The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 25 - 23 October 2011

The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 25 - 23 October 2011

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

or

Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18

Psalm 1

I Thessalonians 2:1-8

St. Matthew 22:34-46

The anointing of King David

                                                                                                              

Background: The Messiah

Often, when we use certain biblical words, we assume that they always have the same meaning, regardless of context or time.  That makes for a difficult life in the Scriptures, if we do not dig below the text to discover deeper levels of meaning and understanding.  Last Sunday, we encountered one whom Isaiah called messiah, namely Cyrus the Great.  How was he Messiah, we might ask, having in the back of our minds Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed, the Christ?  Here we have a usage that is not confined to one time, one concept, or even one religion.  The notion of a messiah is found with various meanings in Judaism, in addition to Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.  The expectations and titles that are evident in the New Testament understanding of messiah come as late understandings in Judaism.  Early references in the Hebrew Scriptures confine the idea of a messiah to one who has been anointed (the literal meaning of the term – hence the Greek Christos, the anointed one).  Such messiahs were kings and prophets.  Later, as Judaism is influenced by Persian ideas, we meet the idea of a messiah who comes to usher in a messianic time, or a messianic banquet (see Isaiah).  From this context we can see how the expectations, and titles gather around the person of Jesus.

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negev, and the Plain-- that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees-- as far as Zoar. The LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, `I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD's command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.

Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

The Death of Moses

These verses form the end to the Penteteuch, the five books of Moses, and describe the final days and death of the great prophet.  This is, however, not history.  Couched in these lines is a distinct theology of charismatic succession.  The most familiar incident in this regard is the succession of Elijah to Elisha (I Kings 19:19-21), in which the symbol of the succession is Elijah’s mantle.  Here the succession is from Moses to Joshua, who will actually lead the people into the land of promise – an honor that is denied to Moses.  The reading is interesting in that it preserves multiple place names (Mt. Nebo and Mt. Pisgah) and the stunning scene of looking off toward the Mediterranean Sea and seeing a great deal of the Levant.  The real vision, however, is the vital relationship exhibited between YHWH (who personally buried Moses) and the great prophet.  The good news in this story is that the relationship is transferable.

Breaking open Leviticus:

1. Why is Moses not allowed into the promised land?
2. What is the author’s purpose in describing this scene?
3. How do we know that Joshua is the anointed one?

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 Domine, refugium

Lord, you have been our refuge *

from one generation to another.

Before the mountains were brought forth,

or the land and the earth were born, *

from age to age you are God.

You turn us back to the dust and say, *

"Go back, O child of earth."

For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past *

and like a watch in the night.

You sweep us away like a dream; *

we fade away suddenly like the grass.

In the morning it is green and flourishes; *

in the evening it is dried up and withered.

Return, O LORD; how long will you tarry? *

be gracious to your servants.

Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; *

so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.

Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us *

and the years in which we suffered adversity.

Show your servants your works *

and your splendor to their children.

May the graciousness of the LORD our God be upon us; *

prosper the work of our hands;

prosper our handiwork.

The dedication line of this psalm is ascribed to Moses, a “man of God.”  The particularities of the psalm, however, are not akin to the great prophet, or even to events in the life of Israel.  It seems more likely that the psalm is a wisdom psalm that reflects on the transience of life.  As such it is still appropriate here as a commentary on the alternate first lesson (above), especially upon the death of Moses.  Both time and matter itself are put into their proper place (“a thousand years…” and “you bring man back to the dust.”  Even more interesting is the image of the grass, which in our translation “fades” and “whither”, but could be translated as “passes” or “changes”.  Later in verse thirteen, the Lord is depicted as one who has “pity”, but the verb could also easily be translated as “change your mind.”  The poem closes not with the faint whispers, mentioned above, but rather with a sense of the substantial, “and the work of our hands firmly found for us.”

