Gospel for June 18, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 9:35-10:8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus appears to have a very deliberate vision for his ministry.  His movements from the beginning of his ministry reveal careful planning:

• He inaugurates his ministry when he is baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan — and his divine credentials are certified by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father, affirming: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (see Matthew 3:16-17).
• He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. The description that he is led by the Spirit could easily be a covering description of all of his ministry from this point on.  And his ordeal in the wilderness prepares him for the challenges to come (see Matthew 4:1-11).
• He begins his preaching ministry in Galilee, and calls the first four disciples to leave their fishing nets and fish for people. He then begins a busy campaign throughout the towns and villages of Galilee, beginning in the synagogues — preaching, teaching and healing.  His initial message is simple and direct:
  Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (see Matthew 4:12-25).
• Drawn by his preaching, and especially the extraordinary reports of his ministry of healing and exorcism of demons, great crowds begin to be drawn to him. This provides the audience and the occasion for his first major teaching narrative in the Gospel of Matthew — The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7).
• In Matthew 8 and 9, we see Jesus engaged in particular miracles —cleansing a leper, healing a Roman centurion’s servant of paralysis (from a distance, no less!), healing Simon Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever.  He also calms a storm while he and the disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee in a fishing boat.  And he begins to clarify for those who wish to become his followers that there is a cost to discipleship.
• Tensions are also developing — when he casts a multitude of demons out of a hapless Gentile into a herd of pigs in the pagan district in the Gergesenes, the people beg him to leave, presumably because they are terrified (Matthew 8:28-34).  The Pharisees are beginning to question his authority with increasing criticism, and also question the company that he keeps with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:1-13).  Even John the Baptist’s followers question why he doesn’t fast like they do! (Matthew 9:14-17).
• All of these events culminate in several signature healings — the woman who has had an issue of blood for twelve years; Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter whom he raises from the dead; two blind men receive their sight; and a demon is cast out of a mute man, who then is able to speak. The Pharisees react to all of this with a damning accusation:
  By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons. (Matthew 9:18-34).

All of these events bring Jesus and his disciples to this moment in today’s Gospel lection:

Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus is active and busy with his ministry, and he is driven by his compassion.  He sees that he himself is the shepherd of these multitudes, but they are harassed by sickness, demons, and their sins, and they are scattered like a flock of sheep pursued by wolves or thieves.

It is time for the next phase of his ministry plan. First, he exhorts his own disciples to pray:

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.”

This is a powerful metaphor.  Jesus sees that there are multitudes who are in need of ministry (the plentiful harvest), but he will need reinforcements in order to reach them (the harvesters).

Second, he begins to answer his own command to pray for laborers:

 He called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.

We are introduced by name to the twelve who will form the nucleus of his new “Kingdom Movement.”  And he is giving them authority to do exactly what he has been doing. He is multiplying his ministry exponentially.

At this stage of their ministry, though, the disciples are restricted to working among the Jews.  He expressly says that they are not to go among the Gentiles or even enter their cities.  This is interesting because he himself has ministered to a Roman Gentile, and gone into the district of the Gergesenes.  Clearly, this is an interim step in their “internship.”  At the end, they will be told to go and make disciples of all nations — but not yet.

They are to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel for the time being.  This seems to be consistent with the step-by-step goals of Jesus.  He recognizes that he is the fulfillment of the Hebrew law and prophets (Matthew 5:17-20).  Israel was a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6) who were originally called to be a light to the Gentiles for the salvation of the earth (Isaiah 49:6).  Therefore, his first mission is to reform and renew Israel by calling them to repentance. Bear in mind that the disciples were all Jews sent to preach to their fellow Jews.

Finally, he tells them how they are to minister — by following his example:

As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons.

All of this is possible because of his grace.  As they have received forgiveness, healing, and hope from him, so they are to give:

Freely you received, so freely give.

APPLY:  

Perhaps the best place to begin with the application of this passage to our lives is with the last sentence of the Gospel lectionary reading:

Freely you received, so freely give.

This sentence is packed with both doctrine and practice.  We have received God’s grace as a free gift.  With that gift come forgiveness, wholeness, spiritual growth, spiritual gifts, the fruits of the Spirit, and — as the saying goes — “all this and heaven too!”

The most natural response when we receive God’s grace is in turn to share what we have received with others.  This is the sign of healthy disciples.

And we also receive in this passage guidance about how we are to follow the model of ministry provided by Jesus:

• First, we are to diagnose the need. Like the people of Jesus’ time, people of our time are also harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.
• Second, we are to pray for laborers who will help to bring in the plentiful harvest of people who desperately need hope and healing. And we must be aware that as we pray for those laborers we may become the answer to our own prayers, as God calls us to be laborers!
• Third, those who are called to be in ministry have a clear mandate from Jesus — to preach the Gospel that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Moreover, we are to demonstrate this Gospel through healing the sick, cleansing the lepers (those who are outcasts and pariahs), and casting out demons.

This is the message and the method that spread the Gospel from a provincial city in Roman-occupied Judea throughout the entire Roman Empire, and even beyond.  By 313 A.D. Christianity was recognized as a legal religion in the Roman Empire, and soon became the dominant religion in the Empire!  And adherents to Christianity now comprise one third of the entire global population.

RESPOND: 

I took part in an ongoing ministry colloquium some years ago. One of the requirements of the class was that we all had to write a “ministry plan” according to certain specifications.  I found myself a little unenthusiastic, to be honest.

For one thing, I thought we already had a “ministry plan!”  When I read Matthew 9:35-10:8, and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20, and Acts 1:8, and other passages from Scripture, I see the definite shape of a “ministry plan.”

A few years ago I developed a small group ministry in my church, based in part on the old Methodist Classmeetings. (My groups were called “ABCD Groups” because they were the “ABC’s” of discipleship — Accountability, Bible Study, Caring, Doing.  For more information, please click on this link: ABCD’s of Wesleyan Discipleship).

