READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XXV

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 40:1-41:13

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Troubles exist for all, we read; social status and economic standing, no matter how high they may be, exempt nobody from this experience.  However, the wicked suffer without the favor of God, and the righteous will ultimately fare better than the wicked, according to Ben Sira.  All this will happen in this life, according to Ben Sira, who rejected the existence of the afterlife (as I have been writing since Part I of this series).  Thus we return to the theme of excessive optimism.

Yet theology of human bondage to sin and death affects that excessive optimism.  Death is the only release from the yoke of sin and suffering, according to the teacher.  And a curse from God hangs over the surviving children of the wicked, we read.

Theological context is crucial.  Therefore, know, O reader, that this curse is not Original Sin, which is neither a Jewish nor an Eastern Orthodox doctrine.   A metaphor for sin in the Hebrew Bible is an outside force that ambushes people.  According to St. Paul the Apostle, sin is an invading and occupying force (Romans 7:17).

Historical and cultural contexts are also vital.  Recall, O reader, that Ben Sira resisted Hellenism, a dominant cultural force.  To refuse to conform is frequently to make oneself a target for scorn and perhaps even persecution.  So, in context, much of the suffering in 40:1-41:13 may result from piety.  That is a partial explanation, for even the monarchs are subject to suffering and wretchedness.  But the pious can support each other.  And a good reputation will survive long after this life, we read.

This section of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach reminds me of a principle which permeates the Book of Psalms: Well-being comes from God.  So, one may suffer because of piety yet never lose one’s well-being.  That is a fitting thought to ponder as one considers the fear/awe/reverence of God:

The fear of the Lord is like a garden of blessing,

and covers a man better than any glory.

–Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 40:27, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF KASPAR BIENEMANN, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF ERNEST EDWIN RYDER, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMNAL EDITOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCISCUS CH’OE KYONG-HWAN, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR, 1839; SAINTS LAWRENCE MARY JOSEPH IMBERT, PIERRE PHILIERT MAUBANT, AND JACQUES HONORÉ CHASTÁN, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS, MISSIONARIES TO KOREA, AND MARTYRS, 1839; SAINT PAUL CHONG HASANG, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC SEMINARIAN AND MARTYR, 1839; AND SAINTS CECILIA YU SOSA AND JUNG HYE, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1839

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOSIAH IRONS, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; AND HIS DAUGHTER, GENEVIEVE MARY IRONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC HYMN WRITER

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XXIII

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 36:18/23-39:11

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Despite some cringe-worthy attitudes on display in 36:18/23-37:31, Ben Sira’s point is sound.  That point is to have wise advisors, so as to decide wisely.  Ben Sira’s definition of a wise advisor is a godly man who keeps the commandments.  Given Ben Sira’s audience and context, he means a man.  We may, in our time and place, expand that word to “human being.”  Ben Sira’s counsel also assumes that the man seeking advice keeps the commandments, too.  So, we add that detail to the context of 36:18/23-37:31.

King Rehoboam was a son and the first successor of King Solomon.  King Rehoboam came to the throne in 928 B.C.E.  He foolishly heeded the advice of counselors who encouraged him to continue his father’s policy of forced labor.  A revolt ensued, and ten of the twelve tribes formed the (northern) Kingdom of Israel that year (1 Kings 12:1-24; 2 Chronicles 10:1-11:4).

Given that Ben Sira adderssed the sons of the elites of Jerusalem (as I have been noting since the first installment in this series), I wonder if he had that example in mind.  Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 47:23 may indicate that he did:

Solomon rested with his fathers,

and left behind him one of his sons,

ample in folly and lacking in understanding,

Rehoboam, whose policy caused the people to revolt.

Also Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin

and gave to Ephraim a sinful way.

—Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

Of course, hindsight proves helpful in discerning between good advice and foolish counsel.  I, as a student of history, recognize some U.S. policies during the Cold War which backfired on September 11, 2001.  In that light,

It seemed like a good idea at the time,

rings hollow.

Ben Sira also taught regarding professions.  He liked physicians (38:1-15) yet regarded the scribal profession as superior (38:24-39:11).  Perhaps Ben Sira was an elitist; he did teach the sons of elites.  Ben Sira wrote that people who work with their hands cannot become wise because the “opportunity of leisure” is necessary for wisdom (38:24f).  Yet, he taught:

they keep stable the fabric of the world,

and their prayer is in the practice of their trade.

