Holy Textures

Matthew 10:40-42

Welcoming "in the name of" means welcoming in the honour of; in the reputation of. It means welcoming in a way that is true to the integrity and character and goals of the one being welcomed. In a way that is truly worthy of the one being welcomed.

Year A
Pentecost 2
June 26, 2011
Sunday Between June 26 and July 2 Inclusive
Proper 8, Ordinary Time 13

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: Matthew 10:40-42, The Message   or   Matthew 10:40-42, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Matthew 10:40-42, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Welcome."

This is the end of Jesus' instructions to the 12 disciples that began back in Matthew 10:5.

Again, we get an insight into the importance of hospitality, of welcoming.

Welcoming an individual just did not happen in Jesus' time.

One could only welcome all that individual stood for, and all those tied to them.

So, while "Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me," is a necessary corrective in an individualistic society, Jesus is here simply pointing out the obvious, known, taken-for-granted, social understanding of his time.

Welcoming "in the name of" means welcoming in the honour of; in the reputation of. It means welcoming in a way that is true to the integrity and character and goals of the one being welcomed. In a way that is truly worthy of the one being welcomed.

And since Jesus stood for, and was bonded with, "these little ones," if we want to welcome Jesus into our lives, we must also welcome these little ones in concrete ways that actually meet their real needs. And that could be a simple as (for those of us with access to clean water) giving a cup of cold water. 

David Ewart,
www.holytextures.com

Historical background information in this post is drawn primarily from Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, see link below, pages 66-67.

* Link to Amazon.com Bibliography for Bruce Malina, et. al., Social Science Commentary on ... The Synoptic Gospels; The Gospel of John; The Book of Acts; The Letters of Paul; The Book of Revelation; and others.

Matthew 10:40-42 (NRSV)

   ⁴⁰ "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; ⁴² and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." 

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Return to top of post.

Matthew 10:40-42 (The Message)

   ⁴⁰ "We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. ⁴¹ Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God's messenger. Accepting someone's help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. ⁴² Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." 

Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Return to top of post.

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

Matthew 10:24-39

We all know how to lose our life so that it is lost. The trick is to figure out how to lose one's life so that it will be found. And the key to that mystery is to lose our life for Jesus' sake. For Jesus' purpose, aim, or end.

Year A
Pentecost **
Not Used in 2011
Sunday Between June 19 and June 25 Inclusive
Proper 7, Ordinary Time 12

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: Matthew 10:24-39, The Message or Matthew 10:24-39, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Matthew 10:24-39, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "."

Quite frankly, I'm not sure why this lesson is part of the Lectionary. Where's the Good News? We should not be naive or blind to the warnings given here. We do need to know this. But as a Sunday sermon?

Verses 24-25. A disciple isn't above the teacher. OK. Got that. Never thought otherwise actually.

The unidentified "they" in Verse 25 show the power of gossip in Jesus' world. His hearers would know that "they" are the scribes and Pharisees who are trying to destroy Jesus' public reputation by saying that he casts out demons by the authority of Beelzebul. And if "they" will do that to Jesus, his followers had better be prepared for worse.

Verses 26-27. The command to be open and transparent is a high value in the peasant world of Jesus' followers. Any attempt at secrecy was met with suspicion and distrust. Unlike the scribes and Pharisees who were plotting behind Jesus' back, Jesus urges his followers to be open and public.

Verses 28-31. For the second and third time, Jesus counsels his followers, "do not be afraid."

His first advice for how to combat fear was to be open and public.

Here his encouragement is to remember how precious we are to God. Those who persecute us here on earth can only kill our body, but cannot kill our soul.

Verses 32-33. This should be read in a tone of affirmation and reward; not as a stern warning. Imagine being a peasant nobody who will be acknowledged before God in Heaven. Unheard of! At the time of Jesus only elites had access to - were acknowledged by - the highest authority.

