The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, 1 February 2015
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Psalm 111
I Corinthians 8:1-13
St. Mark 1:21-28
Background: Prophets
The office of the
prophet is one that is often misunderstood in our time. Indeed, amongst
fundamental Christians, the prophetic role is seen as one of telling the
future. The ancient term “seer” may have given rise to this understanding of
the prophet. The Hebrew term navi, is
best described in Deuteronomy 18:18, “I will raise up
for them a prophet like you from among their kindred, and will put my words
into the mouth of the prophet; the prophet shall tell them all that I command.” The office of the prophet is not so much about the
future as it is about the “now” of things. The title speaks more about being a
spokesperson than it does about gazing off into times that come. Robert Alter
puts it well, “The literary prophets in the biblical canon are less in the
business of prediction than of castigation.”[1]
The Hebrew name comes from the verb n-b
which means to “be open”, as in being open to an experience from outside
oneself, thus expressing the word that comes to the prophet from God.
Prophets often used language
and symbol to get their message across. Isaiah and Amos used names to telegraph
their message, and Jeremiah uses clay pots, leather yokes, and other symbols to
make clear or to point to his message. Several scholars point to schools of
priest/prophets who could have been titled “seers” who practiced rituals that
indicated what God wanted for an individual in a particular situation. The
taboos against divination, however, made these practices dubious, and the notion
of prophetic spokespersons was the favored idea.
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Moses said, The
LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own
people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the LORD
your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: "If I hear the
voice of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will
die." Then the LORD replied to me: "They are right in what they have
said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people;
I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them
everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet
shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But any prophet who
speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word
that I have not commanded the prophet to speak-- that prophet shall die."
Israel was not alone in entertaining and cultivating
prophets. Persia and Greece had similar personalities and offices. Often these
individuals were harbingers of change in society. Here, however, the office is
devoted to a single idea, and that is the notion of “word”. So, in this
reading, we hear a lot of “word ideas”: “the
voice of the Lord,” “I will put my words in the mouth”, “who shall speak”,
“speak in my name”, “a word that I have not commanded.” What this pericope
wants us to understand is the discernment of the true prophet from the false
prophet. Canaanite religion and other religions in the Levant certainly had
their own prophets, and their gods had their own words. Moses wants the people
to be able to distinguish YHWH’s spokesperson from these other. Moses is
anticipating his absence and the need for other persons to fill the prophetic
office. As week look at the history that the Deuteronomist wants us to see, and
at the situation that prevailed at the time of the books writing (8th
– 7th Century BCE?) we see a common problem of discernment. What did God want? Who was it that would
indicate God’s will in a world turned topsy-turvy? The text leaves us hanging.
Breaking open Deuteronomy:
- Who are the prophets of
our time?
- Who speaks the word of God
to you?
- How have you been a
prophet to others?
Psalm 111 Confitebor tibi
Hallelujah!
I will give
thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, *
in the assembly
of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the
deeds of the LORD! *
they are
studied by all who delight in them.
His work is
full of majesty and splendor, *
and his
righteousness endures for ever.
He makes his
marvelous works to be remembered; *
the LORD is
gracious and full of compassion.
He gives food
to those who fear him; *
he is ever
mindful of his covenant.
He has shown
his people the power of his works *
in giving them
the lands of the nations.
The works of
his hands are faithfulness and justice; *
all his
commandments are sure.
They stand fast
for ever and ever, *
because they
are done in truth and equity.
He sent
redemption to his people;
he commanded
his covenant for ever; *
holy and
awesome is his Name.
The fear of the
LORD is the beginning of wisdom; *
those who act
accordingly have a good understanding;
his praise
endures for ever.
This is a psalm of general praise of God arranged in
versets that begin with each letter of the Hebrew alphabet, an acrostic. The
setting for this psalm seems to be one of two places: either a psalm sung
amongst an elite group, the assembly of
the upright, or in a more general audience, in the congregation. It’s all encompassing content seems to suggest
the latter. What the author outlines for us is all the attributes and acts of
God, seen in their splendor and in their mercy. Not only is majesty described,
but God’s compassion and mercy as well. This is a psalm of national stability
and strength – a strength that is rooted in the wisdom that comes from God.
Rather than being an esoteric collection of wisdom, it is rather the root of “good understanding”, conventional logic
and good behavior.
Breaking open Psalm 111:
- In what ways are you wise?
- Is God’s wisdom present in
your wisdom? How?
- What is your “good
understanding” of God and self?
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Now concerning
food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge."
Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something
does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by
him.
Hence, as to
the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "no idol in the world
really exists," and that "there is no God but one." Indeed, even
though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth-- as in fact there are
many gods and many lords-- yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom
are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom
are all things and through whom we exist.
It is not
everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed
to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an
idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. "Food will not bring
us close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off
if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a
stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge,
eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is
weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? So by your
knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you
thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is
weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I
will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
We are in the midst of a lectio continua (continuing reading) from the first letter to the
Corinthians, and the subject is a concise discussion on idolatry. It is
introduced in general and then moves to a specific discussion about food
offered to idols. This activity will serve as the platform on which idolatry
will be discussed, and its reflection in the lives of Christians will be
examined. “Since no idol really exists”, it
is a morally neutral discussion. Paul, however, is never far from the effects
that any act might have in the lives of Christians, so a more thorough
discussion takes place. The questions revolve around the faith of the weak and the real parameters of
Christian liberty. His stance is one of forbearance for those for whom the
eating of meat offered to idols is an offence. “Therefore, if food is a cause…I will never eat meat.” One wonders
what other social decision we are driven to make might be made differently were
we to espouse such an ethic?
Breaking open I Corinthians:
- How do you “edit” your
life and behaviors for the benefit of others?
- How do you not do so?
- How do you make the
decision, one way or another?
St. Mark 1:21-28
Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came,
he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for
he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there
was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out,
"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy
us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him,
saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit,
convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all
amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new
teaching-- with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey
him." At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region
of Galilee.
Capernaum becomes the center of Jesus ministry with its
parallel focus on the region of Galilee. Here, immediately following the call
of the disciples, Jesus urgently begins his mission and teaching. Jesus is
characterized here and in other places in Mark as a teacher, but the Gospel
actually contains a larger agenda of actions, rather than teachings. This
particular pericope is a good example of the combination of both. Also an issue
or a demonstration here is Mark’s vision of Jesus’ authority, seen in the
context of the gathering at the Synagogue at Capernaum, and also in the
exorcism story. It is important to
remember how Jesus’ word has been used in this pericope and in the one prior.
The disciples are both called and convinced by that word, and in this pericope
people are “amazed.” Thus Jesus enters into the commonalities of human life,
and calls the disciples from their labors into a different labor, and calls
forth the “demon” from the man, thus showing the power of God’s word in the
difficulties of life. The “demon” knows Jesus and his effect, but it is the
power of the word, God’s word, that Jesus abruptly pronounces that looks beyond
what “evil” has to say, and pronounces good news in everyday life. The word, as
it was experienced in Judaism involved debate, and eventually “a vote” to
determine what its relevance was. Here Jesus shows forth his authority by
pronouncing what is so.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- What does Jesus pronounced
to you?
- What are the “demons” of
your life?
- How might Jesus expel them
from you?
After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the
Collect for Sunday:
Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both
in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and
in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Questions and
comments copyright © 2015, Michael T. Hiller
[1] Alter, R.
(2008), The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary, W.W.
Norton& Company, Kindle Edition, location 20075.
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