+ Ash Wednesday + February 17, 2010 +

Lexegete™ | Year C | St. Luke
________________________________________________________________________

Ash Wednesday
February 17, 2010
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12
Psalm 51:1-17 (1) or Psalm 103:8-14
2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Prayer of the Day

Almighty and ever-living God, you hate nothing you have made, and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and honest hearts, so that, truly repenting of our sins, we may receive from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
or
Gracious God, out of your love and mercy you breathed into dust the breath of life, creating us to serve you and our neighbors. Call forth our prayers and acts of kindness, and strengthen us to face our mortality with confidence in the mercy of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation

Return to the | LORD, your God,
who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in | steadfast love. (Joel 2:13)
_____________________________________________________________



1a. CONTEXT: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

After his Baptism, according to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus

spent forty days in the wilderness, fasting and being

tempted by Satan (Mt. 4:1-11, Mk1:12f., Lk. 4:1-13). Our

Lord's fast was not, however, originally associated with the

Lenten season, which has its roots in the fasting and other

ascetical disciplines undertaken by catechumens in

preparation for Baptism at Easter. These pre-Easter

exercises can be traced at least to the second century; at

first they lasted only one or two days, and only in the

fourth century Festal Letters of St. Athanasius do we first

hear of a forty-day period of fasting. Even so, the

reckoning of Lent as a forty-day period has never been

established throughout the whole church: the Eastern

Churches spread the season over eight or nine weeks.





A penitential season of exactly forty days was made the rule

at Rome in the sixth century (before the time of Gregory

the Great); this was accomplished by including in the Lenten

fast the four days before the first Sunday in Lent. (The

Sundays in Lent do not count as fast- days; all Sundays,

being commemorations of Easter, are feast-days.)





The name "Ash Wednesday" derives from the medieval

custom of blessing ashes which were used to mark the

foreheads of the faithful as a symbol of penitence. The

reformed churches have generally discontinued this

ceremony, which they felt did not accord well with the

Gospel command (in the Roman and Sarum Missals

the Gospel appointed is Mt. 6:16-18).


1. TEXT: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21


ESV:

Giving to the Needy

6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Lord's Prayer
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when 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....


Fasting

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust [1] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.





[1] 6:19 Or worm; also verse 20




The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by
Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.




GREEK:


6σὺ δὲ ὅταν προσεύχῃ, εἴσελθε εἰς τὸ ταμεῖόν σου καὶ κλείσας τὴν θύραν σου πρόσευξαι τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ: καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι. 7Προσευχόμενοι δὲ μὴ βατταλογήσητε ὥσπερ οἱ ἐθνικοί, δοκοῦσιν γὰρ ὅτι ἐν τῇ πολυλογίᾳ αὐτῶν εἰσακουσθήσονται. 8μὴ οὖν ὁμοιωθῆτε αὐτοῖς, οἶδεν γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὧν χρείαν ἔχετε πρὸ τοῦ ὑμᾶς αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν. 9Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς: Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου, 10ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου, γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς. 11Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον: 12καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν: 13καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. 14Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, ἀφήσει καὶ ὑμῖν ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος: 15ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, οὐδὲ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἀφήσει τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν. 16Οταν δὲ νηστεύητε, μὴ γίνεσθε ὡς οἱ ὑποκριταὶ σκυθρωποί, ἀφανίζουσιν γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ὅπως φανῶσιν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύοντες: ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπέχουσιν τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν. 17σὺ δὲ νηστεύων ἄλειψαί σου τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου νίψαι, 18ὅπως μὴ φανῇς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύων ἀλλὰ τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυφαίῳ: καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυφαίῳ ἀποδώσει σοι. 19Μὴ θησαυρίζετε ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται διορύσσουσιν καὶ κλέπτουσιν: 20θησαυρίζετε δὲ ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὅπου οὔτε σὴς οὔτε βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, καὶ ὅπου κλέπται οὐ διορύσσουσιν οὐδὲ κλέπτουσιν: 21ὅπου γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρός σου, ἐκεῖ ἔσται καὶ ἡ καρδία σου.

Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition
© 1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;

The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition
© 1975, United Bible Societies, London




2. ANALYSIS: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21




The Gospel for Ash Wednesday, a section of the Sermon on

the Mount, is a short catena of what Bultmann calls "Rules

of Piety" (cf.5:23f., 23:16-22; Mk. 11:25; Lk. 17:3f.) They

contain very little that is foreign to the best in contemporary

Judaism. The section may be outlined as follows:


Introduction: Mt. 6:1 - Ostentatious piety is condemned.



l. On Almsgiving: 6:2-4.



2. On Prayer: 6:5-6.



3. On Fasting: 6:16-18.



4. On Treasures: 6:19-21.



Verses 1-6,16-18 are peculiar to Matthew's Gospel. The

content of the sixth logion of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas

is similar to that of 1-6,16-18: "His disciples asked him

and said to him: do you wish us to fast? And in what way

shall we pray (and) give alms? And what observances shall

we keep with respect to eating? Jesus said: Do not speak a

lie and do not do what you hate, because everything is

manifest before Heaven. For there is nothing hidden which

shall no be made manifest, and there is nothing covered that

shall remain without being revealed" [cf. Mt. 10:26, Lk.

12:2].



The content of these "rules" may well derive from Jesus

himself, but their formulation is due to the early Church.

The striking parallelism exhibited by the "rules" is clear

evidence of redactorial activity, either of Matthew or of

some earlier collector of Jesus' sayings.


To Matthew himself are doubtless due the introduction (6:1)

and the insertion of the Lord's Prayer (6:7-15).

Each of the first three "rules" consists of two brief

commands, one negative and one positive. The negative

commands enjoin the disciples not to imitate the

ostentatious behavior of the hypocrites who perform their

religious duties in public in order to gain a reputation for

piety (hopos phanosin tois anthropois [ doxasthosin hupo

ton anthropon]); solemn assurance is given after each

injunction that there is no further reward for hypocritical

behavior: amen lego humin , apechousin ton misthon auton .

The negative commands are couched in the plural, but the

positive ones are in the singular, as if in them the Lord is

addressing each individual disciple. Unlike hypocrites,

Jesus' followers are to perform their religious duties with

due modesty; their reward will be God's approval.



Mt. 6:1 - prosechete [de] tein dikaiosunen humon mei poiein

emprosthen ton anthropon pros to theathenai autois -

"Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to

be seen by them" (AILL) - Dikaiosune is a very important

word in the NT. In the Pauline Epistles it is used of God's

righteousness, but here (and in Mt. 5:10,20) the meaning is

quite concrete: right conduct before God. It thus serves as a simple

shorthand for the acts of piety mentioned in the following verses.

- - The root of the athenai appears in English "theater"; the meaning

of the Greek verb is to look over, to regard (with attention and

surprise), rather than simply to see.



6:2 - hotan oun poies 'eleeimosunein - "Thus, when you give

alms..." (AILL) - Almsgiving had an important place in

Jewish piety. Tobit 12:8 runs, "It is better to give alms

than to treasure up gold. For almsgiving delivers from

death, and it will purge away every sin."



- - me salpiseis emprosthen sou... - "sound no trumpet

before you" (AILL) - There is no evidence for supposing that

the rich were accustomed to blow horns to summon the poor in

order to give them alms. The blowing of horns did play a

part in fasts, but this was a ceremonial matter. Jesus is

merely telling his disciples not to call attention to

themselves when giving alms to the poor; we might paraphrase

this saying as "Don't ring the church bells every time you

put a dollar in the collection plate." -- hupokritai - found

in vss. 2,5, and 16; the basic meaning is "one who explains

or interprets," hence actor. The word had originally a

neutral connotation, but in the NT only the sense "one who

acts insincerely" is found.







6:3 - me gnoto he aristera sou ti poiei he dexia sou - "do

not let your left hand know what your right is doing" (AILL)

- In the Bible, as in many ancient cultures, the right hand

is regarded as the hand of strength and of blessing (cf. Job

40:14;,Gen. 48:14), while the left hand is considered

unlucky,unclean, even deadly (Judges 3:15,21; II Sam.

20:9f.). This being so, it is at least conceivable that

this saying means "Don't let your left hand, which is

accustomed to doing evil, prevent your right hand from doing

good." However, it is more likely that we have here a

simple exhortation to secrecy. The saying also occurs in

logion 62 of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas.


