week 18

Psalm: Psalm 124
Old Testament: Numbers 11:4-29
Gospel: Mark 9:38-50
Epistle: James 5:13-20

This week presents some interesting stories and ones that are often overlooked in the Church today and probably throughout history.  Let us first look at the passage from Numbers.  This chapter presents the well-known story of the Israelites complaining because the manna has gotten too boring and they need some meat in their diet.  I don’t think we can blame then.  Well, ultimately, the Lord provided quail with the manna, but it came with a plague because of the people’s complaining and failing to trust God.  But there is a weird incident in the middle of this.  For a reason not explained in the text, Moses called 70 elders to stand outside the tent of meeting while he heard from the Lord.  Two of them remained in the camp and prophesied instead.  This caused quite a stir because they were disobedient, but the word of the Lord comes, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them!” (11:29) Let’s leave it there for now with the Spirit of Lord working in strange ways.

Week 17

Psalm: Psalm 1

Old Testament: Jeremiah 11:18-20
Gospel : Mark 9:30-37
Epistle : James 3:13-4:8

Last week we focused on the power of words and we missed an important aspect in Jesus’ life and the Gospel of Mark.  In last week’s readings was the first of Jesus’ predictions of his death and this week is the second.  We have to imagine that Jesus was at the height of his power.  Large crowds were following him to hear him speak and to watch his miracles.  Our passage in chapter 9 begins with Jesus secretly withdrawing from the people to speak privately with his disciples.  Jesus tells his disciples he will be killed, noticed not just die, but be killed by humanity.  But after three days, he says, he will rise again.  Of course the disciples have no idea what he means and they are afraid to ask him.  It’s both a surprise and not that the disciples are afraid to ask Jesus what he means.  One the one hand the disciples, especially Peter, can’t seem to keep their mouth shuts and so often fail to understand Jesus.  At Jesus first prediction Peter rebukes him and is in turn called Satan by Jesus.  Immediately after this, the disciples argue over who is the greatest.  So we shouldn’t be surprised if the disciples speak up and ask Jesus a question.  However, as I just said, the last time Jesus predicted his death and Peter spoke up he was called Satan, so maybe he is finally learning to listen and not speak-up.

week 16

Psalm: Psalm 19
Old Testament : Proverbs 1:20-33

Gospel: Mark 8:27-38
Epistle : James 3:1-12

This week we are going to explore the idea of words.  The book of James does a good job of summarizing the message and presenting the ideas for the week.  James is quite clearly what we would call “wisdom literature,” like Proverbs.  Wisdom literature presents observable truth about humanity or nature.  Some people are quick to read Proverbs as divine promises from God; however, Proverbs should not be read this way.  Rather, these statements are simple “wise” observations and guiding principles for life.  So, in the same vein of Proverbs, James compares to the tongue to four different things; a horses bridle, a ship’s rudder, a spark able to start a forest fire, and an untamable animal.  He laments that the tongue, our words, always seem to get us in trouble.  Yet, he also admonishes us to control our tongue.  How is it possible that we both bless God and then turn around curse someone with the same tongue?  I don’t think we really need any convincing of what James is saying.  We have all experienced hurtful words or said some ourselves.  I’ll create a little wisdom literature myself: the old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Words, which often accompany those sticks and stones, can be just as hurtful and leave scars just as real.

week 15

Psalm: Psalm 146
Old Testament : Isaiah 35:4-7a
Gospel : Mark 7:24-37
Epistle : James 2:1-17

We have some very interesting readings this week and I think even after trying to explain a little bit about what they mean, we still might be left with unsatisfactory answers.  We will begin this week in Mark because it actually quotes part of our Isaiah passage.  This week, we have 2 miracle stories.  In the first, Jesus heals a Phoenician woman’s daughter who has an unclean spirit.  What is interesting here, however, is that originally Jesus refuses to heal the daughter.  Jesus says that his mission is to Israel, whom he calls “the children.”  But her response is so pithy, “even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs,” that Jesus decides to heal her daughter anyway.  I find it interesting that Jesus doesn’t say something like, “your faith has healed her,” but that he heals the daughter because he was bested in argument, it seems.  Jewish Rabbis are famous for their questioning and arguing style and this seems to be what is at play here.  The end result is that the daughter is healed, but I think we are kind of left scratching our heads confused.  Jesus had already gone to Gentile territory twice before and the first time he had sent a “Legion” of demons into a group of pigs.  So, he had already performed miracles in Gentile territory (although that encounter was something radically different to what we have here). 

Week 14

Psalm: Psalm 15
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 4:1-9
Gospel: Mark 7:1-23
Epistle: James 1:17-27

Happy Labor Day, or whatever you want to celebrate this weekend. I would like to celebrate the unofficial end to summer except we’re still in the 90’s and humidity is back with a vengeance thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Isaac. This week we have a very clear theme present across all four scriptures, which doesn’t always happen.

Beginning with the Psalm, the writer asks, who may travel in God’s tents or dwell where God lives?  The answer is one “who walks with integrity, and works righteousness.”  This Psalm also has this strange line that the righteous person will not loan money at interest. It is generally agreed that this rule was in place for Israel to avoid oppressing the poor.  The people were to help and honor the poor and placing an interest on a loan could lead to oppression.  Similar teaching was in place for Jews, Christians, and Muslims throughout history and led to Jews being the bankers in Europe where interest was charged to Christians during the medieval ages.  A real interesting history to be studied there, but now is not the time.

Deut 4:5 says, “See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it.”  Much of the Old Testament and the history of Israel can be summed up by saying that those who obey the commands and statues of the Lord will be blessed.  Those who fail to follow the Lord’s commands will be cursed.  This is reiterated again in Moses’ last speech in Deuteronomy when he says, “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live.”