Proper 23B (OT 28)
Hebrews 4:12-16 with Renee Roederer (@Renee_Roederer, Smuggling Grace Blog)
Psalm 22, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist, Patreon)
Job 23:1-9, 16-17, with Sarah Renfro (m-bodied.com, Facebook, @revrenfro)
Psalm 22, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist, Patreon)
Featured Musician: The Steel Wheels, “Heaven Don’t Come By Here” from from their album Leave Some Things Behind (thesteelwheels.com, @thesteelwheels)
Psalm 22, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist, Patreon)
Mark 10:17-31
Initial Thoughts
So many good parts in these verses - one of the downfalls of the lectionary
Stewardship
Sacrifice
Who can be saved?
Bible Study
The goodness of Jesus
Jesus denies being good
Could Jesus have sinned? Would it matter? It would to Paul in Hebrews
Is this simply Jesus rejecting the ruler’s attempt to flatter him? Perhaps
Reorients the young man on the goodness of God
Chiastic structure:
A question about eternal life
B Rich man cannot leave possessions and follow
C Jesus explanation and the disciple’s reaction
B’ disciples have left possessions and followed Jesus
A’ Eternal life question is answered
Story of the man
Who? Just a “man”: not “young” as in Matthew or “a ruler” as in Luke,
Man is not identified as being rich - only as having many possessions - Like me….and maybe like you
When I (Eric) last moved I found out we own 3.5 tons of stuff and I was grieved because we had many possessions
Juxtaposition of earthly treasure and heavenly treasures - the man is asked to give up his earthly treasures in order to gain “treasure in heaven” only after receiving this treasure should he come and follow Jesus
What are treasures in heaven?
Like the prodigal son’s brother we do not know what the “man” decides
“Jesus’...profound reply is surprising to the rich man. It consists of a series of five imperatives which fall on the man’s ears like hammer blows: go, sell, give, come, follow.” Lamar Williamson, Interpretation: Mark. p. 184.
An interesting paraphrase of Jesus’ argument: “How hard, indeed, it is for anyone to enter the kingdom, but for rich people it is quite impossible. In fact, humanly speaking it is impossible for anyone to be saved, rich or not; but with God all things are possible.” Williamson, p. 184.
Popular ways to get around the discomfort of this passage:
Camel and the eye of the needle:
Is not about a door in Jerusalem: Is there a door in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre known as the eye of the needle? Yes, but not until the 9th century C.E.
“The Talmud uses a needle’s eye and an elephant to make the same point.” Lawrence Wills, Mark Jewish Annotated New Testament p.91-92
Was there a gate in the wall of Jerusalem known as “the eye of the needle,” and the only way for a camel to pass through it was for someone to get off, and unload the pack? No - there is no evidence that such a gate ever existed. It was likely made up
Is this a typo wherein Jesus meant a rope or cable (kamilos) instead of camel (Kamelos)? possible not not very probable.
Could Jesus actually be using hyperbole? Yes, considering that Jesus does this repeatedly: pluck out your sinful eye, cut off your sinful hand, put a millstone around your neck and throw yourself into the sea, etc.
Jesus was talking to one man - not to everyone forever. Just because this is what this guy needed to do, that doesn’t mean we all have to do the same.
Fair enough, but he said the “eye of the needle” thing to his disciples, not just to the rich young man.
Also, don’t forget Luke 14:33 “none of you who are unwilling to give up all of your possessions can be my disciple”
So what’s the point? relationships and your neighbors matter more than your possessions (see also parable of the sower in Mark 4:18-19)
Not about wealth and possessions, but our attitude about wealth and possessions. But it is also a little about wealth and possessions. Don’t be quick to just explain away the challenge of this text.
A reorientation - all we have - including the Kingdom of God - is a gift
“Entrance to the Kingdom of God, or eternal life, or salvation, so far from being easy, demands our best obedience and all we have. Yet all we can do is not enough to achieve the life we seek. Such life and wholeness is possible only for God, and we can receive it only as gift.” Williamson, p. 185
Who can be saved?
vv.28-31 is the antithesis of the prosperity Gospel
Isn’t it impossible to put others ahead of ourselves and to live completely in the Kingdom of God- YES, but with God all things are possible. Good connection with Hebrews
God’s grace in Jesus Christ shows u how to live with love, forgiveness and compassion (as God has taught previously in the commandments and the prophets)
The kingdom of God requires sacrifice- what are you unwilling to sacrifice for the Kingdom of God? Why?
