The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18, 6 September 2015
Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
Psalm 125
Or
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Psalm 146
James 2:1-17
St. Mark 7:24-37
Background: Proverbs
What is when
something is pronounced to be “proverbial”? John Russell described a proverb as
“the wit of one, and the wisdom of many.” Proverbs are ancient and come from a
variety of cultural sources. The ones that we are most familiar with are either
biblical or come from “Poor Richard’s Almanac”. Some are anonymous and others
come from a variety of authors: Confucius, Plato, Jesus, Shakespeare and
others. Proverbs don’t need to be a matter of words, either, but can be
recorded as a visual device (see the illustration above.) Proverbs can address
a variety of human needs with humor and seriousness. Proverbs have been used by
religions to express ethical and behavior concerns. When we read the Book of
Proverbs in the Bible, we are reading a collection of sayings deeply seated in
the culture of every man and woman.
The first reading
for today is taken from the Book of Proverbs, in which there are six
collections of proverbs: Chapters 1-9 – Concerning instruction in Wisdom,
Chapters 10 – 22:16 – Ascribed to the Wisdom of Solomon, Chapter 22:17 – 24:23
– A Word to the Wise, Chapter 24:23 – 34 – These are also Words to the Wise,
Chapter 25 – 29 – Proverbs of Solomon. The last section gives some clues as to
how the collections were gathered and edited. The final chapters consist of
appendices including an acrostic poem on the “ideal wife”. It is a collection
of useful pieces of wisdom that flow out of the culture of Israel, and more
generally the culture of the Ancient Near East.
Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
A good name is
to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is
better than silver or gold.
The rich and
the poor have this in common:
the LORD is the
maker of them all.
Whoever sows
injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of
anger will fail.
Those who are
generous are blessed,
for they share
their bread with the poor.
Do not rob the
poor because they are poor,
or crush the
afflicted at the gate;
for the LORD
pleads their cause
and despoils of
life those who despoil them.
This is a study of what it means to be in the community of
God, of how both rich and poor exist in a community of being the created, God
being the creator. The second section,
verses 8 and 9, addresses the “wrongdoer”, a type of person that is neither
rich nor poor, but can be both – a commonality. The notion of the rod here may
remind us not only of punishment, but also the rod that brings us back to our
studies, or our contemplation of the world. The final section concerns issues
of justice and are properly placed “at
the gate.” The gate was where justice was dispensed where the king, his
agents, or judges sat to hear cases and to render judgment. This proverbs is
redolent with the thought of Amos, namely that justice (and the provisions of
daily life) need to be available to both poor and rich, but especially to
widows and orphans. Here God is pictured as the Advocate, the one “plead(ing) their cause.” As I often
advise, please read the entire chapter, or better yet, the entire collection to
get a sense of the wisdom that is being offered by the author.
Breaking open Proverbs
- What is your favorite
proverb?
- What is your “good name”
made up of?
- Are you rich or are you
poor?
Psalm 125, Qui confidunt
Those who trust
in the LORD are like Mount Zion, *
which cannot be
moved, but stands fast for ever.
The hills stand
about Jerusalem; *
so does the
LORD stand round about his people,
from this time
forth for evermore.
The scepter of
the wicked shall not hold sway over the land alloted to the just, *
so that the
just shall not put their hands to evil.
Show your
goodness, O LORD, to those who are good *
and to those
who are true of heart.
As for those
who turn aside to crooked ways,
the LORD will
lead them away with the evildoers; *
but peace be
upon Israel.
This is an excellent accompaniment to the first reading
above, for it dwells on the issues of justice. Here, however, the wicked are not the generalized evil
persons in the world, but more likely the oppressors who came from the east to
besiege Israel and Judah and to imprison or deport them. The opening lines are
in praise of the hopes for Jerusalem, “which
cannot be moved.” However, it was moved, and the remainder of the psalm is
a request for Justice. Here again we meet a “rod”, this time the “scepter of the wicked.” This is probably not the best translation for
this word, “rod” indicating better the violence that can be the product of its
use. The moral of this psalm/tale is that the righteous, Israel, should not
follow the example of the wicked. A better example is God’s justice and mercy, “Show your goodness, O Lord, to those who
are good.”
Breaking open Psalm 125:
- What does justice mean to
you?
- Has justice ever been
denied you? How?
- In what ways has God been just to you?
Or
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Say to those
who are of a fearful heart,
"Be
strong, do not fear!
Here is your
God.
He will come
with vengeance,
with terrible
recompense.
He will come
and save you."
Then the eyes
of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of
the deaf unstopped;
then the lame
shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue
of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters
shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in
the desert;
the burning
sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty
ground springs of water.
