Gospel for June 25, 2023

This mosaic of Simon of Cyrene carrying the Cross of Christ is in Aberdeen’s Catholic Cathedral. It is by Gabriel Loire of Chartres.
[photo & description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 10:24-39
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The ministry of Jesus has reached a turning point.  He has been discipling the twelve through teaching and example, but now he has set them apart to go out into the mission field themselves:

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 (Matthew 10:1).

Jesus then began to teach them what they were to teach, to whom they were to go, what they were to take with them, etc.  In our current passage, he continues to prepare them for their mission — and he is warning them of the hardships that are to come.

He advises them that:

 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord.

They are deeply linked to Jesus as his followers. What this means is that they will face the same kind of name-calling from his adversaries that he faces; but they will also be protected by God in the same way he is protected:

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!  Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known.

To be called Beelzebul is a profound insult — especially for the Messiah, as we know Jesus to be!  Beelzebul is literally The Lord of the Flies, which is slang for the Devil.  In fact, just before Jesus set apart his disciples and began to prep them for their mission, the Pharisees denounced him:

 By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons (Matthew 9:34).

This is nothing less than blasphemy!  We note that the Pharisees weren’t questioning whether Jesus was a conduit for power — they were questioning the source of his power.

But Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid, because the truth will come out!   

What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.

And his assurance to them goes even deeper than the promise that the truth will be vindicated.  He makes it clear that there are spiritual forces at play here that are far more powerful than mere human authorities:

 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

The question we must ask here is, who is the one who can destroy both soul and body? Is he referring to Beelzebul, or is he referring to God?

Gehenna, historically, is the Valley of Hinnom (Ge Hinnom) which is a valley on the border of Jerusalem.  It had earned a reputation for infamy as the place where children had been sacrificed to the Canaanite god Molech in the days prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.  According to archaeologists, it had also become a kind of town dump even in Jesus’ time.  It was a place of filth, where the bodies of animals and criminals were burned. As a dump, fire and smoke rose from its heaps constantly.  Jesus is obviously speaking metaphorically — Gehenna must refer to Hell itself.  Therefore, it seems clear that he is warning them to be afraid of the one who presides over this place of filth — Satan.

Jesus is offering encouragement and inspiration to his followers:   

Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin?  Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will, but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

Jesus is assuring the disciples of their inestimable value to the Father.  He uses an interesting analogy, reasoning from small things to greater.  He speaks of sparrows, which are sold in the market at the rate of two for an assarion — according to notes this was a small bronze or copper coin with a Greek name that was in current use in the Roman empire.   It was one of the smallest denominations of coins, approximately equal to the wages for a half hour of farm labor.

And yet, Jesus says, these two sparrows, so cheap in the market, don’t escape the notice and will of the Father.  Therefore, the disciples need to be assured — they are made in the very image of God, and are of much greater value to him.  Jesus uses a very similar metaphor in his Sermon on the Mount when he teaches his disciples not to be anxious about anything:

See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they? (Matthew 6:26).

Jesus then makes a decisive application in regard to the loyalty of his disciples to him:

 Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven.

The good confession is a phrase that becomes extremely important in the early church.  To confess is to declare one’s faith in and allegiance to Jesus.  The public confession in the presence of witnesses becomes one of the key criteria necessary for inclusion in the church, along with faith:

If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

Likewise, Paul also writes:

 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12).

But the flip side is also very serious — cowardice and faithlessness in the face of opposition and persecution are not rewarded.  Jesus describes what happens when he is repudiated:

But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

After these assurances to his disciples, Jesus also adds warnings.  Some of what he says may be called “hard sayings:”

Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.

Those who have concluded that Jesus is weak and timid haven’t considered the whole Gospel record.  John the Baptist had prophesied:

 Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.  I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:10-12).

And Jesus seems to make reference to John the Baptist’s preaching a little later in the Gospel narrative:

From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12).

The truth is, Jesus is not always a unifying and peaceful figure.  He warns the disciples that people must make a choice, either for him or against him, and the consequences can even affect the most intimate family relations:

For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  A man’s foes will be those of his own household.  He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.

Note that Jesus doesn’t say that family members are not to love one another — what he does say here is that love for him must supersede even love for family!  This may be a reference to the prophet Micah, who wrote in the 8th century B.C. in Judah.  He was warning the people that their faithlessness and idolatry would be punished, and he denounces the apostasy of the people of Judah.  He declares that in these times there is only one sure thing that they can trust:

Don’t trust in a neighbor.
Don’t put confidence in a friend.
With the woman lying in your embrace,
be careful of the words of your mouth!
For the son dishonors the father,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to Yahweh.
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me (Micah 7:5-7).

Jesus seems to be saying something very similar to his disciples — that parents and in-laws and children may turn against them, but they are to love him.  He won’t fail them.

Finally, he forecasts the adversity and persecution that is to come:

He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me.  He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

This paradoxical statement can only be understood in the light of Jesus’ own mission.  This is the first time in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus has brought up the cross, but it won’t be the last (see Matthew 16:21; 17:12).  He becomes increasingly vocal about the death he himself is to die as they approach Jerusalem.

And he is telling the disciples that they must take up the cross, as he will tell them in more detail:

If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? (Matthew 16:24-26).

Following Jesus requires the ultimate sacrifice — giving up loyalty to family as one’s priority, and even giving up one’s own life.  And yet the reciprocal reward is disproportionately abundant.  The disciple who gives up his own right to himself not only finds life — he finds his true life.

And, for the purposes of balance, Jesus does offer immense rewards to those who follow him without reservation.  He says to the disciples, who are bewildered at the rich young man who declines to follow Jesus because he had great possessions (Matthew 19:16-22) that those who have left everything for him will receive far more than they have given up:

Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:28-29).

APPLY:  

Jesus is aware that his disciples are going to experience adversity as they enter into the mission field.  He is, we might say, offering them an immunization against darkness by warning them and preparing them ahead of time.  And yet he is also reminding them of their inestimable value to God.  Jesus is also strengthening their courage — but he reminds them that their confession of faith in him only really works if they commit themselves completely to him.  Half-measures and lip service won’t do.

These are stark words for many Western Christians where it is reasonably safe to follow Jesus.  Christians in Egypt, Syria, China, Indonesia, and many other lands have personal experience with the kinds of conditions that Jesus describes. They resonate deeply with the warnings and the promises Jesus makes.  They know from experience what it means to face name-calling and even death because of their faith.

But even for Christians in the safer west, where religious freedom is generally respected, there are key points here:

• We are to be as much like our teacher, Jesus, as we possibly can be.
• We are of incalculable value to God.
• We are to openly confess Jesus as our Lord, no matter the consequences.
• Our first loyalty, above all others, is to Christ.
• If we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus, we are to choose self sacrifice and self-denial over security and safety.

RESPOND: 

These are uncomfortable words for Western Christians. They are uncomfortable words for me.  I may console myself that some 37 years ago I entered into full-time Christian ministry, which meant that I went where my Bishop sent me — whether I liked it or not.  It sometimes meant having to make hard calls, and go into places and situations that have been uncomfortable and sometimes (though rarely) a little unsafe.

But I can’t say that I have really “suffered” as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Let me be clear — I don’t think that Jesus demands that we suffer.  What he asks is that we follow him and be willing to take up our cross and follow him.

On Memorial Day recently I thanked my brother for his service in the Navy during a time of war.  He reminded me that he never actually saw action in battle.  I said that wasn’t my point.  He was willing. When he took the oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, and received his commission in the U.S. Navy, he belonged to “Uncle Sam.” They could deploy him wherever they chose, and he was obliged to obey every lawful order.

In a sense, Christians must see themselves as soldiers, who have given up their right to themselves.  But the rewards, as Jesus tells us, are immense — relationship and life with him, forever!

