Greek from Syria during the Ptolemaic period in the early 2nd century BCE. Rather than stress obedience to the Law as did the Essenes and the Pharisees, it presented a more universal humanist ethic similar to that of the Stoics. One of the highest virtues of this book is brotherly love which emphasized the negative and harmful consequences of hatred to one’s brother. Key also shows how The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs regarded the Law as “a virtual synonym for wisdom.”

Wisdom, not the Law, receives primacy of place in this passage. Human motivation and relationships receive similar emphasis. Moral conflict exists, James scolds, between the ways of the world and the way of God (4:4). He reaffirmed this distinction with an appeal to scripture (vs. 5), but the text has yet to be found in either the OT, the Apocrypha or any other known Jewish writing. He follows this with another quotation from Proverbs 3:34 as found in the LXX. Vs. 7 is very close to three different quotations from The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs. (Cf. Naphtali 8:4; Simeon 3:5; Benjamin 5:2.

Nonetheless, this least Christological of NT passages does recognize that God’s grace is the source of moral victory in the struggles of every day life. It summarizes this truth in what may be the one preachable text of the whole passage in vs. 8. It also expresses the same deep piety characteristic of earlier Wisdom literature. The devotions of Christians and Jews alike would be the poorer if this text and counterparts in the Psalms did not exist.

MARK 9:30-37. Bound for Jerusalem, Jesus continued teaching his disciples that his death would be his inevitable end of his ministry. If vs. 32 is taken at face value, this would seem to have only confused the disciples. How could this happen to a teacher and healer as appealing as he? On the other hand, if vs. 33 is an accurate description of what happened, one could develop a sinister conspiracy theory about one of the disciples having started the argument. Was it Judas Iscariot whose doubts were already laying the groundwork for his betrayal, perhaps inadvertently? Or could it have been John, the young fisherman who always seemed to stand second in line to Peter, yet wanted to be loved more than the rest?

Whoever it was, they all had missed the point of Jesus’ teaching that he would become a suffering and dying Messiah. Now that they believed he really was the Messiah, they had another agenda. Who among them would have prominence in the Messiah’s kingdom? It took a child set in their midst to show them what serving with him really meant. To be with him in his divinely appointed glory involved humiliation like his. Naturally they didn’t get it.

Do we get it even now? If suffering and dying in loving service to and for others is what is involved, who really wants the cross of discipleship? The principle of it all seems so out of touch with our age with its motifs of selfishness and success.

A few years ago, a lively discussion was carried on in the public media and on the Internet. One of the communications I received came from the moderator of a contemplative faith-sharing forum who had been a teacher in Roman Catholic schools and colleges. He began a discussion on the recent Declaration by the Congregation For The Doctrine of The Faith of the Roman Catholic Church, Dominus Iesus on the Unicity and Salvific Universality Of Jesus Christ and the Church. He said this:

“By now, I’m sure most of you have heard that the Vatican has come out with a statement to the effect that the Roman Catholic Church is the one true Church established by Christ, and the only one capable of guaranteeing the fullness of salvation. This is not a new teaching. The Vatican II documents said the same, as did the new Catechism, only Vatican II was much more affirming of the work of the Spirit in other Christian and non-Christian traditions. The Council also had a gentler, more inviting and dialogical tone to it.

“One reason for the document was that Catholic leadership was upset with some bishops referring to Protestant Churches as Sister Churches, and wanted to make it clear that the Catholic Church was the Mother Church and they the Daughters. Ugghh! (His exclamation.)

“I deeply regret this move by my Church! I’m not sure what good will come from it except to give the Catholic “Right” more fuel for their arrogance and triumphalism. It will also create hardships in ecumenical dialogue, and that is lamentable.”

Anyone who would counter the Roman Catholic Church’s statement by making a similar claim for one’s own faith tradition would do well to read again the words Mark attributed to Jesus in this passage. Faith is not about doctrine or power or privilege in God’s sight. It is about service to the point of sacrifice following Jesus’ example. This can be equally effectively expressed in individual experience and action as in denominational attitudes, actions and public declarations. Most of us will never have the opportunity to formulate our denomination’s stance on any given issue. Each one of us every day will have the chance to show our neighbours how the sacrificial love of God in Christ can bring reconciliation to this strife-torn world. We can do this clearly only with the greatest of humility, as Jesus did with the little child he set among the disciples.