Verses 34-38. It is difficult for us in contemporary Western cultures to realize how shocking was Jesus' associating with lepers, tax collectors, and women. Paradoxically, Jesus' radical hospitality is the source of the division he says will happen.

Bruce Malina (Page 65, see footnote below.) provides an excellent comment on the social dilemma the followers of Jesus faced:

Given the sharp sense of social stratification prevalent in antiquity, persons engaging in inappropriate social relations risked being cut off from the networks on which their social positions depended. In traditional societies this was taken with deadly seriousness. Alienation from family or clan could literally be a matter of life or death, especially for the elite, who would risk everything by the wrong kind of association with the wrong kind of people.

Since the inclusive Jesus groups demanded just this kind of association across kinship and status lines, the situation depicted here is indeed realistic ... and the price to be paid for it spelled out. ... Jesus-group members take the place of one's original family.

Verse 39. This wisdom saying guides many mainstream liberal Christians - and maybe even not so libel ones too!

We all know how to lose our life so that it is lost. The trick is to figure out how to lose one's life so that it will be found.

And the key to that mystery is to lose our life for Jesus' sake. For Jesus' purpose, aim, or end. 

In this context, losing one's life might mean: losing one's social status - becoming disgraced in the eyes of others - because one chooses to associate with those outside of one's social circle. Hanging out with the lowest and the least, enemies, or maybe even one's actual neighbours.

David Ewart,
www.holytextures.com

Historical background information in this post is drawn primarily from Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, see link below, pages 65-66.

* Link to Amazon.com Bibliography for Bruce Malina, et. al., Social Science Commentary on ... The Synoptic Gospels; The Gospel of John; The Book of Acts; The Letters of Paul; The Book of Revelation; and others.

Matthew 10:24-39 (NRSV)

²⁴ "A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; ²⁵ it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

²⁶ "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. ²⁷ What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. ²⁸ Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ And even the hairs of your head are all counted. ³¹ So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

³² "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; ³³ but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

³⁴ "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

³⁵ For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
³⁶ and one's foes will be members of one's own household.
³⁷ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸ and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Return to top of post.

Matthew 10:24-39 (The Message)

²⁴ "A student doesn't get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn't make more money than his boss. ²⁵ Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, 'Dungface,' what can the workers expect?

²⁶ "Don't be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. ²⁷ So don't hesitate to go public now.

²⁸ "Don't be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.

²⁹ "What's the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. ³⁰ He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! ³¹ So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries.

³² "Stand up for me against world opinion and I'll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. ³³ If you turn tail and run, do you think I'll cover for you?

³⁴ "Don't think I've come to make life cozy. I've come to cut—³⁵ make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. ³⁶ Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. ³⁷ If you prefer father or mother over me, you don't deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don't deserve me.

³⁸ "If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve me. ³⁹ If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me.

Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Return to top of post.

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

Matthew 9:35 -- 10:8, (9-23)

Jesus then instructs his disciples on how to live as itinerants, what to expect, and how to handle difficulties. These teachings were important because his followers would only have known village life - relying on family and kin for sustenance - and would be totally unfamiliar with the social realities of being an outsider.

Year A
Pentecost **
Not Used in 2011
Sunday Between June 12 and June 18 Inclusive
Proper 6, Ordinary Time 11

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: Matthew 9:35 -- 10:8, (9-23), The Message   or   Matthew 9:35 -- 10:8, (9-23), The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Matthew 9:35 -- 10:8, (9-23), for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Receptivity."

The lesson given for this Sunday has a shorter version, 9:35 - 10:8, and a longer one, 9:35 - 10:23. My choice of a shorter version is 10:5-23 since this gives more of the direct teaching of Jesus to his followers.

Verses 9:35-38. Matthew reports that Jesus now travels through villages and towns / cities: teaching, proclaiming, and curing. These are the activities of a prophet and Holy Man of Israel.

The "crowds" would be non-elite peasants, and they indeed would not have leaders. Not have anyone who took notice of their needs. Jesus then shifts the image from sheep without a shepherd, to a crop without harvesters.

