The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 11, 20 July 2014
Genesis 28:10-19a
Psalm 139:1-11, 22-23
Or
Wisdom of Solomon 12:13,
16-19 or Isaiah 44:6-8
Psalm 86:11-17
Romans 8:12-25
St. Matthew13:24-30,
36-43
Background: Ancient Shrines in
Israel
In the history of the Patriarchs and
Matriarchs we have remembered for us, since these histories were written down
at the earliest in the seventh century BCE, the shrines, holy places and “high
places” that were either abandoned and destroyed in Israel’s march toward
monotheism, or were subsumed in the cult that David (presumably) centered at
the Temple in Jerusalem. The reading
from Track 1 reminds us of the strength of these traditions with its story
about Beth-El. Was the matter really all
that black and white when it came to the consolidation of the cult under David,
or was there a great deal more grey? Of
help to us in understanding the complexity of this time period, and the practices
that preceded it as reported in patriarchal memory are two resources. There are many more, but these are
immediately available and are quite useful if you are interested in this sort
of thing. The first is Simon Schama’s History of the Jews[1], which recounts for us
the community living in Elephantine in Egypt, and other shrines, holy places,
and practices that have become available to us through continuing
archeology. The second is any material
that you can fined by combing the Internet for Khirbet Qeiyafa, a fortress that flourished around the time of
David on the Judean frontier opposite Gath in the Elah Valley. There they have uncovered standing stones,
altars of basalt, libation vessels, and portable shrines. One of the shrines (stone) has features that
bear a resemblance to the Jerusalem Temple (two pillars, and a textile). Readers may want to do some study of II
Samuel 6, to get the flavor of shrines in a private dwelling. I have only touched the surface here, and
have hopefully touched your biblical curiosity.
Track 1:
Genesis 28:10-19a
Jacob left Beer-sheba
and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the
night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put
it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a
ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of
God were ascending and descending on it. And the LORD stood beside him and
said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac;
the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your
offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to
the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families
of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with
you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land;
for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Then
Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place--
and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is
this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven."
So Jacob rose early in
the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up
for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel.
Track 1, at least in this series, skips the drama and subterfuge that
unfolds as to Jacob receiving the first blessing from Isaac instead of the
first-born Esau. You might want to go
back and read chapter 27, so that the full
psychological impact of Jacob's predicament might not be lost on you. The purpose of his trip, like that of
Abraham’s servant earlier, is to find for him a wife. Isaac repeats his father’s cautions in 28:2: “You shall not take a wife from the
daughters of Canaan.” Jacob retraces
the steps that Abraham and Sarah had trod earlier as they moved from Ur of the
Chaldees to Haran, and from thence down into Palestine. It is at Beth-El that Jacob decides to spend
the night. In the text it is not a place
of note. However, we now know that this
place (the word appears six times in the text) was far from anonymous, having
served as a holy place for the Canaanites for centuries prior. In a way this story blesses this place with
the “true Divine”, and knowledge that the “El” of Beth-el is none other than
YHWH, the God of Israel.
The other telling word is stone.
The stones that marked the place as holy are seen by Jacob as “a
pillow”, albeit a rather uncomfortable.
The fact that Jacob has a dream on one of these stones (presumably set
up here in earlier times to mark the holiness of the place) is not a surprise
to either the earlier reader or to us.
Stones will become an important theme in the on-going story. You will want to look for them. The ramp that Jacob dreams of would not be
lost on anyone familiar with the ziggurat of Mesopotamian culture, for here and there it
indicates a passage from earth to heaven, and heaven to earth. It is here that Jacob hears the promise that
was uttered to Abraham as well, “and your
seed shall be like the dust of the earth.”
Now the earlier cultic stone is repurposed as Jacob takes it and “sets it up as a pillar.” He pours a libation of oil, and the place
is renamed Beth-el (House of El
(God)), “Surely the Lord is in this
place.”
Breaking open Genesis:
- What are your holy places?
Where are they to be found?
- How do you mark a holy place?
- Where is a holy place for you in your church?
Psalm 139: 1-11, 22-23 Domine, probasti
LORD, you have searched
me out and known me; *
you know my sitting
down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts
from afar.
You trace my journeys
and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with
all my ways.
Indeed, there is not a
word on my lips, *
but you, O LORD, know
it altogether.
You press upon me
behind and before *
and lay your hand upon
me.