A new book by Bishop J.S. Spong just off the presses presents another view of how Christians can still approach traditional views of the cross with a much expanded understanding. Here is an excerpt from Spong’s own preview of what he is trying to say:

“The cross was not a sacrifice to placate an angry God, but a living portrait of a human life that was no longer controlled by the innate drive to survive. Here was a life free to give itself away, a life with no need to build itself up at another’s expense. This was a new dimension of what it means to be human, what it means to live fully, to love wastefully and to be all that life was meant to be. When I got beneath the level of later explanation, which dominates the gospel narratives, and began to ask what was the Jesus experience that compelled his followers to stretch the words available to them to an infinite degree to enable those words to be big enough to capture their Jesus experience, I heard them saying we have met and encountered in the life of this Jesus everything that we mean by the word “God.”
(September 3, 2009. The Study of Life, Part 6.
Rethinking Basic Christian Concepts in the Light of Charles Darwin. http://secure.agoramedia.com/spong/week364story1_prev.asp)

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INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE
Proper 17 Ordinary 22
Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
August 30, 2009

SONG OF SOLOMON 2:8-13. Biblical scholars still debate what kind of literature this beautiful collection of poems with vividly erotic metaphors really is. Is it dramatic dialogue? Is it a manual for love within the marriage relationship? Is it an allegory of God’s love for Israel or Christ’s love for the church? Or is it a celebration of God’s gift to us of human sexuality? Attributed to Solomon, the text actually comes from Hebrew Wisdom literature of a much later date, but may have had origins in much earlier times.

PSALM 45:1-2, 6-9. This unusual psalm takes the form of an ode by a court poet for a royal marriage. More secular than religious, it appears to refer to a princess of a foreign country wedding the king of Israel.

DEUTERONOMY 4:1-2, 6-9 (Alternate) All of Israel’s former history was measured against the doctrinaire standard set forth here. Attributed to Moses, it was actually composed in the late 7th century BCE. See 2 Kings 22 for the apparent “rediscovery” of the law while the temple was being refurbished during King Josiah’s reign circa 621 BCE. As the whole Old Testament narrative reveals, this standard was an ideal which no former or subsequent generation could meet.

PSALM 15. (Alternate) This psalm teaches the supreme values intended to guide the moral and spiritual life of the truly religious Jew. In many respects it summarizes the highest teachings of the great prophets as well as the laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

JAMES 1:17-27. Because it makes few references to Jesus Christ, the Letter of James was one of the very last to be included in the Christian scriptures. It has more of the flavour of a moral essay attributed to James, the brother of Jesus. It may well be a collection of his sayings compiled after his martyrdom or a formal letter encouraging its recipients to live in a strictly ethical and deliberately spiritual way at a time of threatened persecution.

MARK 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. In this biting rebuke of the Pharisees for their excessive attention to purification rituals, Jesus defined what true piety is: commitment from the heart totally dedicated to loving service of God and for others Quoting from Isaiah 29:13, he condemns their hypocrisy. We can tell from the explicit details of Jewish purification rites in vss. 3-5 that Mark had a Gentile audience in mind.

A MORE COMPLETE ANALYSIS.

SONG OF SOLOMON 2:8-13. Biblical scholars still debate what kind of literature this beautiful collection of poems with vividly erotic metaphors really is. Is it dramatic dialogue? Is it a manual for love within the marriage relationship? Is it an allegory of God’s love for Israel or Christ’s love for the church? Or is it a celebration of God’s gift to us of human sexuality?

The Oxford Companion to the Bible (Oxford University Press, 1993) identifies five different ways it which it has been interpreted through the centuries: A popular Jewish view regarded it as an allegory of the relationship between Yahweh and Israel. Christians reinterpreted this as the relationship between Christ and the Church. The mediaeval monk, Bernard of Clairvaux, wrote eighty-six sermons most of which were based on the allegorical interpretation of only the first two chapters.

