The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15 - 14 August 2011


Genesis 45:1-15
Psalm 133
or
Isaiah 56:1, 6-8
Psalm 67

Romans 11:1-2a, 19-32
St. Matthew 15:10-28

Seal of Hezekiah

                                                                                   
Background: The Southern Kingdom I
In the past few weeks we have been looking at the communities and kingdoms that came after the death of Solomon, and that served as seedbeds for the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah, Isaiah and others.  When the northern tribes rejected the rule of Rehoboam, and disbanded the unity that David had forged between Israel (the northern tribes) and Judah.  Later, the tribe of Benjamin defects from the Northern Tribes and allies itself to Judah.  This little kingdom was buffeted by the pressures from the South (Egypt) and those from the North (Assyria and later Babylon) although it seems to have gravitated as a vassal state toward Assyria who assisted it militarily and politically.  In the Hebrew Scriptures we have a record of good kings (those who promoted the worship of Yahweh) and bad kings (those who tolerated other cults as well).  There are two that are noteworthy, namely, Hezekiah, who attempted to restore the worship of Yahweh, saw the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria, and survived an assault by the Assyrians against Jerusalem.  The other notable is King Josiah, who restored the temple, and during whose reign it is likely that the so-called “Deuteronomist” gathered materials that would later find a place in the Pentateuch – the Five Books of Moses.

Genesis 45:1-15

Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Send everyone away from me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, `Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there-- since there are five more years of famine to come-- so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.' And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here." Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.



It is important for us to remember that this scene is composed of two strands, one written in Israel, and the other written in Judah, following the division of the Davidic Empire into two political entities (see the Background material above).  Manifest in this story is a developing theology of Exodus and Salvation, exhibited in the reunion of Joseph and his brothers, Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers, and the grant of land to his father Jacob.  All of this sets the stage for the great events that will occur under Moses’ leadership.  The editors and writers of these scenes have their own agenda as well – the restoration and maintenance of Yahwism in both the north and the south. 

What we should take away is this notion that evil intentions can have divine results.  Joseph makes clear to his brothers that his situation in Egypt is really God’s work, a work of salvation.  Certain themes will be taken up by Israel and Judah’s prophets during the period these materials are being prepared.  Among them are the notions of “a remnant” a group that remains faithful to Yahweh, and the notion of exile as a situation of discernment and holiness.

Breaking open Genesis:
  1. Joseph is portrayed as an emotional character in this scene.  What would your emotions be like in a similar situation?
  2. What is Joseph’s interpretation of his situation?
  3. What is Benjamin’s role in this scene?

Psalm 133 Ecce, quam bonum

Oh, how good and pleasant it is, *
when brethren live together in unity!

It is like fine oil upon the head *
that runs down upon the beard,

Upon the beard of Aaron, *
and runs down upon the collar of his robe.

It is like the dew of Hermon *
that falls upon the hills of Zion.

For there the LORD has ordained the blessing: *
Life for evermore.



This beautiful poem is a hymn in praise of abundance, and it is only until we reach the final verse that we see the author of such abundance – the Lord.  There are three images that ignite the scene.  The first is the anointing of oil.  Here it is not for healing, but rather for appearance and pleasure.  Such aromatic oils were used in Greece and in Israel to take pleasure in the abundance of the land, and of self.  Thus, this oil drips down and flows down upon the beard.  This is the second image in the poem, the abundant beard of the high priest, a sign of his wisdom and vitality.  The third is the dew, but the author proposes a strange chain of events.  Mt. Hermon is in the north, nowhere near the “hills of Zion”.  Perhaps he was happy enough to cite mountains, any mountains, as the place where the dew forming from the prevailing winds off the Mediterranean, would water the abundant cedars and trees of the land.  All of this is a blessing, and a sign of abundant life, forever.

Breaking open Psalm 133
  1. What is the abundance that is described in this psalm?
  2. Does abundance in life hinder or engender unity?
  3. What is abundant in your life?

Or

Isaiah 56:1, 6-8

Thus says the LORD:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.
And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant--
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
Thus says the Lord GOD,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered.



This reading comes from a so-called “Third Isaiah”, and there is no clear scholarly consensus on who this prophet, or prophetic school, was.  The optimism of Second Isaiah is but faint remembrances in these verses that probably have to deal with the reality of establish the cult of Yahweh in a resettled homeland.  There are glimmers of Second Isaiah’s universalism, but they are interrupted by a rather conservative thread.  There is a realization that the God of Israel is also the God of all, “and the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord.”  The following verses, however, begin to limit that invitation: “who keep the Sabbath,” “hold fast my covenant.”  There is one verse that survives all of this, and becomes words on the mouth of Jesus as he cleanses the Temple of all the moneychangers and merchants: “my house shall be called a house of prayer.”  There is hope in the last verse, for the God who gathers “the outcasts of Israel,” will also “gather others to them.”  What might that mean in our troubled times?

Breaking open I Kings:
1.    What do you understand by the word “univeralism”?
2.    How is it operative in the Christian world?
3.    How is it operative in your world of faith?


Psalm 67 Deus misereatur

May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
show us the light of his countenance and come to us.

Let your ways be known upon earth, *
your saving health among all nations.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the nations upon earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has brought forth her increase; *
may God, our own God, give us his blessing.

May God give us his blessing, *
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.



This is a thanksgiving psalm, sung perhaps at harvest time, although it has some of the hallmarks of a liturgical chant.  It is a psalm of contrasts, which rejoice in God’s blessing upon the land, and also point out God’s rule over “all the peoples.”  Verse 2, “May God be merciful…” mirrors the Aaronic Blessing, “The Lord bless you and keep you…”  We also see a reflection of the blessings and curses model, a quid pro quo argument.  If God’s praises are sung, presumably not only by Israel, but “all the peoples”, then follows judgment with equity, along with divine guidance.  It is an interesting image – the abundance of the land becomes a sign to all the nations.

Breaking open Psalm 67
1.     What does it mean to praise God?
2.     How do you praise God in your life?
3.     What do receive in return?

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.




Paul continues his discourse on the Jews as he preaches to the Romans.  In his comments we hear an echo from both of the lessons from the Hebrew Scriptures assigned by the RCL to this day.  Joseph (in the Genesis lesson) describes the remnant with which God is concerned, and Third Isaiah, describes “the outcasts of Israel” who are gathered into his care and promise.  Thus Paul answers the rhetorical question, “Has God rejected his people?”  The final transaction in Paul’s vision of the economy of grace is “mercy for all.”

Breaking open Romans:
  1. What are your feelings about Jews, the covenant, and Jesus?
  2. What is Paul trying to tell us in this reading?
  3. Who do you think hasn’t heard this message.

Matthew 15:10-28

Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." Then he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."

Jesus left Gennesaret and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon." But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed instantly.



As if on cue, one of the “others” discussed by Third Isaiah enters the scene – a “Canaanite woman”.  In this description we hear some of the prejudice born by the people of Israel for those who lived in the former territories of the Kingdom of Israel.  In an interesting counter-play, Matthew has Jesus comment on the true seat of intentions, namely the heart.  That should be the source of our worry and discontent over sin.  Then in the second half of the reading, we have a Jesus who imputes a bad intent to the woman who seeks his aid.  In this dialogue she constantly counters Jesus’ insults with words of promised grace.  Jesus probes the heart of her intent, and in it finds faith.  How have we treated those who seem unworthy of us, and yet have had a heart of faith?

Breaking open the Gospel:
  1. Whom do you think sits outside of the faith?
  2. Why?
  3. What stance might this Jesus take?

After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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