The Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 27 - 11 November 2012


I Kings 17:8-16
Psalm 146
Hebrews 9:24-28
Saint Mark 12:38-44

      

Background:  Books of the Kings
Late in the 7th Century and some time in the mid 6th Century two individuals compiled materials that expressed the theological explanation and background to a history that begins with the death of David and is completed with the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BCE.  The theological point of view is akin or flows from the Deuteronomist who wrote around the same time.  Originally, like the Books of Samuel, the Kings was one work, and was divided into two at the time of its translation into Latin.  There are various sources evident in the books, such as: the “Book of the Acts of Solomon”, the “Annals of the Kings of Judah,” and “The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel” which represent complete works.  In addition there are references to the court history of David (mostly in Samuel), the history of the Temple and its debasement following its dedication under Solomon, an account of various kings, especially the religious reforms of Josiah, and some narratives from Jeremiah.  The books have an almost circular theme of Promise, Apostasy, Judgment, and Return.

1 Kings 17:8-16

The word of the LORD came to Elijah, saying, "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you." So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth." She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.



This reading comes from a collection of traditions concerning the prophet Elijah, most especially his battle with the Ba’alim, the fertility gods of the surrounding Canaanite culture.  Early on in this chapter, the prophet calls down a drought on the land, a poignant sign in a land that honored one of the Ba’alim as the storm god. In this episode, the prophet is touched as well, for even he finds himself hungry and thirsty as a result of his judgment.  He finds himself in Zarephath, the land and place of these gods.  Here he meets a widow, and we should remember that this status, without husband or son, meant poverty and the lack of a sustainable future.  It is to this situation that the prophet comes are requests help.  Her reply is stunning, for she is preparing a last meal and then she and her son will die.  Here the story takes a turn and becomes not a history of the prophet but rather a test for the widow.  Bidden to take the last of she has to make something for someone else, she stands in the docket.  Will she meet the test?  She does, and the future is assured – the jugs of oil and meal will not fail.

Breaking open Kings:

1.     Whom do you know that corresponds to the situation of the widow?
2.     What do you think of Elijah’s request?
3.     Have you ever risked so much?

Psalm 146 Lauda, anima mea

Hallelujah!
Praise the LORD, O my soul! *
I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
for there is no help in them.

When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
and in that day their thoughts perish.

Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
whose hope is in the LORD their God;

Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
who keeps his promise for ever;

Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
and food to those who hunger.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind; *
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;

The LORD loves the righteous;
the LORD cares for the stranger; *
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked.

The LORD shall reign for ever, *
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Hallelujah!



This psalm, along with four others, composes a final doxology that completes the Psalter.  Some of the phraseology seems familiar, in that the psalm is drawn from psalms 103 and 104.  The psalm begins with a note of praise and then quickly turns to a comparison of the God who brings life, and the human existence that always ends in death.  The following verses then depict (in a style reminiscent of wisdom literature, and of some of the sayings of Isaiah) what it is that God does in the midst of the human situation.  The psalm ends with a note of praise that is used in a prayer of thanksgiving in Acts 4:24.

Breaking open Psalm 146:
1.       For what do you praise God?
2.       What comes between you and your need to praise God?
3.       How does God meet humankind in this day and age?

Hebrews 9:24-28

Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.



Having described the perfect priesthood of Jesus, the author then moves on to describe the heavenly cultus.  The phrases here are somewhat platonic, revealing to the reader the ideal worship and the ideal priest.  Just as the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year, to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice, so that the sanctuary would be cleansed, so Christ (both priest and victim) enters to cleanse the temple by his own, once-and-for-all sacrifice.  If the people of Israel waited for Elijah to bring back water and fruitfulness (First Reading) so the faithful wait upon the Christ to save them.

Breaking open Hebrews:

1.     What is ideal worship for you?
2.     How do you visualize the worship described in Hebrews?
3.     How does your church come close to this ideal?

St. Mark 12:38-44

Teaching in the temple, Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."



We meet another widow.  This time, however, the widow is not confronted or even met by the prophet.  There is no test.  She only serves as an example of the Kingdom of Heaven contrasting the behavior of the Scribes (“who devour widow’s houses).  Her giving is similar to that of the widow of Zarephath in that she gives all that she has.  This time, however, she gives out of her own faith, a sign to Jesus of her salvation. 


Breaking open the Gospel:
  1. How are the widows different?
  2. What is Jesus’ point?
  3. How does this teaching touch your life?

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

O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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