Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Oct. 15, 2023

First Reading (Track One): Exodus 32:1-14

The uninvited wedding guest (1631), oil painting on panel by Vincent Malo (c.1602-1644). Muzeul Naţional Brukenthal, Sibiu, Romania. (Click image to enlarge.)

No matter how badly God’s people behave, it seems that our loving Creator manages to find ways to forgive us. In our Track One first readings in this liturgical season, we have followed the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph as they escaped slavery in Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, trekked through the desert, and received the 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai, making a covenant with God. But now things have gone wrong. Fearful of Sinai’s smoke and thunder and afraid that Moses won’t come back from the mountain, they fashion and worship a golden calf. God, outraged, threatens to destroy the people. But Moses pleads for them and God’s abundant love flows in forgiveness to a people who may not deserve it, but who will be forgiven again and again.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 25:6-9

Isaiah prophesies in the context of Israel’s relief from foreign domination after its Assyrian exile. Isaiah exalts and praises a God seen as a warrior who destroyed the enemy while protecting the poor and needy. Then the narrative turns to a beautiful song of hope: In verses that we often hear as a reading in our liturgy for burial, the prophet sings of a banquet that God will prepare: “a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines … of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.” This is to be a feast for the people of all nations, united at last in a kingdom where death and tears are no more.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23

The Psalmist looks back at the people’s wickedness in worshipping the golden calf, recalling how in this way they threw away the great gift that they had just received. They forgot God, their Savior, who had watched over them in Egypt and brought them safely across the Red Sea and through the desert. They deserved destruction, the Psalmist sings. Yet Moses stood up for them and turned God’s wrath aside.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 23

Is there any more beloved song of God’s deep and abundant love than the 23rd Psalm? Our Good Shepherd is always with us, comforting us and protecting us. Our Shepherd is with us not only in the good times when we walk in the green pastures, but all the more in those frightening times when we must walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Just as Isaiah spoke of a banquet table set for the people of God, the Psalmist, too, sees a table of comfort spread out for us in the house of the Lord.

Second Reading: Philippians 4:1-9

Paul shows his pastoral side as he addresses an issue in his flock involving two women leaders in the church at Philippi – Euodia and Syntyche – who have been quarreling. Without taking either side, he urges both of them to “be of the same mind in the Lord.” In beautiful language, he shows how that might look: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Be gentle and kind; true, honorable and just, pure, pleasing, commendable and praiseworthy, Paul exhorts this community, and the God of peace will be there.

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

We follow last week’s account of the wicked tenants with yet another challenging parable. It’s easy enough for us to grasp the king’s anger at the people who didn’t show up for his son’s lavish wedding banquet, even if destroying the people and burning their city seems more than excessive. But then, after he invited people off the street to take the place of their ungrateful predecessors, this wrathful king angrily ties up and throws out a man who had failed to put on a wedding garment. To put all this in context, remember that we are still in Matthew’s narrative in which Jesus uses a series of striking parables to lecture an angry group of Pharisees. If there is any deeper message, it may be that we are called to follow Jesus fully, wedding garment and all.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Oct. 18, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Exodus 33:12-23

God’s power for good amazes us, and we follow in faith. We’ll find variations on this theme through Sunday’s readings.

The Tribute Money (1630s), oil painting on canvas by Bernardo Strozzi (1581-1644). Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our Track One first reading, we have skipped over a bloody and horrifying narrative since we heard about God’s anger over the golden calf. In those pages, a portion of the Hebrew people were told to kill 3,000 of their brothers and sisters who had worshiped the golden idol. Now Moses worries that his troublesome flock might stray again. He asks God for assurance that God will continue to lead and guide the people. God agrees, but Moses wants more: He wants to see God in God’s glory. God warns that Moses dare not see God’s face. No human can see such glory and live. But a compromise emerges: Moses may stand in a crack in a rock, protected from danger, then open his eyes for a glimpse of God’s glory and kindness from behind after God passes by.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 45:1-7

