The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 21, 25 September 2011
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16
Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32
Psalm 25:1-8
Philippians 2:1-13
Saint Matthew 21:23-32
Exodus 17:1-7
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?" But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" So Moses cried out to the Lord, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." The Lord said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
The murmuring pattern continues in this continuing reading from Exodus, and in this story we see Moses as wonder-worker providing water for the complaining people. Of interest is his comment, “why do you test the Lord?” while the people themselves are being tested as they move from Egypt to the Promised Land. Once again, as if in an early instance of the Stockholm syndrome, the Israelites recall their stay in Egypt with a sense of fondness and longing. The staff, which Moses carries, and which wreaked havoc on the Nile in the story about the river being turned to blood, now becomes the instrument of their salvation. Two place names are given to the locale of this event, “Massah” (Testing) and “Meribah” (Contention). In another version of this story (Numbers 20:13) on the name “Meribah” appears, although both are named again in Deuteronomy 33:8. Another later incident related to this story will show Moses in an entirely different light.
Breaking open Exodus:
- What do you think the significance of the water is in this story?
- How is it connected to the Nile, or to the Red Sea?
- How is baptism a “testing”?
Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 Attendite, popule
Hear my teaching, O my people; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
That which we have heard and known,
and what our forefathers have told us, *
we will not hide from their children.
We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the LORD, *
and the wonderful works he has done.
He worked marvels in the sight of their forefathers, *
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He split open the sea and let them pass through; *
he made the waters stand up like walls.
He led them with a cloud by day, *
and all the night through with a glow of fire.
He split the hard rocks in the wilderness *
and gave them drink as from the great deep.
He brought streams out of the cliff, *
and the waters gushed out like rivers.
The second verse of the psalm gives us a clue as to what we are about to experience. The comment about the “parable” and the note about “mysteries of ancient times” identifies this psalm as a wisdom psalm, with concise units of expression that are united in a stream of remembrance, and unlike most wisdom literature, linked to ancient stories, here the incident at Rephidim (see the first reading). The verses in our reading display such remembrances of God’s looking out for the people as they wandered the wilderness. Later verses will recall Israel’s rebellious acts in spite of God’s unwavering and guiding hand. Thus the events are put into a theological context and are not just simply remembered for their own sake.
Breaking open Psalm 78
1. Do you have “old stories” that tell about God’s goodness toward you?
2. Have you ever shared these stories?
3. If not, why not?
Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32
The word of the LORD came to me: What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, "The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge"? As I live, says the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die.
Yet you say, "The way of the Lord is unfair." Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, "The way of the Lord is unfair." O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord GOD. Turn, then, and live.
Oddly enough, this reading engages the reading and psalm in the alternative series (see above). Ezekiel recounts a popular theology of the situation that is commented on by the author of II Kings, and by Jeremiah, namely, that the exiles from Jerusalem were suffering for the sins of their parents, committed during the reign of Manaseh (son of Hezekiah, died ca. 642 BCE). Ezekiel, however breaks from this theological point of view to argue that individuals are accountable for their sins only, not for the sins of their parents. In this oracle, Ezekiel has God say, “I will judge you according to your ways,” What follows is a call to repentance, and for a new creation, “Get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit”. There was indeed a new world in which these peoples were living, a world of exile and remembrance. It seems that Ezekiel wants to tell the people that although what was happening to them seemed like death, it was not indeed death. Death, he points out, is not God’s desire, but rather a regeneration: “Turn, then, and live.”
Breaking open Ezekiel
1. Do you have sins for which you will not forgive yourself?
2. Do you perceive sins of your parents that you will not forgive?
3. How can you get beyond these stances?
Psalm 25:1-8 Ad te, Domine, levavi
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
my God, I put my trust in you; *
let me not be humiliated,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
Let none who look to you be put to shame; *
let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.
Show me your ways, O LORD, *
and teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me, *
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.
Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love, *
for they are from everlasting.
Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; *
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O LORD.
Gracious and upright is the LORD; *
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.
He guides the humble in doing right *
and teaches his way to the lowly.
This psalm is an acrostic, however two letters are missing, and one is doubled. Judging from its didactic nature it seems to be a “wisdom psalm” (see also psalm 78, above). Three distinct elements appear in the psalm: a) frequent references to YHWH (the Lord), b) notions of shame and supplication, and c) wisdom elements: “the way” and “to learn”. There is no logic or argument here, but rather a series of statements that ask the reader to reflect on their position over against God. This is not a static relationship, however, for God takes on the role of teacher and guide.
Breaking open Genesis 50:15-21
1. What paths has God made known to you?
2. Have you followed them?
3. How has God been your guide?
Philippians 2:1-13
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death--
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
After sharing a series of values that Paul expected the congregation at Philippi to emulate, Paul turns to a new model, Jesus himself. By quoting an ancient Christian hymn that betrays influences from IInd Isaiah’s “Suffering Servant, or from the Jewish wisdom movement that inspired ascetic communities during the Inter-testamental Period, Paul wants us to view the life of Jesus as not just as a series of events, but rather an orbit or cycle of intentional behavior. Thus he leads us to see Jesus in the guise of both humiliation and exaltation, or of enslavement and being the master. The humiliation is a conscious choice rather than the result of unfortunate living or events outside of our control. Jesus becomes obedient “even to the point of death.” This is an interesting point of view especially for we who live in a culture that denies death. In this lesson to the people of Philippi, Paul preaches about the usefulness of humility, and is not ashamed to mention his own weakness and humility. That such moments in life should not be seen as shameful but rather of good effect is the point of Paul’s recommendation of citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven, where all of life is celebrated and seen as a model for others.
Breaking open Romans:
- Have you ever been humiliated?
- What happened?
- Were you raised up? How did that feel?
Saint Matthew 21:23-32
When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, `From heaven,' he will say to us, `Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, `Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, `Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, `I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, `I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him."
Although the ostensible topic seems to be about “authority”, Jesus will drive it deeper to a lesson about personal responsibility and truth-telling. In this reading we have a rabbinic interchange about “authority”, but Jesus will not enter into the dialogue – there is richer material to be mined here. He makes his point by not arguing about the value and worth of John the Baptist’s ministry, for that seems to be a dead end street. Rather, through the use of a parable about two sons, one seemingly dismissive, and yet obedient, and the other seemingly obedient, but later dismissive, Jesus pushes the discussion to a point where the participants have to see their own intellectual and theological dishonesty. It is a denial of the righteousness of John, and of not seeing the time of visitation. Jesus seems to be reflecting Ezekiel’s exhortation regarding a new heart and a new spirit.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- What part of the Gospel do you refuse to recognize?
- How will you wrestle with that?
- What is Jesus saying to you in this reading?
After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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