Such knowledge is too
wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I
cannot attain to it.
Where can I go then
from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from
your presence?
If I climb up to
heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my
bed, you are there also.
If I take the wings of
the morning *
and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there your hand
will lead me *
and your right hand
hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely
the darkness will cover me, *
and the light around me
turn to night,"
Darkness is not dark to
you;
the night is as bright
as the day; *
darkness and light to
you are both alike.
Search me out, O God,
and know my heart; *
try me and know my
restless thoughts.
Look well whether there
be any wickedness in me *
and lead me in the way
that is everlasting.
Readers may want to make a quick referral to Job 10, to see the tradition that either flows from this
psalm, or that flows into it. It is an
intensely personal and interior psalm rejoicing in an all-encompassing
relationship with God. There is a
multitude of images and metaphors that describe this relationship, from knowing
the place where the psalmist beds down at night, “you trace my journeys and my resting places,” to using verbs and
situations that remind of a potter shaping her wares on a wheel. Even mythological images obtain here, “If I take the wings of the morning” has
the air of Apollo all about it. Where
other psalmists using these same images also see the presence of God even in Sheol (the place of the dead) here the
author blunts the image with a subtle passage “Surely darkness will cover me.”
There is the courage of redemption and righteousness in the
psalmist’s heart, “Search me out, O God,
and know my heart.” If there is
wickedness there, the poet is not concerned but rather trusts that God “will lead me in the way that is
everlasting.”
Breaking open Psalm 119:
- In what places does God come to you?
- Do you ever dream about your faith?
- How has God “searched you out and known you?”
or
Track 2
Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19
There is no god besides
you, whose care is for all people,
to whom you should
prove that you have not judged unjustly;
for your strength is
the source of righteousness,
and your sovereignty
over all causes you to spare all.
For you show your
strength when people doubt the completeness of your power,
and you rebuke any
insolence among those who know it.
Although you are
sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness,
and with great
forbearance you govern us;
for you have power to
act whenever you choose.
Through such works you
have taught your people
that the righteous must
be kind,
and you have filled
your children with good hope,
because you give
repentance for sins.
In this reading, the author discusses the notion of divine justice in
the story of Exodus, here a tangent on the nature of divine justice. Following as it does on a discourse on the
trials of Israel in their journey in the Sinai, this discourse unpacks for its
readers the intricacies of God’s judgment of the peoples. Here it is the verbs “to care” and to “judge”
that form the backbone of the argument.
It is God, the sovereign, who deigns to “spare all.” It is this
graciousness of God that this wisdom poem celebrates, and because of this
graciousness, the people are filled with hope.
Breaking open the Wisdom
of Solomon:
- How does God judge you?
- How does God care for you?
- How are they similar or dissimilar?
or
Isaiah 44:6-8
Thus says
the LORD, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
I am the
first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
Who is like me? Let them
proclaim it,
let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced
from of old the things to come?
Let them tell us what is yet to be.
Do not
fear, or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are
my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not
one.
This reading comes from a an eight chapter segment that celebrates “Israel
during the rule of Cyrus.” For an
expansion of this discussion, the reader may want to go back to Isaiah 43:8-13, which serves
as an initial development of the theme of monotheism that is treated in this
reading, “I am the first and I am the
last; besides me there is no god.” The
hearers of these sayings by second Isaiah would have been familiar especially
with the claims of the Babylonian god, Marduk, and his cult may have seemed
attractive to them. They were a people,
remember, whose God had no name, and had no image, only a word for them. The
argument that Isaiah uses here is that the word of this God, the true God –
YHWH, makes things happen. Such a claim could not be supported by
the other gods that this reading discusses.
And this is not a new behavior on the part of God, but rather an
established patter, “who has announced
from of old the things to come.” This was an important distinction as
people are led from a place that was their home in exile, to the place that was
the home of their fathers and mothers.
What was to happen now? Isaiah
sees the God who protects them with godly words as “a rock.”
Breaking open Isaiah:
- What does it mean when God says, “I am the first and the last.”
- Is God’s word just a book?
Why? How?
- How does God announce things to you?
Psalm 86:11-17 Inclina, Domine
Teach me your way, O
LORD,
and I will walk in your
truth; *
knit my heart to you
that I may fear your Name.
I will thank you, O
LORD my God, with all my heart, *
and glorify your Name
for evermore.