It may seem unusual to read high praise for a Gentile king in the Hebrew Bible, but Isaiah offers just that in these verses. The prophet declares Cyrus, the king of Persia, as “God’s own anointed,” actually using the Hebrew word “Messiah.” How can this be? As usual with Scripture, historic context is everything. The people had been in exile in Babylon for 40 years, dreaming of the destroyed city of Jerusalem and the temple that they had lost. They had failed to love their neighbor and care for the weak and needy; thus they broke the covenant with God that had earned them the Promised Land. Now, led by the wise king that history knows as Cyrus the Great, the Persians have conquered Babylon, and Cyrus sent them home, showing that even a Persian king responds to God’s command.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 99

In Psalm 99 the Psalmist echoes the ideas in Exodus that we hear this day. As we sing this Psalm we sing loud praise to God’s great and awesome name. We celebrate God’s justice and equity. We remember that God, leading the people in a pillar of cloud, answered their prayers, but also punished them for their evil deeds, and finally forgave them in the end. Proclaim the greatness of the Lord, our God, the Psalmist sings.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 96:1-13

It is likely no coincidence that the Lectionary planners chose to follow Isaiah’s praise for Cyrus the great Persian king with a brisk reminder that God remains king among all kings, before whom the whole Earth trembles. God created all things and will judge all things, fairly and with equity, the Psalmist sings. Heaven and earth, thunder and lightning, all the fields and all the forest will rejoice when God comes to judge in righteousness and truth, this Psalm portion concludes.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

This Sunday we begin a five-week visit with 1 Thessalonians, a letter written by Paul around the year 50. Thus it is the earliest document in the New Testament. In its pages, Paul praises this small community in Thessalonika in Northern Greece, who had been persecuted for giving up the dominant Roman religion that Paul and the early Christians considered pagan. The Thessalonian people’s faith, Paul says, had inspired many converts, who were now waiting for Jesus to rescue them “from the wrath that is coming.” At this time, a bare 20 years after the crucifixion, early Christians still expected Jesus to come back soon to judge the world and establish the kingdom of God on Earth.

Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22

A denarius with the image of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. The inscription on the obverse stands for “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus.” (Click image to enlarge.)

For the fourth consecutive Sunday, we find Jesus in Jerusalem in the last week before his passion and death, fencing with a group of Pharisees and temple leaders who have been plotting to have him killed after his angry encounter with the money changers in the Temple. In this familiar passage they try to trap Jesus with a trick question. Depending on his answer, they hope his answer will either anger the crowds by seemingly supporting Roman taxation, or risk treason against Rome by denying the emperor’s power. But Jesus outwits them as usual, and in addition, tricks the temple leaders to reveal that they are carrying a forbidden graven image – the head of Tiberius Caesar – on the coins in their purses. Finally, when he responds, “give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s,” Jesus leaves open the question of how much that might be … and how much of our lives, on the other hand, we should give to God.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Oct. 22, 2017

The Tribute Money (c.1516), painting by Titian (1490–1576). Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany. (Click image to enlarge.)

God’s power for good amazes us, and we follow in faith. Look for variations on this theme through Sunday’s readings. In our first reading, we have skipped over a bloody and horrifying narrative since we heard about God’s anger over the golden calf: A portion of the Hebrew people were told to kill 3,000 of their brothers and sisters who had worshiped the idol. Now Moses, worried that his fractious flock might stray again, asks that God continue to lead and guide the people. God agrees, and Moses asks one thing more: To see God in God’s glory. But it would be fatal for Moses to see God’s face, so God stations Moses in a crack in a rock, protected from danger, offering only a glimpse from behind after God passes by.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 45:1-7

It may seem unusual to see the First Testament offering high praise to a Gentile king, as Isaiah does here in declaring Cyrus, king of Persia, as “God’s own anointed” (using the Hebrew word “Messiah” and, in the Pentateuch, the Greek word “Christos”!) But consider the context: The people had been in exile in Babylon for 40 years, dreaming of the city and temple that they had lost. They had failed to love their neighbor and care for the weak and needy; thus they broke the covenant with God that had earned them the Promised Land. Now, led by the wise king that history knows as Cyrus the Great, the Persians have conquered Babylon, and Cyrus sent them home, showing that even the Persian king responds to God’s command.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 99

The Psalmist reflects the Exodus verses that we hear today. We sing praise to God’s great and awesome name, celebrating God’s justice and equity. We remember that God, leading the people in a pillar of cloud, answered their prayers but also punished them for their evil deeds, and then forgave them in the end. Proclaim the greatness of the Lord, our God!