–38:34, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

In other words, all professions which build up the common good are essential.  One may think of a different metaphor–one borrowed from St. Paul the Apostle–when addressing the house churches in Corinth in the 1950s C.E.  All members are vital, with different roles to play and spiritual gifts with which to perform them.  All members belong to the body of Christ.  Members of the upper class, regarding their lower-class counterparts contemptuously, set up that lesson, as I hope everyone remembers.

Likewise, in society, we need a variety of skills and professions.  Bad jobs do exist, contrary to what some people claim.  One may understand that bad jobs exist by listening to or reading descriptions of some forms of work.  And some work is morally objectionable.  One may cite “mafia executioner” as an example.  Nevertheless, most work is honorable and necessary.  And a society which does more than pay lip service to the importance and dignity of work will compensate it properly, with a living wage.

38:16-23 focuses on mourning.  This advice is, frankly, unhelpful:

Do not give your heart to sorrow;

drive it away, remembering the end of life.

Do not forget, there is no coming back;

you do the dead no good, and you injure yourself.

–38:20-21, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

We do well to remember that Ben Sira did not believe in the afterlife, as I have pointed out repeatedly, starting with the first post in this series.  Even if he did believe in the afterlife, though, he still would have been a jerk.

I cannot speak or write for you, O reader.  So, I do so only for myself.  Grief is a constant companion.  As I type these words, I approach the fourth anniversary of the death of my beloved, the woman who changed my life forever.  I wonder how many people Ben Sira loved then lost to gut-wrenching death.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF KASPAR BIENEMANN, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF ERNEST EDWIN RYDER, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMNAL EDITOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT FRANCISCUS CH’OE KYONG-HWAN, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIST AND MARTYR, 1839; SAINTS LAWRENCE MARY JOSEPH IMBERT, PIERRE PHILIERT MAUBANT, AND JACQUES HONORÉ CHASTÁN, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS, MISSIONARIES TO KOREA, AND MARTYRS, 1839; SAINT PAUL CHONG HASANG, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC SEMINARIAN AND MARTYR, 1839; AND SAINTS CECILIA YU SOSA AND JUNG HYE, KOREAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1839

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM JOSIAH IRONS, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR; AND HIS DAUGHTER, GENEVIEVE MARY IRONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC HYMN WRITER

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READING ECCLESIASTICUS/SIRACH

PART XIII

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Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 16:24-18:14

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Ben Sira, true to his Jewish theological tradition, understands God as having created order from chaos in Genesis 1:1-2:4a.  Chaos is an enemy of gods in ancient Near Eastern mythology.  More than one ancient myth depicts a deity as fighting then defeating chaos and/or an agent of it.  In the Hebrew Bible–Psalms and Job, especially–YHWH vanquishes all the enemies those gods defeated.  These passages which emphasize divine order in nature and YHWH’s victory over the foes of Marduk or whichever deity it was in a given myth teach us of the sovereignty and universality of God.

The focus on collective righteousness and sinfulness is thoroughly Jewish and Biblical.  Yet it is alien to much of the population of my culture, fixated on rugged individualism.  Of course, as we have read, Ben Sira did not ignore individual moral responsibility before God either.  Yet, as we have seen, the author contextualized the individual aspect within the communal aspect.  We of contemporary times would do well to follow this pattern, in mutuality.

We also read of the balance of divine judgment and mercy (17:19f).  God punishes sins–in this life only, according to Ben Sira, who did not believe in an afterlife.  God also forgives sins and welcomes penitence and penitents, we read.

Turn to the Lord and forsake your sins;

pray in his presence and lessen offenses.

Return to the Most High and turn away from iniquity,

and hate abominations intensely.

Know the justice and the judgments of God,

and stood firm the lot that is set before you,

in prayer to God, the Almighty.

–Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 17:25-26, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Version (2002)

“You” and “your” are singular in these verses.  I know; I checked two French translations–La Bible de Jérusalem (1999) and La Bible en français courant (1996).

God is powerful and supreme.  God surpasses human beings–“dust and ashes” (17:32b).  And tracing the wonders of the Lord is impossible.  God continues forever, but people die.  Their lifespans–even the relatively long ones–are long.  And God is more merciful than people.

The compassion of man is for his neighbor,

but the comparison of the Lord is for all living beings.

He rebukes and trains and teaches them,

and turns them back, as a shepherd his flock.