Note that Jesus sees the crowds as belonging to the Lord of the Harvest. They are not nobodies.

Verses 10:1-4. Jesus has been teaching, proclaiming, and curing; but he authorizes his disciples only to cure by giving them authority over the unclean spirits that are the source of illness.

The fact that there are exactly 12 disciples - instead of 10 or 14 or whatever - is no doubt to parallel and symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus is reaching out to all of Israel.

Verses 5-6. Note the instruction here to not go outside of the people, Israel. The "lost sheep" is a reference to Matthew 9:36, and refers primarily to the poor and peasants who had no leaders.

Verses 7-8. Here Jesus authorizes his followers to proclaim the Good News as well as to cure. Note that in this context, "proclaim" has the force of creating a new social order as when a King declares a new law. Jesus is not simply texting a juicy tidbit.

Jesus then instructs them on how to live as itinerants, what to expect, and how to handle difficulties. These teachings were important because his followers would only have known village life - relying on family and kin for sustenance - and would be totally unfamiliar with the social realities of being an "outsider."

Verses 9-10. Jesus gives instructions for living as an itinerant; traveling light and relying on hospitality and "payment for services" for sustenance.

Verses 11-15. Jesus then tells his disciples how to receive hospitality from strangers when it is offered; and how to react when it is not. "Shaking the dust off your feet" would be the modern equivalent of "giving them the one finger salute as you leave." That is, it was a rude expression for rude treatment.

Verse 16. Jesus then offers common sense advice that just because you are doing God's work does not grant you immunity from the faults and failings of human nature.

Verse 17-20. This seems more like a foreshadowing of what would happen later to Jesus and his followers than any present concern.

Forecasting this experience demonstrates Jesus authority and closeness with God. It also has the effect of assuring his followers that:

1. Opposition is not a sign of failure or that Jesus was not trustworthy as a leader. And
2. Paradoxically, getting arrested is the only way you will have a chance to speak to the elites, so use it to testify. And
3. Don't worry about what you will say - God's Spirit will speak through you.

Verses 21-22. This testifies to the severity of the disruption that following Jesus will bring. The Jesus group will become our new family, our new primary kinship.

Verse 23. Again, another paradox. Fleeing persecution is an occasion for ensuring that their testimony is taken to other towns and cities. "Before the Son of Man comes" is either Matthew himself inserting a comment for his own community during the time of persecution following Jesus' death and resurrection; or Jesus was babbling. The comment seems to be completely out of context within the text itself as the sending out of the 12 at this point in Jesus' ministry was not anticipated to be a prelude to the coming of the Son of Man.

David Ewart,
www.holytextures.com

Historical background information in this post is drawn primarily from Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, see link below, pages 62-65.

* Link to Amazon.com Bibliography for Bruce Malina, et. al., Social Science Commentary on ... The Synoptic Gospels; The Gospel of John; The Book of Acts; The Letters of Paul; The Book of Revelation; and others.

Matthew 9:35 -- 10:8, (9-23) (NRSV)

   ³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

   ^10-1 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. ² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

   ⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶ but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' ⁸ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. ⁹ Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, ¹⁰ no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. ¹¹ Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. ¹² As you enter the house, greet it. ¹³ If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

   ¹⁶ "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; ¹⁸ and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹ When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; ²⁰ for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ²¹ Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; ²² and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Return to top of post.

Matthew 9:35 -- 10:8, (9-23) (The Message)

   ³⁵ Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. ³⁶ When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd.
³⁷ "What a huge harvest!" he said to his disciples. "How few workers! ³⁸ On your knees and pray for harvest hands!"

   ^10-1 The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives. ² This is the list of the twelve he sent:

      Simon (they called him Peter, or "Rock"), 
      Andrew, his brother, 
      James, Zebedee's son, 
      John, his brother, 
    ³ Philip, 
      Bartholomew, 
      Thomas, 
      Matthew, the tax man, 
      James, son of Alphaeus, 
      Thaddaeus, 
    ⁴ Simon, the Canaanite, 
      Judas Iscariot (who later turned on him).

