Archive for the ‘Jeremiah 10’ Category
Above: Zechariah’s Vision of the Four Chariots
Image in the Public Domain
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READING HAGGAI-FIRST ZECHARIAH, PART XII
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Zechariah 6:1-8
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The contents of Zechariah 1:7-6:15 date to early February 519 B.C.E. (1:7).
The eighth vision (Zechariah 6:1-8) is of four chariots, symbolizing the four winds of heaven patrolling the earth. (See Isaiah 66:15 and Jeremiah 4:13 for the association of chariots with the winds of heaven.) The chariots emerge from two mountains, in Babylonian mythology, the place of sunrise. The four winds symbolize the sovereignty of God.
Oddly, Zechariah 6:8 reads, in part:
Take good note! Those that went out to the region of the north have done my pleasure in the region of the north.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Given that “the north” was Babylonia (Jeremiah 6:22; 10-22), what does that mean? One may recall some of the earlier visions of First Zechariah. One may remember Zechariah 2:6/2:10 (depending on versification), in which Jews still living in Babylonia were supposed to flee the land of the north (Babylonia). One may recall that wickedness moved to Babylonia in Zechariah 5:9-10. Yet in Zechariah 6:8, God’s spirit dwells in Babylonia, too. God is in charge of the Persian Empire, we read.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 14, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JUSTIN DE JACOBIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY BISHOP IN ETHIOPIA; AND SAINT MICHAEL GHEBRE, ETHIOPIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF SAINT CAMILLUS DE LELLIS, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE MINISTERS OF THE SICK
THE FEAST OF LEON MCKINLEY ADKINS, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MATTHEW BRIDGES, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAMSON OCCUM, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MISSIONARY TO NATIVE AMERICANS
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Above: Zechariah
Image in the Public Domain
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READING HAGGAI-FIRST ZECHARIAH, PART VIII
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Zechariah 2:1-13 (Anglican and Protestant)
Zechariah 2:5-17 (Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox)
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The contents of Zechariah 1:7-6:15 date to early February 519 B.C.E. (1:7).
The third vision (2:1-5/2:5-9, depending on versification) is of the man with a measuring line. This vision predicts a time when Jerusalem will be boundless, with the Divine Presence/Glory as its fiery wall. This vision of First Zechariah contradicts Ezekiel 45:1-6 and 48:15-20, in which the ideal, future Jerusalem has a measurable length and width. In Isaiah 60-62, another vision of the ideal, future Jerusalem, the city has tone walls.
Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen,
Who shall never be silent
By day or by night.
–Isaiah 62:6a, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
If I were a Biblical literalist, these discrepancies would bother me. But I am not, and they do not.
Either way, God is the defense of Jerusalem, we read.
The oracle in 2:6-13/2:10-17 (depending on versification) refers to
the land of the north
–Babylonia (Joel 2:20; Jeremiah 6:22; Jeremiah 10:22), then part of the Persian Empire. One may recall that:
- Jewish exiles returned to their ancestral homeland in waves, and
- Not all Jewish exiles chose to return.
God is active in 2:13/2:17 (depending on versification). We read of a world order seemingly at peace in the wake of the Persian conquest of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire. Yet some forms of stability, although perhaps long-term, are counterfeit at worst and temporary at best. Even the relatively benign empires fall short of divine high standards.
The future vision of First Zechariah is inclusive:
Many nations will give their allegiance to the LORD on that day and become his people, and he will dwell in your midst.
–Zechariah 2:11, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Zechariah 2:11/2:15 (depending on versification) anticipates Third Isaiah’s liberal attitude:
The foreigner who has given his allegiance to the LORD must not say,
“The LORD will exclude me from his people.”
–Isaiah 56:3a, The Revised English Bible (1989)
These inclusive attitudes contradict Ezekiel 44, which excludes foreigners from the predicted Second Temple.