We will receive 100 fold in many things: houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, field and …. persecutions - WHAT?!
Perhaps what Jesus is referring to here is the church - eternal life is not about what comes after death but the Kingdom of God
Will not all our houses be shared, will not all people be our brothers and sisters, will we not raise our children as family village and when we live like that - others will persecute us.
“If a gospel is preached without opposition, it is simply not the gospel which resulted in the cross. In short, it is not the gospel of love” Reinhold Niebuhr
Thoughts and Questions
How do you address the human nature of Jesus? Was Jesus sinless (like Paul says in Hebrews) or is Jesus sinful (as perhaps indicated by only God being “good”)? Can Jesus/God truly know what it is to be human and yet remain sinless? Does our sinful nature and our response to sin define our humanity?
We know what earthly treasures are- what are heavenly treasures? If you were to make an Amazon wish list of treasures of heaven what would it include? Relationships, forgiveness, love, grace?
The challenge presented to the “man” are also presented to each one of us. How would you respond?
What are you willing or unwilling to sacrifice for the Kingdom of God? Why?
Hebrews 4:12-16
Initial Thoughts
Hebrews Series
22B, Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12
23B, Hebrews 4:12-16
24B, Hebrews 5:1-10
25B, Hebrews 7:23-28
26B, Hebrews 9:11-14 (if not All Saints Sunday)
27B, Hebrews 9:24-28
28B, Hebrews 10:11-25
Skips chapter 3 and first half of 4
Ch. 3 compares Jesus and Moses. Both faithful to the end. Moses tried to lead the people to rest, but they rebelled.
Be careful not to fall into the same trap. Don’t fall away just because it’s difficult.
Jesus is even better than Moses, and we are partners with Jesus
Ch. 4 “enter the rest”
God keeps creating, giving us a chance to enter “the rest”
We keep denying it. First Moses, then Joshua, then David.
Now Jesus is giving us another chance to “enter the rest”
First part of chapter 4 comes from a reading of Psalm 95
The Rest is to submit to Sabbath obedience, but for eternity.
Bible Study
Three part summary of what has come
Cannot hide from God
God’s word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword.
There is no fooling God, or putting on airs.
God reads hearts and actions.
Hold onto Jesus
Who knows us.
Who understands suffering
Who is the High Priest who offers us rest
Draw near to the throne.
In this way we receive mercy and grace.
Jesus’ glory in eternity was won through living on earth and suffering.
While we suffer, we may draw from his strength and the glory he already has.
“Parabola of salvation”
“Jesus the Son traveled from the heavenly throne of God down into the earthly realm, moved through history as a suffering pioneer, becoming a full participant in human experience, and then swept triumphantly back up into heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God.” (Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Preaching and Teaching: Hebrews, p. 63)
Jesus’ suffering was not at the hands of an angry God who needed to punish
Jesus’ suffering was an act of radical intimacy - for God to fully know the human experience.
Human suffering comes because of the disorder that sin has caused. It is not God punishing people for their sin. Jesus, to restore us from our sin, must fully experience the consequence of that sin.
The preacher of Hebrews continues to go over this parabola.
“The first time through the parabola (1:1-4), the Preacher’s goal was confidence… The second time around (2:5-18), the Preacher’s goal was hope;... On this third pass through the parabola, however, the Preacher’s goal is prayer. He seeks to encourage the congregation toward a bolder and more vital prayer life by emphasizing that when Jesus the divine Son was traversing the parabolic arc he was filling the role and performing the function of a ‘great high priest.’” (Long, p. 63)
Bold prayer is connected to deep trust. So there is a parabola that the congregation must travel as well:
Confess in Jesus.
Trust in Jesus through the trial.
Be bold in approaching the throne
God’s word is one of judgment and grace
“Faith is an active thing. This is so partly because of the word of God, which calls forth, it is also living and active. Since the invention of printing there has been temptation to think of the word of God as a body of doctrines or book. For the Scriptures, the word is the word which God addresses to creation… It is Christ himself as the sum and substance of God’s speech.” Warren Quanbeck, Interpreters Concise Commentary: Revelation and the General Epistles, Abingdon Press, 1984, p. 21)
Important to remember God’s judgment
More important to hold onto God’s grace.