Lord, following you does have a cost.  If we are truly committed to you, then other commitments dim in comparison.  And sometimes we are called upon to make sacrifices.  But if the trade-off is a relationship with the Lord of All Life, the sacrifice is worth it.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Carrying the Cross with Christ" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for January 29, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Micah 6:1-8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The prophet Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah.  In fact, some of his language and imagery closely parallels the language of Isaiah.  Micah reveals his context at the beginning of his oracles:

Yahweh’s word that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem (Micah 1:1).

This era would have covered the years 742 to 686 B.C.  Micah himself was from Morasheth in Judah which was near the border of Philistia, about 25 miles from Jerusalem.

He was prophesying to both the Northern Kingdom of Israel (aka Samaria) and the Southern Kingdom of Judah in a time of deep anxiety.  In 735 B.C., King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel formed an alliance against King Ahaz of Judah and besieged Jerusalem.  Other nations, such as Philistia and Edo, were taking advantage of Judah’s vulnerability.  A desperate Ahaz appealed to King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria for help.

The Assyrian king did “help” — he helped himself to Syria and to part of the Northern Kingdom known as Galilee.  Then in 721 B.C., another Assyrian king known as Sargon conquered Israel/Samaria and deported its people from their land.  And then the Assyrians under Sennacherib’s leadership began a campaign against Judah, capturing cities in this remaining kingdom, and besieging Jerusalem itself in 701 B.C.

Much of Micah’s prophetic career and writing were intended to warn Israel and Judah that they must repent and turn from idolatry and social injustice, and turn back to Yahweh.

This is the context of this week’s lectionary text for the Old Testament. In Micah 6, Yahweh is summoning his people to a kind of court hearing, demanding that they plead their case in the presence of the mountains which surround them.  Yahweh has a grievance against his people, and he asks them:

My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you?
Answer me!

Then Yahweh reminds his people of all that he has done for them — he has delivered them from bondage in Egypt; he sent great leaders to guide them — Moses, Aaron and Miriam — who were the epitome of greatness and devotion to Yahweh.  These two brothers and their sister led Israel from Egypt, through the wilderness, and provided the framework for Israel’s law and worship.

Micah also alludes to an encounter that occurred during those early years of Israel’s history, when Israel was drawing closer to the Promised Land of Canaan during their wandering in the wilderness. Yahweh says:

My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised,
and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh.

This is a reference to events recorded in the book of Numbers, when Israel was preparing to enter Canaan from the east.  They were required to travel through the region of Moab, and Balak was apprehensive because Israel had already defeated the Amorites in battle.  So Balak sought out a Moabite prophet named Balaam, and tried to bribe him to curse the Israelites.  But Yahweh instead put words of blessing in Balaam’s mouth instead of cursing (cf. Numbers 22-24).

The reference to Shittim and Gilgal are geographical reminders of Yahweh’s providential care of Israel — Shittim was the final encampment of the Israelites east of the Jordan river, and Gilgal was their first camp on the west bank of the river.  This was a shorthand way of saying that Yahweh had guided his people all the way from Egypt, through the wilderness, and in the transition to the promised land.

So, rhetorically, Yahweh is asking Israel — which of these blessings that I have provided for you are you unhappy with?  Obviously, the answer should be — none of them!

So, Micah begins to answer Yahweh on behalf of Israel.  He does this through a series of rhetorical questions:

How shall I come before Yahweh,
and bow myself before the exalted God?

Micah’s questions begin reasonably enough, but soon become preposterously exaggerated and even horrible: 

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams?
With tens of thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience?
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

His last question is obviously outrageous — Micah knows that human sacrifice is a feature of the worship of the Canaanite god Molech, and is expressly forbidden in the Law (cf. Leviticus 20:1-5).

And then Micah answers his own question by summing up what Yahweh requires.  Essentially, he suggests none of the above.  Instead, Micah says God has made clear what he wants from his people:   

He has shown you, O man, what is good.
What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

This triad of requirements sums up the ethical and spiritual values of the Mosaic Law and the prophets — justice and mercy cover human relations and how human beings are to treat one another.  To walk humbly with God suggests a personal relationship with Yahweh — we note that Micah doesn’t mention temple sacrifices, except in a somewhat satirical fashion as mentioned above.  Walking humbly with God is more than ritual observance — it is relationship.

APPLY:  

This passage presents one of the most famous passages in Scripture:

He has shown you, O man, what is good.
What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

First, though, we must remember that our ethical and spiritual response is grounded not in what we do, but in what God has done.  Micah has made it clear that Yahweh is the redeemer and deliverer of his people by reminding them of their liberation from slavery in Egypt, and his fulfillment of his promise to lead them into the Promised Land.  This is a reminder to us as Christians that we are the recipients of God’s grace.  We must never lose sight that the heart of the Biblical message is what God has done for us, not what we have done for God or ourselves.

Second, there is the summary of the response required from us.  It is simple, but not necessarily easy — a little like Jesus’ summary of Old Testament Law:

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-40).

These “Great Commandments” provide a picture of our vertical and horizontal requirements — vertical requirements cover our relationship with God, and the horizontal requirements cover our relationship with other people.  The key word is “relationship.”  Love for God and neighbor (and yes, even for enemy) are not abstract, but relational.

Micah’s summary is also relational.

• Justice has to do with treating others fairly, impartially and equally — corporately and individually.
• Mercy has to do with compassion, feeding the poor, helping the helpless, caring for the sick and the vulnerable.
• Walking humbly with God is about cultivating a personal relationship with God — not excluding public worship but also including personal prayer and dependence on God on a daily basis.

In these three simple requirements we may find a wide application to our lives in terms of social justice, care for the environment, comfort and care for the sick, the poor, the hungry; all grounded in our deep relationship with God.

RESPOND: 

One of my favorite pastimes is walking.  My wife and I walk five or six days a week, if at all possible, and we prefer to walk in one of our state parks, sometimes for two or three hours at a time.

I have found this to be one of my primary means of grace.  During these walks in the woods especially, my wife and I are usually very quiet, alone with our own thoughts.  These are times of deep prayer for me, and often times when insights come through most clearly.

So, I resonate with Micah’s language about doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God.  It doesn’t take long to figure out that this metaphor of walking with God is deeply embedded in the Biblical lifestyle.  Many of the great figures of Scripture are described as people who walked with God.

• Enoch, Abraham, Isaac (cf. Genesis 5:24; 17:1; 48:15).
• Moses appeals to the Israelites to walk in the law of God (cf. Exodus 18:20).
• Jesus declares that those who follow him will walk in the light (cf. John 8:12).
• Paul tells the Galatians that they are to walk in the Spirit, with the fruits of the Spirit that will result (cf. Galatians 5:16).

I pray that I will continue to walk with God in such a way in my daily life that I reflect God’s justice, mercy and love every day.

Lord, I am grateful first of all for the grace that you have poured out in my life through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and that you continue to pour out in my life through your Holy Spirit.  I pray that you will empower me to treat others with justice and mercy, and to walk humbly with you all the days of my life.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“WFW Micah 6:8” by chelled is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for January 1, 2023 Epiphany Sunday

“Les rois mages en voyage” (The Magi Journeying) by James Tissot is in the Brooklyn Museum.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 2:1-12
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

What a strange story!  Non-Jewish Magi who come from the exotic east, shrouded in mystery.  Almost no detail is given about their background, their motivation, or their beliefs.  The reader is left to speculate about their brief appearance on the stage of this salvation history.

We only really know about the Magi from sources outside of Scripture — the Greek historian Herodotus, for example, tells us that the Magi were once a separate ethnic group in what is now modern-day Iraq and Iran, whose resistance to the more powerful Babylonians and Medo-Persians proved futile.  That they were relegated to a kind of caste-like status as priests.  That they were likely followers of the teaching of Zoraster, who believed in the cosmic struggle of good and evil, light and darkness represented by the gods Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, but that eventually the good deity Ahura Mazda will prevail. At the end of time a “savior figure” would arise who would renew the world and revive the dead.