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 96:1-13

It is likely no coincidence that the Lectionary planners chose to follow Isaiah’s praise for Cyrus the great king with a brisk reminder that God remains king among all kings, before whom the whole Earth trembles. God created and will judge all things, fairly and with equity. Heaven and earth, thunder and lightning, all the fields and all the forest will rejoice when God comes.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

We now begin a five-week visit with 1 Thessalonians, a letter written by Paul around the year 50, the earliest document in the New Testament. It addresses a small community of formerly pagan Christians in Thessalonika, Northern Greece, who had been persecuted for giving up the state religion. Their faith, Paul said, had inspired many converts, who were now waiting for Jesus to rescue them “from the wrath that is coming” – their hope that Jesus would come back soon to judge the world and establish the kingdom of God on Earth.

A denarius with the image of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. The inscription on the obverse reads TiCaesar Divi AvgFAvgvstvs, abbreviating “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus.”
(Click image to enlarge.)

Jesus continues fencing with the Pharisees. In today’s familiar passage they try to trap Jesus with a trick question that they hope will force him either to anger the crowds by supporting Roman taxation, or risk treason by denying the emperor’s power. But Jesus outwits them again, and even more, prompts the temple leaders to reveal that they are carrying Caesar’s graven image on the coins in their purses. Then, in advising, “give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s,” Jesus leaves open the question of how much that might amount to … and how much of our lives we should give to God. If we consider the context of this narrative and the Gospels overall, though, that small coin alone may be Caesar’s portion. Jesus clearly points our lives’ priority toward God.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 26, 2014

Ancient Russian icon of Jesus giving the Great Commandment.

Here ends the Torah, the first five books of the First Testament, the Law. Moses has led the progeny of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph out of slavery in Egypt, received God’s commandments and made God’s covenant at Mount Sinai. He has wandered 40 years in the desert with a fractious people, and now comes within sight of the Promised Land only to meet God again, on another mountain top, and learn that he may see the land but that he won’t be allowed to cross over to it. Moses sees God’s promise fulfilled, but Moses will not live to enjoy it.

First Reading (Track 2): Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18

The central law that we love our neighbors as ourselves frames today’s readings, beginning with this encounter between God and Moses and returning in Jesus’ words in the Gospel. In a series of instructions that restate the moral code of the commandments, God’s words to Moses in this reading tell us how to be in good relationship with our neighbors. They culminate with the summary conclusion – the first place in the bible where this is explicitly stated as a rule – that we shall love our neighbor as we love ourself.

Psalm: Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

This Psalm, attributed by tradition to Moses, sings praise for God’s eternal ongoing creation in which a thousand years pass like a day. In comparison, our lives are as evanescent as the grass that turns from green to brown overnight. Then the narrative turns to a plea as we ask God to hear our prayers, to turn toward us with loving-kindness and make us glad.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 1

Today’s short Psalm, the first in the book of Psalms, sings of the two paths that we may choose to take through life. In poetic verses that seem to foreshadow Jesus’ parables about the seeds that fall on variously nourishing ground, the Psalmist likens us to trees: The lush, fruitful and well-watered trees of the righteous who follow God’s way; and the weak trees that can’t stand straight, representing the way of the wicked. Which way shall we choose? The Psalm makes our options clear.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

It is interesting to “listen in” as Paul talks about one of his churches in Greece to the people of another neighboring church! The Philippians apparently had some big problems; someone there clearly didn’t treat Paul well. The people of Thessalonika, though, treated him kindly, developing a dear friendship that Paul likens to a nurse caring for her children. (Happily, by the time Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians several years later, all must have been forgiven, as it reflects a cordial relationship too.)

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-46

We may think of Jesus’ words about the greatest commandment as profoundly Christian, deeply reflecting everything we know about Jesus. And this is true. But we should never forget that these words are deeply Jewish too. The “greatest and first” commandment, by Jesus’ own statement, directly quotes the Shema, the most important Jewish prayer; the second comes straight from the Holiness Code in Leviticus. Our spiritual heritage goes back a long way, and as Jesus told us earlier in Matthew, he did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets (that is, the first testament) but to fulfill it.