What is the High Priest?
“Jesus death is most often discussed in terms of a sin offering; according to Hebrews 9-10, which draws heavily on the Day of Atonement ritual described in Lev. 16, it relates to the most powerful type of hattat, whose blood is brought into the inner sanctum and whose flesh is disposed of outside the camp - as Jesus crucifixion took place outside the walls of Jerusalem” (Jewish Annotated New Testament, article entitled “Sacrifice and the Temple”, p. 659-60).
“Purification offerings or sin offerings: Constituted a small portion of the Temple sacrifices…Although most purification offerings were to be eaten by priests after the animals blood had been applied to the [altar], a small set of ‘deep clean’ purification offerings - those brought for transgressions committed by the entire community or by the High Priest - were to be burnt outside the camp after their blood has been applied within the sanctuary”(Jewish Annotated New Testament, article entitled “Sacrifice and the Temple”, p. 659-60).
Thoughts and Questions
The peril and beauty of the word is that it allows us to see ourselves clearly. Standing naked before God is to return to an Eden-like state, with nothing to hide. This is both exhilarating and terrifying.
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Initial Thoughts
Skipped a lot, but can be summed up pretty easily. Job has lost everything. He has suffered greatly. His family, material possessions, status, and his health are in ruins. After sitting in silence for an extended period, his friends take turns trying to convince Job why he is suffering. They each hold onto the idea that Job has suffered because he has done something wrong. Job maintains his innocence.
“Eliphaz lays direct and specific charges against Job, in an attempt to bring him to an admission of his (supposed) wickedness. Then he concludes as he had done in his first speech- he appeals to Job to repent and submit to God.” (J Gerald Janzen, Interpretation: Job, p. 161)
Friends: Talk about God. Job: Finally talks to God.
Bible Study
Complaint
Lamentation is ultimately an act of hope. Complaining about the way things are implies that there is a way things should be. This is why Job wants his day in court before God (v.4), to convince God he is being dealt with unfairly, i.e. things are not the way they should be
Complaint/Lament is an address to God. It is not about trying to figure out God, replace God with logic, or defer to another source.
Job’s complaint
Convinced of his innocence, Job’s complaint is not about what has happened to him directly. It is about God’s perceived absence.
v. 8-9, looking for God in N, S, E, W “can also refer to forward, backward, left, and right” Alter, Hebrew Bible, vol. 3, p.525
There is an ambiguity about God not being near or far from Job, God is completely absent
Job wishes to lay his case before God. Still confident in God’s justice, he wishes for an audience, but finds nothing.
Job’s complaint is about being forsaken.
“At the heart of Job's complaint is neither that he is suffering, nor even that God would allow such a thing, but that God feels distant, absent, so far removed as to be unknowable. A longing for a sense of God's presence, for God's attention, is what drives Job's complaint and is its tacit substance. This may not be the easiest of texts to preach. It may be difficult to even read. But we would do well not to leave the text alone, either ignored or left hanging.” (Karl Jacobsen, Working Preacher)
The missing verses - vv.10-16
This is Job’s argument - establishing his righteousness before God
Perhaps the key to this entire passage (which the lectionary unfortunately omits) is verse 13, “[God] is of one mind; who can reverse it? What [God] desires, God does.”
Job’s response to this realization is fear, perhaps because of a realization that he, Job, does not fully understand God and God’s ways. If Job is righteous and God is doing what God will, then perhaps the order, understanding, worldview and foundation upon which Job has built his life is beginning to crack - and that is terrifying.
Eliphaz has tried to convince Job to submit, but Job will not yield.
Job considers such a settlement for peace to be no peace at all. “By strange paradox, the only loyal act under the circumstances is rebellion… Job’s rebellion takes the form of a prayer for justice… That such an act of rebellion is an act of loyalty is indicated not only by the posture of the hand outstretched toward God in prayer, but by the content of Job’s yearning in the following verses.” (Janzen, p. 165).
A final word of hope
Job has not yet been surrendered into deepest darkness - is this a final word of hope, that God has kept Job from full despair or another complaint that God will not simply kill Job and be done with it?