For great is your love
toward me; *
you have delivered me
from the nethermost Pit.
The arrogant rise up
against me, O God,
and a band of violent
men seeks my life; *
they have not set you
before their eyes.
But you, O LORD, are
gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, and full
of kindness and truth.
Turn to me and have
mercy upon me; *
give your strength to
your servant;
and save the child of
your handmaid.
Show me a sign of your
favor,
so that those who hate
me may see it and be ashamed; *
because you, O LORD,
have helped me and comforted me.
Unlike Psalm 139 (see above) that celebrates the ubiquity of God, this
psalm, in a similar fashion, celebrates the relationship but evidenced in love,
protection, and mercy. Here the psalmist
does not see the inevitability of Sheol,
“you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit,” but rather redemption from
it. All that threatens is dealt with by
God’s graciousness and compassion.
Earlier in the psalm, in a section that is not read this morning, the
psalmist refers to himself as “a
servant”, and in the final verses he doubles that description with the
phrase, “and save the child of your
handmaid.” This is the servant, and
the son of a servant, who expects salvation and comfort from God.
Breaking open the Psalm 86:
- What does the word “compassion” mean to you?
- How do you practice compassion?
- How is God compassionate with you?
Romans 8:12-25
Brothers and sisters,
we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you
live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to
death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit
of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall
back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry,
"Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our
spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God
and joint heirs with Christ-- if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may
also be glorified with him.
I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to
be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing
of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its
own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation
itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom
of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been
groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves,
who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for
adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope
that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for
what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
We move from Saint Paul’s discussions on Law and Sin to a section
devoted to Life in the Spirit, and an Assurance of God’s love. Paul’s concerns over the conflicts of flesh
and spirit give way to a discussion of our role as God’s children. “When
we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit
that we are children of God.” All of
these points are distinctions and connecting points that lead us back to our
connection with Christ. Here there is no
flesh that is caught up in sin, but only the flesh that lives in Christ –
filled with the Spirit.
Now Paul takes up the notion of suffering. He and his readers would have been aware of
the suffering of their own time, and the suffering of past and future times as
well. Again, a comparison is made
between the present sufferings as a descriptor of magnitude, and the glory that
is to come. Here he goes beyond the
daily suffering that all of us endure, to a cosmic suffering – a creation
awaiting wholeness, redemption, and adoption (a theme taken up again). One wonders if Paul’s own body were giving
witness to these notions of pain and decay?
Waiting seems to be the present state of God’s people, as Paul sees
it. It is not, however, a desperate
waiting, or a waiting in despair, but rather a waiting in hope, “for in hope we were saved.”
Breaking open Romans:
- Who are your children in this world?
- What kinds of feelings do you have toward them?
- How is God a parent?
St. Matthew 13:24-30,36-43
Jesus put before the
crowd another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone
who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came
and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up
and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the
householder came and said to him, `Master, did you not sow good seed in your
field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' He answered, `An enemy has done
this.' The slaves said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But
he replied, `No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along
with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest
time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles
to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
Then he
left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him,
saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He
answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is
the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the
children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the
harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds
are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The
Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all
causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of
fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous
will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears
listen!"
This
Sunday’s Gospel continues the Parables of the Kingdom that began in last
Sunday’s Gospel. It is good to point out
that a theme of “division” that was raised in the preceding chapters (11-12)
continues here with the “divisions” of path, rocky soil, etc. In these parables
for today, there is a less passive situation, for here it is the “enemy” who
sows weeds (weeds that would insinuate themselves into the root systems of the
wheat, thus requiring that both of them would need to be pulled up either in
weeding or at harvest time). The wheat
goes to the barn for future meals, but the darnel is thrown as fuel into the
fire.
The
second parable concerns the mustard seed, but it is skipped over for use on
another Sunday, as well as the parable concerning yeast. What continues is an explanation of the
Parable of the Wheat and Weeds. Like the
explanation to the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-13, see also last
Sunday’s study) the scene of Jesus’ explaining the parable to the disciples
is likely a later addition to the Gospel.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- Who might be the “enemy” to the Word?
- How are you the Word’ friend?
- What are the weeds in your life of faith?
After breaking open the
Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities
before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and
mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for
our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ
our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.
Questions and comments copyright © 2014, Michael
T. Hiller
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