So much for their identity.  Another question we ask is how did they know that this star presaged the birth of the one who has been born king of the Jews?   And why would they come to worship him? Was it because they had rubbed shoulders with Jewish scholars who had been exiled to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.? And because they shared with the Jews a hope for a coming savior at the end of time?  Our answers are only pure speculation.

But none of this is explored or interpreted in the Gospel.  The arrival of these ancient astronomers is simply declared as a fact, without explanation.

However, their instincts, though logical, are wrong!  They travel between 500 and 1000 miles, only to arrive five miles away from the real destination (the city of David, Bethlehem Ephrata). They go instead to Jerusalem, the capital of Judea!

Herod is depicted here much the way he is depicted in the literature of the time — wily, cunning, deceptive — and ruthless.  He is troubled for obvious reasons.  He is not the rightful heir to the throne of David, and he knows it.  He is an Idumean.  If the presumptive Jewish heir of David has been born, and the Jewish people find in him a champion, it could mean serious trouble for Herod’s uneasy reign. Remember that he is a client king under the sponsorship of the Roman empire.  He serves at their pleasure alone.

And when Herod is troubled, everybody in Jerusalem is troubled!

Curiously enough, Herod has enough sense to consult the Jewish priests of the temple that he is trying to reconstruct and renovate.  And they turn to their own ancient scriptures, specifically to Micah 5:2 and 4.  The Scriptures all point to the City of David, and the rightful heir of the throne.

Herod’s request of the Magi is worthy of every Hollywood villain we have ever met:

“Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

As we come to discover, his motives are diabolical — in Matthew 2:16 he gives orders for his soldiers to slaughter all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.  He will not tolerate the possibility of a royal rival.

But it is not the priests, or King Herod, who go to worship the newborn King.  The Gentile Magi, strangers from a strange land, come to worship him and spread their gifts before him.

Again, much may be made of the three gifts that they bring.  Incidentally, it may go without saying that we are not told how many Magi there are, just that there are three gifts.  The gifts are quite expensive, worthy of a king. Gold, the currency of that age and every age; frankincense, used in temples and presumably by the Magi themselves to be burned on occasions of worship; and myrrh, an expensive perfumed ointment often used for healing and for anointing the wealthy dead.

It is interesting to note that in Matthew’s Gospel there is no description of stable or manger.  The Magi come to a house where they find Mary and Jesus.  Time may well have elapsed between the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Magi — which may also explain why Herod commands the murder of two-year-olds and younger.

Matthew’s Gospel, in these early chapters especially, features the importance of dreams as a means of divine communication — the Magi are warned, just as Joseph is, by means of a dream that Herod means to kill the child.  And they slip away, escaping detection by Herod’s spies.

APPLY:  

There are many rich levels that we might explore as we seek to apply this passage to our own lives.

First, that the Magi are Gentile foreigners who, despite their exotic culture and ancient religion, are nevertheless drawn to this Jewish Messiah.  This is a reminder to us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transcends our parochial, ethnocentric, or nationalistic boundaries.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for people of every tribe, nation, language and culture.

Second, we find it irresistible not to think of the Magi as modern-day scientists.  Their search for truth is like ours — they follow the “signs” that are presented.  And they come so close!  But not close enough. A miss is as good as a mile when it comes to finding Jesus.

So it is through the guidance of Scripture — God’s own self-revelation — that they are directed to Bethlehem.  The Bible is a sufficient rule both of faith and practice, we believe.

But ultimately, they must take the journey of faith for themselves.  Reason and Scripture may direct us toward God, but we must experience him for ourselves through worship and by giving our best offering possible — ourselves, our souls and bodies.

RESPOND: 

I find in nature many compelling reasons to believe in God’s existence.  I find in Scripture confirmation that this God loves me and wants to have fellowship with me.  But I find in coming to God and worshiping him the direct evidence of my relationship with him.

Our Lord, you have given us various hints and signs of your presence in our midst.  But ultimately we must respond to reason and Scripture by faith.  Then we may truly worship you.  Amen. 

PHOTO:
“Les rois mages en voyage” (The Magi Journeying) by James Tissot is in the public domain.

Gospel for January 2, 2022 Epiphany Sunday

“Les rois mages en voyage” (The Magi Journeying) by James Tissot is in the Brooklyn Museum.

A NOTE FROM CELESTE LETCHWORTH:

As most of you know, Tom went to be with the Lord in June, 2018.

Since the lectionary cycles every 3 years, I am able to copy Tom’s SOAR studies from the archives and post them each week with our current year’s dates.

Unfortunately — the lectionary passages selected for January 2, 2022 are different this year — they’re using the Scriptures associated with “The 2nd Sunday after Christmas” instead of using the Scriptures for “the 1st Sunday in January.”

On the 1st Sunday in January, he always chose to go with the “Epiphany Sunday” Scriptures (which used to be selected for the Sunday immediately preceding January 6). He loved Epiphany! It was one of his favorite holidays — right up there with Trinity Sunday.

So here’s his SOAR for the Epiphany Gospel selection for the 1st Sunday in January.

HOWEVER! I was able to find a SOAR he wrote for John 1:1-14 (the Gospel selection for the 2nd Sunday after Christmas is John 1:10-18 with verses 1-9 as optional) in the archives. CLICK HERE to go to Tom’s SOAR for the Gospel for December 25, 2016: John 1:1-14.

I pray that the Light of Christ will shatter whatever darkness you encounter this year. And that God will use each of us to shine the Light of Christ as a beacon to the lost and the last.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 2:1-12
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

What a strange story!  Non-Jewish Magi who come from the exotic east, shrouded in mystery.  Almost no detail is given about their background, their motivation, or their beliefs.  The reader is left to speculate about their brief appearance on the stage of this salvation history.

We only really know about the Magi from sources outside of Scripture — the Greek historian Herodotus, for example, tells us that the Magi were once a separate ethnic group in what is now modern-day Iraq and Iran, whose resistance to the more powerful Babylonians and Medo-Persians proved futile.  That they were relegated to a kind of caste-like status as priests.  That they were likely followers of the teaching of Zoraster, who believed in the cosmic struggle of good and evil, light and darkness represented by the gods Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, but that eventually the good deity Ahura Mazda will prevail. At the end of time a “savior figure” would arise who would renew the world and revive the dead.

So much for their identity.  Another question we ask is how did they know that this star presaged the birth of the one who has been born king of the Jews?   And why would they come to worship him? Was it because they had rubbed shoulders with Jewish scholars who had been exiled to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.? And because they shared with the Jews a hope for a coming savior at the end of time?  Our only answers are pure speculation.

But none of this is explored or interpreted in the Gospel.  The arrival of these ancient astronomers is simply declared as a fact, without explanation.

However, their instincts, though logical, are wrong!  They travel between 500 and 1000 miles, only to arrive five miles away from the real destination (the city of David, Bethlehem Ephrata). They go instead to Jerusalem, the capital of Judea!

Herod is depicted here much the way he is depicted in the literature of the time — wily, cunning, deceptive — and ruthless.  He is troubled for obvious reasons.  He is not the rightful heir to the throne of David, and he knows it.  He is an Idumean.  If the presumptive Jewish heir of David has been born, and the Jewish people find in him a champion, it could mean serious trouble for Herod’s uneasy reign. Remember that he is a client king under the sponsorship of the Roman empire.  He serves at their pleasure alone.

And when Herod is troubled, everybody in Jerusalem is troubled!