Thoughts and Questions
The Book of Job does not answer the question of suffering. All it does it deny one understanding - that the righteous are rewarded and the wicked are punished. But really, a cursory look at the way the world operates reveals this to be true. What Job reveals is how we should respond to suffering. It is not up to us to figure out why. These common platitudes are all equally wrong:
“God needed another angel.”
“God is testing you”
“Everything happens for a reason.”
Job does not answer the question, “Why?” It gives us a guide in the question of “What now?”
“At the end of this week's reading, we are still on the ash heap with Job, but we have learned from him how to lament. We have learned from him how to bring our anger, pain, grief and despair directly to God, even when we feel only God's absence. We have learned from him how to have hope, even if only a little, “ (Kathryn Schifferdecker, Working Preacher)
Permission to complain is an important part of good morale. Not allowing room for complaint can lead to rebellion or abuse.
No 1. Not recognizing employees’ achievements (Job’s chief complaint is that he is blameless).
No 2. Not giving clear directions (mystery as to what Job is to do next. He questions his existence because he sees no possible future).
No 3. Not having time to meet with employees (“Oh that I might know where to find him).
You can go through the whole top ten list and see what Job is complaining about.
Give people people permission to complain to God. Complaint is not unfaithful. Complaint only happens when the complainer believes that something can be done. If complaints go un-noticed, then the relationship is severed. As long as complaints are heard, there is relationship. As long as complaints are heard, there is hope for something more.
Psalm 22
Not so hot on why…
Jesus Christ Superstar
Job
Matthew 27:46
Lament Psalm by an individual - components
Complaint
Affirmation of Trust
Call for Help
Vow to Praise
Heading indicates the tune for the Psalm
Complaint (v. 1-2)
Doubled “My God” indicates intensity
What God has NOT done – you
You have forsaken
You are far from helping
You do not answer
You are far off in time and space
Affirmation of Trust (v.3-5)
3 – a word of praise, remembering who God is
4-5 – trust. I remember the stories of our past when people felt like I do, yet they trusted and they made it through
Complaint Again (v.6-8)
A worm – farthest from God (enthroned above Israel v.3)
Job 25 – the final speech of Job’s friends attempting to explain his hardship:
‘Dominion and fear are with God;
he makes peace in his high heaven.
Is there any number to his armies?
Upon whom does his light not arise?
How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his sight,
how much less a mortal, who is a maggot,
and a human being, who is a worm!’
Like Job he psalmist is scorned for his belief in God and told to repent and praisein the midst of his suffering
Trust Again (v.9-10)
My God (Eli) echoes the beginning of the Psalm but in a positive manner
Recollecting God as creator in birth and vulnerability of infancy (4 times!)
Infants must trust – they have no other choice
How can we trust as an infant trusts? Wholly. Completely
Cry for Help (v.11)
First actual cry for help – description of God action (or inaction), but no petition until here
To trust in God is to ask God for help
Asking God to hear and be near
Nature of Trouble (v.12-18)
12-13, 16a, 18 Persecution from the community
14-15a, 16b-17 Physical pain and torment
I am in pain and the community doesn’t care- they only seek to devour what is left of me – they are already dividing up my possessions and claiming their inheritance, but I am not dead!
Petition Again (v.19-21)
Do not be far away
Amplifies the cry with the personal name of God: YAHWEH
Save me from literal and figurative trouble
Movement from Minor to Major key
21b – Shift to praise!
Psalmist has been rescued!
God remembered God’s saving work in the past (v.3-5) and has now experienced it in the present (21b) and looks to see God’s saving acts in the future (30-31)
Thoughts and questions
The hurting one needs community – in both past (v. 4-5), present (v.22, 25) and future (v. 30-31)
“Why?” is never answered – like Job, the why doesn’t seem to matter in the end
Living the questions, not waiting for the answers
Jesus’ quotation (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)
Jesus was suffering and in the midst of death and destruction, yet that was not the end- he was saved/redeemed and his salvation would speak for all generations to come.
Thanks to our Psalms correspondent, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (psalmimmersion.com,@pomopsalmist). Thank you to Scott Fletcher for our voice bumpers, Dick Dale and the Del Tones for our Theme music (“Misirlou”), Nicolai Heidlas (“Sunday Morning”,"Real Ride"and“Summertime”) and Bryan Odeen for our closing music.