   ⁵ Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge: 
      "Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don't try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. ⁶ Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. ⁷ Tell them that the kingdom is here. ⁸ Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.

   ⁹ "Don't think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. ¹⁰ You don't need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.

   ¹¹ "When you enter a town or village, don't insist on staying in a luxury inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave.

   ¹² "When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. ¹³ If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation. ¹⁴ If they don't welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way. ¹⁵ You can be sure that on Judgment Day they'll be mighty sorry—but it's no concern of yours now.

   ¹⁶ "Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.

   ¹⁷ "Don't be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. ¹⁸ Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! ¹⁹ And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; ²⁰ the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.

   ²¹ "When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. ²² There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. ²³ It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you've run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived. 

Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Return to top of post.

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

If you stop and really think about, the most difficult 'miracle' in today's text is not the raising of the girl from death, nor the healing of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. The most difficult healing was including the despised tax collector Matthew back into community. Don't believe it? Try thinking of a person your community despises and invite them to church with you.

Year A
Pentecost **
Not Used in 2011
Sunday Between June 5 and June 11 Inclusive
Proper 5, Ordinary Time 10

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26, The Message   or   Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Hospitality."

Following the Sermon on the Mount, Chapters 5 through 7, there follows a series of healing stories and calling / discipleship stories:

• Cleansing a man with leprosy. (8:1-4)
• Healing a Roman army officer's servant (8:5-13)
• Healing Peter's mother and others at Peter's house (8:14-17)
• The costs of following Jesus (8:18-22)
• Stilling a storm (8:23-27)
• Casting out two violent demons (8:28-34)
• Healing a paralyzed man (9:1-8)
• Calling the tax collector, Matthew (9:9-13)
• New wine cannot be put in old wine skins (9:14-17)
• Healing a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, and
  bringing back to life the daughter of a synagogue leader (9:18-26)
• Healing a man who is blind (9:27-31)
• Casting out a silencing demon (9:32-34)
• The crowds are drawn to Jesus - the harvest is plentiful, but
  the labourers are few (9:35-38)

The effect of Chapters 8 and 9 is to show that Jesus is not only inspiring, but is also able to put his words into actions.

But for those of us with a scientific and modern medicine understanding, it is crucial to focus NOT on the actions, but on the inter-actions - the relationships - between Jesus and those who come to him in order for us to truly get what Matthew is wanting us to know.

Disease or Demon?

One distinction that is important to note is the difference between healing a disease and casting out a demon. At the time of Jesus, demons, or unclean spirits, were understood to be part of unseen realm of being. Evil attacked good, and anyone whose behaviour deviated in the least from socially accepted norms would be closely scrutinized and evaluated for the cause of their deviant behaviour. If the cause was understood to be an unclean spirit, the person would be forced out of their family and community to live at the margins.

Jesus himself does not behave "normally." And in Matthew 12:22-32 (see also Mark 3:23-27 and Luke 11:17-22), Jesus has to defend himself against the accusation of being an agent of the ruler of the demons, Beelzebub.

So in casting out unclean spirits, Jesus is demonstrating that he is a Holy Man of God with greater authority and power than the unclean spirits. This is illustrated by the frequent honouring of Jesus by the demons - they are the first to address him with such high titles as "Son of God."

The focus for us today is NOT to debate the reality of unclean spirits.

We need to focus on where we stand in relation to the authority of Jesus to be able to act decisively in our lives for our good.

Note that although there is no personification of unclean spirits, the story of Jesus "rebuking the wind and the sea" to calm the storm (Matthew 8:23-27) is a similar demonstration of Jesus' authority over unseen evil spirits which were causing the storm.