But in fact, I hoped that my model went back much farther than that, to the small group that we know as the “Twelve Disciples.”  Jesus gathered the twelve, and then spent time discipling them — teaching them by word and example how they were to preach and offer ministry in his name.  And then he sent them out to do just that!

And it is very important to remember that these fishermen and carpenters, and a tax collector, all had names and personalities:

Simon, who is called Peter; Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee; John, his brother; Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, who was also called Thaddaeus;  Simon the Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot.

Not to neglect the feminine followers of Jesus:

With him were the twelve, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; and Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others; who served them from their possessions (Luke 8:1-3).

Jesus had a small group ministry and a preaching and feeding and healing ministry with the multitudes.  That still seems to be a pretty good model of a “ministry plan” to me.

Lord, you call us to follow you as your disciples, and you teach us and form our faith, and then send us out.  May we continue to have your compassion for the sheep who are without a shepherd, and we do pray that you, the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into your harvest. Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Matthew 9:37" by Baptist Union of Great Britain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for June 18, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Romans 5:1-8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Apostle Paul explores some of the positive consequences of being justified by faith.

As the old saying goes, “when you see a ‘therefore’ in Paul’s epistles, ask yourself ‘what is it there for.’”

So, if we back up a little and scan the first four chapters of Romans, we see that Paul has very systematically explained his doctrine of justification by faith.

Briefly summarized, what he has taught is that no one, Jew or Gentile, can be saved by works of the law, because:

 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

God’s answer to human sin is to send his Son to pay the full penalty of the consequences of sin through his death on the cross.  So, through faith in Christ, those who believe are made righteous as a gift of grace for Christ’s sake.

What then is the consequence of faith in Christ?  Here is one:

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

In other words, those who have trusted in Christ enjoy peace with God because they no longer fear the consequences of sin— death and the wrath of God.

Not only do those who trust in Christ not need to fear death, but they also have the hope of sharing the glory of God! 

Paul continues with even better news:

And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Note that Paul doesn’t promise that there will be no suffering when one is justified by faith.  Rather, suffering can be a part of the process that God uses to enable the believer to grow in Christian maturity.

We can certainly see this truth, realized in Paul’s own life. He records his own sufferings as an apostle — he has been flogged, beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, in danger, hardship, imprisoned (2 Corinthians 11:23-27).  And he even speaks of a personal affliction, which remains a mystery to modern scholars.  He asked God three times to remove this thorn in the flesh. 

God did answer Paul’s prayer, in this way:

he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Clearly, for Paul, justifying faith brings peace with God and hope for sharing in the glory of God, but also enables the believer to endure and even grow and triumph as the result of sufferings.  This therapeutic process leads from suffering to endurance; and endurance produces character; and character is manifested in hope.

And the Holy Spirit is described at work in this whole process:

because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

This love of God, like peace with God, is also a fruit of justification by faith.

Paul then delves a little deeper.  He points out that justification is not intended for the worthy, the wealthy, the wise, or the winsome.  God’s grace is a gift for the weak!

For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

This is certainly counterintuitive.  To die for a good man, or a good cause might be considered noble, even heroic.  But for Christ to die for the ungodly says everything about the overwhelming love of God for even the ungodly sinner.

APPLY:  

The practical application of the doctrine of justification by faith means that we are now at peace with God, and we share in the glory of Christ.

But what may be of inestimable comfort to those who suffer is the process that transforms suffering into hope:

suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Perhaps an analogy from athletics, or music, or any discipline that requires some form of sacrifice might be helpful.  A certain amount of suffering is necessary in order for the athlete, or the musician, to master a discipline — running, lifting weights, practicing scales, etc.  And the more “suffering” the athlete or musician experiences, the more they increase their physical or mental endurance.

Suffering and endurance produces experiences that build character.  Character is what remains when an individual has experienced stress and difficulty, and has emerged stronger and wiser. This is a kind of “baptism by fire” like that which tempers steel.

And the character that has been produced by suffering has very likely taught the individual that hope overcomes even the toughest situations.  Paul certainly experienced hope in the midst of terrible suffering.

And we have the assurance that in the midst of all that we experience in the Christian life:

God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Whatever we may experience, God’s love will sustain us.

RESPOND: 

Recently I had the occasion to visit a dear friend who is very sick in the hospital.  She is the wife of my best friend, who is a colleague in the ministry.  My wife and I consider this couple our oldest and dearest friends.

We reminisced and laughed about old memories. And after a wonderful visit, I anointed her forehead with oil and we prayed for her.  When we had finished our prayer, she looked at me with her feverish eyes and said, “As you came toward me, the thought flashed through my mind, ‘I shall be in the land of the living!'”

I can’t help but think of her when I read these words:

Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope:  and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

This is a series of interlocking chain links — suffering produces tenacity, and tenacity builds character, and character produces hope — the kind of hope that never disappoints.  This hope doesn’t disappoint because it is not the weak human hope we normally think of — “I hope it doesn’t rain!” or “I hope our team wins tonight!”

This is the hope that is grounded firmly in the faith that brings perfect peace.

Lord, you do not promise us that suffering won’t come in our lives.  What you do promise is that through our faith in you, we will experience peace, and ascend from suffering to perseverance, to character, and ultimately to the hope that never disappoints us — our hope in you!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"Hope Does Not Disappoint" by Dane Vandeputte is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for June 18, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a Psalm of thanksgiving for Yahweh’s deliverance from death.  The Psalmist declares that he has cried out to Yahweh, and his cries were heard.

The Psalmist asserts that death had nearly gripped him:

The cords of death surrounded me,
the pains of Sheol got a hold of me.
I found trouble and sorrow.