He has compassion on those who accept his discipline

and who are eager for his judgments.

–18:13-14, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

Two words stand out in my mind.  The first word is “rebuke.”  In the Hebrew Bible, only YHWH has the authority to rebuke someone else.  This is a point which Foster R. McCurley, Jr., makes in Ancient Myths and Biblical Faith:  Scriptural Transformations (1983; reprint, 2007), 46.   People in the Hebrew Bible may rebuke others, but they lack the authority to do so.  Jude 9 reinforces this point in an allusion to the Assumption of Moses; even the archangel Michael did not presume to rebuke Satan.  No, Michael said:

May the Lord rebuke you!

—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)

The Synoptic Gospels mention Jesus rebuking demons and unclean spirits, mostly–and occasionally, wind, a fever, and people.  Jesus rebukes twelve times in the Synoptic Gospels:

• Matthew 8:26; 17:18;
• Mark 1:25; 4:39; 8:33; 9:25;
• Luke 4:35, 39; 4:41; 8:24; 9:42, 55.

Jesus, of course, had the divine authority to rebuke.

Lest I pick Biblical cherries and report incompletely, I point out the following examples from the New Testament:

• St. Simon Peter rebuked Jesus in Matthew 16:22 and Mark 8:32.  One can argue that the apostle did what he lacked the authority to do, though.
• Luke 17:3 quotes Jesus as authorizing the rebuking of a sinner, to inspire repentance.
• When we turn to epistles which bear the name of St. Paul the Apostle yet postdate him, we find three examples.  We read counsel to rebuke those who persist in sin (1 Timothy 5:20).  2 Timothy 4:2 lists rebuking as a duty, alongside tasks including preaching, exhorting and teaching patiently.  Titus 1:13 orders St. Titus to rebuke Cretans–“liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons”–“that they may be sound in the faith.”
• Luke 3:19 tells us that St. John the Baptist had rebuked Herod Antipas “because of Herodias.”
• Luke 23:40 tells us that the penitent insurrectionist–St. Dismas, according to tradition–rebuke of the impenitent rebel–Gestus, according to tradition–who was mocking Jesus.
• 2 Peter 2:16, using the divine passive voice, tells us that God rebuked Balaam in Numbers 22:21-40.

So, according to the New Testament, people may legitimately rebuke each other sometimes.  The severity of rebuking someone–as opposed to merely telling someone off–is vital to remember when considering this matter.  People know partially, but God knows fully.

The second word is “discipline.”  Discipline is not abuse.  No, the purpose of discipline is to correct behavior.  Divine discipline is a recurring theme in Hebrew wisdom literature.  For example, we read in Wisdom of Solomon 3:5 that God disciplines the righteous.  (The context in the Wisdom of Solomon is persecution–also present in the background of the Hebrew and Greek versions of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach.)  Suffering–which God has not caused–becomes a method of spiritual discipline.

That may seem odd.  Yet it makes sense to me.  Suffering has improved my spiritual life and transformed me for the better.  The suffering was not the work of God, but the positive effects of the suffering were the work of God.  Perhaps you, O reader, can identify examples of this principle in your life or in the life of someone you know or have known.  I have found that the light of God seems to shine brighter the darker one’s circumstances become.

Another point regarding discipline is that a loving parent or guardian disciplines a child.  The lack of discipline does that child–or anyone else–no favors.  Discipline is necessary for the individual and collective good.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 22, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF JACK LAYTON, CANADIAN ACTIVIST AND FEDERAL LEADER OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

THE FEAST OF JOHN DAVID CHAMBERS, ANGLICAN HYMN WRITER AND TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINTS HRYHORII KHOMYSHYN, SYMEON LUKACH, AND IVAN SLEZYUK, UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC BISHOPS AND MARTYRS, 1947, 1964, AND 1973

THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN KEMBLE AND JOHN WALL, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS, 1679

THE FEAST OF SAINTS THOMAS PERRY, RICHARD KIRKMAN, AND WILLIAM LACEY, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1572 AND 1582

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READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART XV

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Proverbs 25:1-27:27

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The fifth collection in the Book of Proverbs spans 25:1-29:27.   The superscription credits the authorship of these proverbs to King Solomon (reigned 968-928 B.C.E.) of Israel and states that their compilation occurred during the reign (727/715-698/687 B.C.E.) of King Hezekiah of Judah.  If we accept this explanation, we must assume that scribes collected these proverbs.  Some of the proverbs are sycophantic regarding the sovereign.  This makes sense, for the audience included scribes and aspiring scribes in the royal court.

