Good afternoon, folks. Thank you for taking the time to read these posts as I prepare to preach each Sunday. For those who respond and/or ask questions, know that I read every comment, respond as I am able, and build your responses into my sermons.
This week, we get the third promise from the Lord to Abram/Abraham (though we skip over the sign of this covenant), Paul's reflection on Abraham and righteousness, and a big misunderstanding between Peter and Jesus. Each of these passages is worth its own sermon, but I doubt that anyone will hang around long enough for me to preach three separate sermons this Sunday. We will see where the Holy Spirit leads this week.
Below, I will share each of the Revised Common Lectionary readings (from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible) for the Second Sunday in Lent. After each reading, I will share my thoughts in italics. I invite you to share your reactions, comments, and questions in the comment section below.
NOTE: I will not have a post like this next week; I will return to my weekly schedule in the lead up to Sunday, March 11th.
Genesis 17:1 - 7, 15 - 16
1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”
15God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
The Lord gives Abram (“exalted father”) a new name, Abraham (“father of multitudes”), as well as Sarai a new name, Sarah (both names mean “princess,” but Sarai suggests “my princess” while Sarah suggests “princess/mother of multitudes”). These new names communicate the Lord’s promise to others, that from these two people shall many multitudes be born and create a new nation. The missing portion of the passage discusses circumcision, the sign of the covenant that the Lord is creating with Abraham.
Psalm 22:23 - 31
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
Psalm 22 is the psalm we read on Good Friday, but we stop just before this passage. At this point, the Lord has saved the psalmist, and so the psalmist is proclaiming anyone listening what the Lord has done. The psalmist calls all the nations and anyone who will go down to the dust to join him in worshipping the Lord. The story is so great that it will be repeated for many years so that the peoples’ children and grandchildren will know what the Lord did for the psalmist.
Romans 4:13 - 25
13The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
16For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” 19He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 23Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, 24but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Paul (and James (2:21 – 24)) glosses over Abraham’s relationship with Hagar and Ishmael and proclaims that Abraham was always faithful to the Lord. But we know that Abraham had moments of doubt because he took the promise into his own hands, accepting Sarah’s offer and fathering a child with Hagar, Sarah’s servant (which sounds terrible to modern ears, but this was a common practice in those days). If Abraham can have such a moment of doubt and distrust and yet still be upheld as faithful and righteous, shouldn’t we also forgive ourselves for our moments of doubt and distrust?
Mark 8:31 - 38
31[Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Peter has just confessed that Jesus is the Messiah (8:27 – 30), but here he shows that he has a different understanding of the Messiah’s mission in the world than Jesus. Peter tries to “correct” Jesus by asking him to take on a different mission. In this way, Peter becomes “Satan,” which has demonic overtones but may also be better understood as “the Satan” or “the Tempter/Tester” as we see in the early chapters of Job. Either way, Jesus rejects the offer, proclaiming that his mission, by design, will cost him his life for the sake of “divine things.” If we are to follow Christ, we are called to be willing to lose all things, including our lives, for the sake of divine things.
Another question: the translations I checked all interpret the Greek word “psuche” in 8:35 as “life.” So why do many translations switch to “soul” when translating the same word in 8:36? (It is one way to translate "psuche," but why the inconsistency between the two verses?) It is likely a case of body/soul dualism creeping into Christianity. The proclamation of the Church is that our entire selves, including our bodies, will be raised from the dead at the end of the age. But there are many who proclaim that the resurrection at the end of the age will only raise our souls (or spirits, if you prefer) because the physical world, including our bodies, will not be needed after the resurrection.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Monday, February 12, 2018
Monday Thoughts on the Readings for Ash Wednesday (February 14th) 2018
We are quickly approaching Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is a day where we remember that we are creatures who will eventually return to the dust, but we worship the Lord who created us and can raise us from the dust. It is a day for confession and repentance as well as absolution. The sign of the cross on our foreheads both reminds us of our sin and proclaims the source of our reconciliation and salvation.