The issue addressed here is also addressed in the psalm
for Track 1 (Psalm 125). Isaiah wishes
for recompense for Israel who know lives under the tyranny of (take your pick)
Babylon, Edom, or Persia. The visual here (pun intended) is that the situation is
actual blindness. The life in exile has blinded the people to a vision of God,
gracious and forgiving. Isaiah looks forward to a time when this sensory
deprivation is relieved and, “the eyes of
the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” There will
be a radical reordering of things – such as Jesus will talk about when
describing by acts the Kingdom of Heaven. So Isaiah reverses the sorrow,
desolation, and thirst for joy, abundant water, and a quenching draught – so is
God, and so might the joy of return be.
Breaking open Isaiah:
- From what have you been
set free?
- In what ways has God set
you free?
- Is there someone whom you need to set free? How?
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 gives voice to the hoped for joy of the Isaiah
reading. It is a thanksgiving, and in conjunction with the Isaiah reading it is
an anticipated thanksgiving. All of this goodness from God comes not in some
future action, but now, “while I have my
being.” The focus of this psalm is clearly on the help and relief that God
can give; it is not possible to receive it from others. Any “child of earth” is described with
indications of frailty and mortality. This is contrasted with the joy that
accompanies those who have the God of Jacob as a helpmeet. The psalm goes on to
describe God’s actions, creation, covenant, provider of justice and food. The
recipients anticipate the recipients of Jesus’ kingdom, the oppressed, the
prisoners, the blind, the bent, the stranger, the orphan and widow. It is
interesting that the psalmist mentions “the bent”, those who cannot stand
upright. It becomes a foil to the crocked wicked, “the way of the wicked contorts.”
Breaking open Psalm 146:
- What thanksgivings do you
need to make today?
- What do you expect from
others that you do not receive?
- What have you received
from God?
James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17
My brothers and
sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious
Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes
into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if
you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat
here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand
there," or, "Sit at my feet," have you not made distinctions
among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers
and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and
to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you
have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they
who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that
was invoked over you?
You do well if
you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall
love your neighbor as yourself." But if you show partiality, you commit
sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole
law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. [For the one
who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall
not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have
become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be
judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who
has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.]
What good is
it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?
Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and
one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,"
and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So
faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
A member complained to me after the reading from James.
“It’s hard to hear”, she said. Yes indeed, but it follows in the path drawn by
Isaiah and the psalter in this mornings lessons. The poor become a focus for
the prophets and for James. How any Christian community treats the poor becomes
an indication of how closely they see the Kingdom of Heaven in their midst.
These are the “uncomfortable words” because they compare our mercy with God’s
mercy. It is a lesson that many in our country need to be aware of – that
judgment does not come with the consideration of “moral” issues but really with
how we treat our fellow humans. James reminds us of the Law – “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Such
an attitude on the part of James made Martin Luther very nervous. He described
it as a strawy epistle, absent of a saving Christ. We however, need to take it
in, and be challenged by it as we are challenged in Matthew as to what we do
for the naked, the prisoner, and the hungry.
Breaking open James:
- How does James upset you?
- Is it good to be upset by
the Bible? Why?
- How do you love your
neighbor?
St. Mark 7:24-37
Jesus set out
and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone
to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little
daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and
bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin.
She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let
the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and
throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs
under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For
saying that, you may go-- the demon has left your daughter." So she went
home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon
towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him
a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his
hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his
fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to
heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be
opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released,
and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he
ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond
measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to
hear and the mute to speak."
We are entering terra
incognita – unknown territory. This is the land of the Gentile, and Jesus
prepared his disciples and us in the previous pericopes by putting aside the
“human laws” that did not allow for mercy for any who would follow God. And so
we meet two individuals, the Syro-Phoenician woman who pleads for her daughter,
and the Deaf-Mute Man. As with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus does not
enter easily into the interaction with the woman from Tyre. There is
controversy and argument, but her faith makes the best of it, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the
children’s’ crumbs.” It is her faith that makes the difference, and the
result – either a healing or an exorcism – prove that God wishes to be present
with more than Israel. As if to intensify the personal and intimate nature of
this healing/dialogue, Jesus is alone with the woman - a risky proposition in
this and even in our own society.
The story of the deaf/mute is unique to Mark. Here, what
others (Isaiah) have described as symptomatic of a forgetfulness or God, or an
inability to see God, becomes the opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate the
Kingdom. All of the actions acutely direct our attention to the troubled
man. Jesus puts his fingers into the
man’s ears, and touches his tongue indicating the locus of the miracle and
healing. This is where it is going to happen – in the land of the Gentile. The
Kingdom will come even here! Jesus requests secrecy because the entirety of the
revelation of the Kingdom is not yet ready. It will take a sojourn in Jerusalem
to complete that pattern.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- How does the woman exhibit
her faith?
- What do you think of Jesus
remarks?
- How does Jesus use the
sense of touch?
After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the
Collect for Sunday:
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts;
for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you
never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through 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 © 2015, Michael T. Hiller
Comments
Post a Comment