How to deal with others without harming oneself–one’s reputation, certainly–is a major topic.  Creating and maintaining good will is a high priority.  So, we read about, among other people, relatives, wives, friends, enemies, neighbors, and kings.  We also read cautions against social offenses, including revenge, needless lawsuits, empty promises, betrayed trust, querulousness, insensitive levity, and gossip.  One may reasonably assume that St. Paul the Apostle (Romans 12:20) and Jesus (Matthew 5:38-42) knew Proverbs 25:21-22:

If your enemy be hungry, give him food,

If he be thirsty, give water to drink;

For thus you will heap hot embers on his head,

And the Lord will recompense you.

—R. B. Y. Scott‘s translation

One will also break the cycle of anger, violence, and revenge.  Proverbs 25:21-22 is consistent with the admonition to control one’s anger (25:28).  One may break that cycle, but one may also immediately spark increased anger in the other person or people.  I have observed, for example, that, when I have refused to argue with someone who is overflowing with hostility, I become the short-term target of more anger from that person.  Nevertheless, somebody needs to behave like a responsible and mature adult.  Someone must defuse the situation–or else.  And the irate person, without someone with whom to argue, finds something else to do.

Fools fail to learn the timeless lessons in chapter 25, so chapter 26 mocks such people.  26:4-5 invites us to ask a good question:

Should one answer a fool in his own foolish terms?

The two verses contradict each other.  Robert Alter explains that 26:4 cautions against becoming entangled in fools’ confused or misguided terms, and that 26:5 encourages the wise to recognize their own foolishness.

I value facts, rationality, and objective reality.  This approach is consistent with my personality type.  I am more comfortable with facts than with feelings.  So, I am at a disadvantage when dealing with someone who has formed an opinion based on emotions.  I may be able to disprove the opinion with a fact check if that opinion depends on inaccurate information.  But this evidence will not dissuade the other person, who cares nothing about objective reality.  So, I favor the advice in 26:4.  Sometimes attempted persuasion is an exercise in futility.

Proverbs 27:20 fits well with Ecclesiastes 1:8.   Consider the following quotes from R. B. Y. Scott’s translation, O reader:

As Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,

Man’s desire is insatiable.

–Proverbs 27:20

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All words fail through weariness, a man becomes speechless; the eye cannot see it all, nor the ear hear the end of it.

–Ecclesiastes 1:8

Some other translations refer to the human eye, not desire, in Proverbs 27:20.  “Desire” gets to the point of the saying, though.  This verse echoes one of the Proverbs of Ahikar:

My son, the eye of man is like a fountain of water,

And it is not satisfied with riches until filled with dust.

Proverbs 27:20, in textual context, teaches that death keeps claiming people and that human desires never find satisfaction either.  We will all die eventually.  So, what is the value of insatiable human desires?

Chapter 27 concludes with practical advice about managing flocks and fields.  Nature renews itself, but wealth and treasure do not last forever.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 26, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANNE AND JOACHIM, PARENTS OF SAINT MARY OF NAZARETH

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This is post #2950 of BLOGA THEOLOGICA.

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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)

Above:  Nazareth (A Byzantine Mosaic)

Image in the Public Domain

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Ezekiel 2:1-5

Psalm 143:1-2, 5-8

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Mark 6:1-6

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God of glory, Father of love, peace comes from you alone. 

Send us as peacemakers and witnesses to your kingdom,

and fill our hearts with joy in your promises of salvation;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 25

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Grant, Lord, that the course of this world

may be so governed by your direction

that your Church may rejoice

in serving you in godly peace and quietness;

through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Worship (1982), 68

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The strength and the power belong to God; that is the unifying theme in these four readings.

1. The prophet Ezekiel, newly commissioned, had the duty to speak unpleasant truths to the rebellious people, regardless of whether anyone listened to him.  The message came from God.
2. The author of Psalm 43, beset by foes, begged for divine deliverance.  The psalmist also prayed that God would devastate and destroy those enemies (verse 12).
3. St. Paul the Apostle (“a man I know”) understood that divine grace sufficed, that the was weak, and that God was strong.
4. Jesus, God incarnate, worked wondrous deeds and preached wisdom.  In the Markan account of his rejection at Nazareth, the rejection was immediate.