We find here a metaphor for the constraints of death, and an allusion to the underworld.  The cords of death suggest that death was like ropes in which the Psalmist was tied, or perhaps the kind of binding one might find in a prison.

The pains of Sheol are a vague reference to that shadowy, joyless underworld existence of the dead — not quite alive, but nonetheless suffering the pains and trouble and sorrow of a gray existence.

However, the Psalmist finds hope by calling on Yahweh’s name.   We are reminded of the power of words in Hebrew culture, and particularly the very name of Yahweh.  This is the I Am who revealed himself as almighty Creator and Lord to Moses in Exodus 3.  There is power in this name!

Verses 6 through 9 (that are not included in this lectionary reading for the week), describe the joy of deliverance by the hand of Yahweh:

I was brought low, and he saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul,
for Yahweh has dealt bountifully with you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
and my feet from falling.
I will walk before Yahweh in the land of the living.

The Psalmist then asks himself the question,

What will I give to Yahweh for all his benefits toward me?

He answers his own question:

I will take the cup of salvation, and call on Yahweh’s name.
I will pay my vows to Yahweh,
yes, in the presence of all his people.

The cup of salvation is likely a reference to the drink offering prescribed in the Law of Moses:

You shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh in the holy place. The other lamb you shall offer at evening. As the meal offering of the morning, and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh (Numbers 28:7-8).

However, there is also the possibility that this is a reference to one of the four cups of wine offered at various points in the Seder Passover meal commemorating the deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

The vows to be paid, though, are much more clear — these are the sacrifices required of the Israelites before their God.

But the next sentence seems a bit of a non sequitur, interrupting the vows of the Psalmist toward Yahweh:

Precious in Yahweh’s sight is the death of his saints.

This is an enigmatic statement.  Is the Psalmist saying that Yahweh values his saints so highly that he preserves them from death? Or is he acknowledging the reality of their death, and honoring them for their saintly lives?  Or is the Psalmist suggesting that the sacrificial deaths of the saints are even more precious than the sacrifices of bulls and lambs in the temple?  This seems likely, given the context of this phrase, and may allude to some example of martyrdom that has not been recorded.

This phrase is reminiscent of Psalm 72:14, that does describe oppressive circumstances:

He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence.
Their blood will be precious in his sight.

Then the Psalmist describes his own offerings to Yahweh — that he will be Yahweh’s servant.  Paradoxically, he offers his servitude to Yahweh who has freed him from his chains.  The one who was imprisoned by the cords of death has been liberated, and chooses to serve his God!

The Psalmist reiterates the offerings he makes to Yahweh — the sacrifice of thanksgiving and the payment of his vows to Yahweh.   And he does so in a highly public way and place, so that all will know his gratitude: 

I will pay my vows to Yahweh,
yes, in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of Yahweh’s house,
in the middle of you, Jerusalem.
Praise Yah!

APPLY:  

Those who have experienced the nearness of death and the depth of serious illness can appreciate the response of the Psalmist.  His deliverance from the cords of death and the pains of Sheol are the source of great joy.

He has to find some concrete way of responding and showing his gratitude, and does so with the fulfillment of his vows made to God.  These may simply be the obligatory sacrifices of temple worship, or they may be vows that were made when the Psalmist was close to death.

The bottom line — we don’t offer our sacrifices of service to God as a means of earning God’s favor and healing.  God is more generous than that, and causes the sun to shine on the evil and the good.  No, we offer our sacrifice of praise and service as a response to what God has already done, and continues to do in our lives.

RESPOND: 

As I ponder this Psalm, I’m reminded of a worship chorus by Kristian Stanfill that I’ve learned in the past few years:

Jesus paid it all,
All to him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
O praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead.

I’m mindful of another cliche that is every bit as true:

I owed a debt I could not pay,
He paid a debt he did not owe.

Although the Psalmist’s sense of indebtedness to Yahweh predates the atoning work of Jesus on the cross by perhaps a thousand years, his gratitude resonates with mine.  He is grateful first for Yahweh’s mercy.  And so am I.

And I am grateful for much, much more, just as the Psalmist goes on to say:

all his benefits toward me.

So, how do I respond to God’s mercy and all his benefits?  Worship? Yes!  But also by seeking to live as his servant.  I can never repay all that God has done for me — a life well-lived is the best gift I can possibly offer.

I am reminded of a dramatic scene in the film Saving Private Ryan. It is set in the summer of 1944, soon after Allied forces invaded Normandy on June 6.  A squad of Army Rangers have been dispatched to locate Private James Ryan, an American paratrooper, and remove him from the battle front.  It seems his three brothers have all died in battle at roughly the same time, and the United States War Department does not want his mother to lose her last remaining son.

The squad, led by Capt. Miller, locates Ryan and then find themselves engaged in a desperate fight against a division of German panzer tanks and infantry.  Most of the defenders are killed before American reinforcements arrive.  And the Captain of the Army Rangers squad, Capt. Miller, is mortally wounded.

As he is dying, Captain Miller looks up with dimming eyes and whispers to Private Ryan: “Earn this.  Earn it.”

Obviously, we don’t earn God’s grace.  It is a gift.  And yet, we do respond with obedience and service, through faith.

Lord, I give you thanks for hearing my voice and heeding my cries for mercy, and for all the benefits you have given me!  Empower me to live the life that honors your gifts to me.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"I Can Never Repay" uses this background: "Premade BG 94" by Brenda Clarke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for June 18, 2023

This beautiful and intricate mosaic is from the basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. .
It dates to the 6th-century.
[Photo and description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Genesis 18:1-15
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Abraham and Sarah are, after Adam and Eve, among the most famous and significant couples in all of Scripture.  Abraham was an obscure herdsman in Haran, which was situated on a tributary river to the Euphrates.  His father was Terah, who had brought his family there from Ur in Mesopotamia.  Abram (as he was then known) was married to his half-sister Sarai (as she was then known).  And then, God visited Abram and told him:

Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.  I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:1-3).

