Holy Textures

John 18:33-37

"Thus the tension in the Gospels is not between Jesus and 'the Jews.' The tension is between Jesus the Galilean hillbilly proclaimer of the coming of God's Kingdom of non-violent justice and the Judean snobbish elites who are also collaborators of the Roman Empire of violent non-justice."

Year B, Season of Pentecost
Reign of Christ Sunday
Proper 29, Ordinary Time 34
Sunday Between November 20 and November 26 Inclusive
Final Sunday of Pentecost Season

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Here we are, already filled with anticipation of celebrating the impossible possibility⁺ of the birth of one who is fully-God-and-fully-human, but before that happens, we are now called to ponder the impossible possibility of a world order that is fully-Sovereign-and-fully-Servant / fully-of-this-world-and-fully-not-of-this-world / fully-already-accomplished-and-fully-not-yet-complete / fully-powerful-and-fully-non-coercive / fully-judging-and-fully-merciful.

Blessed be the preacher who is able to stand fully in this tension and not resolve it.

John 11:32-44

"Using this text for All Saints is problematic because it confuses RESTORED life with RESURRECTED life."

Year B, Season of Pentecost
All Saints Day
November 1 (or First Sunday in November)

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Bruce Malina once again offers helpful historical background on the customs and behaviours that are described in this passage. (Gospel of John, pages 199-201, and 276-277, see footnote below.)

In the Gospel of John, the story of Lazarus is the final scene that sets the stage for the events of Holy Week. It is a complex story of shame-honour, friendship, trust, public reputation, God's glory, light and life, darkness and death.

Mark 12:38-44

"The widow who has given 'all she had to live on' foreshadows the coming contribution of Jesus to his mission of proclaiming God's Good News of non-violent justice in the face of Rome's violent injustice."

Year B, Season of Pentecost
Proper 27, Ordinary Time 32
Sunday Between November 6 and November 12 Inclusive
23rd Sunday After Pentecost 2009

Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

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Having successfully bested all challengers from the Jerusalem elites, Jesus now honourably moves to the offensive. However, as we move into the denunciation of these elites and the Temple, it is good to remember the Scribe we met last week whom Jesus praised with the high honour of being "not far from the Kingdom of God." Which is another way of remembering that what is being condemned is behaviour, and not a whole class of people.

Mark 12:28-34

"No one in that crowd of both opponents and admirers would dispute, 'Love of God,' as the greatest commandment. But when Jesus goes on and links it to, 'Love of neighbour as oneself,' he has lifted attachment to the welfare of one's neighbours above all other duties and obligations."

Year B, Season of Pentecost
Proper 26, Ordinary Time 31
Sunday Between October 30 and November 5 Inclusive
22nd Sunday After Pentecost 2009

Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

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This week's text is the climax of a day of confrontation between Jesus and the religious authorities in Jerusalem. (See my comment, Jesus' Last Week - Tuesday.)

However, just in case we were writing off all religious elites as hard-hearted, unseeing opponents of Jesus, Mark ends the series of hostile questions with a scribe asking a genuine one.

It is the narrator, Mark, who tells us that the scribe had been positively impressed by Jesus - "seeing that (Jesus) answered them well." We, the readers, should not gloss over this remarkable assessment of Jesus' honour by one of his opponents.

Mark 13:1-8

"Whatever system of government may currently be in power, God's Royal Proclamation comes as a Word that evokes an accounting from - and possibly a confrontation with - earthly rulers. And as Jesus simply observes: don't be led astray, earthly rulers never accept accounting kindly. There will be resistance."

Year B, Season of Pentecost
Proper 28, Ordinary Time 33
Sunday Between November 13 and November 19 Inclusive
24th Sunday After Pentecost 2009

Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

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Zowie, Christmas music has already been playing in the malls for weeks now, and the Lectionary gives us a dire warning about not being led astray - not being deceived by the many who will say, "Here is your salvation."

Matthew 6:25-33

"The opposite of worry / fear / anxiety is faith - or better still - trust."

Year B, Season of Pentecost
Thanksgiving Sunday

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It might be helpful to pause on the word, "Therefore," which begins verse 6:25 and review the "whereas's" that begin in Chapter 5:

• The Beatitudes
• Being salt of the earth and light of the world
• Obeying and fulfilling the law
• Anger and reconciliation
• Adultery in our hearts
• Divorce
• Let your Yes be Yes or your No be No
• Do not retaliate, instead publically expose the unjust authority
• Love your enemies
• Give alms, but don't make a show of it
• Pray, but don't make a show of it
• Fast, but don't make a show of it
• Store up treasures in heaven not on earth
• Make sure your inner light is healthy
• Don't think you can serve two masters: God and wealth

These teachings are the basis for the "Therefore, do not worry" in Verse 25.

It might be helpful to pause on the word, "Therefore," which begins verse 6:25 and review the "whereas's" that begin in Chapter 5:

• The Beatitudes
• Being salt of the earth and light of the world
• Obeying and fulfilling the law
• Anger and reconciliation
• Adultery in our hearts
• Divorce
• Let your Yes be Yes or your No be No
• Do not retaliate, instead publically expose the unjust authority
• Love your enemies
• Give alms, but don't make a show of it
• Pray, but don't make a show of it
• Fast, but don't make a show of it
• Store up treasures in heaven not on earth
• Make sure your inner light is healthy
• Don't think you can serve two masters: God and wealth

These teachings are the basis for the "Therefore, do not worry" in Verse 25.

Matthew 25:31-46

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Wow. Here we are at the end of another liturgical year! And one of my favourite passages too.

Chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew are considered by scholars to be the last of 5 "discourses" (i.e., long sections of teachings by Jesus). It is hypothesized that these 5 sections are intended by Matthew to be a new Torah - a new set of 5 "books" paralleling the 5 books of the Torah attributed to Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The implication of this for present day understanding is that this final section has been significantly edited by Matthew to fit his intentions.

Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

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

Wow. Here we are at the end of another liturgical year! And one of my favourite passages too.

Chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew are considered by scholars to be the last of 5 "discourses" (i.e., long sections of teachings by Jesus). It is hypothesized that these 5 sections are intended by Matthew to be a new Torah - a new set of 5 "books" paralleling the 5 books of the Torah attributed to Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The implication of this for present day understanding is that this final section has been significantly edited by Matthew to fit his intentions.

Matthew 25:14-30

Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

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

Chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew are considered by scholars to be the last of 5 "discourses" (i.e., long sections of teachings by Jesus). It is hypothesized that these 5 sections are intended by Matthew to be a new Torah - a new set of 5 "books" paralleling the 5 books of the Torah attributed to Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The implication of this for present day understanding is that this final section has been significantly edited by Matthew to fit his intentions. Today's text is a case in point.

Matthew 25:1-13

Read the passage: The Message   or   The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

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

Chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew are considered by scholars to be the last of 5 "discourses" (i.e., long sections of teachings by Jesus). It is hypothesized that these 5 sections are intended by Matthew to be a new Torah - a new set of 5 "books" paralleling the 5 books of the Torah attributed to Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The implication of this for present day understanding is that this final section has been significantly edited by Matthew to fit his intentions. Today's text is a case in point.

Matthew 5:1-12 (All Saints Day)

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Matthew 5:1-12 is the opening of Sermon on the Mount. This passage is often refered to as "The Beatitudes," based on the original Latin word for "Blessed."

Presumably, this text is assigned for All Saints Day because "saints" are those who have been beatified.

But even if one is not part of a tradition that recognizes Saints, it is still worth pondering what are the attitudes and behaviours in this life that are pleasing to God, that are a cause for blessing.