My culture values strength, rugged individualism, and hubris.  My culture denigrates “losers” and distinguishes between the “deserving poor” and the “undeserving poor.”  My culture’s values contradict the unifying thread in this Sunday’s four readings.  We are all weak and broken; some of us understand this truth about ourselves acutely.  And we all depend upon each other.  We are responsible to and for each other.  Together, we depend entirely upon God.  This is the essence of mutuality.

The power and strength come from God, but we mere mortals can still frustrate God’s work.

…and [Jesus] could do no work of power [in Nazareth], except that he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them.  He was amazed at their lack of faith.”

–Mark 6:5-6, The Revised New Jerusalem Bible

Jesse Ventura, while serving as the Governor of Minnesota, claimed that Christianity is a religion for weaklings.  He meant that as a negative statement.  Yet Ventura was correct; St. Paul knew that he was a weakling.  Nevertheless, St. Paul turned that status into a spiritual positive.

We are spiritual weaklings, but we still possess the power to harm each other and to ruin God’s plans.  Nevertheless, as Leslie D. Weatherhead wrote in The Will of God, we cannot thwart the ultimate will of God.  God is sovereign, after all.

May we–both collectively and individually–serve as agents of grace and the divine will, not roadblocks to them.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

APRIL 7, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE THIRTY-NINTH DAY OF LENT

GOOD FRIDAY

THE FEAST OF SAINT TIKHON OF MOSCOW, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH

THE FEAST OF ANDRÉ TROCMÉ, MAGDA TROCMÉ, AND DANIEL TROCMÉ, RIGHTEOUS GENTILES

THE FEAST OF SAINT GEORGE THE YOUNGER, GREEK ORTHODOX BISHOP OF MITYLENE

THE FEAST OF JAY THOMAS STOCKING, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINTS MONTFORD SCOTT, EDMUND GENNINGS, HENRY WALPOLE, AND THEIR FELLOW MARTYRS, 1591 AND 1595

THE FEAST OF RANDALL DAVIDSON, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

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Adapted from this post

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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)

Above:  The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, by Rembrandt van Rijn

Image in the Public Domain

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Job 38

Psalm 107:1-2, 23-32

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Mark 4:35-41

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O God our defender,

storms rage about us and cause us to be afraid. 

Rescue your people from despair,

deliver your sons and daughters from fear,

and preserve us all from unbelief;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 25

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O Lord, whose gracious presence never fails to guide

and govern those whom you have nurtured

in your steadfast love and worship,

make us ever revere and adore your holy name;

through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Worship (1982), 66

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We have two storms in readings today.  God addresses Job out of the tempest.  And Jesus calms a storm, symbolic of the forces of chaos and evil.  Christ is like a mythological storm god in his triumph over that tempest.

The God of Job 38 is not the God of Psalm 107.  The former refuses to answer the question posed.  The latter responds lovingly to those who cry out in need.  I prefer the God of Job 42:7-9 to the God of Job 38:1-42:6.   The former says (although not to Job, unfortunately) that Job was right, and the self-appointed defenders of God were wrong.  This discrepancy in the Book of Job proves multiple authorship of that book.

In Pauline theological terms, the flesh is like the Freudian id; the flesh is the seat of desire and sin.  In Christ, we cease to live in the flesh.  So, God, in Christ, is reconciling the world (kosmos; hostile to God) to the divine self.  The usual translation of 5:18a in English is something like what we read in The New American Bible–Revised Edition:

All this is from God….

Yet David Bentley Hart’s “ruthlessly literal” (to use his term) translation reads:

And all things come out of God.

Theocentrism suits Christian theology.  Too often we mere mortals find ways to place ourselves (or our experience, at least) at the center of theology.  Yet the reconciling, compassionate God, whom many of the faithful misunderstand, invites and implores us to respond faithfully.  In so doing, we cooperate with God in the divine project of reconciliation.  This project reconciles us to God, each other, and ourselves.  In so doing, we, in the words of 2 Corinthians 5:21,

become God’s righteousness.

For the umpteenth time, righteousness is right relationship with God, self, others, and all creation.  Righteousness is interchangeable with justice in the Bible.  To become God’s righteousness is possible only via God.  To become God’s righteousness is to fulfill our potential in God.

Consider the context of 2 Corinthians, O reader.  Recall that the Corinthian house churches had a troubled relationship with St. Paul the Apostle and that those members belonged to quarreling factions.  Remember, too, that some members treated other members with contempt.  So, the call to reconciliation with God and to transformation into God’s righteousness constituted a challenge to the church in Corinth.

