The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 9, 5 July 2015
II Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
Psalm 48
Or
Ezekiel 2:1-5
Psalm 123
II Corinthians 12:2-10
St. Mark 6:1-13
Background: The Great Schism
The schism between
the Eastern Church and the Western Church took many centuries to develop but
came to a head in 1054 CE. The issues largely centered on the
liturgical/theological issues of the filioque in the Creed (the question as to whether the Holy Spirit proceeded from the
Father and the Son), the use of
unleavened bread in the west, the papal claim to universal jurisdiction, and
the role of Constantinople as a patriarchal see. Such issues were not absent
political considerations as well such as the presence of the Normans in
southern Italy, and their subsequent conquest of that territory. The loss of
the loss of the patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem to Muslim forces
in 661 CE, and the increase of Constantinopolitan power also added to the
political difficulties. Multiple and mutual excommunications further
complicated the relationships. It was a long process, but in 1054, the papal
legation entered the great church of Hagia Sophia, and placed a bull of
excommunication against Cerularius, the Patriarch of Constantinople. It is also
said, and this might be more legend than fact, that the papal legation shook
the dust off their sandals at the altar of Hagia Sophia prepared for the
celebration of the Divine Liturgy. With that in your minds, now read the Gospel
for today, and struggle to understand this action and the mind of Christ, and
the continuing sin of disunity.
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
All the tribes
of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, "Look, we are your bone and
flesh. For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out
Israel and brought it in. The LORD said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd
of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel." So all the
elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant
with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.
David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he
reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
David occupied
the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around
from the Millo inward. And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the
God of hosts, was with him.
Now we meet David on a trajectory following the demise of
Saul. The northern tribes, which had been loyal to Saul, now turn to David, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. For some
time it was, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and
brought it in.” In a more realistic view of David’s accession to kingship
we see a scene in which leaders come and ask him to lead. The essential part of
their argument is his being kin, and his success at defending Israel. However,
it is not only them, for the Lord is quoted in the narrative as designating
David as “shepherd of my people Israel.” He
is anointed again in spite the prior anointing at the hand of Samuel. The final
sentence of the lectionary pericope describes the establishment of the City of
David. The whole reading serves almost as a subtitle to the continuing
narrative about David. Here he is established as king with the traditions and
anointings of the northern tribes standing behind him.
Breaking open II Samuel
- What do the people treasure about David?
- Why was the notion of David “being kin” important?
- In what other ways was David a leader?
Psalm 48 Magnus Dominus
Great is the
LORD, and highly to be praised; *
in the city of
our God is his holy hill.
Beautiful and
lofty, the joy of all the earth, is the hill of Zion, *
the very center
of the world and the city of the great King.
God is in her
citadels; *
he is known to
be her sure refuge.
Behold, the
kings of the earth assembled *
and marched
forward together.
They looked and
were astounded; *
they retreated
and fled in terror.
Trembling
seized them there; *
they writhed
like a woman in childbirth,
like ships of
the sea when the east wind shatters them.
As we have
heard, so have we seen,
in the city of
the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God; *
God has
established her for ever.
We have waited
in silence on your loving-kindness, O God, *
in the midst of
your temple.
Your praise,
like your Name, O God, reaches to the world's end; *
your right hand
is full of justice.
Let Mount Zion
be glad
and the cities
of Judah rejoice, *
because of your
judgments.
Make the
circuit of Zion;
walk round
about her; *
count the
number of her towers.
Consider well her
bulwarks;
examine her
strongholds; *
that you may
tell those who come after.
This God is our
God for ever and ever; *
he shall be our
guide for evermore.
This psalm celebrates the founding of the city of Zion, an
effective follow-up to the first Track 1 reading. It is interrupted by verses
(4 – 7) that seem to introduce the story of a military adventure. The enemies
are confounded by YHWH, and set a standard of performance and power for the
city that the psalm celebrates. Quickly the psalm returns to its central focus
on the city and the temple. The second to the last verse gives us a clue as to
who might be the intended audience of this psalm, “Make the circuit of Zion; walk round about her.” This is a psalm
for pilgrims who are drawn to see the City of David, the place where God
dwells. There is a generation aspect as well. The pilgrims are asked to
discover and explore the city so that they can tell the next generation about
it.
Breaking open Psalm 130:
- Why was Jerusalem an ideal capital for David?
- What kind of message did it send to the people of Israel?
- What did David wish to build but couldn’t/
Or
Ezekiel 2:1-5
The Lord said
to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he
spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him
speaking to me. He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of
Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their
ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants are
impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them,
"Thus says the Lord GOD." Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for
they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet
among them.
The verbs that crowd the initial verses of this reading
describe the call of Ezekiel: stand up, listen, spirit entered, set me on my
feet. We can compare the calls of Jeremiah, Isaiah, and others and we will
sense the same things. Before the Mortal (Ezekiel) can object or note his
deficiencies, God notes the deficiencies of Israel: rebels, transgressors,
impudent, and stubborn. This is what the prophet will have to address, and it
corrects our vision of what prophets really are. God calls Ezekiel to be God’s
spokesperson in the here and now of Ezekiel’s time, “they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.”
Breaking open Ezekiel:
- Why does Ezekiel object to his call?
- How does God see Israel as a people?
- What are Ezekiel’s job duties?