Curiously enough, Herod has enough sense to consult the Jewish priests of the temple that he is trying to reconstruct and renovate.  And they turn to their own ancient scriptures, specifically to Micah 5:2 and 4.  The Scriptures all point to the City of David, and the rightful heir of the throne.

Herod’s request of the Magi is worthy of every Hollywood villain we have ever met:

“Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

As we come to discover, his motives are diabolical — in Matthew 2:16 he gives orders for his soldiers to slaughter all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.  He will not tolerate the possibility of a royal rival.

But it is not the priests, or King Herod, who go to worship the newborn King.  The Gentile Magi, strangers from a strange land, come to worship him and spread their gifts before him.

Again, much may be made of the three gifts that they bring.  Incidentally, it may go without saying that we are not told how many Magi there are, just that there are three gifts.  The gifts are quite expensive, worthy of a king. Gold, the currency of that age and every age; frankincense, used in temples and presumably by the Magi themselves to be burned on occasions of worship; and myrrh, an expensive perfumed ointment often used for healing and for anointing the wealthy dead.

It is interesting to note that in Matthew’s Gospel there is no description of stable or manger.  The Magi come to a house where they find Mary and Jesus.  Time may well have elapsed between the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Magi — which may also explain why Herod commands the murder of two-year-olds and younger.

Matthew’s Gospel, in these early chapters especially, features the importance of dreams as a means of divine communication — the Magi are warned, just as Joseph is, by means of a dream that Herod means to kill the child.  And they slip away, escaping detection by Herod’s spies.

APPLY:  

There are many rich levels that we might explore as we seek to apply this passage to our own lives.

First, that the Magi are Gentile foreigners who, despite their exotic culture and ancient religion, are nevertheless drawn to this Jewish Messiah.  This is a reminder to us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transcends our parochial, ethnocentric, or nationalistic boundaries.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for people of every tribe, nation, language and culture.

Second, we find it irresistible not to think of the Magi as modern-day scientists.  Their search for truth is like ours — they follow the “signs” that are presented.  And they come so close!  But not close enough. A miss is as good as a mile when it comes to finding Jesus.

So it is through the guidance of Scripture — God’s own self-revelation — that they are directed to Bethlehem.  The Bible is a sufficient rule both of faith and practice, we believe.

But ultimately, they must take the journey of faith for themselves.  Reason and Scripture may direct us toward God, but we must experience him for ourselves through worship and by giving our best offering possible — ourselves, our souls and bodies.

RESPOND: 

I find in nature many compelling reasons to believe in God’s existence.  I find in Scripture confirmation that this God loves me and wants to have fellowship with me.  But I find in coming to God and worshiping him the direct evidence of my relationship with him.

Our Lord, you have given us various hints and signs of your presence in our midst.  But ultimately we must respond to reason and Scripture by faith.  Then we may truly worship you.  Amen. 

PHOTO:
“Les rois mages en voyage” (The Magi Journeying) by James Tissot is in the public domain.

Old Testament for December 19, 2021

Note from Celeste:

Before we look at today’s lectionary reading, I’d like to draw your attention to my Advent Bible Study books.

Getting Ready for Christmas is part of the Choose This Day Multiple Choice Bible Studies series, available in paperback and ebook.

The daily devotionals take 10-15 minutes and include:

• Scripture passage (World English Bible)
• Fun, entertaining multiple choice questions focused directly on the Scripture passage
• Short meditation that can be used as a discussion starter.

Like an Advent calendar, Getting Ready for Christmas begins on December 1 and ends December 25. However, these 25 devotionals focusing on the Messiah can be used any time of year.

Use this book personally during a coffee break or with the family in the car or at the dinner table.

Order Getting Ready for Christmas  today to prepare your family for this year’s Christmas season!
CLICK HERE for Amazon’s Kindle book of Getting Ready for Christmas.
CLICK HERE for Amazon’s Paperback of Getting Ready for Christmas.

And here’s the link to its puzzle companion book: Getting Ready for Christmas Word Search Puzzles for Advent. 

It’s a large-print puzzle book with over 1,200 hidden words taken straight from the same 25 Scripture readings. (30 puzzles in all.)

If you’re not in the U.S., you can still order the books from your country’s amazon platform. Simply search for “Getting Ready for Christmas” by Celesta Letchworth.

Thank you for your consideration! And thank you for faithfully following Tom’s SOAR blog!

---

AND NOW, BACK TO TODAY’S LECTIONARY READING:

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Micah 5:2-5a
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Micah is a contemporary of Isaiah, prophesying during the reigns of Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah (Micah 1:1), roughly between 740-687 B.C. 

Like Isaiah, he has a kind of ‘double vision.’  He sees the contemporary events of his own day, and the threat of the Assyrian Empire to Samaria (aka Israel, the Northern Kingdom) and Judah.  But he also sees events in the future which the Christian church can only interpret as prophesies of the Christ.

This week’s Old Testament lectionary reading is a case in point.  Micah looks forward to the Messiah who is to come out of Bethlehem of Ephrathah.

But before Bethlehem grew famous as the birthplace of Jesus, or as the hometown of David, we are reminded that Bethlehem Ephrathah was merely a small, rural town in the Judean highlands.  If it was famous for anything, it was known for the grain that was grown nearby and processed in Bethlehem.

Bethlehem literally means “house of bread.”  We are reminded of Boaz, the wealthy landowner from Bethlehem who married a young woman who gleaned in his fields — her name was Ruth, and she was to become the mother of Obed, and the great-grandmother of David.

Ephrathah is identified as an older sister city of Bethlehem that was later absorbed into Bethlehem; and the region around Bethlehem became known as the district of Ephrathah.

But despite these humble beginnings, Bethlehem of Ephrathah would become famous as the hometown of David, and the birthplace of David’s most famous heir, Jesus:

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.

So, what does Micah mean when he says,

Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.

Just who is the woman who gives birth?  She is the mother of this Messianic figure of the house of David, who:

shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

This description of the Messiah as a shepherd over his people is a reminder of David, who began as a shepherd-boy before he was anointed as king.

And this Messiah’s rule will extend far beyond the humble origins of Bethlehem of Ephrathah:

And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.

Micah’s designation of this Messianic figure as the one of peace reminds us of his contemporary, Isaiah:

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

APPLY:  

Place and setting are important in the Bible.  But they are important not because of themselves but because of people, events, or circumstances that are associated with them.

Bethlehem becomes important because it is the hometown of David, from whom a royal dynasty is to arise.  Bethlehem is important in the prophecy of Micah not because it is such a significant place but because it becomes a kind of signpost to us that this child born to Mary:

. . . shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.

In this season of Advent, the signs are everywhere that we’ll be celebrating Christmas soon.  But even more importantly, we look to the signs in Scripture that Jesus is the one for whom we are waiting.

RESPOND: 

I think of places that have been significant in my own life. The front yard of my parent’s home in Highland, California where God became real to me as I looked out over the glittering city lights in the valley below.  The delivery rooms where my sons were born.

Small, humble places sometimes far exceed their external image.  I recall taking my sons to Independence Hall in Philadelphia.  We stood in the very room where Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and other patriots debated American independence.

The room had been cleared of all of the original furniture for the purpose of refurbishment.  So all we could see was a bare room, with the tall, paned windows.

I remember being struck with how small and simple the room appeared.  And yet the events of July 2 through 4, 1776 changed the world!

The point is simply this — the difference that a small, humble town can make, or a cattle stall, is in direct proportion to the One who comes from there!

Lord, thank you for the signposts that are scattered throughout your Word that confirm for me that Jesus is the one “whose origin is from of old, from ancient days,” and who has come to be “the one of peace.” Amen.

PHOTOS:
"11th-Dec-Advent-Quote" by Lex McKee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for January 3, 2021 Epiphany Sunday

“Les rois mages en voyage” (The Magi Journeying) by James Tissot is in the Brooklyn Museum.