I, as a Gentile, prefer inclusion in God’s kingdom.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 13, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CLIFFORD BAX, POET, PLAYWRIGHT, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALEXANDER SCHMORELL, RUSSIAN-GERMAN ORTHODOX ANTI-NAZI ACTIVIST AND MARTYR, 1943
THE FEAST OF SAINT EUGENIUS OF CARTHAGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF JOHANNES RENATUS VERBEEK, MORAVIAN MINISTER AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF PETER RICKSECKER, U.S. MORAVIAN MINISTER, MISSIONARY, MUSICIAN, MUSIC EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER; HIS TEACHER, JOHANN CHRISTIAN BECHLER, MORAVIAN MINISTER, MUSICIAN, MUSIC EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER; AND HIS SON, JULIUS THEODORE BECHLER, U.S. MORAVIAN MINISTER, MUSICIAN, EDUCATOR, AND COMPOSER
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Above: Jehoiakim Burns the Word of God
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JEREMIAH, PART XVI
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Jeremiah 36:1-32
Jeremiah 45:1-5
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When I taught history survey courses in colleges and universities, I told my students:
Keep your facts straight and your chronology in order.
The Book of Jeremiah does not always keep its facts straight. I have noted some examples of this already in this series of posts. I point to two examples in this post. I have more examples to point out when I get to them. I am a serious student of history; I stand by the objective reality that x either happened or did not. I make no apology for this.
The Book of Jeremiah does not keep its chronology straight, either.
- Zedekiah was the last King of Judah. He reigned from 597 to 586 B.C.E. He was the named monarch in Jeremiah 24, 27, 28, 32, 37, and 38.
- Jehoiakim, nephew of Zedekiah, reigned as the King of Judah from 608 to 598 B.C.E. Jehoiakim was the named monarch in Chapters 25, 26 (completing the story in 7 and 8, by the way), 35, and 45. The events of Chapter 35 transpired after those of Chapter 36.
- Jeremiah 39 and 52 cover the Fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. Off-screen, so to speak, the city fell between Chapters 32 and 33, and before 10:23-25.
The Book of Jeremiah is messing with my head. The beginning should come before the middle, which should precede the end. Linear story-telling has its virtues.
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In 608 B.C.E., Eliakim ben Josiah came to the throne of Judah as Jehoiakim, succeeding a deposed and exiled brother, Jehoahaz ben Josiah (r. 609 B.C.E.). Both brothers were vassals of Pharoah Neco II (reigned 610-595 B.C.E.). During the reign of Jehoiakim, the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire replaced Egypt as the power to which Judah’s monarch served as a vassal. Jehoiakim was also a tyrant who had prophets who spoke inconvenient truths arrested and executed circa 608 B.C.E. Intervention spared the life of Jeremiah from Jehoiakim’s wrath (Jeremiah 26). Yet, circa 608 B.C.E., Uriah ben Shemaiah died for saying what Jeremiah proclaimed (Jeremiah 26).
The events of Jeremiah 36 occurred in 605 B.C.E. That year, Jeremiah had no access to the Temple. Therefore, he sent his scribe, Baruch ben Neriah, in his place. The scribe used the words of divine judgment and the invitation to repent. These words met with a chilly reception. King Jehoiakim burned the scroll.
The LORD now says of Jehoiakim, king of Judah: No descendant of his shall sit on David’s throne; his corpse shall be thrown out, exposed to heat by day, frost by night. I will punish him and his descendants for their wickedness; upon them, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the people of Judah I will bring all the evil threats to which they will not listen.
–Jeremiah 36:30-31, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
King Jehoiakim’s reign ended in 598 B.C.E.
- He may have died peacefully in his sleep, in his palace (2 Kings 24:6). “He rested with his forefathers” usually indicated a peaceful death.
- He may have become a prisoner in the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire (2 Chronicles 36:6; 1 Esdras 1:40).
- He may have died in battle, outside the walls of Jerusalem. His corpse may have remained unburied, a sign of disgrace and disrespect (Jeremiah 22:19; 36:30-31).
Despite the prophecy, a son of Jehoiakim succeeded him. King Jehoiachin/Jeconiah/Coniah reigned for about three months in 597 B.C.E. before becoming a prisoner in the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire (2 Kings 24:8-17; 2 Kings 25:27-30; 2 Chronicles 36:9-10; 1 Esdras 1:43-46).
