The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18, 10 September 2017
Exodus
12:1-14
Psalm
149
Track Two:
Ezekiel
33:7-11
Psalm
119:33-40
Romans
13:8-14
St.
Matthew 18:15-20
Background:
Points of Origin
Everyone,
and by this I mean, every people, have a story (I am urged by others not to use
the word myth) that
describes the realities from which they or their culture were sprung. Mircea
Eliade reminded us
that all story was sacred and that most stories were points of origin,
explaining our place in the world. In
many respects, the first reading from Track 1 is an etiological story, one that explains not only
sacred ceremonial, but also its connection to even earlier points of origin and
practice. It is interesting
that we often continue in a tradition without ever exploring how what we
celebrate came to be – what its roots are. The “passover” ceremonial, originally
a harvest festival, is invested with new meaning here. It moves from an agricultural ceremony
that signed and protected a house to a ceremony that reached back to a time of
urgency and necessity. What
was good for the fathers and mothers was revisioned as good for the integrity
and liberty of the people. Thus
the story moves from celebrating the land, and protection from evil spirits, to
one that celebrates the origin of the nation, or short of that, the origin of a
people.
Track
One:
First Reading: Exodus
12:1-14
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first
month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the
tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each
household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its
closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to
the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a
year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep
it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled
congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of
the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which
they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted
over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw
or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner
organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that
remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your
loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you
shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD. For I will pass through
the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the
land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will
execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you on the
houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no
plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall
celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall
observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
What makes us a people? And
at what point do we see our situation as different in the world of
things? These are the two questions that the author of this pericope
seeks to determine. Its importance is more than just a continuation of
the Moses story; rather it is a prelude to a people’s story – the beginning of
their journey together. What is given to the people, in this ceremony, is
an act that can be “kept” or to be “watched” or to be “observed”. Its
importance then is both internal as in something to be kept, and external as in
something to be watched or observed. The incidentals that surround this meal,
the “flatbread” or “matsot”, and the fire roasting of the meat, indicate not
only haste (making a stew in water would take much longer) but also a more
archaic setting. There are no utensils, but only fire, wood, and hot
stones. These are the marks of a nomadic cuisine. So again, the
author places the readers, the characters, and us at the beginning of history –
a point from which.
At this point we go back to the
story of Moses and his mission, and the author indicates some persuasive
arguments that Moses will use in requesting the freedom of the people from the
hand of Pharaoh. “From all the gods of Egypt” certain reprisals
will be demanded, and the sign of them will be in sickness and woe, but most
convincingly in the death of the first-born sons. In effect, God proposes
to take away the future of the families of Egypt, and to initiate the future of
the chosen people. The repetitive sign here is the sign of blood; blood that
is shed by Moses, the blood of circumcision, the blood of the Nile, and the
blood of the first-born. God bypasses Israel in this blood revenge, and
sets them on a different course.
Breaking open Exodus:
1. Why is it important to remember sacred history?
2. What are the sacred moments in your history?
3. How do you celebrate them today?
Psalm 149 Cantate Domino
Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song; *
sing his praise in the
congregation of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; *
let the children of Zion be joyful
in their King.
Let them praise his Name in the
dance; *
let them sing praise to him with
timbrel and harp.
For the LORD takes pleasure in his
people *
and adorns the poor with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice in
triumph; *
let them be joyful on their beds.
Let the praises of God be in their
throat *
and a two-edged sword in their
hand;
To wreak vengeance on the nations
*
and punishment on the peoples;
To bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles with links of
iron;
To inflict on them the judgment
decreed; *
this is glory for all his faithful
people.
Hallelujah!
The psalm seems to be, in it
association with the first reading in Track 1, a prolepsis, an anticipation of
the victories that will be culminated at the Red Sea. The phrase, “and
adorns the poor with victory”, may be misunderstood by modern
readers. It is not the poor in things that are honored with victory, but
rather the social poverty that was Israel’s lot in Egypt, that is met with
victory here. The God-given victory is to be celebrated with song and dance,
and in a delightful pun with “a two-edged sword” (the two-edged sword in
Hebrew is “a sword of mouths”) that follow the verse of praises that are in the
victors’ throats. This is the antithesis to the slavery of Egypt.
It is the exaltation of freedom in God.
Breaking open Psalm 149:
1.
What role does music play in your
worship of God?
2.
Why is that important?
3.
Why not dance?
Or
Track Two:
Ezekiel 33:7-11
You, mortal, I have made a
sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you
shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, "O wicked ones,
you shall surely die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn
from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will
require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and
they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but
you will have saved your life.