A NOTE FROM CELESTE LETCHWORTH:

As most of you know, Tom went to be with the Lord in June, 2018.

Since the lectionary cycles every 3 years, I am able to copy Tom’s SOAR studies from the archives and post them each week with our current year’s dates.

Unfortunately — the lectionary passages selected for January 3, 2021 are different this year — they’re using the Scriptures associated with “The 2nd Sunday after Christmas” instead of using the Scriptures for “the 1st Sunday in January.”

Tom always chose to go with the “Epiphany Sunday” (the Sunday immediately preceding January 6)  Scripture selections on the 1st Sunday in January. He loved Epiphany! It was one of his favorite holidays — right up there with Trinity Sunday.

So here’s his SOAR for the Epiphany Gospel selection for the 1st Sunday in January.

HOWEVER! I was able to find a SOAR he wrote for John 1:1-14 (the Gospel selection for the 2nd Sunday after Christmas is John 1:10-18 with verses 1-9 as optional) in the archives. CLICK HERE to go to Tom’s SOAR for the Gospel for December 25, 2016: John 1:1-14.

I pray that the Light of Christ will shatter whatever darkness you encounter this year. And that God will use each of us to shine the Light of Christ as a beacon to the lost and the last.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 2:1-12
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

What a strange story!  Non-Jewish Magi who come from the exotic east, shrouded in mystery.  Almost no detail is given about their background, their motivation, or their beliefs.  The reader is left to speculate about their brief appearance on the stage of this salvation history.

We only really know about the Magi from sources outside of scripture — the Greek historian Herodotus, for example, tells us that the Magi were once a separate ethnic group in what is now modern day Iraq and Iran, whose resistance to the more powerful Babylonians and Medo-Persians proved futile.  That they were relegated to a kind of caste-like status as priests.  That they were likely followers of the teaching of Zoraster, who believed in the cosmic struggle of good and evil, light and darkness represented by the gods Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, but that eventually the good deity Ahura Mazda will prevail. At the end of time a “savior figure” would arise who would renew the world and revive the dead.

So much for their identity.  Another question we ask is how did they know that this star presaged the birth of  the one who has been born king of the Jews?   And why would they come to worship him? Was it because they had rubbed shoulders with Jewish scholars who had been exiled to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.? And because they shared with the Jews a hope for a coming savior at the end of time?  Our only answers are pure speculation.

But none of this is explored or interpreted in the Gospel.  The arrival of these ancient astronomers is simply declared as a fact, without explanation.

However, their instincts, though logical, are wrong!  They travel between 500 and 1000 miles, only to arrive five miles away from the real destination (the city of David, Bethlehem Ephrata). They go instead to Jerusalem, the capital of Judea!

Herod is depicted here much the way he is depicted in the literature of the time — wily, cunning, deceptive — and ruthless.  He is troubled for obvious reasons.  He is not the rightful heir to the throne of David, and he knows it.  He is an Idumean.  If the presumptive Jewish heir of David has been born, and the Jewish people find in him a champion, it could mean serious trouble for Herod’s uneasy reign. Remember that he is a client king under the sponsorship of the Roman empire.  He serves at their pleasure alone.

And when Herod is troubled, everybody  in Jerusalem is troubled!

Curiously enough, Herod has enough sense to consult the Jewish priests of the temple that he is trying to reconstruct and renovate.  And they turn to their own ancient scriptures, specifically to Micah 5:2 and 4.  The Scriptures all point to the City of David, and the rightful heir of the throne.

Herod’s request of the Magi is worthy of every Hollywood villain we have ever met:

“Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

As we come to discover, his motives are diabolical — in Matthew 2:16 he gives orders for his soldiers to slaughter all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.  He will not tolerate the possibility of a royal rival.

But it is not the priests, or King Herod, who go to worship the newborn King.  The Gentile Magi, strangers from a strange land, come to worship him and spread their gifts before him.

Again, much may be made of the three gifts that they bring.  Incidentally, it may go without saying that we are not told how many Magi there are, just that there are three gifts.  The gifts are quite expensive, worthy of a king. Gold, the currency of that age and every age; frankincense, used in temples and presumably by the Magi themselves to be burned on occasions of worship; and myrrh, an expensive perfumed ointment often used for healing and for anointing the wealthy dead.

It is interesting to note that in Matthew’s Gospel there is no description of stable or manger.  The Magi come to a house where they find Mary and Jesus.  Time may well have elapsed between the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Magi — which may also explain why Herod commands the murder of two-year-olds and younger.

Matthew’s Gospel, in these early chapters especially, features the importance of dreams as a means of divine communication — the Magi are warned, just as Joseph is, by means of a dream that Herod means to kill the child.  And they slip away, escaping detection by Herod’s spies.

APPLY:  

There are many rich levels that we might explore as we seek to apply this passage to our own lives.

First, that the Magi are Gentile foreigners who, despite their exotic culture and ancient religion, are nevertheless drawn to this Jewish Messiah.  This is a reminder to us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transcends our parochial, ethnocentric, or nationalistic boundaries.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for people of every tribe, nation, language and culture.

Second, we find it irresistible not to think of the Magi as modern-day scientists.  Their search for truth is like ours — they follow the “signs” that are presented.  And they come so close!  But not close enough. A miss is as good as a mile when it comes to finding Jesus.

So it is through the guidance of Scripture — God’s own self-revelation — that they are directed to Bethlehem.  The Bible is a sufficient rule both of faith and practice, we believe.

But ultimately, they must take the journey of faith for themselves.  Reason and Scripture may direct us toward God, but we must experience him for ourselves through worship and by giving our best offering possible — ourselves, our souls and bodies.

RESPOND: 

I find in nature many compelling reasons to believe in God’s existence.  I find in Scripture confirmation that this God loves me and wants to have fellowship with me.  But I find in coming to God and worshiping him the direct evidence of my relationship with him.

Our Lord, you have given us various hints and signs of your presence in our midst.  But ultimately we must respond to reason and Scripture by faith.  Then we may truly worship you.  Amen. 

PHOTO:
“Les rois mages en voyage” (The Magi Journeying) by James Tissot is in the public domain.

Gospel for June 21, 2020

This mosaic of Simon of Cyrene carrying the Cross of Christ is in Aberdeen’s Catholic Cathedral. It is by Gabriel Loire of Chartres.
[photo & description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 10:24-39
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The ministry of Jesus has reached a turning point.  He has been discipling the twelve through teaching and example, but now he has set them apart to go out into the mission field themselves:

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 (Matthew 10:1).

Jesus then began to teach them what they were to teach, to whom they were to go, what they were to take with them, etc.  In our current passage, he continues to prepare them for their mission — and he is warning them of the hardships that are to come.

He advises them that:

 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord.

They are deeply linked to Jesus as his followers. What this means is that they will face the same kind of name-calling from his adversaries that he faces; but they will also be protected by God in the same way he is protected:

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!  Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known.

To be called Beelzebul is a profound insult — especially for the Messiah, as we know Jesus to be!  Beelzebul is literally The Lord of the Flies, which is slang for the Devil.  In fact, just before Jesus set apart his disciples and began to prep them for their mission, the Pharisees denounced him:

 By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons (Matthew 9:34).

This is nothing less than blasphemy!  We note that the Pharisees weren’t questioning whether Jesus was a conduit for power — they were questioning the source of his power.

But Jesus tells the disciples not to be afraid, because the truth will come out!   

What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.

And his assurance to them goes even deeper than the promise that the truth will be vindicated.  He makes it clear that there are spiritual forces at play here that are far more powerful than mere human authorities:

 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

The question we must ask here is, who is the one who can destroy both soul and body? Is he referring to Beelzebul, or is he referring to God?