It is a challenge for the rest of us, too.  But God is in control; we are not.  So, to channel sage advice from Martin Luther, may we trust in the faithfulness of God.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

APRIL 5, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE THIRTY-SEVENTH DAY OF LENT

WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK

THE FEAST OF EMILY AYCKBOWM, FOUNDER OF THE COMMUNITY OF THE SISTERS OF THE CHURCH

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIANO DE LA MATA APARICIO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY AND EDUCATOR IN BRAZIL

THE FEAST OF PAULINE SPERRY, MATHEMATICIAN, PHILANTHROPIST, AND ACTIVIST; AND HER BROTHER, WILLARD LEAROYD SPERRY, CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, ETHICIST, THEOLOGIAN, AND DEAN OF HARVARD LAW SCHOOL

THE FEAST OF RUTH YOUNGDAHL NELSON, U.S. LUTHERAN RENEWER OF SOCIETY

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM DERHAM, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND SCIENTIST

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Adapted from this post

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This is post #2900 of BLOGA THEOLOGICA.

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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)

Above:  Parable of the Mustard Seed, by Jan Luyken

Image in the Public Domain

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Ezekiel 17:22-24

Psalm 92:1-5 (6-10), 11-14

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Mark 4:26-34

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God, our maker and redeemer,

you have made us a new company of priests

to bear witness to the Gospel. 

Enable us to be faithful to our calling

to make known your promises to all the world;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 24

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Almighty and everlasting God,

give us an increase of faith, hope, and love;

and that we may obtain what you have promised,

make us love what you have commanded;

through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Worship (1982), 65

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The reading from Ezekiel concludes a chapter-long allegory of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah (reigned 597 B.C.E.); the installation, reign, and fall of King Zedekiah (reigned 597-586 B.C.E.); and the demise of the Kingdom of Judah.  Earthly kingdoms fall, but the Kingdom of God will never fall.  It is like a mighty cedar of Lebanon, with birds nesting in the branches.  This is the image one would have expected for the Kingdom of God in Mark 4:30-34.  Instead, the birds nest in a mustard plant–a giant weed.  The mustard plant takes root where it will–wanted or not.

The imagery of a cedar of Lebanon does occur in Psalm 92, in which a righteous man towers like such a tree.  In context, the focus is on the deep roots of the righteous, in contrast with the ephemeral wicked, who are like grass.  But the righteous remain and flourish.  Their well-being is in dependence upon God, which they acknowledge and accept.  So, by divine–if not always human–standards, the righteous flourish.  They always tap into the proverbial water of God and do not fall over easily.

The advice of St. Paul the Apostle to be delightful to God may be the main point of the lection from 2 Corinthians.  Responding faithfully to God delights God.  Righteousness–right relationship with God, self, others, and all creation–delights God.  Righteousness, which is interchangeable with justice, puts one at odds with many elements of the prevailing culture.  This statement is as accurate today as it was when the Beatitudes were new.  Righteousness reveals that the social order is upside down.  Therefore, righteousness threatens and confuses many people, so acclimated to the status quo that they perceive righteousness as turning the world upside down.

I have been writing scripture-based and lectionary-based lectionary posts consistently for more than a decade.  During those years, I made many points, changed my mind occasionally, and been consistent more often than not.  I have also repeated myself many more times than I have repeated.  Relatively seldom have I felt the desire to repeat myself on every key point, the omission of which may raise a question in someone’s mind.  I have not wanted to include a list of standard disclaimers in each post, for to do so would be ridiculous.  I have concluded that, if I were to go about anticipating and refuting every possible misunderstanding of what I have written, I waste my time and miss some possible misunderstandings, too.

Nevertheless, I perceive the need to repeat myself for the umpteenth time regarding a major point.

Serial contrariness in the name of God does not constitute fidelity to God.  The social order gets some matters correct.  The world–kosmos, in Greek–is also our neighborhood, not the enemy camp.  The late Reverend Ernest J. Stoffel, writing about the Revelation of John, frequently used the term

the triumph of suffering love.