Psalm 123 Ad te levavi oculos meos
To you I lift
up my eyes, *
to you
enthroned in the heavens.
As the eyes of
servants look to the hand of their masters, *
and the eyes of
a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes
look to the LORD our God, *
until he show
us his mercy.
Have mercy upon
us, O LORD, have mercy, *
for we have had
more than enough of contempt,
Too much of the
scorn of the indolent rich, *
and of the
derision of the proud.
What is the look of dependence or servitude, devotion or
admiration? Hopefully several images will come into your mind – for these are
the images that the psalmist wants us to effect as we “lift up (our) eyes (to) the dweller in the heavens.” Again it
seems to be something of a waiting game, “until
God grants us grace.” That we should wait for God’s grace and mercy is not
about the waiting but about the effort and the result. And what obstructs us in
our waiting? For everyone that waits up and looks up to the Lord, there is
another who affects a contempt and smugness – “the scorn of the indolent rich.” Beyond this, the psalm is silent.
It is an exercise in expectation and frustration.
Breaking open Psalm 123:
- What do you see when you look for God?
- What are your emotions when you find something that speaks to you
of God?
- What does the psalmist have against the rich?
II Corinthians 12:2-10
I know a person
in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven-- whether in
the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a
person-- whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows-- was
caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no
mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my
own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I
will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so
that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me,
even considering the exceptional character of the revelations.
Therefore, to
keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger
of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I
appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me,
"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in
weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that
the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses,
insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for
whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
We are caught up into two visions of Saint Paul here. By
vision I do not mean the one of which he boasts of in the first verses of this
pericope, but rather a vision of his sense of self. In many respects, he begins
to mirror the prophets here. Moses asks for a vision of God, but is spared the
actual sight by God’s hand covering the glorious vision as God passed by Moses
hiding in the cleft of a rock. We also might think of Ezekiel (see the
commentary on the Track 2 first reading) who is known for his visions. What we
learn from this vision is not the nature of its content, for that is not shared
with us – it is too ineffable. What we do see is Paul’s stance as a prophet, a
visionary, and someone close to God. That vision is contrasted with his own
weakness. Whatever the “thorn” was, it is not shared with us (just as the
ineffable vision is not). What we see is Paul’s weakness, and his boasting of
it, for as he hears, “My grace is
sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” One wonders, is
the Christian life nothing more than a continuum between these two points, in
which God is always present? Such a vision of self ought to make us ready not
only to wait upon God, but also to accept the conditions and situations in
which God meets us.
Breaking open II Corinthians:
- Why does Paul boast?
- What about your life in Christ do you boast of?
- In what ways are you weak? Strong?
St. Mark 6:1-13
Jesus left that
place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath
he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They
said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been
given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the
carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon,
and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Then
Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their
hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." And he could
do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people
and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Then he went
about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them
out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered
them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no
money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said
to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the
place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you
leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against
them." So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast
out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
In the first of the two pericopes that form the Gospel
reading for this Sunday, Mark both completes the prior scene of Jesus’ teaching
and marvelous acts. In the second pericope, Mark sets the scene for the
ministry that is given to the disciples. The first scene is a rejection of all
that has been evidenced before (the teaching and marvelous acts) by family and
friends, and by inference, by the religious authorities. The questions in the
first pericope are not positive, “Where
did this man get all of this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him?”
Etc. Jesus responds with a saying, that actually may serve as the purpose
and intent behind the narrative, “Prophets
are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and
in their own home.” Later in the next pericope, Jesus will comment to the
disciples on entering a home. Here, however, the rejection is so total, that
Jesus looses some power and ability. Usually it is those who witness Jesus’
teachings and marvelous acts who are amazed, but here Jesus is amazed by their
unbelief. In their commentary on Mark, Daniel J. Harrington, and John R Donahue
remark, “The power of God that works through Jesus seems limited by human
resistance.”[1] A quote from Erich Gräßer is poignant as
well, “just as his power is our salvation, so our unbelief is his
powerlessness.”[2] All of
the actions in the setting see Jesus as a human being, with all the foibles
that come with that. He is “Mary’s son”, and what he has taught and marvelously
done seems to be at odds with what his kin are expecting of him. Thus Jesus
stands in a long line of prophets who have been rejected.
What is the model of the missionary that Jesus proposes to
send out? Recently some commentators see in these prescriptions the “wandering
cynic” (threadbare cloak, a satchel, a cup and a bowl for begging, and a
staff), while others see the disciples in the guise of Israel, simply clad as
it leaves the slavery of Egypt – the urgent journey. Some argue that Jesus
model for the disciples is to distinguish them from the wandering cynics, thus
Jesus allows a staff, but no bread or bag or money, sandals, however are to be
worn. The mission itself is vaguely described. We need to look to Q, or Matthew
and Luke to see a fuller version. Here there is just urgency, momentum, and a
focus on that which is local “stay there
(in the house) until you leave the place.” The rules in case of rejection
match what is prescribed as deprecation, an act used when returning from
Gentile lands. The important directive is to go out as a response to being sent
out. Be received, or be rejected – those are the choices. In short, the mission
is to travel light and to be prepared for anything. We never talk about failure
when we talk about mission. Perhaps we should.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- Why do family and friends reject Jesus?
- Have you ever been at odds with your family? What happened?
- How do you “travel light”?
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by
loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we
may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure
affection; 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
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