Breaking open Psalm 90

1. How is time referenced in this psalm?
2. Human death?
3. What does the psalm say about waiting for God?

Or

Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

It was at the city gates that justice was dispensed

In this reading, of which we have only part of the periscope, the author looks back at the law and summarizes what he feels are the salient points.  It is good for us to remember that this is a vision of what later peoples thought earlier jurisprudence in Israel was like.  It makes fundamental points, and expands at times beyond the scope of the law.  Here we have commentary that could well be assigned to the command about not speaking badly about one’s neighbor.  Given the tribal context, the neighbor could be either stranger or family – and the intent is universal and broad.  The reading reserves the powers of judgment to the elders, but even more so to God.  In it we see the seed of Jesus’ summation of the law, with the comment that “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Breaking open Leviticus

1.     What verses contribute to your sense of balance in this reading?

2.     How do you think that the author would describe a “neighbor”?

3.     What does this passage say about revenge?

Psalm 1 Beatus vir qui non abiit

Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, *

nor lingered in the way of sinners,

nor sat in the seats of the scornful!

Their delight is in the law of the LORD, *

and they meditate on his law day and night.

They are like trees planted by streams of water,

bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *

everything they do shall prosper.

It is not so with the wicked; *

they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, *

nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, *

but the way of the wicked is doomed.

One would think that the first psalm in the collection might be either the most primitive, or most closely tied to the theology of Yahwism, although neither is true.  This is a wisdom psalm that comments about humankind’s relationship with the moral law, life, and ultimately God.  The images are vivid, equating the relationship with the life-giving qualities of water (a tree planted), and the consequences of lack of water (like the chaff).  The other striking image is that of the journey or the way.  Even urbanized people would understand this, as they walked from village to city, or on the long journey from city to city.  The question was whether one would walk along the moral axis, or stray.  The righteous stand, while the wicked cannot do so.  The final verse is very intimate.  The verb “knows” is the same that is used for sexual union.  Such is the intimacy with which God knows God’s own, and the despair of those not known by God.

Breaking open Psalm 1

1.     How is happiness described in this psalm?

2.     What contrasting images does the author use to great effect?

3.     How many references are there to standing or walking in the psalm?

I Thessalonians 2:1-8

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

The Eleusinian Mysteries

Paul realizes in this reading that his approach the peoples of Asia Minor and Greece, and here Thessalonica, are not unusual.  Others had come touting various mysteries, and philosophies.  Paul both lists and decries their methods: deceit, impure motives, and trickery.  He depicts himself as one entrusted by God with a message that will be opposed by some.  The goal is not driven by (and here Paul supplies another list) greed, flattery, or praise.  The image he raises is the image of a nurse who gently cares for her wards.  Paul, however, does not see this as a way of guising his mission with a veneer of caring, but rather testing it out as a genuine love for those to whom the Gospel needed to be given.

Breaking open I Thessalonians:

1. Was the religious diversity of the Roman world an opportunity or a burden to Paul’s mission?
2. Why do you think that Paul is so apologetic in these verses?
3. What are Paul’s emotions about these people?

Matthew 22:34-46

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "`You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

`The Lord said to my Lord,

"Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet"'?

If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

The tests for Jesus continue and this is the third of them.  Last Sunday was the question about taxes, and this Sunday the question is about the commandments and which of them is the greatest.  Mark and Luke both record this test as well, and it sets the stage for questions about the Law that will become the discussion of the early church.  Jesus points out two elements (and here the meaning is that these are not just part of the answer, but elemental to the answer.)  He quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 about the necessity of loving God, and then Leviticus 19:18 (see the first reading, above) on loving the neighbor as one loves one self.  Matthew does not record a reply to Jesus’ answer.

Jesus then turns the table on them, and quotes Psalm 110, asking them how the Messiah can be both Son and Lord.  The query goes unanswered, but Matthew expects his readers to know the answer.  Jesus is Son of David, and yet Son of God (David’s Lord).  

Breaking open the Gospel:

1. How is your life organized around these two points of the law?
2. What is your answer to Jesus' riddle?

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

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.