Not "Faith" or "Belief," But Trust and Loyalty
Not "Healing," But Hospitality

When we pay close attention to the relationships between Jesus and others in the healing stories, we see over and over how it is the other's trust in Jesus that is key to their healing:

• "Let it be done to you according to your faith" (8:13)
• "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" (8:26)
• "When Jesus saw their faith ..." (9:2)
• "Take heart daughter, your faith has made you well" (9:22)
• "Jesus said to (the two blind men), 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?'" (9:28) 

In the Bible, illness is a disturbance at two levels. One is the physical symptom: leprosy, fever, blindness, "illness," paralysis, bleeding, etc.

The second is the disturbed social relations. Depending on the symptom, every ill person would experience some degree of social isolation; some degree of being seen as unclean; being seen as someone to keep at a distance.

What is revolutionary about Jesus is not so much his healing, but his hospitality. Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11). No self-respecting Jewish man would associate with these sorts of people. But Jesus does, and his radical hospitality which heals social disruptions, is the first step of his healing which then addresses the physical symptoms which had caused people to be socially isolated and shunned.

Jesus' radical hospitality draws not only the sick and sinners, but also a Roman army officer and a leader of a synagogue - and Jesus receives them equally. This hospitality is the mercy rather than the ritual and social correctness that Jesus refers to in Matthew 9:13.

This hospitality is illustrated by the story of the two daughters in Matthew 9:18-26.

Notice the parallels between the two stories:

Synagogue Leader: "Come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
Bleeding Woman: "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well."

The convictions, "she will live," and "I will be made well," are NOT "faith" or "belief" as the translation in the NRSV has it. They are trust and loyalty, a deep openness to this Holy Man of God, Jesus.

Jesus explicitly says that it is this trust that has made her well. And not only does her physical symptom cease, but in referring to the woman as "daughter," Jesus publicly affirms her loyalty - her bond of kinship - with him.

Notice that when Jesus arrives at the leader's house, he does NOT say to the crowd of mourners, "Stick around and watch me." Nor does he claim that he will actually bring someone back to life from death. Jesus is not in the magic trick business. He is not in the celebrity, fame and glory business. He is in the being-the-real-presence-of-God business. He sends the crowds away; and he down plays what he is doing because his focus is on this one daughter and her father's plea.

Sin, Sickness and Second Guessing

Because we tend to focus on the action in these stories, we get misled into fruitless conversations about miracles. How did Jesus do that? Did that really happen? Why doesn't that sort of thing happen today? And haven't science and medicine proven that demons and spirits do not cause illness? So whatever happened back then really has no relevance now.

But if we focus on the inter-actions - the relationships - we see that what is going on is social healing.

Jesus receives everyone: Roman army officer, synagogue leader; tax collector; bleeding woman; leper. People who would otherwise despise each other; avoid being in the same room with each other; are connected because they connect with Jesus. The healing and forgiveness that Jesus provides restores relationships, restores the broken bonds of community.

The effect of Jesus' life and teachings was that people no longer accepted social brokenness - sin and sickness and second guessing (i.e. lack of trust and loyalty) - as irreversible; as powers that one could do nothing about. Jesus demonstrated that there was power, was authority, that could - and did - do something about these things.

Aside: It is my conviction that modern Western science and medicine arose in the Christian West precisely because of this Christian mindset toward sickness. They are the result of Jesus' life.

Jesus demonstrated that the power of God's presence was embedded in mercy and not in religious rituals (Matthew 9:13). But one had to stop being hopeless and hapless, stop being isolated; and start connecting and trusting. Because "mercy" is a relationship.

If you stop and really think about, the most difficult "miracle" in today's text is not the raising of the girl from death, nor the healing of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. The most difficult healing was including the despised tax collector Matthew back into community. Don't believe it? Try thinking of a person your community despises and invite them to church with you.

David Ewart,
www.holytextures.com

Historical background information in this post is drawn primarily from Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, see link below, pages 59-62.

* Link to Amazon.com Bibliography for Bruce Malina, et. al., Social Science Commentary on ... The Synoptic Gospels; The Gospel of John; The Book of Acts; The Letters of Paul; The Book of Revelation; and others.