All of this happened when he was seventy-five, and Sarai was sixty-five! And, demonstrating the faith for which he was to become famous, Abram obeyed God.

However, when our narrative picks up in the Old Testament lectionary reading for this week, there have been profound divine affirmations as well as serious challenges to their faith (see Genesis chapter 12 to 17).  The most serious challenge has been Sarah’s barrenness.  They have even resorted to the extreme — and misguided — effort to have a child through a surrogate mother, the slave girl Hagar.  That doesn’t end well for Hagar and her son Ishmael.

Now, in another divine vision, God has changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and Sarai to Sarah, and God reaffirms his promise:

As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations.  Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you.  I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you.  I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. I will be their God (Genesis 17:4-8).

But it can’t escape notice that when this epiphany occurs, Abraham and Sarah are old by anybody’s reckoning!

Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?” (Genesis 17:17).

So, our account begins on a normal afternoon — the heat of the day.  As with many cultures located in semi-desert climates, they were probably resting during this time of the day when work would be difficult.  They were encamped in tents near the oaks of Mamre, which likely grew near a spring in the area of Hebron.

Everything must have seemed fairly normal to Abraham.  Three strangers appear in front of him, and he does what is natural in a Middle Eastern culture — he offers them hospitality.  Little does he know that he is entertaining Yahweh himself!

The identity of these three strangers is controversial.  Were they angels?  If so, quite frequently the Angel of the Lord is interpreted to be Yahweh himself.  Was one of them the Son of God as the Orthodox church believes?  Or was it mere coincidence that there were three who came — suggesting to the Christian reader a Trinitarian relationship?  We can’t know precisely.

Abraham bows, and invites them to a meal.  All of the courtesies normal for guests in such a culture were offered — water to wash their feet, a place to rest beneath a tree, bread of the finest meal, butter, milk — and veal! He orders his servant to cook a calf.

And then things became interesting.

They asked him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?”

How did they know her name?

She is in the tent and they are out, under the trees.  Given the modesty of Middle Eastern cultures, this is no surprise. A woman wouldn’t likely have been circulating amongst a group of strange men.

We notice that they don’t speak — one  of the three men speaks, with an incredible prediction:

I will certainly return to you when the season comes round. Behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.

The writer of Genesis points out what is painfully obvious:

Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

But Sarah is curious, naturally, about these strangers, and she has been eavesdropping at the opening of the tent, just out of sight.  And her reaction is very human:

Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

This is not merely a comment on her own barrenness, but on poor Abraham’s aged incapacity as well!

Yahweh rebukes Sarah to Abraham, and questions her faith:

Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really bear a child, yet I am old?’  Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son.”

It has become clear to Sarah that something more serious is going on than a bunch of strangers making silly promises to old people:

Then Sarah denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh,” for she was afraid.  He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

We might like to think that Yahweh shared in the joke, and said this with a twinkle in his eye, rather than sternly.  After all, the name of the son who would be born would be Isaac, which is Hebrew for he laughs. 

APPLY:  

Abraham becomes the paradigm of the Godly man in Scripture.  Paul touts him as the exemplar of faith in his doctrine of justification by faith:

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”  Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed. But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. (Romans 4:3-5).

And James cites Abraham as an example of a man whose faith was revealed by his works:

Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?  You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God (James 2:21-23).

This is an example of “both/and” in Scripture — that justifying faith is a pure gift of God, but that it inevitably results in obedience and good works.

But there is another application for those who might be growing a little older — God is never quite finished with us!  We may not be called upon to bear a child at 90 or 100 — we hope!  But God can still use us, even after we may think we are “barren” and useless.

RESPOND: 

Here is a fascinating factoid — at least to me — there are three major monotheistic religions that regard themselves as Abrahamic — derived from the life and faith of Abraham.  They are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  However, there are also smaller sects that regard themselves as part of the Abrahamic family — Samaritanism, Druze, Babism, Bahai, and Rastafarianism.

Adherents to these Abrahamic religions comprise 54% of the world’s population. Certainly it seems to be true that God’s promise to Abraham has been fulfilled:

 “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So will your offspring be (Genesis 15:5).

Of course from a Christian perspective it is not those who are biologically descended from Abraham who are the only descendants, but those who have faith in the God revealed in Jesus Christ.  Justifying faith is the DNA required to be a child of Abraham, not works of the law or genes.  Paul writes:

Even as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”  Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham.  The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” (Galatians 3:6-8).

I feel that because of my faith in Christ, I am a child of Abraham as well — I belong to a family that transcends race and ethnicity.  Like the old song we used to sing around the campfire:

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let’s all praise the Lord.
Right arm!
[I would add, he also has many daughters!]

But there is one other great comfort I glean from this passage.  I am 61 — not really all that old by Abraham and Sarah’s standards.  They started their journey of faith to a new land at 75 and 65 respectively!  And then their son Isaac was born when they were about 100 and 90!

I certainly hope that my wife and I aren’t called upon to bring another Isaac into the world, but I am encouraged to know that God is not ageist.  God can use the very young — as he did with John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb, or Samuel when he was only twelve — and the very old, like Abraham and Sarah.