Some early Greek versions copied it as a drama with various sections assigned to specific speakers. This theory was popular in the 19th century. Others saw it merely as a collection of lyrical love poetry for which there was ample precedent in other cultures, especially similar collections in Egyptian and Palestinian literature. Still others believed it had liturgical origins, while a few felt that due to the absence of any mention of God, it could be understood as a parable about theological themes such as Israel’s covenant with Yahweh.

Attributed to Solomon, it actually comes from Hebrew Wisdom literature of a much later date, perhaps from the 5th or 4th centuries BCE. It contains words derived from both Persian and Aramaic, leading to a similar conclusion. Its subject matter and vivid imagery made it a popular teaching tool.

Toward the end of the 1st century CE when the Hebrew canon was being finalized, some rabbis objected to its inclusion. One of the great rabbinical leaders of the time is said to have made a persuasive and memorable speech likening it to the Holy of Holies. Another rabbi was quoted as saying that anyone sang it as a secular piece fit only for banquet halls or taverns, that person had no place in the world to come. It has been used in the celebration of Passover in some Jewish traditions.

The passage selected here contains some of the most imaginative lyrics of the whole book. It depicts youthful, passionate romance in full flower. Two voices lend credibility to the dramatic interpretation. Vss. 8-9 are in the voice of the young woman hearing the approach of her lover. Vss. 10-13 are composed as if she was hearing him plead with her to escape with him to the countryside vibrant with the sounds and smells of spring. Because the poet had such sensitivity to how the young woman in love might feel and respond, one has to wonder if the author was a woman.

PSALM 45:1-2, 6-9. It is a pity that this psalm selection is so truncated. It is unusual in that it takes the form of an ode by a court poet for a royal marriage. Vs. 1 makes it evident that this was the poet’s intent. The superscription indicates that it was created by or for the Korahites, one of the families of Levitical priests from the Hebron area. In post-exilic times, they became one of the two great guilds of temple singers. Pss. 42, 44-49, 84-85 and 87-88 may have come from their hymn book.

Despite frequent references to Yahweh, the content of the psalm are more secular than religious. They refer specifically to a princess of a foreign country wedding the king of Israel. It may even have been the queen or a princess from Ophir, possibly in Arabia or East Africa (vs. 9). The first few verses sing the praises of the king. Then the poet turns attention to the beautiful princess who is leaving her father’s house (vs. 10) for a new lord (vs. 1l). The wedding procession has already begun to make it s way to the king’s palace (vs. 12b-15). For its final paean, the poet returns to the king whose marriage to this princess is for one purpose alone: to beget more heirs so that his dynasty will continue. As we have seen from the Davidic narratives in 2 Samuel, the times required the birthing of many sons.

While we may react rather negatively to the traditional patriarchal attitudes of this psalm, we should not completely disregard its significance to the Hebrew tradition. Its inclusion in the Psalter may well have resulted from an allegorized interpretation. The Targum of this psalm, an Aramaic interpretative paraphrase from late pre-Christian times, treated it as an allegory of the marriage of the Messiah to his bride Israel. Early Christian interpreters also followed this approach as Revelation 22:17 appears to suggest, except that the bride in this latter instance is the Church.

DEUTERONOMY 4:1-2, 6-9 (Alternate) All of Israel’s history was measured against the doctrinaire standard set forth here. Attributed to Moses, various parts of the Book of Deuteronomy were actually composed in the late 7th and 6th century BCE. See 2 Kings 22 for the apparent “rediscovery” of the law while the temple was being refurbished during King Josiah’s reign circa 621 BCE. That reformation followed an extended period of gross idolatry and moral decline during the long reign of Manasseh (697-642 BCE). The Deuteronomists regarded Manasseh as the worst of the Davidic monarchs. But as the whole Old Testament narrative reveals, the standard they set was an ideal which no former or subsequent generation could match.