This year, the community gathers in the shadows of the deaths of two congregation members. Their respective funerals will take place in the days after Ash Wednesday. What does this day proclaim in the midst of our grief and sadness?
As always, I invite you to leave your thoughts, comments, and questions below. You can see my thoughts underneath each reading, and I will respond to all posts in the comments as well.
Joel 2:1 - 2, 12 - 17
This year, the community gathers in the shadows of the deaths of two congregation members. Their respective funerals will take place in the days after Ash Wednesday. What does this day proclaim in the midst of our grief and sadness?
As always, I invite you to leave your thoughts, comments, and questions below. You can see my thoughts underneath each reading, and I will respond to all posts in the comments as well.
Joel 2:1 - 2, 12 - 17
1Blow the trumpet in
Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near—
2a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them
in ages to come.
12Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
14Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord, your God?
15Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children,
even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.
17Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep.
Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near—
2a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them
in ages to come.
12Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
14Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord, your God?
15Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children,
even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.
17Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep.
Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
Do we fear “the day of the Lord?” Is this something we wish to delay as long as possible, or is this something we wish would arrive as soon as possible? Here, in Joel, it seems like it is something to be feared. Even those who are usually exempt from mass community gatherings (seniors, young children, and newlyweds) are required to come and plead for the Lord’s mercy. There is a call for confession and repentance. It is very similar to the themes of Ash Wednesday. The difference is that the Church typically views “the day of the Lord” as something to celebrate, for it is the day the Lord will return to Earth, the Kingdom of God will fully arrive, and we will rise from our graves to greet the new age.
Psalm 51:1 - 17
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51 reads like a community proclamation at the gathering called for in Joel 2. It also holds the words of the popular liturgical song “Create in Me.” How confident are we in the request for the Lord to not cast us aside? It’s another case of wondering whether we view “the day of the Lord” with dread or delight.
2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6:10
20bWe entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
6:1As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2For he says,
“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
6:1As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2For he says,
“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
This year, it seems like the important part of the 2 Corinthians passage is the first four verses, ending with “now is the day of salvation!” Paul calls for the Corinthians to “be reconciled to God.” This reconciliation does not come from us; it comes through the death and resurrection of Christ. This is the Good News of Ash Wednesday (and of the upcoming funerals): it is Jesus who reconciles us to the Triune God. “It’s out of our hands; we can’t stop what (God has) begun.” (If you are familiar with the song "Looking Through Your Eyes" by LeAnn Rimes.) We can confess and repent, asking the Lord to sustain us in our efforts. But this is truly the Lord’s work, and the Lord is at work in the world and in the sacraments of the Church.
Mark 6:1 - 6, 16 - 21
[Jesus said to the disciples:] 1“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
16“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
2“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
16“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6 seems to speak against what we are doing on Ash Wednesday. Pray in secret (but we are gathered as a community). Cover yourself in oil as though you are being honored (but we are marking ourselves with ashes, the symbol of mourning). It is definitely an odd choice for this night…and this year, I don’t think I want to dive into that oddity.
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Thursday Thoughts on the Readings for Transfiguration Sunday (February 11th, 2018)
My apologies for the lateness of this post and for not posting last week. I took some vacation time last week through Monday. I meant to get a post up yesterday, but I was called into an emergency situation.
This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday, so my thoughts revolve around this event as recorded in the Gospel of Mark. If you have any questions about the passages themselves, any questions/responses to my thoughts, or any reflections that you would like to share, please leave them in the comments below and start the conversation.
2 Kings 2:1 - 10
1Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”
4Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”
6Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” 11As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
In anticipation of the Transfiguration story, we get the story of the end of Elijah’s ministry on Earth. It does not do much for the day other than highlight Elijah’s importance in the Bible. Traditionally, Elijah was used as a symbol of all the prophets. I’m not sure who these 50 others are, but they do not seem to be important to the story as Elisha (literally) takes on the mantle of Elijah (2 Kings 2:13 – 14) as the great prophet of the region.
Psalm 50:1 - 6
The mighty one, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
3 Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.