Lord, you revealed yourself in personal relationships to the people of old, and you expressed your interest in their family lives.  You perpetuated the line of Abraham and Sarah through Isaac — and you perpetuate their legacy through the same faith that was inspired in them.  I am Abraham and Sarah’s child by faith — please continue to use me no matter how old I may be.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“The Hospitality of Abraham (Ravenna)” by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 18, 2017

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Matthew 9:35-10:8

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus appears to have a very deliberate vision for his ministry.  His movements from the beginning of his ministry reveal careful planning:

• He inaugurates his ministry when he is baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan — and his divine credentials are certified by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father, affirming:  “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”(see Matthew 3:16-17).
• He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. The description that he is led by the Spirit could easily be a covering description of all of his ministry from this point on.  And his ordeal in the wilderness prepares him for the challenges to come (see Matthew 4:1-11).
• He begins his preaching ministry in Galilee, and calls the first four disciples to leave their fishing nets and fish for people. He then begins a busy campaign throughout the towns and villages of Galilee, beginning in the synagogues — preaching, teaching and healing.  His initial message is simple and direct:
  Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (see Matthew 4:12-25).
• Drawn by his preaching, and especially the extraordinary reports of his ministry of healing and exorcism of demons, great crowds begin to be drawn to him. This provides the audience and the occasion for his first major teaching narrative in the Gospel of Matthew — The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7).
• In Matthew 8 and 9, we see Jesus engaged in particular miracles —cleansing a leper, healing a Roman centurion’s servant of paralysis (from a distance, no less!), healing Simon Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever.  He also calms a storm while he and the disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee in a fishing boat.  And he begins to clarify for those who wish to become his followers that there is a cost to discipleship.
• Tensions are also developing — when he casts a multitude of demons out a hapless Gentile into a herd of pigs in the pagan district in the Gergesenes, the people  beg him to leave, presumably because they are terrified (Matthew 8:28-34).  The Pharisees are beginning to question his authority with increasing criticism, and also question the company that he keeps with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:1-13).  Even John the Baptist’s followers question why he doesn’t fast like they do! (Matthew 9:14-17).
• All of these events culminate in several signature healings — the woman who has had an issue of blood for twelve years; Jairus’ twelve year old daughter whom he raises from the dead; two blind men receive their sight; and a demon is cast out of a mute man, who then is able to speak. The Pharisees react to all of this with a damning accusation:
  By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons. (Matthew 9:18-34).

All of these events bring Jesus and his disciples to this moment in today’s Gospel lection:

Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed  and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus is active and busy with his ministry, and he is driven by his compassion.  He sees that he himself is the shepherd of these multitudes, but they are harassed by sickness, demons, and their sins, and they are scattered like a flock of sheep pursued by wolves or thieves.

It is time for the next phase of his ministry plan. First, he exhorts his own disciples to pray:

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.”

This is a powerful metaphor.  Jesus sees that there are multitudes who are in need of ministry (the plentiful harvest), but he will need reinforcements in order to reach them (the harvesters).

Second,  he begins to answer his own command to pray for laborers:

 He called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.

We are introduced by name to the twelve who will form the nucleus of his new “Kingdom Movement.”  And he is giving them authority to do exactly what he has been doing. He is multiplying his ministry exponentially.

At this stage of their ministry, though, the disciples are restricted to working among the Jews.  He expressly says that they are not to go among the Gentiles or even enter their cities.  This is interesting because he himself has ministered to a Roman Gentile, and gone into the district of the Gergesenes.  Clearly, this is an interim step in their “internship.”  At the end, they will be told to go and make disciples of all nations — but not yet.

They are to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel for the time being.  This seems to be consistent with the step-by-step goals of Jesus.  He recognizes that he is the fulfillment of the Hebrew law and prophets (Matthew 5:17-20).  Israel was a  kingdom of priests  (Exodus 19:6) who were originally called to be a light to the Gentiles for the salvation of the earth (Isaiah 49:6).  Therefore, his first mission is to reform and renew Israel by calling them to repentance. Bear in mind that the disciples were all Jews sent to preach to their fellow Jews.

Finally, he tells them how they are to minister — by following his example:

As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons.

All of this is possible because of his  grace.  As they have received forgiveness, healing, and hope from him, so they are to give:

Freely you received, so freely give.

APPLY:  

Perhaps the best place to begin with the application of this passage to our lives is with the last sentence of the Gospel lectionary reading:

Freely you received, so freely give.

This sentence is packed with both doctrine and practice.  We have received God’s grace as a free gift.  With that gift come forgiveness, wholeness, spiritual growth, spiritual gifts, the fruits of the Spirit, and — as the saying goes — “all this and heaven too!”

The most natural response when we receive God’s grace is in turn to share what we have received with others.  This is the sign of healthy disciples.

And we also receive in this passage guidance about how we are to follow the model of ministry provided by Jesus:

• First, we are to diagnose the need. Like the people of Jesus’ time, people of our time are also harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.
• Second, we are to pray for laborers who will help to bring in the plentiful harvest of people who desperately need hope and healing. And we must be aware that as we pray for those laborers  we may become the answer to our own prayers, as God calls us to be laborers!
• Third, those who are called to be in ministry have a clear mandate from Jesus — to preach the Gospel that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Moreover, we are to demonstrate this Gospel through healing the sick, cleansing the lepers (those who are outcasts and pariahs), and casting out demons.

This is the message and the method that spread the Gospel from a provincial city in Roman-occupied Judea throughout the entire Roman Empire, and even beyond.  By 313 A.D. Christianity was recognized as a legal religion in the Roman Empire, and soon became the dominant religion in the Empire!  And adherents to Christianity now comprise one third of the entire global population.

RESPOND: 

I took part in an ongoing ministry colloquium some years ago. One of the requirements of the class was that we all had to write a “ministry plan” according to certain specifications.  I found myself a little unenthusiastic, to be honest.

For one thing, I thought we already had a “ministry plan!”  When I read Matthew 9:35 – 10:8, and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20, and Acts 1:8, and other passages from Scripture, I see the definite shape of a “ministry plan.”

A few years ago I developed a small group ministry in my church, based in part on the old Methodist Classmeetings. (My groups were called “ABCD Groups” because they were the “ABC’s” of discipleship —  Accountability, Bible Study, Caring, Doing.  For more information, please click on this link: ABCD’s of Wesleyan Discipleship).

