Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for Aug. 21, 2022 (Pentecost 11C)

First Reading (Track One): Jeremiah 1:4-10

When God called Jeremiah, the young man doubted his ability to do this important job. “Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy!” Every time God called a biblical prophet, it seems, the chosen one instinctively resisted.

The Woman with an Infirmity of Eighteen Years (1886-1896), opaque watercolor over graphite on gray paper by James Tissot (1836-1902). Brooklyn Museum. (Click image to enlarge.)

Moses tried to decline, saying that he couldn’t speak clearly enough to announce God’s words. Jonah flatly refused to take God’s word to the people of Nineveh. Isaiah was terrified about God’s prophecies passing through his unclean lips. But just as God reassured them all, God spoke kindly to Jeremiah: Even before Jeremiah was born, God knew him, and knew that he would be a prophet to nations and kingdoms, with power “to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 58:9b-14

The book of Isaiah actually contains the work of three ancient writers, according to modern bible scholars. The first Isaiah warned of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple because of the people’s failure to be righteous and just. The second Isaiah prophesied from exile in Babylon. And the third Isaiah, the speaker of this passage, prophesied after the return from exile, a challenging time when the temple was wreckage and the people were having a hard time settling back in. The temple and the city must be rebuilt, the prophet declares, and that will be hard work. But Isaiah promises that all will be well if they follow God’s covenant: Be just, share with the needy, and care for the afflicted. Do all this, and honor the Sabbath, and Judah’s ancient glory will be restored.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 71:1-6

Sunday’s short Psalm fits well with the Track One first reading from Jeremiah. In these verses the Psalmist speaks from a place of weakness and fear. Caught in the hand of the wicked, in the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor, he calls out to God for refuge, seeking God’s protection and help. God knows us from before our birth, the psalmist sings in words echoing Jeremiah. God is our strength and our hope, sustaining us through all our life.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 103:1-8

This familiar hymn of thanksgiving is beloved for its assurances that God loves us, has mercy on us and takes care of us. It is easy to imagine the people of Isaiah’s time singing verses like these as they traveled home from exile. In its hopeful verses we are reminded that God forgives us, heals us and redeems us. We count on God’s mercy and grace, gentle spirit and abundant love.

Second Reading: Hebrews 12:18-29

Last week’s reading from Hebrews celebrated the heroes of the Hebrew Bible who made up the “cloud of witnesses” that now stands with us as we follow in Jesus’ way. In this Sunday’s passage we remember Moses receiving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. The people were terrified as the the sky went dark, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the earth shook with God’s power. But now we have a new covenant under Jesus, the author of Hebrews says: God gives us through Christ a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Gospel: Luke 13:10-17

As a rabbi and teacher in the ancient tradition of Judaism, Jesus knew and followed Torah, God’s law and teaching. He faithfully kept the Sabbath. But when he was teaching in the synagogue on Sabbath, he paused his teaching, stopping what he was doing in order to heal a woman’s painful disability. The woman was overjoyed, of course, but a leader of the synagogue were outraged. How dare Jesus work on the Sabbath? But Jesus called out this hypocrisy, pointing out that no one would hesitate to work to protect their own property on a Sabbath. Why should a woman in pain for 18 years have to wait another day for relief?