Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013.
The Pharisee and the tax collector.
Joel ranks as a very minor prophet. The book that bears his name is only three chapters long, and modern theologians aren’t even sure when he lived. We know that “Joel” means “The Lord is God” in Hebrew; and Joel may have prophesied after the return from exile to Jerusalem. While his prophecy is brief, however, it offers meaning and comfort that lasts through the ages. Even when terrible things happen, says the prophet, God is with us. Feast will follow famine, for God loves us and will pour out God’s spirit on us. Trust in God, be glad and rejoice, and do not fear.
Psalm: Psalm 65
This Psalm of thanksgiving for earth’s bounty, one of the Psalms that tradition attributes to King David, serves us doubly in this autumn season: While it echoes Joel’s assurances that God will provide us nature’s bounty and rich harvests even after times of trouble and sin, it also paints a lovely word picture of God’s great bounty that is worth holding in our thoughts as the Thanksgiving and holiday seasons draw near.
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
While this appears to be Paul’s last testament, we should remember that this book was actually written in his name by a later follower, at a time when the church faced Roman persecution. Through that lens we can see the young church’s call to stand strong even when your supporters are deserting the cause. Proclaim the good news, and count on God’s strength and God’s protection.
Gospel: Luke 18:9-14
Bear in mind that this parable follows immediately after last week’s story about the corrupt judge and the persistent widow, and it continues Jesus’s discussion about prayer. Right in line with the widow whose persistent prayer won her quest for justice over the powerful but corrupt judge, the Pharisee – a professional pray-er – doesn’t come off so well in Jesus’s eyes, while the sinful tax collector “went home justified” because his prayer was sincere.