Gehenna, historically, is the Valley of Hinnom (Ge Hinnom) which is a valley on the border of Jerusalem.  It had earned a reputation for infamy as the place where children had been sacrificed to the Canaanite god Molech in the days prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.  According to archaeologists, it had also become a kind of town dump even in Jesus’ time.  It was a place of filth, where the bodies of animals and criminals were burned. As a dump, fire and smoke rose from its heaps constantly.  Jesus is obviously speaking metaphorically — Gehenna must refer to Hell itself.  Therefore, it seems clear that he is warning them to be afraid of the one who presides over this place of filth — Satan.

Jesus is offering encouragement and inspiration to his followers:   

Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin?  Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will,  but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

Jesus is assuring the disciples of their inestimable value to the Father.  He uses an interesting analogy, reasoning from small things to greater.  He speaks of sparrows, which are sold in the market at the rate of two for an assarion — according to notes this was a small bronze or copper coin with a Greek name that was in current use in the Roman empire.   It was one of the smallest denominations of coins, approximately equal to the wages for a half hour of farm labor.

And yet, Jesus says, these two sparrows, so cheap in the market, don’t escape the notice and will of the Father.  Therefore, the disciples need to be assured — they are made in the very image of God, and are of much greater value to him.  Jesus uses a very similar metaphor in his Sermon on the Mount  when he teaches his disciples not to be anxious about anything:

See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they? (Matthew 6:26).

Jesus then makes a decisive application in regard to the loyalty of his disciples to him:

 Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven.

The good confession is a phrase that becomes extremely important in the early church.  To confess is to declare one’s faith in and allegiance to Jesus.  The public confession in the presence of witnesses becomes one of the key criteria necessary for inclusion in the church, along with faith:

If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

Likewise, Paul also writes:

 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12).

But the flip side is also very serious — cowardice and faithlessness in the face of opposition and persecution are not rewarded.  Jesus describes what happens when he is repudiated:

But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

After these assurances to his disciples, Jesus also adds warnings.  Some of what he says may be called  “hard sayings:”

Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.

Those who have concluded that Jesus is weak and timid haven’t considered the whole Gospel record.  John the Baptist had prophesied:

 Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.  I indeed baptize  you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:10-12).

And Jesus seems to make reference to John the Baptist’s preaching a little later in the Gospel narrative:

From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12).

The truth is, Jesus is not always a unifying and peaceful figure.  He warns the disciples that people must make a choice, either for him or against him, and the consequences can even affect the most intimate family relations:

For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  A man’s foes will be those of his own household.  He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.

Note that Jesus doesn’t say that family members are not to love one another — what he does say here is that love for him must supersede even love for family!  This may be a reference to the prophet Micah, who wrote in the 8th century B.C. in Judah.  He was warning the people that their faithlessness and idolatry would be punished, and he denounces the apostasy of the people of Judah.  He declares that in these times there is only one sure thing that they can trust:

Don’t trust in a neighbor.
Don’t put confidence in a friend.
With the woman lying in your embrace,
be careful of the words of your mouth!
For the son dishonors the father,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to Yahweh.
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me (Micah 7:5-7).

Jesus seems to be saying something very similar to his disciples — that parents and in-laws and children may turn against them, but they are to love him.  He won’t fail them.

Finally, he forecasts the adversity and persecution that is to come:

He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me.  He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

This paradoxical statement can only be understood in the light of Jesus’ own mission.  This is the first time in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus has brought up the cross, but it won’t be the last (see Matthew 16:21; 17:12).  He becomes increasingly vocal about the death he himself is to die as they approach Jerusalem.

And he is telling the disciples that they must take up the cross, as he will tell them in more detail:

If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? (Matthew 16:24-26).

Following Jesus requires the ultimate sacrifice — giving up loyalty to family as one’s priority, and even giving up one’s own life.  And yet the reciprocal reward is disproportionately abundant.  The disciple who gives up his own right to himself not only finds life — he finds his true life.

And, for the purposes of balance, Jesus does offer immense rewards to those who follow him without reservation.  He says to the disciples, who are bewildered at the rich young man who declines to follow Jesus because he had great possessions (Matthew 19:16-22) that those who have left everything for him will receive far more than they have given up:

Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:28-29).

APPLY:  

Jesus is aware that his disciples are going to experience adversity as they enter into the mission field.  He is, we might say, offering them an immunization against darkness by warning them and preparing them ahead of time.  And yet he is also reminding them of their inestimable value to God.  Jesus is also strengthening their courage  — but he reminds them that their confession of faith in him only really works if they commit themselves completely to him.  Half-measures and lip service won’t do.

These are stark words for many Western Christians where it is reasonably safe to follow Jesus.  Christians in Egypt, Syria, China, Indonesia, and many other lands have personal experience with the kinds of conditions that Jesus describes. They resonate deeply with the warnings and the promises Jesus makes.  They know from experience what it means to face name-calling and even death because of their faith.

But even for Christians in the safer west, where religious freedom is generally respected, there are key points here:

• We are to be as much like our teacher, Jesus, as we possibly can be.
• We are of incalculable value to God.
• We are to openly confess Jesus as our Lord, no matter the consequences.
• Our first loyalty, above all others, is to Christ.
• If we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus, we are to choose self sacrifice and self-denial over security and safety.

RESPOND: 

These are uncomfortable words for Western Christians. They are uncomfortable words for me.  I may console myself that some 37 years ago I entered into full-time Christian ministry, which meant that I went where my Bishop sent me — whether I liked it or not.  It sometimes meant having to make hard calls, and go into places and situations that have been uncomfortable and sometimes (though rarely) a little unsafe.

But I can’t say that I have really “suffered” as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Let me be clear — I don’t think that Jesus demands that we suffer.  What he asks is that we follow him and be willing to take up our cross and follow him.

On Memorial Day recently I thanked my brother for his service in the Navy during a time of war.  He reminded me that he never actually saw action in battle.  I said that wasn’t my point.  He was willing. When he took the oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, and received his commission in the U.S. Navy, he belonged to “Uncle Sam.” They could deploy him wherever they chose, and he was obliged to obey every lawful order.

In a sense, Christians must see themselves as soldiers, who have given up their right to themselves.  But the rewards, as Jesus tells us, are immense — relationship and life with him, forever!

Lord, following you does have a cost.  If we are truly committed to you, then other commitments dim in comparison.  And sometimes we are called upon to make sacrifices.  But if the trade-off is a relationship with the Lord of All Life, the sacrifice is worth it.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Carrying the Cross with Christ" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for February 2, 2020

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Micah 6:1-8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The prophet Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah.  In fact, some of his language and imagery closely parallels the language of Isaiah.  Micah reveals his context at the beginning of his oracles:

Yahweh’s  word that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem (Micah 1:1).

This era would have covered the years 742 to 686 B.C.  Micah himself was from Morasheth in Judah which was near the border of Philistia, about 25 miles from Jerusalem.

He was prophesying to both the Northern Kingdom of Israel (aka Samaria) and the Southern Kingdom of Judah in a time of deep anxiety.  In 735 B.C., King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel formed an alliance against King Ahaz of Judah and besieged Jerusalem.  Other nations, such as Philistia and Edo, were taking advantage of Judah’s vulnerability.  A desperate Ahaz appealed to King Tiglath-Pileser of  Assyria for help.

The Assyrian king did “help” — he helped himself to Syria and to part of the Northern Kingdom known as Galilee.  Then in 721 B.C., another Assyrian king known as Sargon conquered Israel/Samaria and deported its people from their land.  And then the Assyrians under Sennacherib’s leadership began a campaign against Judah, capturing cities in this remaining kingdom, and besieging Jerusalem itself in 701 B.C.

Much of Micah’s prophetic career and writing were intended to warn Israel and Judah that they must repent and turn from idolatry and social injustice, and turn back to Yahweh.