That term applies in this context, also.  The triumph of suffering love–of Jesus and all faithful followers of God–can transform the world and make it a better, more caring and compassionate place.  The Kingdom of God is a weed in the perspective of many people.  But it is a glorious weed.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

APRIL 4, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE THIRTY-SIXTH DAY OF LENT

TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK

THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT THE AFRICAN, FRANCISCAN FRIAR AND HERMIT

THE FEAST OF ALFRED C. MARBLE, JR., EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF MISSISSIPPI THEN ASSISTING BISHOP OF NORTH CAROLINA

THE FEAST OF ERNEST W. SHURTLEFF, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT GAETANO CATANOSO, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE DAUGHGTERS OF SAINT VERONICA (MISSIONARIES OF THE HOLY FACE)

THE FEAST OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., U.S. CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER, AND MARTYR, 1968 (ALSO JANUARY 15)

THE FEAST OF SAINT NDUE SERREQI, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1954

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Adapted from this post

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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)

Above:  Christ and the Apostles

Image in the Public Domain

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Deuteronomy 5:12-15

Psalm 81:1-10 (LBW) or Psalm 142 (LW)

2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Mark 2:23-28

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Lord God of all nations,

you have revealed your will to your people

and promised your help to us all. 

Help us to hear and to do what you command,

that the darkness may be overcome by the power of your light;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 24

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O God,

whose never-failing providence sets in order all things

both in heaven and on earth,

put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things;

and give us those things that are profitable for us;

through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Worship (1982), 62

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The Sabbath is a divine gift.  The Deuteronomistic version of the Ten Commandments explains that the Sabbath is a mark of freedom; a free person, not a slave, gets a day off from work each week.  This explanation differs from that in the version of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20.  In Exodus 20:11, the Redactor explains the rationale for the Sabbath as emulating God.

The Sabbath is a divine gift.  God liberates us.  God frees us to be out best possible selves, communities, congregations, et cetera.  In turn, obedience is hardly an onerous requirement.  Even during persecution, we are free to cry out to God for deliverance.  And we, as those who follow God, can follow it.  St. Paul the Apostle is identifying our suffering with that of Jesus.  If we suffer with our Lord and Savior–if we take up our cross and follow him–God will not abandon us either.  Our triumph may come in the afterlife, but it will come.

The Sabbath is a divine gift.  Yet many people, out of misguided piety, transform it into a burden.  With that comment I turn my attention to the reading from Mark 2.  People have to eat on the Sabbath, do they not?  Yes, plucking grain on the Sabbath is work, but the Law of Moses does not forbid all work on the Sabbath.  For example, circumcision must occur on the eighth day of a boy’s life, according to the Law of Moses.  If that day falls on the Sabbath, so be it.  Also, the Jewish tradition understands that keeping some commandments may require violating others, due to circumstances.  Prioritizing and ranking commandments is, therefore, necessary.

Yet some people did not receive that memorandum, so to speak.

Lambasting long-dead Pharisees is easy.  Examining ourselves spiritually may be challenging, though.  Do we have our precious categories, which we maintain strictly and piously, to the detriment of others?  Does our piety ever harm anyone or delay someone’s restoration to physical, emotional, or spiritual wholeness?  Does our piety ever cause or prolong the suffering of others?  If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” we practice misguided piety.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 28, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE THIRTIETH DAY OF LENT

THE FEAST OF JAMES SOLOMON RUSSELL, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, EDUCATOR, AND ADVOCATE FOR RACIAL EQUALITY

THE FEAST OF ELIZABETH RUNDLE CHARLES, ANGLICAN WRITER, HYMN TRANSLATOR, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT GUNTRAM OF BURGUNDY, KING

THE FEAST OF KATHARINE LEE BATES, U.S. EDUCATOR, POET, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF RICHARD CHEVENIX TRENCH, ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN

THE FEAST OF SAINT TUTILO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND COMPOSER

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Adapted from this post

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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)

Above:  Head of Saint Paul, by Benedetto Gennari the Younger

Image in the Public Domain

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Acts 11:19-30

Psalm 98

1 John 4:1-11

John 15:9-17

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O God, from whom all good things come:

Lead us by the inspiration of your Spirit

to think those things which are right,

and by your goodness to do them;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 22

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Lord, because you promised to give what we ask

in the name of your only-begotten Son,

teach us rightly to pray and with all your saints

to offer you our adoration and praise;

through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Worship (1982), 54

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The readings for this Sunday bear a striking thematic similarity to those for last Sunday.  So be it.