But in fact, I hoped that my model went back much farther than that, to the small group that we know as the “Twelve Disciples.”  Jesus gathered the twelve, and then spent time discipling them, teaching them by word and example how they were to preach and offer ministry in his name.  And then he sent them out to do just that!

And it is very important to remember that these fishermen and carpenters, and a tax collector, all had names and personalities:

Simon, who is called Peter; Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee; John, his brother; Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, who was also called  Thaddaeus;  Simon the Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot.

Not to neglect the feminine followers of Jesus:

With him were the twelve,  and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out;  and Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others; who served them from their possessions (Luke 8:1-3).

Jesus had a small group ministry and a preaching and feeding and healing ministry with the multitudes.  That still seems to be a pretty good model to me.

Lord, you call us to follow you as your disciples, and you teach us and form our faith, and then send us out.  May we continue to have your compassion for the sheep who are without a shepherd, and we do  pray that you, the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into your harvest. Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Matthew 9:37" by Baptist Union of Great Britain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Epistle for June 18, 2017

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Romans 5:1-8

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The Apostle Paul explores some of the positive consequences of being justified by faith.

As the old saying goes, “when you see a ‘therefore’ in Paul’s epistles, ask yourself ‘what is it there for.’”

So, if we back up a little and scan the first four chapters of Romans, we see that Paul has very systematically explained his doctrine of justification by faith.

Briefly summarized, what he has taught is that no one, Jew or Gentile, can be saved by works of the law, because:

 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

God’s answer to human sin is to send his Son to pay the full penalty of the consequences of sin through his death on the cross.  So, through faith in Christ, those who believe are made righteous as a gift of grace for Christ’s sake.

What then is the consequence of faith in Christ?  Here is one:

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we  have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we  boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

In other words, those who have trusted in Christ enjoy peace with God because they no longer fear the consequences of sin— death and the wrath of God.

Not only do those who trust in Christ not need to fear death, but they also have the hope of sharing the glory of God! 

Paul continues with even better news:

And not only that, but we  also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Note that Paul doesn’t promise that there will be no suffering when one is justified by faith.  Rather, suffering can be a part of the process that God uses to enable the believer to grow in Christian maturity.

We can certainly see this truth, realized in Paul’s own life. He records his own sufferings as an apostle — he has been flogged, beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, in danger, hardship, imprisoned (2 Corinthians 11:23-27).  And he even speaks of a personal affliction, which remains a mystery to modern scholars.  He asked God three times to remove this thorn in the flesh. 

God did answer Paul’s prayer, in this way:

he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power  is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Clearly, for Paul, justifying faith brings peace with God and hope for sharing in the glory of God, but also enables the believer to endure and even grow and triumph  as the result of sufferings.  This therapeutic process leads from suffering to endurance; and endurance produces character; and character is manifested in hope.

And the Holy Spirit is described at work in this whole process:

because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

This love of God, like peace with God, is also a fruit of justification by faith.

Paul then delves a little deeper.  He points out that justification is not intended for the worthy, the wealthy, the wise, or the winsome.  God’s grace is a gift for the weak!

For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

This is certainly counterintuitive.  To die for a good man, or a good cause might be considered noble, even heroic.  But for Christ to die for the ungodly says everything about the overwhelming love of God for even the ungodly sinner.

APPLY:  

The practical application of the doctrine of justification by faith means that we are now at peace with God, and we share in the glory of Christ.

But what may be of inestimable comfort to those who suffer is the process that transforms suffering into hope:

suffering produces endurance,  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Perhaps an analogy from athletics, or music, or any discipline that requires some form of sacrifice might be helpful.  A certain amount of suffering is necessary in order for the athlete, or the musician, to master a discipline — running, lifting weights, practicing scales, etc.  And the more “suffering” the athlete or musician experiences, the more they increase their physical or mental endurance.

Suffering and endurance produces experiences that build character.  Character is what remains when an individual has experienced stress and difficulty, and has emerged stronger and wiser.  This is a kind of “baptism by fire” like that which tempers steel.

And the character that has been produced by suffering has very likely taught the individual that hope overcomes even the toughest situations.  Paul certainly experienced hope in the midst of terrible suffering.

And we have the assurance that in the midst of all that we experience in the Christian life:

God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Whatever we may experience, God’s love will sustain us.

RESPOND: 

Recently I had the occasion to visit a dear friend who is very sick in the hospital.  She is the wife of my best friend, who is a colleague in the ministry.  My wife and I consider this couple our oldest and dearest friends.

We reminisced and laughed about old memories. And after a wonderful visit, I anointed her forehead with oil and we prayed for her.  When we had finished our prayer, she looked at me with her feverish eyes and said, “As you came toward me, the thought flashed through my mind, ‘I shall be in the land of the living!'”

I can’t help but think of her when I read these words:

Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;  through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope:  and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

This is series of interlocking chain links — suffering produces tenacity, and tenacity builds character, and character produces hope — the kind of hope that never disappoints.  This hope doesn’t disappoint because it is not the weak human hope we normally think of — “I hope it doesn’t rain!” or “I hope our team wins tonight!”

This is the hope that is grounded firmly in the faith that brings perfect peace.

Lord, you do not promise us that suffering won’t come in our lives.  What you do promise is that through our faith in you, we will experience peace, and ascend from suffering to perseverance, to character, and ultimately to the hope that never disappoints us — our hope in you!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"Hope Does Not Disappoint" by Dane Vandeputte is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for June 18, 2017

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a Psalm of thanksgiving for Yahweh’s deliverance from death.  The Psalmist declares that he has cried out to Yahweh, and his cries were heard.

The Psalmist asserts that death had nearly gripped him:

The cords of death surrounded me,
the pains of Sheol got a hold of me.
I found trouble and sorrow.