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 (NRSV)

   ⁹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. ¹⁰ And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" ¹² But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."

   ¹⁸ While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live." ¹⁹ And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. ²⁰ Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak,
²¹ for she said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well." ²² Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well. ²³ When Jesus came to the leader's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, ²⁴ he said, "Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. ²⁵ But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. ²⁶ And the report of this spread throughout that district. 

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Return to top of post.

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 (The Message)

   ⁹ Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, "Come along with me." Matthew stood up and followed him.

   ¹⁰ Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew's house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus' followers. "What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riff-raff?"

   ¹² Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? ¹³ Go figure out what this Scripture means: 'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders."

   ¹⁸ As he finished saying this, a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, "My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live." ¹⁹ Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along.

   ²⁰ Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. ²¹ She was thinking to herself, "If I can just put a finger on his robe, I'll get well." Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: "Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you're well." ²² The woman was well from then on.

   ²³ By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbors bringing in casseroles. ²⁴ Jesus was abrupt: "Clear out! This girl isn't dead. She's sleeping." They told him he didn't know what he was talking about. ²⁵ But when Jesus had gotten rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl's hand, and pulled her to her feet—alive. ²⁶ The news was soon out, and traveled throughout the region. 

Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Return to top of post.

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

Matthew 7:21-29

It is not enough for us to hear these words of Jesus; to study them; to be inspired by them; to have hopes / aspirations / dreams based on them. We must ACT on them; practice them; live them in our everyday lives.

Year A
Ephiphany 9
March 6, 2011
Sunday Between March 4 (or March 3 in a Leap Year) and March 7 Inclusive,
if not observed as Transfiguration Sunday.
OR
Pentecost **
Not Used in 2011
Sunday Between May 29 and June 4 Inclusive, if after Trinity Sunday.
Proper 4, Ordinary Time 9

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: Matthew 7:21-29, The Message   or   Matthew 7:21-29, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Listen to or download an MP3 of this post:

Matthew 7:21-29

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "By Word And Action."

Matthew 7:21-29 concludes the Sermon on the Mount. See my post, Sermon on the Mount, Matthew, Chapters 5, 6, and 7, for an short overview of these chapters.

Verses 21-23, continue the teaching against false prophets that began in Matthew 7:12-20.

But here Jesus ups the ante. For the usual warnings about false appearances (crying "Lord, Lord") and false promises ("prophesying in your name") and judging by the results ("casting out demons in your name") are subjected to what is truly at the heart of Jesus message:

doing the will of my Father in heaven.

Luke 9:51-62

"I'm hoping Jesus is saying: Make sure that following me is what guides all that you do. Don't put me aside to go bury your father; make following me guide you as you bury your father. ... I admit my hope is but a poor scrap of what Jesus has actually said, but I remember a time when even a scrap was good enough for Jesus to grant a woman's heart-felt desire."

Year C
Season of Pentecost
Sunday Between June 27 to July 2 Inclusive
Proper 8, Ordinary Time 13
June 27, 2010, Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

Read the lesson: Luke 9:51-62, The Message;   or   Luke 9:51-62, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Luke 9:51-62, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Hard Sayings." 

The Lectionary takes a big leap from last week's lesson, Luke 8:26-39, to today's. That's not so bad, except that the entire context for today's reading has been skipped over. Specifically:

• Luke 9:18-27. Jesus asks, "Who do you say I am?" And then teaches, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."
• Luke 9:28-36. The transfiguration of Jesus, and the voice from Heaven saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him."

These passages are the turning points from which Jesus now "set his face to go to Jerusalem." (Verse 51.)

And the passage for today is such a smorgasbord of disconnected events and sayings, that I sometimes wish I could invite the planners of the Lectionary to come and lead the service and preach the sermon. "Come and preach the Good News from this text you have chosen!"

Nonetheless, I'm reminded of that other beggar for Good News who would be happy with even the scraps that fell from the table for the dogs to eat, Matthew 15:27, and trust that like her, my faith will be sufficient for the preaching of this text!

