The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 24 - 16 October 2011
Exodus 33:12-23
Psalm 99
or
Isaiah 45:1-7
Psalm 96:1-13
I Thessalonians 1:1-10
St. Matthew 22:15-22
 |
| Cyrus the Great |
Background: Cyrus the Great
Swept into the Median Empire, and after subduing it conquered Lydia, and eventually the Neo-Babylonian Empire, effectively consolidating all of the previous jurisdictions of the Ancient Near East. The only state that did not feel the touch of his sword was that of Egypt. As many of his predecessors, he seized the titles and rights of the Babylonian kings, who traced their roots to the very ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia to Aggade, Ur, and the Sumerians. He was heir to this entire tradition, and did well by it. He was known for his tolerance of the rights and religions of his subject peoples. (Hence the praise from IInd Isaiah for freeing the Jewish exiles, and encouraging the resettlement of Jerusalem.) He centralized the administration of his empire, and worked to ensure the welfare of each indigenous group. He ruled from 559 BCE to 530 BCE.
Exodus 33:12-23
Moses said to the LORD, "See, you have said to me, `Bring up this people'; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, `I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." And he said to him, "If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth."
The LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." Moses said, "Show me your glory, I pray." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, `The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."
There is a pattern of God’s presence with the people of Israel throughout the texts that deal with the Exodus, especially in this 33rd chapter. The reading for today follows the incident with the Golden Calf, and so the notion of God’s presence is tinged with a sense of residual anger and tension. The Moses we meet in these verses, however, is almost as contrite as the people. He is described as “in meditation” or meeting God at a “tent of meeting (oracle)”, or similar notions. Moses needs to touch God’s presence in order to lead the people from Sinai to an unknown future. It is a future of promise, but its outlines and contents are unseen and dim. In this reading, Moses makes a request to have some aid as he leads the people onward. Aware of the presence that has accompanied them to this point, he is asking for additional assurance of God’s presence. Indeed, Moses wants to be certain that it is God (“Show me your glory”). It appears that like Israel, Moses is not so certain that God has repented of his wrath – and thus the unusual request. In a scene that is replicated somewhat in I Kings 19:9-13, where Elijah is wont to see God, God protects Moses from a full revelation of God’s glory. The image of Moses tucked away in the cleft of the rock, held at bay by God’s hand while God passes by, and shows the tension of the created and the Creator.
Breaking open Exodus:
- What is Moses position in this transaction with God?
- Is Moses complaining just a bit?
- What do you think his emotions are at this point?
Psalm 99 Dominus regnavit
The LORD is King;
let the people tremble; *
he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.
The LORD is great in Zion; *
he is high above all peoples.
Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
he is the Holy One.
"O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity; *
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob."
Proclaim the greatness of the LORD our God
and fall down before his footstool; *
he is the Holy One.
Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.
O LORD our God, you answered them indeed; *
you were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil deeds.
Proclaim the greatness of the LORD our God
and worship him upon his holy hill; *
for the LORD our God is the Holy One.
 |
| Cherub at the British Museum |
Psalm 99 is the liturgy that should have accompanied God’s appearance to Moses at Sinai. The images that we encounter in the first reading are expanded using the iconography of the ancient near east. Here God is the oriental potentate, seated upon the cherubim. These are the cherubim that we see in Assyrian and Babylonia art, the half lion, half human, winged semi-deities that were present in the celestial court. To this vision come the people, lead by priest and prophet (Moses, Aaron, Samuel) in a liturgical celebration of God’s presence. All the presences of God in the wilderness are mentioned, the pillar of cloud, and the holy mountain. And all bear witness to God’s acclaim, strength, and justice
Breaking open Psalm 99
- Do you have a minds-eye view of God’s majesty? Can you put it into words?
- What feelings does this image emote?
- What are the gifts that this majestic God gives?
Or
Isaiah 45:1-7
Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
and strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him--
and the gates shall not be closed:
I will go before you
and level the mountains,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the LORD,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
I surname you, though you do not know me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the LORD do all these things.
 |
| Cyrus the Great |
We have met Cyrus in the Background notes above, but now we meet him through the outlook of the second prophet writing as Isaiah. This Isaiah uses the word “anointed” (messiah), which in the Hebrew Scriptures ascribed such an anointing to kings and prophets. It is only at the time of the Gospels that the word takes on another meaning – the anointed one of the messianic age. Thus Cyrus is the anointed, the messiah, the one upon whom God’s favor rests. In Babylonian ceremonial (and we must remember that Cyrus was not Babylonian, but rather a Mede, who took on the guise of the ancient Babylonian kingship) the King (here Cyrus) would take the hand of Marduk (the god of Babylon) and then be crowned. Here it is Yahweh would has taken the initiative “whose right hand I have grasped” and then lays claim to all the victories that Cyrus had won. Cyrus will serve Yahweh’s people well in freeing them from exile, and urging them to return home and to return to the worship of Yahweh.