This is the context of this week’s lectionary text for the Old Testament.   In Micah 6, Yahweh is summoning his people to a kind of court hearing, demanding that they plead their case in the presence of the mountains which surround them.  Yahweh has a grievance against his people, and he asks them:

My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you?
Answer me!

Then Yahweh reminds his people of all that he has done for them — he has delivered them from bondage in Egypt; he sent great leaders to guide them — Moses, Aaron and Miriam — who were the epitome of greatness and devotion to Yahweh.  These two brothers and their sister led Israel from Egypt, through the wilderness, and provided the framework for Israel’s law and worship.

Micah also alludes to an encounter that occurred during those early years of Israel’s history, when Israel was drawing closer to the Promised Land of Canaan during their wandering in the wilderness. Yahweh says:

My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised,
and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh.

This is a reference to events recorded in the book of Numbers, when Israel was preparing to enter Canaan from the east.  They were required to travel through the region of Moab, and Balak was apprehensive because Israel had already defeated the Amorites in battle.  So Balak sought out a Moabite prophet named Balaam, and tried to bribe him to curse the Israelites.  But Yahweh instead put words of blessing in Balaam’s mouth instead of cursing (cf. Numbers 22-24).

The reference to Shittim and Gilgal are geographical reminders of Yahweh’s providential care of Israel — Shittim was the final encampment of the Israelites east of the Jordan river, and Gilgal was their first camp on the west bank of the river.  This was a shorthand way of saying that Yahweh had guided his people all the way from Egypt, through the wilderness, and in the transition to the promised land.

So, rhetorically, Yahweh is asking Israel — which of these blessings that I have provided for you are you unhappy with?  Obviously, the answer should be — none of them!

So, Micah begins to answer Yahweh on behalf of Israel.  He does this through a series of rhetorical questions:

How shall I come before Yahweh,
and bow myself before the exalted God?

Micah’s questions begin reasonably enough, but soon become preposterously  exaggerated and even horrible: 

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams?
With tens of thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience?
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

His last question is obviously outrageous — Micah knows that human sacrifice is a feature of the worship of the Canaanite god Molech, and is expressly forbidden in the Law (cf. Leviticus 20:1-5).

And then Micah answers his own question by summing up what Yahweh requires.  Essentially, he suggests none of the above.  Instead, Micah says God has made clear what he wants from his people:   

He has shown you, O man, what is good.
What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

This triad of requirements sums up the ethical and spiritual values of the Mosaic Law and the prophets — justice and mercy cover human relations and how human beings are to treat one another.  To walk humbly with God suggests a personal relationship with Yahweh — we note that Micah doesn’t mention temple sacrifices, except in a somewhat satirical fashion as mentioned above.  Walking humbly with God is more than ritual observance — it is relationship.

APPLY:  

This passage presents one of the most famous passages in Scripture:

He has shown you, O man, what is good.
What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

First, though, we must remember that our ethical and spiritual response is grounded not in what we do, but in what God has done.  Micah has made it clear that Yahweh is the redeemer and deliverer of his people by reminding them of their liberation from slavery in Egypt, and his fulfillment of his promise to lead them into the Promised Land.  This is a reminder to us as Christians that we are the recipients of God’s grace.  We must never lose sight that the heart of the Biblical message is what God has done for us, not what we have done for God or ourselves.

Second, there is the summary of the response required from us.  It is simple, but not necessarily easy — a little like Jesus’ summary of Old Testament Law:

‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-40).

These “Great Commandments” provide a picture of our vertical and horizontal requirements — vertical requirements cover our relationship with God, and the horizontal requirements cover our relationship with other people.  The key word is “relationship.”  Love for God and neighbor (and yes, even for enemy) are not abstract, but relational.

Micah’s summary is also relational.

• Justice has to do with treating others fairly, impartially and equally — corporately and individually.
• Mercy has to do with compassion, feeding the poor, helping the helpless, caring for the sick and the vulnerable.
• Walking humbly with God is about cultivating a personal relationship with God — not excluding public worship but also including personal prayer and dependence on God on a daily basis.

In these three simple requirements we may find a wide application to our lives in terms of social justice, care for the environment, comfort and care for the sick, the poor, the hungry; all grounded in our deep relationship with God.

RESPOND: 

One of my favorite pastimes is walking.  My wife and I walk five or six days a week, if at all possible, and we prefer to walk in one of our state parks, sometimes for two or three hours at a time.

I have found this to be one of my primary means of grace.  During these walks in the woods especially, my wife and I are usually very quiet, alone with our own thoughts.  These are times of deep prayer for me, and often times when insights come through most clearly.

So, I resonate with Micah’s language about doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God.  It doesn’t take long to figure out that this metaphor of walking with God is deeply embedded in the Biblical lifestyle.  Many of the great figures of Scripture are described as people who walked with God.

• Enoch, Abraham, Isaac (cf. Genesis 5:24; 17:1; 48:15).
• Moses appeals to the Israelites to walk in the law of God (cf. Exodus 18:20).
• Jesus declares that those who follow him will walk in the light (cf. John 8:12).
• Paul tells the Galatians that they are to walk in the Spirit, with the fruits of the Spirit that will result (cf. Galatians 5:16).

I pray that I will continue to walk with God in such a way in my daily life that I reflect God’s justice, mercy and love every day.

Lord, I am grateful first of all for the grace that you have poured out in my life through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and that you continue to pour out in my life through your Holy Spirit.  I pray that you will empower me to treat others with justice and mercy, and to walk humbly with you all the days of my life.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“WFW Micah 6:8” by chelled is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for January 5, 2020 Epiphany Sunday

“Les rois mages en voyage” (The Magi Journeying) by James Tissot is in the Brooklyn Museum.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 2:1-12
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

What a strange story!  Non-Jewish Magi who come from the exotic east, shrouded in mystery.  Almost no detail is given about their background, their motivation, or their beliefs.  The reader is left to speculate about their brief appearance on the stage of this salvation history.

We only really know about the Magi from sources outside of scripture — the Greek historian Herodotus, for example, tells us that the Magi were once a separate ethnic group in what is now modern day Iraq and Iran, whose resistance to the more powerful Babylonians and Medo-Persians proved futile.  That they were relegated to a kind of caste-like status as priests.  That they were likely followers of the teaching of Zoraster, who believed in the cosmic struggle of good and evil, light and darkness represented by the gods Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, but that eventually the good deity Ahura Mazda will prevail. At the end of time a “savior figure” would arise who would renew the world and revive the dead.

So much for their identity.  Another question we ask is how did they know that this star presaged the birth of  the one who has been born king of the Jews?   And why would they come to worship him? Was it because they had rubbed shoulders with Jewish scholars who had been exiled to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.? And because they shared with the Jews a hope for a coming savior at the end of time?  Our only answers are pure speculation.

But none of this is explored or interpreted in the Gospel.  The arrival of these ancient astronomers is simply declared as a fact, without explanation.

However, their instincts, though logical, are wrong!  They travel between 500 and 1000 miles, only to arrive five miles away from the real destination (the city of David, Bethlehem Ephrata). They go instead to Jerusalem, the capital of Judea!

Herod is depicted here much the way he is depicted in the literature of the time — wily, cunning, deceptive — and ruthless.  He is troubled for obvious reasons.  He is not the rightful heir to the throne of David, and he knows it.  He is an Idumean.  If the presumptive Jewish heir of David has been born, and the Jewish people find in him a champion, it could mean serious trouble for Herod’s uneasy reign. Remember that he is a client king under the sponsorship of the Roman empire.  He serves at their pleasure alone.

And when Herod is troubled, everybody  in Jerusalem is troubled!

Curiously enough, Herod has enough sense to consult the Jewish priests of the temple that he is trying to reconstruct and renovate.  And they turn to their own ancient scriptures, specifically to Micah 5:2 and 4.  The Scriptures all point to the City of David, and the rightful heir of the throne.