Luke 8:26-39

"The name 'Legion' has a double meaning. Literally, it means, 'Many, thousands, multitudes.' But it also alludes to the occupying Roman soldier legions which numbered 3,000 to 6,000 each. Many Israelites felt the Roman legions were another form of demonic occupation."

Year C
Season of Pentecost
Sunday Between June 19 to June25 Inclusive
Proper 7, Ordinary Time 12
June 20, 2010, Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

Read the lesson: Luke 8:26-39, The Message;   or   Luke 8:26-39, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Luke 8:26-39, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Who Are We?" 

The previous verses had demonstrated Jesus' power over the demons within nature by calming a storm, now we will see Jesus' power over the demons within people by calming a wild man.

The description of the behaviour in verses 27 and 29 is exactly how a possessed person behaves: shouting, naked, living among graves; and how the community responds: isolating, guarding, chaining.

Luke 7:36--8:3

"Just as the host is thinking to himself, 'Doesn't Jesus know what sort of person this woman is?' Jesus tells a story to make plain that he does indeed know what sort of woman she is, and more than that, knows what sort of person his host is as well. Ouch."

Year C
Season of Pentecost
Sunday Between June 12 to June 18 Inclusive
Proper 6, Ordinary Time 11
June 13, 2010, Third Sunday After Pentecost

Read the lesson: Luke 7:36--83, The Message;   or   Luke 7:36--8:3, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Luke 7:36--8:3, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Unexpected Happenings." 

Meal times are rich with assumed, unspoken, expectations and customs. And meals with invited guests are even more so. What food will be served? What drink will be served? Who will sit beside whom? In what order will people be served? What will be "polite" conversation? What thanks are to be offered? To whom? By whom? Etc. Fortunately, Bruce Malina, et. al., gives helpful background on first century meals. (See footnote below.)

This lesson from Luke both reveals and takes for granted many such meal time customs in Jesus' day.

Luke 7:11-17

"I'm left wondering how often I prefer being dead to being obedient. I wonder how many times, Jesus' command to, "Rise," has fallen on deaf ears?"

Year C
Season of Pentecost
Sunday Between June 5 to June 11 Inclusive
Proper 5, Ordinary Time 10
June 6, 2010, Second Sunday After Pentecost

Read the lesson: Luke 7:11-17, The Message;   or   Luke 7:11-17, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Luke 7:11-17, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "What Is On Your Resume?" 

In Luke's narrative, this story is the culmination that leads to the gossip about Jesus reaching the point that John the Baptist sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus:

Are you the one who is to come, or are we to await for another?
Luke 7:20

Jesus will respond to their query in his typical fashion - NOT by claiming the truth of his reputation - that would be dishonourable bragging. Rather, he responds by pointing to his words and actions, and leaving it up to the other to make their own assessment:

Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them.
Luke 7:22
(Recall how this list matches the passage from Isaiah 61:1-2 with which Jesus began his ministry, Luke 4:16-21)

This lectionary passage is evidence of the last two items on this list: the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.

John 16:12-15

"we need to hear this brief section from Chapter 16, not as Jesus giving a lecture on the doctrine of the Trinity, but as a personally intense commitment of abiding, continuing, present love / loyalty / protection / guidance / bonding with his followers then - and now - and always."

Year C
Season of Pentecost
Trinity Sunday
First Sunday After Pentecost Sunday
May 30, 2010

Read the lesson: John 16:12-15, The Message;   or   John 16:12-15, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, John 16:12-15, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "to be added." 

Anyone with a Red-Letter edition of this Gospel - with the words of Jesus printed in red - will know that this passage comes in the second half of a long speech by Jesus to his disciples at their last meal together before he is arrested and brutally executed.

It began way back in John 13:1, where John comments:

Now, before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart this world and go to the Father.

And finishes at the end of Chapter 17, Verse 26, where Jesus concludes:

I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.