We find here a metaphor for the constraints of death, and an allusion to the underworld.  The cords of death suggest that death was like ropes in which the Psalmist was tied, or perhaps the kind of binding one might find in a prison.

The pains of Sheol are a vague reference to that shadowy, joyless underworld existence of the dead — not quite alive, but nonetheless suffering the pains and trouble and sorrow of a gray existence.

However, the Psalmist finds hope by calling on Yahweh’s name.   We are reminded of the power of words in Hebrew culture, and particularly the very name of Yahweh.  This is the I Am who revealed himself as almighty Creator and Lord to Moses in Exodus 3.  There is power in this name!

Verses 6 through 9 (that are not included in this lectionary reading for the week), describe the joy of deliverance by the hand of Yahweh:

I was brought low, and he saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul,
for Yahweh has dealt bountifully with you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
and my feet from falling.
I will walk before Yahweh in the land of the living.

The Psalmist then asks himself the question,

What will I give to Yahweh for all his benefits toward me?

He answers his own question:

I will take the cup of salvation, and call on Yahweh’s name.
I will pay my vows to Yahweh,
yes, in the presence of all his people.

The cup of salvation is likely a reference to the drink offering prescribed in the Law of Moses:

You shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to Yahweh in the holy place. The other lamb you shall offer at evening. As the meal offering of the morning, and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh (Numbers 28:7-8).

However, there is also the possibility that this is a reference to one of the four cups of wine offered at various points in the Seder Passover meal commemorating the deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

The vows to be paid, though, are much more clear — these are the sacrifices required of the Israelites before their God.

But the next sentence seems a bit of a non sequitur, interrupting the vows of the Psalmist toward Yahweh:

Precious in Yahweh’s sight is the death of his saints.

This is an enigmatic statement.  Is the Psalmist saying that Yahweh values his saints so highly that he preserves them from death? Or is he acknowledging the reality of their death, and honoring them for their saintly lives?  Or is the Psalmist suggesting that the sacrificial deaths of the saints are even more precious than the sacrifices of bulls and lambs in the temple?  This seems likely, given the context of this phrase, and may allude to some example of martyrdom that has not been recorded.

This phrase is reminiscent of Psalm 72:14, that does describe oppressive circumstances:

He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence.
Their blood will be precious in his sight.

Then the Psalmist describes his own offerings to Yahweh — that he will be Yahweh’s servant.  Paradoxically, he offers his servitude to Yahweh who has freed him from his chains.  The one who was imprisoned by the cords of death has been liberated, and chooses to serve his God!

The Psalmist reiterates the offerings he makes to Yahweh — the  sacrifice of thanksgiving and the payment of his vows to Yahweh.   And he does so in a highly public way and place, so that all will know his gratitude: 

I will pay my vows to Yahweh,
yes, in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of Yahweh’s house,
in the middle of you, Jerusalem.
Praise Yah!

APPLY:  

Those who have experienced the nearness of death and the depth of serious illness can appreciate the response of the Psalmist.  His deliverance from the cords of death and the pains of Sheol are the source of great joy.

He has to find some concrete way of responding and showing his gratitude, and does so with the fulfillment of his vows made to God.  These may simply be the obligatory sacrifices of temple worship, or they may be vows that were made when the Psalmist was close to death.

The bottom line — we don’t offer our sacrifices of service to God as a means of earning God’s favor and healing.  God is more generous than that, and causes the sun to shine on the evil and the good.  No, we offer our sacrifice of praise and service as a response to what God has already done, and continues to do in our lives.

RESPOND: 

As I ponder this Psalm, I’m reminded of a worship chorus by Kristian Stanfill that I’ve learned in the past few years:

Jesus paid it all,
All to him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
O praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead.

I’m mindful of another cliche that is every bit as true:

I owed a debt I could not pay,
He paid a debt he did not owe.

Although the Psalmist’s sense of indebtedness to Yahweh predates the atoning work of Jesus on the cross by perhaps a thousand years, his gratitude resonates with mine.  He is grateful first for Yahweh’s mercy.  And so am I.

And I am grateful for much, much more, just as the Psalmist goes on to say:

all his benefits toward me.

So, how do I respond to God’s mercy and all his benefits?  Worship? Yes!  But also by seeking to live as his servant.  I can never repay all that God has done for me — a life well-lived is the best gift I can possibly offer.

I am reminded of a dramatic scene in the film Saving Private Ryan. It is set in the summer of 1944, soon after Allied forces invaded Normandy on June 6.  A squad of Army Rangers have been dispatched to locate Private James Ryan, an American paratrooper, and remove him from the battle front.  It seems his three brothers have all died in battle at roughly the same time, and the United States War Department does not want his mother to lose her last remaining son.

The squad, led by Capt. Miller, locates Ryan and then find themselves engaged in a desperate fight against a division of German panzer tanks and infantry.  Most of the defenders are killed before American reinforcements arrive.  And the Captain of the Army Rangers squad, Capt. Miller, is mortally wounded.

As he is dying, Captain Miller looks up with dimming eyes and whispers to Private Ryan: “Earn this.  Earn it.”

Obviously, we don’t earn God’s grace.  It is a gift.  And yet, we do respond with obedience and service, through faith.

Lord, I give you thanks for hearing my voice and heeding my cries for mercy, and for all the benefits you have given me!  Empower me to live the life that honors your gifts to me.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"I Can Never Repay" uses this background: "Premade BG 94" by Brenda Clarke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for June 18, 2017

This beautiful and intricate mosaic is from the basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. .
It dates to the 6th-century.
[Photo and description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

Start with Scripture:

Genesis 18:1-15

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Abraham and Sarah are, after Adam and Eve, among the most famous and significant couples in all of Scripture.  Abraham was an obscure herdsman in Haran, which was situated on a tributary river to the Euphrates.  His father was Terah, who had brought his family there from Ur in Mesopotamia.  Abram (as he was then known) was married to his half-sister Sarai (as she was then known).  And then, God visited Abram and told him:

 Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.  I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:1-3).