As Deut.1:5 indicates, these are the supposedly the words of Moses as he prepared the Israelites for entry into the Promised Land. In chs. 1-3 he had recited many of the experiences of the Exodus and the wandering in the wilderness. This gave the historical background against which the rest of the book is set. In 3:23-29 he acknowledged that Joshua, not he, will lead them across the Jordan. The intent of this reading was to introduce the Torah, the moral constitution which is to guide the national life in the Israelites new homeland. The details of that constitution begin at 4:44.

Repeated references to observing the statutes and ordinances in this passage add a certain gravity to Moses’ address. Instructions to make these forthcoming laws known “to your children and your children’s children” add dramatic intensity to the moment. The scribes who created this composite work had great literary skill as well as resolute purpose in performing their task.

Reading this brief excerpt leaves no doubt about the rigorous moral life expected of all Israelites. The passage also contains the two of the three central unities of the whole book: Israel is one people and Yahweh is God alone who can be worshiped beside no other god. The third unity does not appear until later in 12:5-14, i.e. there is only one place of worship where an altar is to be set up and sacrifices offered. This latter element was the purpose of Josiah’s reformation, but lasted only a few decades before the Babylonians razed the temple in Jerusalem and led the priesthood and leading citizens of the nation into captivity (598-586 BCE). Yet it was during that captivity that the Book of Deuteronomy took its final shape.

PSALM 15. (Alternate) Where does a person go when seeking guidance in making a decision or light on some persistent affliction? The ancient custom was to repair to some place of worship and seek instruction from an oracle communicated by a priest. This psalm embodies such a practice within the Jewish tradition. It teaches the supreme values intended to guide the moral and spiritual life of the truly religious Jew. In many respects it summarizes the highest teaching of the great prophets as well as the laws found in the Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Here is Torah, literally teaching, in the best sense of that word. The psalm probably dates from the post-exilic period when Torah had achieved its final stages of development.

Instruction often proceeded by a traditional question and answer method such as found here. This parallels the prophetic method we have seen in passages as Micah 6:6-8. The psalm also exhibits liturgical characteristics. But it may have been used more at home in preparing for worship than in the temple itself. It sets forth clearly how the believer is to present himself so as to appear righteous before God and receive God’s blessing. As in the Decalogue on which it may depend, there are ten qualifications (vss.2-5). Most of the sins enumerated emphasize primarily antisocial acts rather than religious transgressions.

The whole psalm consists of three parts similar to a catechism: question, answer and reward. It places significant value on moral integrity and truth. The psalmist must have lived in times when such virtues were lacking. Yet he wrote a tract equally applicable to our times.

JAMES 1:17-27. The Letter of James is one of the anomalies of the New Testament. Because it makes few references to Jesus Christ, it was one of the very last to be included in the Christian scriptures. It has more of the flavour of a moral essay attributed to James, the brother of Jesus. Of course, this claim has been disputed almost from the time the church set about the task of defining the NT canon. It may well be a collection of the sayings of James compiled after his martyrdom or a formal letter encouraging its recipients to live in a strictly ethical and deliberately spiritual way at a time of threatened persecution.

Despite certain inconsistencies, its language is fairly good Greek with a few Semitic phrases here and there. It also has the form of a literary letter typical of the 1st century introducing and developing specific themes. In 5:12 it appears to repeat one saying which Matthew 5:34-37 attributes to Jesus himself. However, the letter lacks any knowledge of the teaching of Paul, but does include some references to Palestinian culture. Scholarly estimates of its origin and date place it in Judea in the 60s CE immediately preceding the Jewish revolt against Rome that ended in the fall of Jerusalem.

This passage contains several good but isolated preaching texts or themes: vss. 17-18; 19-21; 22-25; 26-27. As a whole, it presents the view that those who belong to the believing community must avoid adopting the ethics of its oppressors. It reflects a dependence on God and strict adherence to Judaeo-Christian morality. Like so much other counsel of the NT in the gospels and in the Pauline corpus, it encourages the practice of ethical standards which separate Christians from their easy-going cultural milieu. No permissive “everybody does it” attitude can be found throughout the letter. This high moral standard is most clearly defined in the very last clause in vs. 27.