1 John 4:10 speaks of Jesus as the expiation for our sins.  In this context, “sins” means moral failings.  Generally, in Johannine thought, sin is failing to recognize the divine revelation in Jesus, as in John 20:22-23.  The First Epistle of John, however, uses both the moral and theological definitions of sin.  Expiation is an

atoning action which obliterates sin from God’s sight and so restores us to holiness and the divine favor.

—The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible:  An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, E-J (1962), 200

Then that epistle continues:

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

–1 John 4:11, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)

In the lections, we can read of different ways of loving one another.  In Acts 11:19-30 alone, we read of evangelism, of the encouraging role of St. (Joseph) Barnabas extending a welcome to a former persecutor (St. Paul the Apostle), and of raising funds for the church in Jerusalem.

How is God calling you, O reader, to love one another like Jesus in your context–when you are, where you are, and according to who you are?  Think and pray about this matter, I urge you.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 23, 2024 COMMON ERA

THE TWENTY-SIXTH DAY OF LENT

THE FEAST OF SAINTS GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR AND ISAAC THE GREAT, PATRIARCHS OF ARMENIA

THE FEAST OF MEISTER ECKHART, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN AND MYSTIC

THE FEAST OF SAINT METODEJ DOMINIK TRCKA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1959

THE FEAST OF UMPHREY LEE, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER AND PRESIDENT OF SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY

THE FEAST OF SAINT VICTORIAN OF HADRUMETUM, MARTYR AT CARTHAGE, 484

THE FEAST OF SAINT WALTER OF PONTOISE, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND ECCLESIASTICAL REFORMER

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Adapted from this post

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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)

Above:  St. Augustine in His Study, by Vittore Carpaccio

Image in the Public Domain

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Jeremiah 31:31-34

Psalm 51:11-16

Hebrews 5:7-9

John 12:20-33

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Almighty God, our redeemer, in our weakness we have failed

to be your messengers of forgiveness and hope in the world. 

Renew us by your Holy Spirit, that we may follow your commands

and proclaim your reign of love;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 19

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Almighty and eternal God, because it was your will that your Son

should bear the pains of the cross for us

and thus remove from us the power of the adversary,

help us so to remember and give thanks for our Lord’s Passion

that we may receive remission of our sins

and redemption from everlasting death;

through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.  Amen.

—Lutheran Worship (1982), 38

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Lent is a penitential season, and these are readings suited for Lent.  They are especially suitable for the penultimate Sunday of the season.

One theme in the canonical Gospels is the priority of following Jesus.  “Hate” is an unfortunate translation choice in John 12:25.   The meaning is to “love less than,” not to hate, as we first understand “hate.”  Therefore, John 12:25 should read:

Whoever loves his life more than me loses it, and whoever loves me more than his life (or loves his life less than me) in their world will preserve it for eternal life.

Jesus (suitable for his purpose–the meaning of “perfect” in Hebrews 5:9) had the credentials to demand and to command so high a priority.

The covenant written on hearts is possible.  The Pauline tradition affirms this; the Holy Spirit makes such a covenant possible.  This thread continues into the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo, who wrote at length and exercised logic.  A terribly simplistic reduction of paragraphs from St. Augustine of Hippo reads:

Love God and do as you please.

When one reads the full, germane text carefully, one sees the logic, lifted from St. Paul the Apostle’s discourses about natural/unspiritual people and spiritual people in 1 Corinthians 2.  In Pauline terms, spiritual people–who share the will of God–can do what they please, for they want what God wants.

That is an advanced spiritual state–one I do not pretend to have reached.  Yet I continue to muddle through each day, trying to live well in God, in whom I trust.  That is something, anyway.  Jesus can use it and multiply it, fortunately.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 16, 2023 COMMON ERA

THE TWENTIETH DAY OF LENT

THE FEAST OF SAINT ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, SAINT RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS

THE FEAST OF SAINT ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT; AND SAINT MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN CACCIAFRONTE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK, ABBOT, BISHOP, AND MARTYR, 1183

THE FEAST OF SAINT MEGINGAUD OF WURZBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND BISHOP

THE FEAST OF THOMAS WYATT TURNER, U.S. ROMAN CATHOLIC SCIENTIST, EDUCATOR, AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST; FOUNDER OF FEDERATED COLORED CATHOLICS

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HENRY MONK, ANGLICAN ORGANIST, HYMN TUNE COMPOSER, AND MUSIC EDUCATOR

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Adapted from this post

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