Above: Baruch Writing Jeremiah’s Prophecies
Image in the Public Domain
Turning to Jeremiah 45, we remain in 605 B.C.E., according to the text.
God commanded Jeremiah to tell Baruch ben Neriah:
Thus said the LORD: I am going to overthrow what I have built, and uproot what I have planted–this applies to the whole land. And do you expect great things for yourself? Don’t expect them. For I am going to bring disaster upon all flesh–declares the LORD–but I will at least grant your life in all the places where you may go.
–Jeremiah 45:4-5, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
This work exacted a heavy toll on Jeremiah and his scribe. The divine promise of not getting killed in the line of duty applied to the prophet, also (Jeremiah 1:19). Ebed-melech, another ally of Jeremiah, had a divine guarantee of his life, too (Jeremiah 39:18). Despite this divine promise, being Jeremiah or one of his allies was risky.
One may not want to hear God say to one:
And do you expect great things for yourself? Don’t expect them.
Baruch, of course, went to Egypt with Jeremiah (43:6).
Some interpretive difficulties arise in Jeremiah 45.
- The text dates the prophecy to 605 B.C.E.
- Yet Chapter 45 follows exile in Egypt for Jeremiah and Baruch, and flows thematically from Chapter 44.
- Nevertheless, as I keep repeating, chronology is not the organizing principle in the Book of Jeremiah. Structurally, the Book of Jeremiah reminds me of certain movies by Atom Egoyan, the acclaimed Canadian movie director. Egoyan does not favor linear story-telling; he often has three timeframes running in his movies, and cuts from one timeframe to another one periodically. For proper understanding of The Sweet Hereafter (1997) and Ararat (2002), for example, one needs to watch at least three times.
- The translation of the end of 45:5 varies. TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985) goes one way, with, “…but I will, at least, grant you your life.” The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011) goes another way, with, “…but I will grant you your life as spoils of war….”
And do you expect great things for yourself? Don’t expect them.
God’s reward to Jeremiah, Baruch, and Ebed-melech was survival in a terrifying time.
That does not seem like much of a reward, does it? Yet, as St. Teresa of Calcutta said, God calls people to be faithful, not successful. This is a difficult teaching. I struggle with it. Maybe you do, too, O reader. I read that Jeremiah and Baruch did.
By human standards, Jeremiah was a failure. He was on the outs with authorities. His message convinced few people. He died in involuntary exile in a land where he had warned people not to go. And, by human standards, Jeremiah dragged Baruch down with him.
Yet, thousands of years later, faithful Jews and Christians utter the names of Jeremiah and Baruch with respect. Many Jews and Christians still study and read the Book of Jeremiah. The faithful legacy of Jeremiah and Baruch endures.
By that standard, Jeremiah and Baruch succeeded.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 12, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF EDWIN PAXTON HOOD, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, PHILANTHROPIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN DAVID JAESCHKE, GERMAN MORAVIAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER; AND HIS GRANDSON, HENRI MARC HERMANN VOLDEMAR VOULLAIRE, MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF ENMEGAHBOWH, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND MISSIONARY TO THE OJIBWA NATION
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH DACRE CARLYLE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MILTON SMITH LITTLEFIELD, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN AND CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
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Above: Jeremiah and Jerusalem
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JEREMIAH, PART VI
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Jeremiah 8:4-10:25
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Jeremiah 8:4-10:25, in its final form, consists of disparate material. 10:23-25 indicates that Jerusalem has fallen to the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire. This material is later than much of the other content of this section of the Book of Jeremiah; it is temporally contemporary with Chapters 33, 39-44, and perhaps 45. Jeremiah speaks to God in some of the passages in Jeremiah 8:4-10:25; God speaks in other passages.
Given that I am reading Hebrew prophetic books systematically, almost all of the themes in Jeremiah 8:4-10:25 are familiar to me from recent reading and blogging. I choose not to repeat myself concerning them in this post. If I were dropping into the Book of Jeremiah, as in the case of a lectionary, I would offer more comments, though.