4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge.
Perhaps we can read Psalm 50:5 as a foreshadowing of the Transfiguration. Elijah and Moses would be two of the “loyal followers” or “faithful ones” who have “made a covenant” with the Lord. Then again, we may wonder why others (such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, etc.) are not invited to this scene. Either way, the two of them testify to the Lord as the righteous judge.
2 Corinthians 4:3 - 6
3Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The light of Christ, first shown to the disciples at the Transfiguration, now shines in the hearts of all of us. If this light, this Gospel, is veiled to us, it is because we are wearing a veil over ourselves and not because the Gospel itself is veiled. The passage goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 4:7 that “we have this treasure in clay jars…” Light cannot shine through a clay jar unless it is opened or it is cracked. If we carry the light of Christ in our hearts, that light can shine through both our openness and our brokenness.
Mark 9:2 - 9
2Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
9As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
There are so many things to comment upon in this story. Moses and Elijah, the traditional symbols of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets, are here to testify to Jesus as the true Messiah. There is the mention of six days, a symbol of incompleteness in the midst of Jesus’ incomplete ministry. There is Peter’s suggestion of building booths, which is appropriate as it is believed that this happened at or around the Jewish Festival of Booths, but Jesus instead invites the disciples to go down the mountain and back to the people. But currently, I am struck by the order to not tell anyone until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. How long can they hold this in? It’s recorded here, so obviously they told somebody…it’s like the original ending of Mark: the ladies at the tomb are afraid and tell no one what they have seen, but the scene is described here, so they must have told someone later. The Son of Man has risen from the dead…so how long will we wait to tell his stories?
This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday, so my thoughts revolve around this event as recorded in the Gospel of Mark. If you have any questions about the passages themselves, any questions/responses to my thoughts, or any reflections that you would like to share, please leave them in the comments below and start the conversation.
2 Kings 2:1 - 10
1Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”
4Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”
6Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” 11As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
In anticipation of the Transfiguration story, we get the story of the end of Elijah’s ministry on Earth. It does not do much for the day other than highlight Elijah’s importance in the Bible. Traditionally, Elijah was used as a symbol of all the prophets. I’m not sure who these 50 others are, but they do not seem to be important to the story as Elisha (literally) takes on the mantle of Elijah (2 Kings 2:13 – 14) as the great prophet of the region.
Psalm 50:1 - 6
The mighty one, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
3 Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.
4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge.
Perhaps we can read Psalm 50:5 as a foreshadowing of the Transfiguration. Elijah and Moses would be two of the “loyal followers” or “faithful ones” who have “made a covenant” with the Lord. Then again, we may wonder why others (such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, etc.) are not invited to this scene. Either way, the two of them testify to the Lord as the righteous judge.
2 Corinthians 4:3 - 6
3Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The light of Christ, first shown to the disciples at the Transfiguration, now shines in the hearts of all of us. If this light, this Gospel, is veiled to us, it is because we are wearing a veil over ourselves and not because the Gospel itself is veiled. The passage goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 4:7 that “we have this treasure in clay jars…” Light cannot shine through a clay jar unless it is opened or it is cracked. If we carry the light of Christ in our hearts, that light can shine through both our openness and our brokenness.
Mark 9:2 - 9
2Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
9As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
There are so many things to comment upon in this story. Moses and Elijah, the traditional symbols of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets, are here to testify to Jesus as the true Messiah. There is the mention of six days, a symbol of incompleteness in the midst of Jesus’ incomplete ministry. There is Peter’s suggestion of building booths, which is appropriate as it is believed that this happened at or around the Jewish Festival of Booths, but Jesus instead invites the disciples to go down the mountain and back to the people. But currently, I am struck by the order to not tell anyone until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. How long can they hold this in? It’s recorded here, so obviously they told somebody…it’s like the original ending of Mark: the ladies at the tomb are afraid and tell no one what they have seen, but the scene is described here, so they must have told someone later. The Son of Man has risen from the dead…so how long will we wait to tell his stories?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)