6:4,6,18 - en to krypto kai ho pater sou ho blepon en to

krypto apodosei soi (vs. 18 has kryphaio for krypto). - "(so

that your alms may be) in secret; and God who sees in secret

will reward you." (AILL) - The phrase 'en to phanero is

absent from the best ancient manuscripts; it was no doubt

added by pious scribes wishing to make the antithetical

parallelism with the preceding en to krupto more explicit.

The point of all the "Rules of Piety," however, is not the

public nature of the Father's reward but its superiority to

mere human approbation.





6:5 - hoti philousin 'en tais synagogais kai 'en tais

goniais ton plateion estotes proseuchesthai - "for they love

to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street

corners" (AILL) - Standing was the usual attitude of prayer

among both Jews and Greeks. 'Estotes may represent a Hebrew

word meaning continue or persist; if so, Jesus is referring

to the length of the hypocrites' prayers. It seems more

likely, in view of the context, that Jesus is condemning

their love of publicity, although there is in fact no Jewish

evidence for the practice of praying in the streets except

during public fasts.





6:6 - su de hotan proseuchei, eiselthe eis to tameion sou

kai kleisas ten thuran sou proseuxai to patri sou - "But

when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray

to God (who is in secret)" (AILL) - This is a reminiscence

of Isaiah 26:20 - "come, my people, enter your rooms, shut

your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a while until the

wrath has passed by" - with "pray" in place of "hide." Jesus

takes public worship for granted (Mt. 5:24, Lk.18:9-14) but

those who engage in public worship should be as free of all

pretense as one who prays in the secrecy of a closet.





6:16 - hotan de nesteueite - "And when you fast"(AILL) -

Jesus took it for granted that his hearers practiced fasting

as an act of piety, though he made an exception for his

personal followers during his lifetime (9:14f. = Mk.

2:18-20; cf. also ll:18f. = Lk. 7:33f.). Pious Jews fasted

on Mondays and Thursdays; to distinguish themselves from

these "hypocrites," Christians were urged to fast on

Wednesdays and Fridays (Didache 8:1). --- me ginesthe hos oi

hypokritai skuthropoi, aphanizousin gar ta prosopa auton

-"do not look dismal, like the hypocrites,for they disfigure

their faces"(AILL) - Lack of proper nourishment can result

in one's appearing skuthropos, gloomy, sad, sullen, and it

is to avoid this that the Arch-eunuch urged Daniel and his

friends to abandon their vegetarian diet (Dan. 1:10

[Theod.]). The hypocrites in vs. 16 tried to imitate this

appearance by disfiguring their faces with ashes or

cosmetics.



6:17 - su de nesteuon aleipsai sou tein kefalein kai to

prosopon sou nipsai - " But when you fast, anoint your head

and wash your face" (AILL) - Jesus commands his disciples

to take the opposite course, and by anointing their heads

and washing their faces to imitate the happy appearance of

those who are celebrating a feast.



6:19,21 - These verses have parallels in Luke 12:33f. and

hence may derive from Q. There seems to be an allusion to

them in Jas. 5:2f. In logion 76 of the Coptic Gospel of

Thomas the saying in vs. 20 is conflated with the Parable of

the Pearl of Great Price (Mt. 13:45f.).




3. STRATEGY: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21


"All the world's a stage,/ and all the men and women merely players"

--AS YOU LIKE IT , II,7.



Shakespeare's famous line has been echoed by many

writers, as any dictionary of quotations will

prove. This is hardly surprising, since all human beings

are obviously "actors" playing different "roles." But they

are not merely actors: two 19th-Century English clerics,

A.W. and J.C. Hare, point out that "Everybody has his own

theater, in which he is manager, actor, prompter,

playwright, sceneshifter, boxkeeper, doorkeeper, and

audience" (Guesses at Truth, 1827). We like, so far as we

are able, to manage our own lives, to be in control of the

"action" in which we are the "actors." In the language of

the New Testament we are hypocrites, "putting on an act" so

that we will be thought well of by others and, as the Hare

brothers say, by ourselves--for we are our own most

important audience. Or are we? God is also watching, even

when we are not consciously "on stage." Since Lent is a

time for self-examination, we might profitably ask ourselves

such questions as: Where is our "theater"? How are we

"managing" it? What audience are we usually performing for?

What audiences should we pay more attention to? What are

the "box-office receipts"? What sort of applause do we

seek? From other people? From ourselves? From God?