The Book of Jeremiah is the only Hebrew prophetic book to mention circumcision. Jeremiah refers to the circumcision of the heart in 4:4; 6:10; and 9:25/9:26 (depending on versification). This fits neatly with Chapter 7, which argues against assuming that ritual propriety shields against the consequences of persistent immorality. This theme of the circumcision of the heart recurs in Romans 2:28-29.
Other than the circumcision of the heart, I focus on God lamenting people’s sins and the consequences of those sins. Hellfire-and-damnation Christians seem to overlook this. God, as presented in Jeremiah 8;4-10:25, wishes that circumstances were different.
Assuredly, thus said the LORD of Hosts:
Lo, I shall smelt and assay them–
For what else can I do because of My poor people?
Their tongue is a sharpened arrow,
They use their mouths to deceive.
One speaks to his fellow in friendship,
But lays an ambush for him in his heart.
Shall I not punish them for such deeds?
–says the LORD–
Shall I not bring retribution
On such a nation as this?
–Jeremiah 9:6-8, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
May we–collectively and individually–refrain from grieving God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 7, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHEW TALBOT, RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC IN DUBLIN, IRELAND
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY GIANELLI, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARIES OF SAINT ALPHONSUS
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK LUCIAN HOSMER, U.S. UNITARIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HUBERT LAFAYETTE SONE AND HIS WIFE, KATIE HELEN JACKSON SONE, U.S. METHODIST MISSIONARIES AND HUMANITARIANS IN CHNA, SINGAPORE, AND MALAYSIA
THE FEAST OF SEATTLE, FIRST NATIONS CHIEF, WAR LEADER, AND DIPLOMAT
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Above: Statue of Jeremiah, Salisbury Cathedral
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JEREMIAH, PART V
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Jeremiah 7:1-8:3
Jeremiah 26:1-24
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Jeremiah 7:1-20:18 consists of oracles primarily from the reign (608-598 B.C.E.) of Jehoiakim (born Eliakim) of Judah. For more about Jehoiakim, read 2 Kings 23:36-24:7; 2 Chronicles 36:5-8; 1 Esdras 1:39-42.
The Assyrian Empire had consumed the (northern) Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C.E. then the Kingdom of Aram in 720 B.C.E. In 612 B.C.E., the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire had conquered the Assyrian Empire. In 608 B.C.E., Judah was struck between two powerful neighbors–Egypt and Babylonia, themselves enemies. After the death of King Josiah (r. 640-609 B.C.E.) in combat against Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt (r. 610-595 B.C.E.), Judah had become a vassal state of Egypt. Neco II had appointed the next King of Judah, Jehoahaz, also known as Jeconiah and Shallum (2 Kings 23:31-35; 2 Chronicles 36:1-4; 1 Esdras 1:34-38). Jehoahaz had reigned for about three months in 609 B.C.E. before Neco II had replaced him with another son of Josiah and taken him into captivity in Egypt. Neco II had also appointed Eliakim and changed his name to Jehoiakim in 608 B.C.E. He served as an Egyptian vassal until 605 B.C.E., when he became a Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian vassal.
Jeremiah spent most of his prophetic career speaking difficult truths to a nation under foreign domination. This context was extremely politically dangerous.
This sermon is thematically consistent with Hosea 6:4-6; Micah 3:9-12; and Amos 2:4-6. It is also thematically consistent with many other passages of Hebrew scripture. The link between idolatry and social injustice (especially economic injustice) is clear. Sacred rituals, even those the Law of Moses mandates, are not talismans. The joining of lived collective piety and justice on one hand and sacred ritual on the other hand is imperative. The combination of social injustice and sacred ritual makes a mockery of sacred ritual.
Mend your ways and your actions,
Jeremiah preached at the Temple. Then he unpacked that statement:
…if you execute justice between one man and another; if you do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, and the widow; if you do not shed the blood of the innocent in this place; if you do not follow other gods, to your own hurt–then only will I [YHWH] let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers for all time. See, you are relying on illusions that are of no avail….
