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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. (And that's what I'll comment on here.)
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Following the Sermon on the Mount, Chapters 5 through 7, there follows a series of healing stories and calling / discipleship stories:
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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.
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In terms of the Lectionary, we are now picking up where we left Matthew back in the Season of Epiphany in January and February!
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:
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This passage which ends the Book of Matthew is commonly referred to as The Great Commission.
The commissioning can be highlighted by the verbs in verses 19 and 20:
These verbs represent the key activities that Jesus wants his followers to be doing.
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Verse 37. "The feast" refers to the last of the three Jewish pilgrimages festivals / feasts, Sukkoth, or festival of Booths / Tabernacles. This text is being read on our Christian Day of Pentecost - which is the second of the pilgrimage festivals, Shavuot, or feast of Weeks. This detail is important simply to avoid confusing the two different festivals, and the time sequence.
Bruce Malina comments that the Festival of Booths included prayers for winter rains and the renewal of sunlight. These two elements are addressed by Jesus:
Thus Jesus presents himself as the answer to the prayers being made.
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This text stands as a book end to the story of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). In Babel, the story begins with one language and a common understanding and purpose, but ends with many languages, confusion and scattering. In Acts the story begins with many languages, and ends with many languages, but contains in the middle a common hearing about God's deeds of power (verse 11).
Unfortunately, unlike the story of Babel, this story does not contain within it any cautionary tale against human hubris. It is absolutely crucial in reading this text aright to truly pause and ponder the question asked in verse 12, "What does this mean?"
Pentecost Sunday
Acts 2:1-21
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I want to begin my reflection today by asking you to recall the first time you saw a movie with special effects. … I’m old enough to remember seeing Cecil B. DeMille’s, “Ten Commandments,” when it was first released. Sitting in the darkened theatre as a child, watching Charlton Heston lead the people between the walls of raging water as they crossed the Red Sea. It was pretty amazing back then. But it was pretty primitive and hokey by today’s standards. Back then we could see the seam where the two images were glued together. Today, special effects must be seamless; must be an integrated aspect of the story.
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Chapter 17 concludes the long, final speach of Jesus to his followers that began way back in Chapter 13.
Verses 1-8 constitute the beginning of a prayer in which Jesus reiterates his relationship with; authority from; and activities for God.
Verses 9-19 are prayers on behalf of Jesus' followers.
Verses 20-26 are prayers on behalf of those who will become followers.
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This passage continues from last week's reading, and is part of Jesus' final speech to his followers before his arrest, trial, torture, and brutal execution.
It follows the classic form of a farewell speech: addressing the survivors' needs and fears; giving instructions for their future behaviour; giving glimpses of the otherwise-unseen-but-present other world, and of immediate future events.
It is also very typically non-linear. John's reporting of Jesus is not concerned with "history:" what Jesus actually said; where he went; who he met; etc., etc. John wants us to SEE Jesus for who he really is. And the kind of SEEING that John is meaning requires adapting a sideways glance - finding the crack in everything (a la Leonard Cohen). That is why John's reporting of Jesus is so convoluted and confusing to us: he repeats and circles around; confounding our linear "seeing" so that we might really SEE.
Aside: For more on this see my note (no pun intended) Seeing Jesus.
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This passage and Psalm 23 are probably the most widely read passages at funeral or memorial services.
And no wonder. These words of Jesus address in a most personal and direct way our questions about death and what will happen next.
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This passage uses actual life experiences that would have been very familiar to Jesus' followers - the care of sheep. It was also widely and well established as an image to describe the role of God, kings, Moses, and other leaders in their care of the people (who are similarly also described as being the sheep).
Paradoxically, actual shepherds were scorned and believed to be untrustworthy and dishonourable. They were smelly; they worked at night; they worked in the hills among wild animals and wild people (bandits and other outlaws); they were away from their homes and women and so did not watch over and guard them as honourable men did.
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I am going "off lectionary" in order to preach a series of sermons on S.O.S. - Soil for Our Souls, Spiritual Practices that Provide Rich Soil for Our Souls to Flourish. Check the new web site www.soilforoursouls.com. Below is a sermon I have preached on the John text.
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This passage continues telling how the risen Christ was experienced by his followers; this time with the focus being on “doubting” Thomas.
Seeing Life
We know that the texts in the Bible were written down for folks like you and me – people who were not alive at the time of Jesus; people who would only know about Jesus if those who were there wrote down their memories so that they could be told to future generations.
The last few verses in John make this explicitly clear. The “you” in “these are written so that you may come to believe,” is you and you and you and me. These are written so we here today might believe. And, come to believe, as Jesus points out, “without having seen.”
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Verses 13-20 are part of the Lectionary reading for Year A, August 21 to 27, but I am using it during Lent this year to give my congregation a clearer sense of the events that led to Jesus' arrest, trial, torture and execution.