Now you, mortal, say to the house
of Israel, Thus you have said: "Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon
us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?" Say to them,
As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,
but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from
your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
In his commentary on Ezekiel,
Joseph Blenkinsopp makes a careful and important observation about the
prophets,
“The people we call prophets were
– to risk a generalization – public orators and emotional preachers rather than
authors. They did not set out to write a book but to persuade by the
spoken word.[1]
To understand this guides the way
in which we listen to this particular pericope, especially in that the
words are those of the Lord. The period during which these words were
either heard or spoken surrounds the capture and fall of Jerusalem, so they are
spoken in dire times. What Ezekiel experiences in his visions are hopeful
expressions of Israel’s past and its future. Thus the whole prophetic pattern
is evident in Ezekiel: Denunciations of Israel’s faithlessness, and a prophetic
outreach to the hope of a return from exile.
God has called Ezekiel to be a
sentry (see 3:16-21), but in these verses, the
prophet is not called to be a lookout for foreign invaders, but rather the “word
from my mouth.” It is to this judgment that he is to give warning to the
people. The prophet has an awesome responsibility, for in his hands lies the
fate of the people whether righteous or not. In a way, Ezekiel is asked
to function as John the Baptist will function in a later period. The
by-word is “repent”, in both situations. The situations, words,
and injunctions speak to the relationship that God has with the people, “As
I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” The
injunction is to “turn back” and in doing that having a relationship
with the God who saves Israel.
Breaking open the Ezekiel:
1.
What has God asked you to declare
to those who live around you?
2.
How are you a sentry, seeking
after God’s word?
3.
What repentances might you make?
Psalm 119:33-40 Legem pone
Teach me, O LORD, the way of your
statutes, *
and I shall keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, and I shall
keep your law; *
I shall keep it with all my heart.
Make me go in the path of your
commandments, *
for that is my desire.
Incline my heart to your decrees *
and not to unjust gain.
Turn my eyes from watching what is
worthless; *
give me life in your ways.
Fulfill your promise to your
servant, *
which you make to those who fear
you.
Turn away the reproach which I
dread, *
because your judgments are good.
Behold, I long for your
commandments; *
in your righteousness preserve my
life.
This psalm seems ready-made for
the requests made of Israel by the God of Ezekiel, “Teach me, O Lord, the
way of your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end.” It is a stretch,
however. The people of Ezekiel’s time need convincing, but the people of
the psalm have a desire for God’s wishes. Such an attitude sets them
apart from the feckless nature of Ezekiel’s audience. Ezekiel’s people
march into exile, while the psalmist’s people “go in the path of your
commandments.”
Breaking open the Psalm 119:33-40:
1.
Do you ever feel the need to purge
yourself of misdeeds?
2.
How do you do that?
3.
What is the resulting feeling or
behavior?
Romans 13:8-14
Owe no one anything, except to
love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The
commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You
shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are
summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does
no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this, you know what time
it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is
nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day
is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of
light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness,
not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead,
put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify
its desires
Paul continues his musings on what
one must do in being a Christian by describing what life in Christ ought to
look like. In a surprising statement, given his previous commentary on
the inabilities of the Law, Paul states, “for the one who loves another has
fulfilled the law.” We should not be too surprised, however, for Paul has
also said, “the law is holy and the commandment is holy, just, and good.” (Romans
7:12). What compels Paul here, is his sense of what is to come, what is
immanent, “For salvation is nearer t us now.” There is a distinct sense
of urgency here – the times demand a change of heart on our parts. What
follows is a typical Pauline list of what is to be avoided.
Breaking open Romans:
1.
What are the laws of your life?
2.
How do they help those around you?
3.
How do they hinder those around
you?
St. Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said, "If another
member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two
of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But
if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that
every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the
member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender
refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and
a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly
I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done
for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name,
I am there among them."
If any of you watch any of the
“Real Housewives of (Beverly Hills, New Jersey, Orange County, et. al.)”, and I
suppose I make a deep and embarrassing confession here, one can see the
necessity of Matthew’s provisions for confrontation and repentance. In
fact, you don’t have to follow that television show that rejoices in the sins
of others, you merely need to be an observer of our time. These
provisions in Matthew were likely quite necessary to the emerging Christian
community who may have been not only at odds with one another but also with friends
and families that did not agree with the belief about Jesus. The process
sums up with a recognition of the church: individual, two or three others, and
finally, the whole community.
In any close community the real
temptation is always gossip and distrust of others. Here we are warned
against it, and given the difficult task of confrontation and correction.
As a Human Resource executive, I always encouraged this behavior, but also
found that people were reluctant to follow it.
The verses that follow seem to be
a repetition of the tools that Jesus gives Peter following his confession at Caesarea
Philippi, although it does follow well from the process for
reprimanding a brother or a sister. Verse 19 seems to more about prayer,
but also about the community that gathers to pray. Really, all of the
parts of this pericope deal with the realities of being a community that
follows Jesus.
Breaking open the Gospel:
1.
How do you confront those who have
done something wrong?
2.
Have you ever followed this
procedure outlined in Matthew? Why not?
3.
How do you confront your own
wrong-doings?
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 forever. Amen.
Questions and comments copyright © 2017, Michael T. Hiller
[1] Blenkinsopp, J (1990) Ezekiel, Interpretation a Bible Commentary for Teaching
and Preaching, Westminster
John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, page 3.
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