–Jeremiah 7:5-8, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Pay attention to 7:11, O reader:
Do you consider this House, which bears My name, to be a den of thieves? As for Me, I have been watching–declares the LORD.
—TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
This is an allusion in Jesus’s mouth during the Temple Incident/the Cleansing of the Temple in Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; and Luke 19:46. Notice that Jeremiah predicted the destruction of the First Temple.
Chronology is not the organizing principle in the Book of Jeremiah. The Temple Sermon of Jeremiah is a case in point. We return to it and read of its aftermath in Jeremiah 26:1-24.
Idols abound. They may be tangible or intangible. If an activity, idea, or object functions as an idol for someone, it is an idol for that person. Money is one of the more common idols. Greed contributes greatly to economic injustice, and corruption is one of the major causes of institutionalized poverty. Obliviousness to participation in the violation of God’s moral commandments, including mutuality, will not shield us from the consequences of those sins any more than keeping sacred rituals will do so.
Circa 608 B.C.E. God was still holding out the possibility of repentance, prompting the cancellation of divine punishment, according to Jeremiah 26:3. This contradicts other passages from the Book of Jeremiah and other Hebrew prophetic books composed or begun prior to the Book of Jeremiah. Perhaps one reason for the contradiction is the addition of later material to the early Hebrew prophetic books, as late as the Babylonian Exile. I suppose that maintaining the hard line of the time for repentance having passed was difficult to maintain after the Fall of Babylon (539 B.C.E.).
The priests and prophets said to all the people, “This man deserves the death penalty, for he has prophesied against this city, as you yourselves have heard.
–Jeremiah 26:11, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
Jeremiah prophesied against a government and a population under foreign domination. There was no separation of religion and state either. The prophet worked in a dangerous milieu.
Jeremiah had allies, though. Some cited the example of Micah, who had issued a dire prophesy (Micah 3:12) and had not received a death sentence. Fortunately for Jeremiah, the court’s sentence remained unfulfilled. Ahikam, a high-ranking royal official (2 Kings 22:12), saved him. Ahikam was also the father of Gedaliah, the assassinated governor of Judah after the Fall of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 40:1-41:18).
Uriah ben Shemiah, from Kiriath-jearim, was not as fortunate as Jeremiah was. Uriah, also prophesying in the name of YHWH, said what Jeremiah proclaimed. Uriah fled to Egypt for safety because King Jehoiakim wanted him dead. Royal agents found Uriah in Egypt and returned him to Judah, to die.
One may legitimately wonder why God protected Jeremiah from threats to his life yet did not spare faithful Uriah ben Shemaiah.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 7, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHEW TALBOT, RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC IN DUBLIN, IRELAND
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY GIANELLI, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARIES OF SAINT ALPHONSUS
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK LUCIAN HOSMER, U.S. UNITARIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF HUBERT LAFAYETTE SONE AND HIS WIFE, KATIE HELEN JACKSON SONE, U.S. METHODIST MISSIONARIES AND HUMANITARIANS IN CHNA, SINGAPORE, AND MALAYSIA
THE FEAST OF SEATTLE, FIRST NATIONS CHIEF, WAR LEADER, AND DIPLOMAT
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Above: Marduk
Image in the Public Domain
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READING BARUCH AND THE LETTER OF JEREMIAH
PART V
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Baruch 6:1-72
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The Letter of Jeremiah is the sixth chapter of Baruch sometimes. Otherwise, the letter stands on its own.
The Letter of Jeremiah not a letter, despite its title. Rather, it is a polemic against idolatry.
The Letter of Jeremiah, superficially from the prophet Jeremiah to exiles in the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire, borrows and recycles from Jeremiah 10:1-16. The Letter of Jeremiah, dating to the 200s B.C.E., reminds us that idolatry is a timeless problem.
The text of the Letter of Jeremiah is tedious and repetitive. Stylistically, it is a low point in the canon of Christian scripture.