Herod’s request of the Magi is worthy of every Hollywood villain we have ever met:

“Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

As we come to discover, his motives are diabolical — in Matthew 2:16 he gives orders for his soldiers to slaughter all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.  He will not tolerate the possibility of a royal rival.

But it is not the priests, or King Herod, who go to worship the newborn King.  The Gentile Magi, strangers from a strange land, come to worship him and spread their gifts before him.

Again, much may be made of the three gifts that they bring.  Incidentally, it may go without saying that we are not told how many Magi there are, just that there are three gifts.  The gifts are quite expensive, worthy of a king. Gold, the currency of that age and every age; frankincense, used in temples and presumably by the Magi themselves to be burned on occasions of worship; and myrrh, an expensive perfumed ointment often used for healing and for anointing the wealthy dead.

It is interesting to note that in Matthew’s Gospel there is no description of stable or manger.  The Magi come to a house where they find Mary and Jesus.  Time may well have elapsed between the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Magi — which may also explain why Herod commands the murder of two-year-olds and younger.

Matthew’s Gospel, in these early chapters especially, features the importance of dreams as a means of divine communication — the Magi are warned, just as Joseph is, by means of a dream that Herod means to kill the child.  And they slip away, escaping detection by Herod’s spies.

APPLY:  

There are many rich levels that we might explore as we seek to apply this passage to our own lives.

First, that the Magi are Gentile foreigners who, despite their exotic culture and ancient religion, are nevertheless drawn to this Jewish Messiah.  This is a reminder to us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transcends our parochial, ethnocentric, or nationalistic boundaries.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for people of every tribe, nation, language and culture.

Second, we find it irresistible not to think of the Magi as modern-day scientists.  Their search for truth is like ours — they follow the “signs” that are presented.  And they come so close!  But not close enough. A miss is as good as a mile when it comes to finding Jesus.

So it is through the guidance of Scripture — God’s own self-revelation — that they are directed to Bethlehem.  The Bible is a sufficient rule both of faith and practice, we believe.

But ultimately, they must take the journey of faith for themselves.  Reason and Scripture may direct us toward God, but we must experience him for ourselves through worship and by giving our best offering possible — ourselves, our souls and bodies.

RESPOND: 

I find in nature many compelling reasons to believe in God’s existence.  I find in Scripture confirmation that this God loves me and wants to have fellowship with me.  But I find in coming to God and worshiping him the direct evidence of my relationship with him.

Our Lord, you have given us various hints and signs of your presence in our midst.  But ultimately we must respond to reason and Scripture by faith.  Then we may truly worship you.  Amen. 

PHOTO:
“Les rois mages en voyage” (The Magi Journeying) by James Tissot is in the public domain.

Gospel for January 6, 2019 Epiphany Sunday

“Les rois mages en voyage” (The Magi Journeying) by James Tissot is in the Brooklyn Museum.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 2:1-12
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

What a strange story!  Non-Jewish Magi who come from the exotic east, shrouded in mystery.  Almost no detail is given about their background, their motivation, or their beliefs.  The reader is left to speculate about their brief appearance on the stage of this salvation history.

We only really know about the Magi from sources outside of scripture — the Greek historian Herodotus, for example, tells us that the Magi were once a separate ethnic group in what is now modern day Iraq and Iran, whose resistance to the more powerful Babylonians and Medo-Persians proved futile.  That they were relegated to a kind of caste-like status as priests.  That they were likely followers of the teaching of Zoraster, who believed in the cosmic struggle of good and evil, light and darkness represented by the gods Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, but that eventually the good deity Ahura Mazda will prevail. At the end of time a “savior figure” would arise who would renew the world and revive the dead.

So much for their identity.  Another question we ask is how did they know that this star presaged the birth of  the one who has been born king of the Jews?   And why would they come to worship him? Was it because they had rubbed shoulders with Jewish scholars who had been exiled to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.? And because they shared with the Jews a hope for a coming savior at the end of time?  Our only answers are pure speculation.

But none of this is explored or interpreted in the Gospel.  The arrival of these ancient astronomers is simply declared as a fact, without explanation.

However, their instincts, though logical, are wrong!  They travel between 500 and 1000 miles, only to arrive five miles away from the real destination (the city of David, Bethlehem Ephrata). They go instead to Jerusalem, the capital of Judea!

Herod is depicted here much the way he is depicted in the literature of the time — wily, cunning, deceptive — and ruthless.  He is troubled for obvious reasons.  He is not the rightful heir to the throne of David, and he knows it.  He is an Idumean.  If the presumptive Jewish heir of David has been born, and the Jewish people find in him a champion, it could mean serious trouble for Herod’s uneasy reign. Remember that he is a client king under the sponsorship of the Roman empire.  He serves at their pleasure alone.

And when Herod is troubled, everybody  in Jerusalem is troubled!

Curiously enough, Herod has enough sense to consult the Jewish priests of the temple that he is trying to reconstruct and renovate.  And they turn to their own ancient scriptures, specifically to Micah 5:2 and 4.  The Scriptures all point to the City of David, and the rightful heir of the throne.

Herod’s request of the Magi is worthy of every Hollywood villain we have ever met:

“Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

As we come to discover, his motives are diabolical — in Matthew 2:16 he gives orders for his soldiers to slaughter all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.  He will not tolerate the possibility of a royal rival.

But it is not the priests, or King Herod, who go to worship the newborn King.  The Gentile Magi, strangers from a strange land, come to worship him and spread their gifts before him.

Again, much may be made of the three gifts that they bring.  Incidentally, it may go without saying that we are not told how many Magi there are, just that there are three gifts.  The gifts are quite expensive, worthy of a king. Gold, the currency of that age and every age; frankincense, used in temples and presumably by the Magi themselves to be burned on occasions of worship; and myrrh, an expensive perfumed ointment often used for healing and for anointing the wealthy dead.

It is interesting to note that in Matthew’s Gospel there is no description of stable or manger.  The Magi come to a house where they find Mary and Jesus.  Time may well have elapsed between the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Magi — which may also explain why Herod commands the murder of two-year-olds and younger.

Matthew’s Gospel, in these early chapters especially, features the importance of dreams as a means of divine communication — the Magi are warned, just as Joseph is, by means of a dream that Herod means to kill the child.  And they slip away, escaping detection by Herod’s spies.

APPLY:  

There are many rich levels that we might explore as we seek to apply this passage to our own lives.

First, that the Magi are Gentile foreigners who, despite their exotic culture and ancient religion, are nevertheless drawn to this Jewish Messiah.  This is a reminder to us that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transcends our parochial, ethnocentric, or nationalistic boundaries.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for people of every tribe, nation, language and culture.

Second, we find it irresistible not to think of the Magi as modern-day scientists.  Their search for truth is like ours — they follow the “signs” that are presented.  And they come so close!  But not close enough. A miss is as good as a mile when it comes to finding Jesus.

So it is through the guidance of Scripture — God’s own self-revelation — that they are directed to Bethlehem.  The Bible is a sufficient rule both of faith and practice, we believe.

But ultimately, they must take the journey of faith for themselves.  Reason and Scripture may direct us toward God, but we must experience him for ourselves through worship and by giving our best offering possible — ourselves, our souls and bodies.

RESPOND: 

I find in nature many compelling reasons to believe in God’s existence.  I find in Scripture confirmation that this God loves me and wants to have fellowship with me.  But I find in coming to God and worshiping him the direct evidence of my relationship with him.

Our Lord, you have given us various hints and signs of your presence in our midst.  But ultimately we must respond to reason and Scripture by faith.  Then we may truly worship you.  Amen. 

PHOTO:
“Les rois mages en voyage” (The Magi Journeying) by James Tissot is in the public domain.