The vision of the second Isaiah is not total fantasy, he does have a grasp of the reality of the situation, “I arm you, though you do not know me.” Nonetheless, God makes a claim on Cyrus and on Israel, and on the mind and imagination of the reader/hearer. Cyrus is the cause of the moment, but God is the primal cause.
Breaking open Isaiah:
1. If Cyrus was a messiah, what others might you nominate?
2. What are the qualities of an “anointed one” (messiah)?
3. How does Jesus qualify?
Psalm 96:1-13 Cantate Domino
Sing to the LORD a new song; *
sing to the LORD, all the whole earth.
Sing to the LORD and bless his Name; *
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations *
and his wonders among all peoples.
For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; *
he is more to be feared than all gods.
As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
but it is the LORD who made the heavens.
Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *
Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary!
Ascribe to the LORD, you families of the peoples; *
ascribe to the LORD honor and power.
Ascribe to the LORD the honor due his Name; *
bring offerings and come into his courts.
Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; *
let the whole earth tremble before him.
Tell it out among the nations: "The LORD is King! *
he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity."
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
before the LORD when he comes, *
when he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness *
and the peoples with his truth.]
 |
| Egyptian Tribute Procession |
This psalm has been called a “mosaic” in that it is bits and pieces from other psalms, thus inviting a familiarity that is much deserved. It comments on the God who grasps the hand of Cyrus (see above) and who guides nations and rulers. It celebrates the God that is the first and the last. The scope of this psalm, however, reaches far beyond the concerns of the Israelites to embrace “all the peoples”. Like the God in IInd Isaiah’s vision of the God of Cyrus, Israel’s God is the prime, the source. All of creation rejoices in its maker. If there is any image that can illustrate the psalmists reverie here, it is the procession of tribute known in Egyptian and Mesopotamian Courts, where all who are ruled bring in their treasure to honor the king. Here the entire creation does the same to honor God, the creator.
Breaking open Psalm 96
1. What are the “universal qualities” of this psalm?
2. How does creation honor God?
3. How do you?
I Thessalonians 1:1-10
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-- Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
Paul greets the Christians in the city of Thessalonika, the capitol of the Roman province of Macedonia. Having supported Octavius (Augustus) at the Battle of Philippi, it was rewarded with the status of a free city. At the time of this letter, it was a large, cosmopolitan city with a large Jewish population. Paul stayed in Thessalonika for about three months, and then was forced to leave. This letter, along with IInd Thessalonians, stems from Paul’s angst about their welfare and development as a Christian Community. In the last couple of statements from this reading, we discover Paul’s message – a message that he will expand upon. It is a statement of his apostolic preaching to the gentiles: 1) Monotheism – there is one God, the God of Israel, 2) a Christology – Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, crucified, risen and ascended, and 3) Eschatology – this same Jesus will return and save us. Thus Paul introduces himself and his faith to the people of Thessalonika again.
Breaking open Philippians:
- If you had to reduce your theology to three points, what would they be?
- How would you express them to friends?
Matthew 22:15-22
The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" They answered, "The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
 |
| Roman Denarius |
This reading is one of five “controversies” that are shared from Mark and with Luke. In it Jesus does little to solve the central question about loyalty. The plot is to trap Jesus into an answer that will alienate either one party or another. The Herodians (supporters of Herod the Great, and his political alliance with the Romans) and the Zealots (who along with the Pharisees felt that it was wrong for Rome to impress a tax upon the Jews) are in opposition on these points, but Jesus slips about and leaves the question hanging in the air. Can a person enjoy two masters? Jesus deftly points to the coin, as belonging to the Emperor – and thus states “render to Caesar!” What an apt lesson for today, when the politics of wealth and of poverty are both quickly aligned with religious positions. “Not so easy!” says the Jesus, who pushes the question right back at us. “What is God’s? Whose are you?”
Breaking open the Gospel:
- What in your life is owed “to Caesar”?
- What in your life is owed to God?
- How do you make the distinction?
After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment