Brad Sullivan
1st Sunday in Lent, Year C
Sunday, February 21st, 2010
Emmanuel, Houston
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
In our reading from Deuteronomy today, Moses was preparing the Israelites for their entry into the land of Canaan. God had freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and then, for forty years, the Israelites had been largely isolated, wandering in the desert, learning how to live as God’s people, and being totally provided for by God. They were fed each day with Manna from heaven which they simply had to collect. The Manna appeared every morning, they collected it, and it was gone. The Israelites were living in the desert and were therefore very obviously dependent on God for survival. Therefore, remembering God and staying faithful to him was right there at the forefront of their thoughts. Every day just getting breakfast, they had an obvious reminder of God and their covenant with God.
Moses was speaking to them in our reading today as they were about to enter the promised land of Canaan. This was a wonderful delight for the Israelites. They were finally going to have a permanent home. They were going to be able to grow crops and work the ground, and provide for themselves. This was a good thing, something God wanted for the Israelites, and yet God knows how forgetful we can sometimes be. Once the Israelites started living on their own, without God’s obvious, daily intervention, providing for their very survival, you could bet that they might start to forget God a little bit.
Any of us who have gone on a religious or spiritual retreat for a short time may understand something of what the Israelites experienced. When we’re on retreat, we may find faith in God and focusing on God to be quite easy. Then, when we return to the daily grind with school, or work, or home life, we may find focusing on God to be somewhat more difficult. Daily life can often help us to forget God, to feel that we’re going it alone. We likely find the practices of our faith which help us to stay connected to God to be more difficult during regular life than when we’re on retreat. The more time we spend on retreat or the more time we spend intentionally searching for God in our daily lives, however, can help us to remember God and to see God more easily.
I think this is part of why Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil before truly beginning his ministry. Now, unlike the weekend retreats we may take, Jesus’ temptations in the desert likely not very easy. Jesus really was tempted by what the devil offered, and Jesus had obviously done a good amount of preparation before entering the desert. Notice that each time the devil offered something to Jesus, that Jesus countered with scripture. Jesus knew scripture backwards and forwards and so he was able to see the world through the lens of scripture. He had spent his life preparing, learning, searching after God, drawing near to God so when his temptations came in the desert, he was prepared. Even so, having prepared himself so thoroughly, Jesus still, was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to prepare even more for his ministry.
Now, I was asked a few weeks ago why 40 was such an important number in scripture. Rain pored for 40 days when Noah and his family were on the ark. Moses was on the mountain for 40 days in night. The Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days. Why 40? What’s the significance? On the one hand, as I said a few weeks ago, I don’t know.
On the other hand, I was talking to a colleague and psychologist recently who said that for people overcoming addiction, 40 days is something of a milestone. He said that after 40 days of recovering from an addiction, something happens in the brain such that chances for continued recovery increase exponentially after that point. We don’t know why exactly, but there is something significant about 40 days in our biological makeup.
After 40 days continued recovery from addiction become much more likely. Also, after 40 days of starting some new habit, keeping that new habit becomes more likely. Why was Jesus in the wilderness 40 days? Maybe there is something mystical about the number 40, and maybe 40 days was a helpful number because Jesus was a human being with human biology. How cool is that, the mystical and the biological converging to produce the same result?
I love the idea that 40 days, in the wilderness, on the mountain, or in the ark, that 40 days is not a random number nor is it only a number of mythic or unknown Godly significance, but 40 days is also a number that God used, knowing that 40 days fits with our brain chemistry and development. This convergence of the mystical and the biological give me the feeling that God really does care for our well-being. 40 days in the wilderness is not in temptation out of punishment or meanness, rather, God has folks spend 40 days in the wilderness because God knows those people are going to have a better chance of sticking with God and continuing to see and know God in their daily lives after 40 days in the wilderness than after fewer days in the wilderness.
The Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days out of love for Jesus. Notice also that the Holy Spirit did not leave Jesus alone in the wilderness. When Jesus was driven into the wilderness, he was full of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus left the wilderness, he was filled with the power of the Spirit.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
God's love for us and the tie that binds us
Brad Sullivan
5th Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Emmanuel, Houston
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Psalm 138
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been hearing about the Body of Christ. We heard about how there are many parts to the Body of Christ and that each part has its own gift. Paul was writing this to a church that was increasingly divided over whose gifts were better or even divided the person from whom they heard the Gospel. Paul reminded them that Jesus works through all of us. Many different gifts, and the greatest is love.
Today, Paul reminds the Corinthians again to be unified in their belief. Regardless of whether they heard the Gospel from Paul or from another apostle, Paul reminds them again of the importance of their belief in the Gospel, regardless of the one who preached that Gospel to them. Again, Paul is recalling the divisions in the Corinthian church, reminding them to be unified in their faith in Jesus as one body, rather than divided over human matters or controversies.
The focus of the Body of Christ, for Paul, was the good news that Jesus died for our sins. In Jesus’ actions, Paul was firmly convinced of God’s love for us. As he wrote in his letter to the Romans, “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) In this one sentence, we find why the Gospel really is such good news. God loves us. We’re imperfect; we’re sinful; we know this fact. God loves us.
We can see the love God has for us in the calls of Isaiah and Peter which we heard this morning. In Isaiah’s vision of God, Isaiah saw God in his full majesty in his temple. Knowing scripture like we do, we all know that Isaiah should have died from having seen the Lord. No one could see God and live. As we heard in the story, Isaiah knew this too, and was very frightened that he had seen God. “Woe is me!” He said. “I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
In other words, Isaiah was saying, “not only am I unworthy to be your prophet, Lord, but darn it, now I’m about to die.” God, of course didn’t let him die. “You think you’re so unworthy Isaiah, fine,” and God purified Isaiah with the burning coal so that he could speak for God and be his prophet.
We find a similar call narrative in Luke’s telling of the call of Peter. Jesus was teaching in Peter’s boat, he then directs Peter to have this miraculous catch of fish, and what does Peter say, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” There are obviously some differences in these call narratives. Isaiah was in the temple of God, seeing God’s very presence, in all his glory and majesty. Peter was in a boat with a bunch of fish. Isaiah saw God and was afraid for his life, knowing he was a sinful man. Peter was in the presence of a man whom he believed to be a mighty prophet of God, and Peter, like Isaiah, was struck by his own unworthy sinfulness.
Notice the similarities in the reactions of God to Isaiah and of Jesus to Peter. In both cases, these sinful men were asked to go and do service for God’s kingdom. Isaiah was asked to preach God’s word. Peter was asked to fish for people.
Whom did God chose to be his voice, his hand and feet here on earth, perfect human beings? No. God chose sinful human being, people like you and me to be his prophet, to be his disciple and apostle. Further, God not only chose sinful people, but he then helped them move beyond their sinfulness into something more, into his life of love. In these two call narratives of Isaiah and Peter, we can see once again the great love has for us.
5th Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Emmanuel, Houston
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Psalm 138
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been hearing about the Body of Christ. We heard about how there are many parts to the Body of Christ and that each part has its own gift. Paul was writing this to a church that was increasingly divided over whose gifts were better or even divided the person from whom they heard the Gospel. Paul reminded them that Jesus works through all of us. Many different gifts, and the greatest is love.
Today, Paul reminds the Corinthians again to be unified in their belief. Regardless of whether they heard the Gospel from Paul or from another apostle, Paul reminds them again of the importance of their belief in the Gospel, regardless of the one who preached that Gospel to them. Again, Paul is recalling the divisions in the Corinthian church, reminding them to be unified in their faith in Jesus as one body, rather than divided over human matters or controversies.
The focus of the Body of Christ, for Paul, was the good news that Jesus died for our sins. In Jesus’ actions, Paul was firmly convinced of God’s love for us. As he wrote in his letter to the Romans, “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) In this one sentence, we find why the Gospel really is such good news. God loves us. We’re imperfect; we’re sinful; we know this fact. God loves us.
We can see the love God has for us in the calls of Isaiah and Peter which we heard this morning. In Isaiah’s vision of God, Isaiah saw God in his full majesty in his temple. Knowing scripture like we do, we all know that Isaiah should have died from having seen the Lord. No one could see God and live. As we heard in the story, Isaiah knew this too, and was very frightened that he had seen God. “Woe is me!” He said. “I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
In other words, Isaiah was saying, “not only am I unworthy to be your prophet, Lord, but darn it, now I’m about to die.” God, of course didn’t let him die. “You think you’re so unworthy Isaiah, fine,” and God purified Isaiah with the burning coal so that he could speak for God and be his prophet.
We find a similar call narrative in Luke’s telling of the call of Peter. Jesus was teaching in Peter’s boat, he then directs Peter to have this miraculous catch of fish, and what does Peter say, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” There are obviously some differences in these call narratives. Isaiah was in the temple of God, seeing God’s very presence, in all his glory and majesty. Peter was in a boat with a bunch of fish. Isaiah saw God and was afraid for his life, knowing he was a sinful man. Peter was in the presence of a man whom he believed to be a mighty prophet of God, and Peter, like Isaiah, was struck by his own unworthy sinfulness.
Notice the similarities in the reactions of God to Isaiah and of Jesus to Peter. In both cases, these sinful men were asked to go and do service for God’s kingdom. Isaiah was asked to preach God’s word. Peter was asked to fish for people.
Whom did God chose to be his voice, his hand and feet here on earth, perfect human beings? No. God chose sinful human being, people like you and me to be his prophet, to be his disciple and apostle. Further, God not only chose sinful people, but he then helped them move beyond their sinfulness into something more, into his life of love. In these two call narratives of Isaiah and Peter, we can see once again the great love has for us.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Good News, Really?
In the first chapter of Acts, we see Jesus, resurrected and with his disciples. He then ascends to heaven, the disciples spend time in prayer, and they gather together (about 120 of them) to chose a suitable replacement for Judas as one of the 12 apostles/overseers. Needing to be one who was with Jesus from the time of his baptism, they pick two folks, cast lots, and Matthias is chosen to take Judas' place as one of the twelve.
Notice who the twelve apostles/overseers were. Eleven of them abandoned Jesus, and one denied him. Jesus still loved and chose them to lead his church and spread the good news of God's kingdom.
We don't have to be perfect. We're never going to be. All too often, I hear people say "I'm not perfect, and I never will be," almost as though they're trying to excuse themselves, saying to God, don't judge me for not being perfect...only you are perfect." There seems fear in what is said, as if we're hoping to avoid hell. We know that because we're not perfect, we're destined for hell, but because we believe in Jesus, we get to escape the fires of hell despite our imperfection.
What a bunch of hooey.
God loves us. Jesus loves us. I don't know that we're loved despite our imperfections so much as we are loved with our imperfections. We're loved. Of course we're imperfect, but who cares? God loves us.
Notice who the twelve apostles/overseers were. Eleven of them abandoned Jesus, and one denied him. Jesus still loved and chose them to lead his church and spread the good news of God's kingdom.
We don't have to be perfect. We're never going to be. All too often, I hear people say "I'm not perfect, and I never will be," almost as though they're trying to excuse themselves, saying to God, don't judge me for not being perfect...only you are perfect." There seems fear in what is said, as if we're hoping to avoid hell. We know that because we're not perfect, we're destined for hell, but because we believe in Jesus, we get to escape the fires of hell despite our imperfection.
What a bunch of hooey.
God loves us. Jesus loves us. I don't know that we're loved despite our imperfections so much as we are loved with our imperfections. We're loved. Of course we're imperfect, but who cares? God loves us.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Tiger Woods: A person, not a brand...
Read the article about Tiger Woods written by Gaye Jones on her blog. What an eye opener, reminding us of how we are called to repond as Christians, rather than as media hungry consumers.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Forgive the terrorists, are you serious?
Brad Sullivan
2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C
Sunday, December 6th, 2009
Emmanuel, Houston
Malachi 3:1-4
Canticle 16 (Luke 1:68-79)
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6
John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. By repenting, people turn their lives around and re-orient towards God. Through the forgiveness of sins, people can receive peace. Re-orienting towards God and finding peace seem like two good ways to prepare for Christmas, the arrival of Jesus, the prince of peace.
So, in order to illustrate how we might reorient ourselves towards God and find some peace, I’d like to share an email I was forwarded earlier this week. It was a joke email of a communication from a control tower to a couple of landing planes which read:
Tower: "Tower to Saudi Air 511 -- You are cleared to land eastbound on runway 9R."
Saudi Air: "Thank you Atlanta ATC. Acknowledge cleared to land on infidel's runway 9R - Allah be praised."
Tower: "Tower to Iran Air 711 --You are cleared to land westbound on runway 9R."
Iran Air: "Thank you Atlanta ATC. We are cleared to land on infidel's runway 9R. - Allah is Great."
Pause...
Saudi Air: "ATLANTA ATC - ATLANTA ATC"
Tower: "Go ahead Saudi Air 511."
Saudi Air: "You have cleared both our aircrafts for the same runway going in opposite directions. We are on a collision course…instructions please.”
Tower: "Well bless your hearts, and praise Jesus. Y'all be careful now, and tell Allah "hey" for us."
I had a pretty dim view of the email when I read it and replied, asking the person not to send me emails like that again. I didn’t find it funny, and I thought advocating murder, especially in Jesus’ name to be rather deplorable.
Fortunately, this person wrote me back and we had a really good discussion about the email and the reasons for sending it in the first place. While this person would never actually advocate violence against anyone, he is still feeling angry and afraid after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. We both assumed this person is not alone in feeling that way, angry for the attacks, afraid similar attacks might happen again, afraid for the lives of soldiers who are now fighting because of terrorists.
The killings at Fort Hood give us reasons to be angry. The increase in troop deployments gives some of us reasons to be afraid and for some, reasons to be angry. I’m guessing there are many who are living with anger and fear, if not because of 9/11, then because of something.
In light of such anger and fear, sending the email that I just read is not as horrible as I initially thought. Rather than seeking to incite violence, such an email is really a form of catharsis, of trying to let go of some anger and fear. We need outlets for our anger. We need outlets for our fear.
We even see such outlets in scripture. The last verse of Psalm 137 reads: "Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!" (137:9) Psalm 137 is a lament psalm prayed during the time of Judah’s deportation to Babylon. Jerusalem had been destroyed, and we find in the beginning of the psalm that Israel’s captors were even taunting them saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 'Sing of how great Jerusalem is, being that we just destroyed it,' they said. So, in the midst of captivity, destruction, and torment, the Psalmist prayed, “Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” Like email about the planes on the runway I read earlier, this too was an expression of anger and fear. The beauty of the Psalm is that it doesn’t deny the feelings of anger and fear, rather, it offers those feelings to God (who knows we feel that way already).
Who among us can honestly say we’ve never felt anger toward someone and even had some thoughts of wanting vengeance? At our best moments, we might not actually want to exact vengeance, but we still might feel that desire. God knows we have anger and fear and desires for vengeance, so offering our anger, fear, and desire vengeance to God is the best thing we can do with them. The idea is to be able to release the anger and fear by offering them to God, rather than acting with vengeance on those feelings.
The joke about the planes crashing into each other on the runway expresses a similar sentiment as the Psalm. People still have anger over 9/11 and fear about terrorist attacks. The challenge with the email for me is that it might serve to fuel anger and fear rather than to release them. Depending on who reads the email or how they read the email, it could provoke hatred rather than catharsis.
By offering our anger and fear and even hatred to God, we leave those feelings where we know they will be safe. As we know, God answers all prayers, he just doesn’t always say “yes”. Just because we ask God for vengeance doesn’t mean he’s going to oblige, or he does, it might not be in this life. God will bring justice. Our challenge is to trust him and to live lives of love and forgiveness rather than lives of fear and anger.
2nd Sunday of Advent, Year C
Sunday, December 6th, 2009
Emmanuel, Houston
Malachi 3:1-4
Canticle 16 (Luke 1:68-79)
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6
John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. By repenting, people turn their lives around and re-orient towards God. Through the forgiveness of sins, people can receive peace. Re-orienting towards God and finding peace seem like two good ways to prepare for Christmas, the arrival of Jesus, the prince of peace.
So, in order to illustrate how we might reorient ourselves towards God and find some peace, I’d like to share an email I was forwarded earlier this week. It was a joke email of a communication from a control tower to a couple of landing planes which read:
Tower: "Tower to Saudi Air 511 -- You are cleared to land eastbound on runway 9R."
Saudi Air: "Thank you Atlanta ATC. Acknowledge cleared to land on infidel's runway 9R - Allah be praised."
Tower: "Tower to Iran Air 711 --You are cleared to land westbound on runway 9R."
Iran Air: "Thank you Atlanta ATC. We are cleared to land on infidel's runway 9R. - Allah is Great."
Pause...
Saudi Air: "ATLANTA ATC - ATLANTA ATC"
Tower: "Go ahead Saudi Air 511."
Saudi Air: "You have cleared both our aircrafts for the same runway going in opposite directions. We are on a collision course…instructions please.”
Tower: "Well bless your hearts, and praise Jesus. Y'all be careful now, and tell Allah "hey" for us."
I had a pretty dim view of the email when I read it and replied, asking the person not to send me emails like that again. I didn’t find it funny, and I thought advocating murder, especially in Jesus’ name to be rather deplorable.
Fortunately, this person wrote me back and we had a really good discussion about the email and the reasons for sending it in the first place. While this person would never actually advocate violence against anyone, he is still feeling angry and afraid after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. We both assumed this person is not alone in feeling that way, angry for the attacks, afraid similar attacks might happen again, afraid for the lives of soldiers who are now fighting because of terrorists.
The killings at Fort Hood give us reasons to be angry. The increase in troop deployments gives some of us reasons to be afraid and for some, reasons to be angry. I’m guessing there are many who are living with anger and fear, if not because of 9/11, then because of something.
In light of such anger and fear, sending the email that I just read is not as horrible as I initially thought. Rather than seeking to incite violence, such an email is really a form of catharsis, of trying to let go of some anger and fear. We need outlets for our anger. We need outlets for our fear.
We even see such outlets in scripture. The last verse of Psalm 137 reads: "Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!" (137:9) Psalm 137 is a lament psalm prayed during the time of Judah’s deportation to Babylon. Jerusalem had been destroyed, and we find in the beginning of the psalm that Israel’s captors were even taunting them saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 'Sing of how great Jerusalem is, being that we just destroyed it,' they said. So, in the midst of captivity, destruction, and torment, the Psalmist prayed, “Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” Like email about the planes on the runway I read earlier, this too was an expression of anger and fear. The beauty of the Psalm is that it doesn’t deny the feelings of anger and fear, rather, it offers those feelings to God (who knows we feel that way already).
Who among us can honestly say we’ve never felt anger toward someone and even had some thoughts of wanting vengeance? At our best moments, we might not actually want to exact vengeance, but we still might feel that desire. God knows we have anger and fear and desires for vengeance, so offering our anger, fear, and desire vengeance to God is the best thing we can do with them. The idea is to be able to release the anger and fear by offering them to God, rather than acting with vengeance on those feelings.
The joke about the planes crashing into each other on the runway expresses a similar sentiment as the Psalm. People still have anger over 9/11 and fear about terrorist attacks. The challenge with the email for me is that it might serve to fuel anger and fear rather than to release them. Depending on who reads the email or how they read the email, it could provoke hatred rather than catharsis.
By offering our anger and fear and even hatred to God, we leave those feelings where we know they will be safe. As we know, God answers all prayers, he just doesn’t always say “yes”. Just because we ask God for vengeance doesn’t mean he’s going to oblige, or he does, it might not be in this life. God will bring justice. Our challenge is to trust him and to live lives of love and forgiveness rather than lives of fear and anger.
Monday, November 16, 2009
A new birth of creation still to come
Brad Sullivan
Proper 28, Year B
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
Emmanuel, Houston
1 Samuel 1:4-20
1 Samuel 2:1-10
Hebrews 10:19-25
Mark 13:1-8
Last week, we heard about the poor widow who put only two copper coins into the treasury of the temple while others put in vast sums of money. Considering that part of the purpose for the treasury was to take care of the widows, I spoke of possible problem going on with the temple in the first century, that the religion itself and had possibly become too important to the people, eclipsing God. Along a similar vein, we have another discussion in the reading today arising from a comment about the temple.
In today’s Gospel reading, immediately after the story from last week, some of Jesus’ disciples point out how wonderful all the buildings are. I can’t help but think they might be saying this in response to Jesus’ lesson in the temple. “You may say, Jesus, that the widow’s offering was great,” the disciples might have been saying, “but we wouldn’t have such wonderful buildings if everyone only gave a few copper coins.”
The disciples missed one of the points of Jesus’ previous lesson. They were still looking to the temple to find God’s glory. God’s glory, however, is not found or contained in buildings. Indeed, Jesus immediately tells the disciples that the temple will be destroyed. God would of course continue after the destruction of the temple. Ultimately, Jesus was saying, the temple doesn’t matter.
This was undoubtedly a big shock to the disciples who felt Jesus was the messiah and believed that the messiah would bring peace to Israel and that because of him, all nations would flock to Jerusalem, to worship in the temple. There were many prophecies which pointed this idea of peace for Israel coming through a messiah, an anointed king, and that as a part of this peace in Israel, the nations would no longer fight with Israel but flock to Israel to join with her. We find an example of this idea in the forth chapter of Micah:
In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Tied to this prophecy was the temple, the Lord’s house on the highest of mountains, mount Zion in Jerusalem, where the temple stood. There is little wonder, then, that the disciples held the temple with such reverence. “Look Jesus, God’s glory is all around us, see how important all these buildings are.” No, Jesus says, the buildings are not important. They’re helpful, they’re useful, but ultimately, God will get along just fine without them. Jesus was changing the disciples’ understanding of God’s glory and of the prophecies.
The ideas of God, of his glory, and of all the nations flocking to God for instruction were so much greater and more cosmic in nature than the disciples realized. Look beyond the temple. Look beyond the present situation. Look beyond your own lives. Nation will rise against nation, there will be earthquakes, famines, false messiahs. Things are going to get really bad, and things are going to remain in some sense as they always have been. “This is but the beginning of the birth pangs,” Jesus said.
That’s always seemed like a very discouraging verse to me. All these bad things are going to happen, and it’s just the beginning of how bad things are going to get, but that’s not what Jesus says. He calls all of these painful events “birth pangs”. If these events are birth pangs, then it would seem there is a birth to follow.
Proper 28, Year B
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
Emmanuel, Houston
1 Samuel 1:4-20
1 Samuel 2:1-10
Hebrews 10:19-25
Mark 13:1-8
Last week, we heard about the poor widow who put only two copper coins into the treasury of the temple while others put in vast sums of money. Considering that part of the purpose for the treasury was to take care of the widows, I spoke of possible problem going on with the temple in the first century, that the religion itself and had possibly become too important to the people, eclipsing God. Along a similar vein, we have another discussion in the reading today arising from a comment about the temple.
In today’s Gospel reading, immediately after the story from last week, some of Jesus’ disciples point out how wonderful all the buildings are. I can’t help but think they might be saying this in response to Jesus’ lesson in the temple. “You may say, Jesus, that the widow’s offering was great,” the disciples might have been saying, “but we wouldn’t have such wonderful buildings if everyone only gave a few copper coins.”
The disciples missed one of the points of Jesus’ previous lesson. They were still looking to the temple to find God’s glory. God’s glory, however, is not found or contained in buildings. Indeed, Jesus immediately tells the disciples that the temple will be destroyed. God would of course continue after the destruction of the temple. Ultimately, Jesus was saying, the temple doesn’t matter.
This was undoubtedly a big shock to the disciples who felt Jesus was the messiah and believed that the messiah would bring peace to Israel and that because of him, all nations would flock to Jerusalem, to worship in the temple. There were many prophecies which pointed this idea of peace for Israel coming through a messiah, an anointed king, and that as a part of this peace in Israel, the nations would no longer fight with Israel but flock to Israel to join with her. We find an example of this idea in the forth chapter of Micah:
In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Tied to this prophecy was the temple, the Lord’s house on the highest of mountains, mount Zion in Jerusalem, where the temple stood. There is little wonder, then, that the disciples held the temple with such reverence. “Look Jesus, God’s glory is all around us, see how important all these buildings are.” No, Jesus says, the buildings are not important. They’re helpful, they’re useful, but ultimately, God will get along just fine without them. Jesus was changing the disciples’ understanding of God’s glory and of the prophecies.
The ideas of God, of his glory, and of all the nations flocking to God for instruction were so much greater and more cosmic in nature than the disciples realized. Look beyond the temple. Look beyond the present situation. Look beyond your own lives. Nation will rise against nation, there will be earthquakes, famines, false messiahs. Things are going to get really bad, and things are going to remain in some sense as they always have been. “This is but the beginning of the birth pangs,” Jesus said.
That’s always seemed like a very discouraging verse to me. All these bad things are going to happen, and it’s just the beginning of how bad things are going to get, but that’s not what Jesus says. He calls all of these painful events “birth pangs”. If these events are birth pangs, then it would seem there is a birth to follow.
Problems when religion gets in the way of God
Brad Sullivan
Proper 27, Year B
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
Emmanuel, Houston
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Psalm 127
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44
In our story from Ruth today, you may have noticed that there was a whole lot missing from the middle of the story, 24 verses which really explain what was going on in this story today. I assume some of y’all know the story of Ruth, but for those who don’t. Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi. Naomi, her husband and her two sons were fairly well-to-do Israelites, but there was a famine so they moved away and found wives for their two sons, one of whom was Ruth.
Unfortunately, before very long, all three of the men died, and Naomi, Ruth, and Orpha, the other wife, were all widows. Orpha goes on back to her family, but Ruth seems to love her mother-in-law, Naomi, very much and clings to her. So, they return to Israel.
Now, as widows, Naomi and Ruth were in a tough spot. Back then, they couldn’t just go out and get jobs. Like it or not, by their society and culture back then, women were fairly dependent on men to provide, and so we see in the opening verses of our reading today, Naomi telling Ruth to seek some security by going to their kinsman Boaz. Ruth does so, and in the missing verses, we see a negotiation going on between Boaz and a nearer kinsman to Naomi and Ruth. The negotiation was basically about who would marry Ruth.
Naomi and Ruth had land. Like I said earlier Naomi and her family were fairly well-to-do. Now that they were widows, their nearest kinsmen could purchase the land thereby increasing his own holdings and helping to provide for the widows. The catch was, Boaz tells this nearer kinsman that if he bought the land, he would also have to marry Ruth and raise children for her. He did not want to do that because it might hurt his own financial standing, having to provide for kids, so he and Boaz agree that Boaz would acquire the land and marry Ruth, which we see at the end of our reading that he does.
Now again, we may not like women being negotiated over almost like property, not like property, but almost, however, we see in the actions of Boaz a man who was willing to take on some personal risk in order to care for the widows among them according to the rules of their society. Boaz was a righteous man, caring for the widow.
Fastforward around 900 years. In our Gospel story, today, Jesus is denouncing the scribes because they didn’t take care of the widows among them. Rather, Jesus says, the Scribes “devour widows’ houses”. What exactly that phrase means, I have not found, but here’s my speculation. Perhaps widows in Jesus’ time would sell their land and possessions in order to make ends meat. Scribes were often administrators even over financial matters so perhaps the scribes were taking a good portion of the sale for themselves and for the Temple treasury rather than leaving all of it with the widow.
We may say that even the widows should give something to the treasury, but the scribes were taking far more than they should have been. Further, part of the reason for the treasury was to take care of the widows. Every three years, a substantial part of the tithe was supposed to go to the widows to take care of them. By Jesus’ indictment, it seems that this practice may not have been happening either or at least not to the extent it should have been.
Then, we see the example of the widow giving her two copper coins. We tend to read this as an example of a widow with great faith, giving out of her extreme poverty, and then we all get to feel badly for not giving enough, even if in poverty. The story of the widow giving the coins, however, is placed right next to the indictment against the scribes for devouring widows’ houses. It seems to me that while this woman’s faith and generosity is praisworthy, she shouldn’t have been giving anything to the treasury, or at least not being asked to do so.
The administrators of the treasury should have been taking care of her, not the other way around, but they liked their honors and wealth and pretty clothes and flowing robes (and no, the irony of saying that while wearing an alb an chasuble is not lost on me). The scribes should have been acting like Boaz did when he took care of Naomi and Ruth. Instead, they placed their value on themselves and on the temple and the religion, even if it meant the people in their charge suffered.
Proper 27, Year B
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
Emmanuel, Houston
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Psalm 127
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44
In our story from Ruth today, you may have noticed that there was a whole lot missing from the middle of the story, 24 verses which really explain what was going on in this story today. I assume some of y’all know the story of Ruth, but for those who don’t. Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi. Naomi, her husband and her two sons were fairly well-to-do Israelites, but there was a famine so they moved away and found wives for their two sons, one of whom was Ruth.
Unfortunately, before very long, all three of the men died, and Naomi, Ruth, and Orpha, the other wife, were all widows. Orpha goes on back to her family, but Ruth seems to love her mother-in-law, Naomi, very much and clings to her. So, they return to Israel.
Now, as widows, Naomi and Ruth were in a tough spot. Back then, they couldn’t just go out and get jobs. Like it or not, by their society and culture back then, women were fairly dependent on men to provide, and so we see in the opening verses of our reading today, Naomi telling Ruth to seek some security by going to their kinsman Boaz. Ruth does so, and in the missing verses, we see a negotiation going on between Boaz and a nearer kinsman to Naomi and Ruth. The negotiation was basically about who would marry Ruth.
Naomi and Ruth had land. Like I said earlier Naomi and her family were fairly well-to-do. Now that they were widows, their nearest kinsmen could purchase the land thereby increasing his own holdings and helping to provide for the widows. The catch was, Boaz tells this nearer kinsman that if he bought the land, he would also have to marry Ruth and raise children for her. He did not want to do that because it might hurt his own financial standing, having to provide for kids, so he and Boaz agree that Boaz would acquire the land and marry Ruth, which we see at the end of our reading that he does.
Now again, we may not like women being negotiated over almost like property, not like property, but almost, however, we see in the actions of Boaz a man who was willing to take on some personal risk in order to care for the widows among them according to the rules of their society. Boaz was a righteous man, caring for the widow.
Fastforward around 900 years. In our Gospel story, today, Jesus is denouncing the scribes because they didn’t take care of the widows among them. Rather, Jesus says, the Scribes “devour widows’ houses”. What exactly that phrase means, I have not found, but here’s my speculation. Perhaps widows in Jesus’ time would sell their land and possessions in order to make ends meat. Scribes were often administrators even over financial matters so perhaps the scribes were taking a good portion of the sale for themselves and for the Temple treasury rather than leaving all of it with the widow.
We may say that even the widows should give something to the treasury, but the scribes were taking far more than they should have been. Further, part of the reason for the treasury was to take care of the widows. Every three years, a substantial part of the tithe was supposed to go to the widows to take care of them. By Jesus’ indictment, it seems that this practice may not have been happening either or at least not to the extent it should have been.
Then, we see the example of the widow giving her two copper coins. We tend to read this as an example of a widow with great faith, giving out of her extreme poverty, and then we all get to feel badly for not giving enough, even if in poverty. The story of the widow giving the coins, however, is placed right next to the indictment against the scribes for devouring widows’ houses. It seems to me that while this woman’s faith and generosity is praisworthy, she shouldn’t have been giving anything to the treasury, or at least not being asked to do so.
The administrators of the treasury should have been taking care of her, not the other way around, but they liked their honors and wealth and pretty clothes and flowing robes (and no, the irony of saying that while wearing an alb an chasuble is not lost on me). The scribes should have been acting like Boaz did when he took care of Naomi and Ruth. Instead, they placed their value on themselves and on the temple and the religion, even if it meant the people in their charge suffered.
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