All of this happened when he was seventy-five, and Sarai was sixty-five! And, demonstrating the faith for which he was to become famous, Abram obeyed God.

However, when our narrative picks up in the Old Testament lectionary reading for this week, there have been profound divine affirmations as well as serious challenges to their faith (see Genesis chapter 12 to 17).  The most serious challenge has been Sarah’s barrenness.  They have even resorted to the extreme — and misguided — effort to have a child through a surrogate mother, the slave girl Hagar.  That doesn’t end well for Hagar and her son Ishmael.

Now, in another divine vision, God has changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and Sarai to Sarah, and God reaffirms his promise:

As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations.  Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you.  I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring  after you.  I will give to you, and to your offspring  after you, the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. I will be their God (Genesis 17:4-8).

But it can’t escape notice that when this epiphany occurs, Abraham and Sarah are old by anybody’s reckoning!

Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?” (Genesis 17:17).

So, our account begins on a normal afternoon — the heat of the day.  As with many cultures located in semi-desert climates, they were probably resting during this time of the day when work would be difficult.  They were encamped in tents near the oaks of Mamre, which likely grew near a spring in the area of Hebron.

Everything must have seemed fairly normal to Abraham.  Three strangers appear in front of him, and he does what is natural in a Middle Eastern culture — he offers them hospitality.  Little does he know that he is entertaining Yahweh himself!

The identity of these three strangers is controversial.  Were they angels?  If so, quite frequently the Angel of the Lord is interpreted to be Yahweh himself.  Was one of them the Son of God as the Orthodox church believes?  Or was it mere coincidence that there were three who came — suggesting to the Christian reader a Trinitarian relationship?  We can’t know precisely.

Abraham bows, and invites them to a meal.  All of the courtesies normal for guests in such a culture were offered — water to wash their feet, a place to rest beneath a tree, bread of the finest meal, butter, milk — and veal! He orders his servant to cook a calf.

And then things became interesting.

They asked him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?”

How did they know her name?

She is in the tent and they are out, under the trees.  Given the modesty of Middle Eastern cultures, this is no surprise. A woman wouldn’t likely have been circulating amongst a group of strange men.

We notice that they don’t speak — one  of the three men speaks, with an incredible prediction:

I will certainly return to you when the season comes round. Behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.

The writer of Genesis points out what is painfully obvious:

Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

But Sarah is curious, naturally, about these strangers, and she has been eavesdropping at the opening of the tent, just out of sight.  And her reaction is very human:

Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

This is not merely a comment on her own barrenness, but on poor Abraham’s aged incapacity as well!

Yahweh rebukes Sarah to Abraham, and questions her faith:

Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really bear a child, yet I am old?’  Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son.”

It has become clear to Sarah that something more serious is going on than a bunch of strangers making silly promises to old people:

Then Sarah denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh,” for she was afraid.  He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

We might like to think that Yahweh shared in the joke, and said this with a twinkle in his eye, rather than sternly.  After all, the name of the son who would be born would be Isaac, which is Hebrew for he laughs. 

APPLY:  

Abraham becomes the paradigm of the Godly man in Scripture.  Paul touts him as the exemplar of faith in his doctrine of justification by faith:

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”  Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed. But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. (Romans 4:3-5).

And James cites Abraham as an example of a man whose faith was revealed by his works:

Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?  You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;  and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness”;  and he was called the friend of God (James 2:21-23).

This is an example of  “both/and” in Scripture — that justifying faith is a pure gift of God, but that it inevitably results in obedience and good works.

But there is another application for those who might be growing a little older — God is never quite finished with us!  We may not be called upon to bear a child at 90 or 100 — we hope!  But God can still use us, even after we may think we are “barren” and useless.

RESPOND: 

Here is a fascinating factoid — at least to me — there are three major monotheistic religions that regard themselves as Abrahamic — derived from the life and faith of Abraham.  They are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  However, there are also smaller sects that regard themselves as part of the Abrahamic family: Samaritanism, Druze, Babism, Bahai, and Rastarfarianism.

Adherents to these Abrahamic religions comprise 54% of the world’s population. Certainly it seems to be true that God’s promise to Abraham has been fulfilled:

 “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So will your offspring  be (Genesis 15:5).

Of course from a Christian perspective it is not those who are biologically descended from Abraham who are the only descendants, but those who have faith in the God revealed in Jesus Christ.  Justifying faith is the DNA required to be a child of Abraham, not works of the law or genes.  Paul writes:

 Even as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”  Know therefore that those who are of faith, the same are children of Abraham.  The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” (Galatians 3:6-8).

I feel that because of my faith in Christ, I am a child of Abraham as well — I belong to a family that transcends race and ethnicity.  Like the old song we used to sing around the campfire:

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let’s all praise the Lord.
Right arm!
[I would add, he also has many daughters!]

But there is one other great comfort I glean from this passage.  I am 61 — not really all that old by Abraham and Sarah’s standards.  They started their journey of faith to a new land at 75 and 65 respectively!  And then their son Isaac was born when they were about 100 and 90!

I certainly hope that my wife and I aren’t called upon to bring another Isaac into the world, but I am encouraged to know that God is not ageist.  God can use the very young — as he did with John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb, or Samuel when he was only twelve — and the very old, like Abraham and Sarah.

Lord, you revealed yourself in personal relationships to the people of old, and you expressed your interest in their family lives.  You perpetuated the line of Abraham and Sarah through Isaac — and you perpetuate their legacy through the same faith that was inspired in them.  I am Abraham and Sarah’s child by faith — please continue to use me no matter how old I may be.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“The Hospitality of Abraham (Ravenna)” by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.