Walter J. Harrelson, writing in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003), offered a succinct analysis of the meaning of the text:
What was the danger of idolatry to which this text and others point? The danger is that the worshiper may come to believe that the deity is manageable, subject to the control of the worshiper, able to be won over, placated. Israel’s God is sovereign and utterly free, and Israel is called to hear, obey, and adore.
–1531
That danger remains relevant. The temptation to think one can control or placate God continues to be ubiquitous. I admit to falling prey to it many times. I confess to having committed this variety of idolatry.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 22, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK AND WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY
THE FEAST OF SAINTS CHAEREMON AND ISCHYRION, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, CIRCA 250
THE FEAST OF CHICO MENDES, “GANDHI OF THE AMAZON”
THE FEAST OF HENRY BUDD, FIRST ANGLICAN NATIVE PRIEST IN NORTH AMERICA; MISSIONARY TO THE CREE NATION
THE FEAST OF ISAAC HECKER, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE
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Above: Kent Lighthouse at Night
Image in the Public Domain
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FOR THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ACCORDING TO A LECTIONARY FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP IN THE BOOK OF WORSHIP FOR CHURCH AND HOME (1965)
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Master of us all, you have given us work to do.
Also give us strength to perform it with gladness and singleness of heart;
and when it is completed grant us a place in your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Modernized from The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965), page 86
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Jeremiah 10:1-7
Psalm 50
Acts 8:26-35
John 4:7-26
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We have a fine set of readings (as usual) this time. My only negative comment regards not the portions of scripture themselves but the old lectionary itself; the lessons from Jeremiah, Acts, and John are too short. One should read through Jeremiah 10:16, Acts 8:40, and John 4:42 for full effect.
God (in Jeremiah 10) and Jesus (in John 4) notably avoided condemning anyone. (The condemnation came in Psalm 50 instead.) God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, condemned idolatry and cautioned against practicing it, but proclaimed (in that passage) no punishment of practitioners of idolatry. No, God did that elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. And Jesus, scandalously speaking at great length to the Samaritan woman at the well, did not condemn her for anything. No, he, like God in Jeremiah 10:1-16, encouraged repentance. That strategy worked on the woman.
A recurring theme in this series of posts has been being a light to the nations. This has been appropriate, given the theme of the Season after the Epiphany, with the message of Christ spreading to the Gentiles, or to the nations.
Find the good and praise it.
–Alex Haley
A light to the nations stands out among them; it does not blend in. Neither is a light to the nations a reflexive contrarian. No, such a light affirms the positive and names the negative. It does so in the proper way, so as to avoid defeating divine purposes by making unnecessary scenes. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, by its nature, offends many, but the record of Christian missionary efforts is sadly replete with examples of evangelists who, out of racism, ethnocentrism, and other faults, sabotaged their work and actively (yet accidentally) discouraged many people from coming to God.
May we be lights to the nations properly. May we be like St. Philip the Deacon (not the Apostle), who, in Acts 8, engaged constructively with the Ethiopian eunuch. May we be like Jesus, who, in John 4, spoke the truth gently and persuasively to the Samaritan woman. May we draw people to God and encourage discipleship.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 4, 2017 COMMON ERA
LABOR DAY (U.S.A.)
THE FEAST OF PAUL JONES, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF UTAH AND PEACE ACTIVIST; AND HIS COLLEAGUE, JOHN NEVIN SAYRE, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND PEACE ACTIVIST
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Above: The Adoration of the Shepherds, by Mikael Toppelius
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Isaiah 6:(8) 9-13 or Jeremiah 10:1-16 (17-25)
Psalm 35 or 94
John 12:17-19, 37-50
Romans 11:2b-28 (29-32) 33-36
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You have seen, O LORD, do not be silent!
O Lord, do not be far from me!