Interestingly, this pivotal passage occurs outside of the "home turf" of Jesus and his followers, in the district of Caesarea Philippi north of Galilee.
Jesus has been traveling about doing signs, teaching and healing. This has resulted in crowds being drawn to him. It is now time to do some assessing.
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My comments for this text are drawn directly from, Social Sciences Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Second Edition, 2003, by Bruce J. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh, Fortress Press.
Matthew has made extraordinary claims for the unknown son of an unknown carpenter from a backwater unknown hamlet. If we are to believe Matthew, his claims about Jesus must pass the severest test.
In Job, Satan acts as a secret agent of God who tests the loyalty of Job through a series of tragic calamities. Indeed, the name "Satan," comes from the Persian for just such a person - a secret agent of the King who secretly tests subjects loyalty to the King.
I was away for Transfiguration Sunday. But I had the good fortune to hear an excellent sermon preached by a colleague which I have posted here.
Until the Day Dawns
Transfiguration Sunday
February 3, 2008
Ryerson United Church
Vancouver, BC
The Rev. Debra Bowman
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Having interrupted readings from Matthew for Epiphany and Baptism by skipping over to John last Sunday, we are back at Matthew this week. But the skipping has omitted the story of Jesus' trial / tempting (this will be told in a few more weeks on the first Sunday of Lent). Instead, we repeat the calling of the first disciples.
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Click here to read my quick introduction to how to read the Gospel of John.
This text is John's introduction to Jesus.
When reading the New Testament, it is crucial to remember that in his own time, and in the lifetimes of the writers of the Bible, Jesus was a complete unknown outside of his circle of followers.
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One of the few agreements between all 4 of the Gospels: Matthew Mark, Luke, and John, is that the public ministry of Jesus begins with the proclamations / testimony of John the Baptist about Jesus. While the exact wording of John's testimony varies between them, all point to Jesus as greater than John.
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It is difficult to be confident of the actual historicity of the events recorded in Matthew and Luke about the birth of Jesus.
Like our own family stories, they are recalled by second and third generations as a way of informing responses to questions of their identity: Who are we? How did we get to be here? Who were our ancestors and how were their lives formed? What events in their lives resulted in us being the people we have become? What honour and mandate have we inherited from our ancestors? What honour and mandate must we bestow on our descendants?
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Verse 1 - "In the time of King Herod" This King Herod died in 4 BC.
- "wise men from the East" They were astrologers, probably not kings.
Verse 2 - "observed his star at its rising" probably refers to a comet. "At its rising" could also be translated as "at the place of the rising of the sun, i.e., the east." Celestial events such as this were understood to be omens of the future. That this comet is understood to be a sign of the birth of a "child who has been born King of the Jews" is particularly frightening to Herod since HE is King of the Jews and this unknown child is a threat to him and his heirs.
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Verse 1:18 - "engaged" is misleading. Mary and Joseph have been betrothed - that is, solemnly contracted by their families to be married at some later date.
- "she was found to be with child" is a curious use of the passive voice. Who has done the finding? The text gives no indication. The fact that Mary is pregnant before she and Joseph have married is shameful in the extreme - both for Mary and her family. That the child is "from the Holy Spirit" confuses the situation since that is a great honour. In hindsight, it is the honour that has won the day. However, at the time, and in the actual circumstance, it is Mary's shame that guides Joseph's initial response.
We're doing a Christmas Pageant this week, so I haven't gotten to a text this week. But I have just finished posting a brilliant sermon from my friend, George Hermanson at www.georgehermanson.com.
George starts with an observation about how waiting helps shape our emotions, helps us to sift and sort healthy from unhealthy ones; and then how Joy is the antidote that overcomes the false comfort that fear would have us live with. Check it out.
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Luke's historical details for the birth of Jesus are problematic.
Luke 1:5, "In the days of King Herod," who died in 4 BC.
Luke 2:1, "In those days a decree went out from Emperor (or Caesar) Augustus that all the world should be registered," places the birth anytime between 27 BC to 14 AD, the length of the very long reign of Augustus.
Luke 2:2, "This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria," places the date at 6 or 7 AD.
Most scholars agree that Luke and Matthew's reference to "In the days of King Herod," is the most reliable reference and that Jesus was born sometime before Herod's death in 4 BC.
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Note: I do not follow the Lectionary during Advent. In my humble opinion, folks need to hear the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus early and often to help counteract the massive promotion of Santa Claus and shopping. I also promote the singing of Christmas carols starting with Advent 1. For an excellent reflection on the Matthew text for Advent 1, check out this sermon by George Hermanson, Being A Light In Difficult Times.
Sandra Severs has produced some excellent Advent resources, Empire and Incarnation, which you can use by clicking here.
The history of the Church's reflection on the stories of Jesus' birth is probably as complicated and mysterious as the stories themselves. It is probably impossible for us to hear the birth stories - to "get" them - with same ears - the same understanding - as the first hearers would have.
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