Nor is this strict emphasis on moral behaviour isolated from the ultimate divine purpose. The idea of the Christian community as “the first fruits” of a new creation comes out in vs. 18 and reverberates throughout the passage. Yet this does not inhibit good living. Rather, those who live in obedience to this strict moral standard find that it liberates and blesses (vs. 25). One might well compare this passage with the opening declarations of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 known as the Beatitudes. Was that the “word” and “law” to which James referred in vss. 22-25?

While Luther, immersed as he was in Pauline theology, condemned the Letter of James as “that wretched book,” a thousand years earlier Augustine had given a more balanced view: “That which is called the Christian religion existed among the ancients, and never did not exist. From the beginning of the human race until Christ came in the flesh, at which time the true religion, which already existed, began to be called Christianity.” The letter has been regarded as a collection of isolated sayings and brief homilies which were not originally unified. But it also has the form of a literary letter, which a disciple of James may have preserved from remembered homilies after his death in 61 CE. These few excerpts from the religious environment of Judean Christianity in the 50s and 60s CE reflect its close identity with Judaism. Jesus and his brother had been raised in a similar religious environment. At the time this letter was composed Christianity might well have been regarded as a Jewish sect. The high Christology found in Paul and the later Christian scriptures had not yet filtered down to the birthplace of the new tradition.

MARK 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. If James represents a Judaic Christian perspective, this confrontation with the Pharisees represents a tradition emanating from a very different milieu. In this biting rebuke of the Pharisees for their excessive attention to purification rituals, Jesus defined what true piety is. Apparently this tradition was sufficiently well known that Matthew also used it in his gospel (Matt. 15:1-20).

We can tell from the explicit details of Jewish purification rites in vss. 3-5 that Mark had a Gentile audience in mind. Most probably, the gospel was written for a Christian community made up primarily of Gentile believers who knew little about the strict Levitical Code which the Pharisees strove so hard to impose on 1st century Judaism. A note in The Complete Gospels (Polebridge Press, 1992) suggests that in this passage the Pharisees are stock characters acting as Jesus’ main antagonists while the disciples act as surrogates for Mark’s audience. In vss. 3-5, he addressed his audience directly on the assumption that they will not comprehend the Jewish rules of food preparation.

The incident took place in Galilee where Jews wrestled with strong Roman and Hellenist cultural influences. Not far from Nazareth in the Galilean hills, Herod Antipas had his capital at Sepphoris until about 20 CE when he constructed a new capital city at Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. The ancient trade and invasion route from Damascus to the Mediterranean passed through the heart of this same region. The Pharisees had reason to fear these foreign threats to Jewish religious traditions. Raised in a more cosmopolitan milieu, Jesus was bound to have more open attitudes than the stricter Judaism that the Pharisees and their Judean followers represented.

Not only that, the Pharisees expertly interpreted the law to suit their own comforts. Quoting from Isaiah 29:13, Jesus condemned their hypocrisy (vss. 6-7). Mark probably knew the Greek version, for that is what he quoted, although not exactly. Isaiah’s prophetic outburst must have been well known in the Christian community because Paul quoted Isa. 13:14 in 1 Cor. 1:19.

Phony piety that is self-serving and corrupting still exists in every religious tradition, Christians not excepted. In the 1950s, every corporate executive on the rise made his religious affiliations as well known as his service and country club associations. One widely used church fund raising method sought out the wealthiest or most prominent person in a community, regardless of his participation in the life of the church, and used him to influence others to give more generously than they might have done without his leadership. In both Canada and the United States in recent years, there has been particularly prominent evidence of pious persons bent on achieving political power.

True piety, Jesus said, means commitment from the heart totally dedicated to loving service of God and for others (vss. 20-23). All of the evil intentions named here as defiling a person result in behaviour that is exactly opposite to the compassionate virtues he identified as the essence of the law. An attitude of loving God and neighbour more accurately represented the sense of communal justice and mutual well-being so characteristic of the great prophets of Israel. Neither they nor Jesus had any desire to abrogate the covenant law. Unlike the Pharisees, however, they did not regard legalistic minutiae as the be all and end all of faithfulness. Theirs was more generous, more compassionate morality which found its strength in a committed relationship to God expressed in thankful worship and service. This should be our moral standard too.

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