–Psalm 35:22, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Happy are those whom you discipline, O LORD,
and whom you touch out of your law,
giving them respite from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
–Psalm 94:12-15, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Some of the readings for this occasion seem to indicate that God has, at various times, designated entire populations and refused to permit them to repent of their sins. This reading is at odds with the theology of unlimited atonement (by Jesus, via his death and resurrection), which ends a process begun by the incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity as Jesus of Nazareth. My understanding is that (A) all of us are sinners, (B) God desires all sinners to repent, and (C) many sinners simply refuse to repent. In Judaism one can find an interpretation of the lection from Isaiah that insists that God predicted that many people would not understand and did not desire them to fail to understand. In this reading First Isaiah’s mission was to help people to repent, not to prevent it. This makes sense to me.
Why might one not repent? One might identify a set of reasons, but perhaps the most basic reason is that one must recognize something as an error before one seeks to correct it. Spiritual blindness is a major problem from which all people suffer. We can, by grace, see what occupies our blind spots. Assuming that we do this, do we want to change? Maybe we think that necessary change is pointless or too difficult. Or perhaps we are simply afraid to take action by trusting in God and venturing into unknown (to us) spiritual territory. Either way, one does not repent.
Whoever loves himself or herself more than God is lost, we read in John 12. To be a Christian is to follow Jesus, who went to a cross then a tomb, which he occupied only briefly.
To think this much about Good Friday and Easter Sunday on Christmas Day might seem odd, but it is theologically correct. The recognition of this reality is hardly new. Indeed, Johann Sebastian Bach incorporated the Passion Chorale tune into his Christmas Oratorio.
Grace is free to all, fortunately. Yet many will not accept it and the demands accompanying it. Each of us has a responsibility to say “yes” to God, whose grace is always free and never cheap. Each of us has a responsibility to love his or her neighbors as he or she loves himself or herself. Doing so will, for different people, lead to different ends in this life, and translate into action in a variety of ways, depending on circumstances. The principle is constant, however. Jesus, who came to us first as a baby, demands nothing less than taking up one’s cross and following him.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 30, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF HENRIETTE LUISE VON HAYN, GERMAN MORAVIAN HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/devotion-for-christmas-day-year-d/
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Above: St. Paul Preaching in Athens, by Raphael
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
O God, powerful and compassionate,
you shepherd your people, faithfully feeding and protecting us.
Heal each of us, and make us a whole people,
that we may embody the justice and peace of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 42
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 10:1-16 (Thursday)
Jeremiah 10:17-25 (Friday)
Psalm 23 (Both Days)
Colossians 1:15-23 (Thursday)
Acts 17:16-31 (Friday)
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The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures he makes me lie down;
to still waters he leads me;
he restores my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for the sake of his name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff comfort me.
You set a table before me
in front of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me
all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of the LORD
for endless days.
–Psalm 23, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2010)
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Among my favorite quotes is one from Theophrastus (circa 371-circa 287 Before the Common Era), a Greek philosopher:
Superstition is cowardice in face of the divine.
The interlocking pericopes for these two days combine to encourage us to avoid superstition and idolatry. The readings tell us to follow God, who is faithful to divine promises, who chastises us for the purpose of correction, and who pursues us to bless us. Divine goodness and mercy do not merely follow us in Psalm 23. No, they chase after us with the intention of overtaking us.
Perhaps my favorite passage from Colossians is the one assigned for one of these two days. The crucified and resurrected Christ is the reconciling agent in the created order. That is a profound theological statement, one which requires more than one blog post to unpack. Much of that theology exists in the realm of mystery, defying rational statements and related apologetics. That is fine with me, for I enjoy a divine mystery. I have spent years with that mystery from Colossians, pondering it and permitting it to seep into my being. I hope to spend more years on that project. Certainly the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity as Jesus of Nazareth (however the mechanics of that worked) was an example of goodness and mercy pursuing humankind. The chase continues, fortunately.
May you, O reader, embrace God, whose goodness and mercy pursue you to bless you, and continue in a healthy spiritual pilgrimage.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 4, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE EVE OF EASTER, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF BENJAMIN HALL KENNEDY, GREEK AND LATIN SCHOLAR, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT GEORGE THE YOUNGER, GREEK ORTHODOX BISHOP OF MITYLENE
THE FEAST OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/devotion-for-thursday-and-friday-before-proper-11-year-b-elca-daily-lectionary/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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