What is the value of this "applause" in each case?




4. REFERENCES: Matthew 6:1-6,16-21





Bultmann, Rudolf. The History of the Synoptic Tradition,

transl. by John Marsh.2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell,1968.



M'Neile,A.H. The Gospel According to Matthew. London:

MacMillan,1952.



Johnson, S.H. "The Gospel of Matthew," in the Interpreter's

Bible, vol. 7. NY: Abingdon, 1951.



M.H. Shepherd. The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary.

NY: Oxford University Press, 1950.



G. Kittel, ed. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament,

transl. by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963.

Articles on: dikaiosune, theaomai, eleemosune, nesteuo,

proseuchomai, salpingo, and hypokrites





5. MUSIC SUGGESTIONS

The new Episcopalian Hymnal 1982 has two settings (EH

140,141) of John Donne's poem, "Wilt thou forgive that sin

where I begun"; the second of these,harmonized by J.S. Bach,

may be easier for congregational singing. LORD JESUS, SUN

OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (EH 144) and NOW QUIT YOUR CARE AND

ANXIOUS FEAR AND WORRY (EH 145) both look forward from the

penitential season to the goal of Easter. Also traditional

are O LORD, THROUGHOUT THESE FORTY DAYS (LBW 99) and

SAVIOR WHEN IN DUST TO YOU (LBW 91), and MY SONG IS LOVE

UNKNOWN (EH 458, LBW 94).


Exegete: Eugene V.N. Goetchius, Ph.D.,Th.D. now retired, was professor of Biblical Languages from 1963-1989, holding chairs simultaneously in the Episcopal Theological School and the Philadelphia Divinity School. He taught Greek and Hebrew and collaborated with colleagues from Harvard Divinity School and Weston School of Theology in teaching introductory courses in New Testament interpretation and exegesis. He wrote a Greek grammar book, The Language of the New Testament, with accompanying workbook; The Teaching of the Biblical Languages and The Gifts of God. He received his Th.D. in New Testament Studies from Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1963 and his Ph.D. in Germanic Languages and Linguistics from the University of Virginia in 1949.








Lexegete™ | Year C | St. Luke
_____________________________________________________________________

First Sunday in Lent | February 21, 2010
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 (11)
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13

Prayer of the Day

O Lord God, you led your people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide us now, so that, following your Son, we may walk safely through the wilderness of this world toward the life you alone can give, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation

One does not live by | bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the | mouth of God. (Matt. 4:4)

________________________________________________________________________


1a. CONTEXT: LUKE 4:1-13



This text, the temptation of Jesus, is located at the

beginning of Lent, and the story itself is located in the

synoptics prior to the beginning of Jesus' public

ministry. All three synoptics use this story as Jesus'

preparation for public ministry following his Baptism.

Matthew and Luke interject a genealogy following the

Baptism and preceding the temptation story. Mark is brief

in describing the temptation story and merely says that

Jesus was tempted by Satan. Matthew and Luke expand on

the temptations describing three specific temptations. In

both, the first temptation comes after the narrative

states that Jesus fasted for forty days, and "that he was

hungry."



Luke makes the second temptation related to all the

kingdoms of the world, and the third temptation is one of

personal safety for Jesus. Matthew has the last two

temptations reversed in order from Luke. Some contextual

items are quite obvious: Jesus in some kind of dialog

with Satan; The temptations forming a framework or stance

for all of Jesus' public ministry; Jesus' knowledge of

and comfort with quoting scripture (hence indicating a

rabbinical style of life); and the challenge of Satan to

Jesus to "prove who He is", by doing things that were

traditionally associated with messianic expectations.





Two other items need attention in the contextual

setting: Whereas Matthew and Mark end with the angels

ministering to Jesus, Luke--who has put the angels'

protection as the last temptation--makes no mention of the

angels ministering to Jesus; and ends this pericope with

the note that indicates there is more to come from the

devil!

1b. TEXT: LUKE 4:1-13

ESV:

4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.’”
9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to guard you,’ 11 and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Greek:
1Ἰησοῦς δὲ πλήρης πνεύματος ἁγίου ὑπέστρεψεν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, καὶ ἤγετο ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ 2ἡμέρας τεσσεράκοντα πειραζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου. καὶ οὐκ ἔφαγεν οὐδὲν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, καὶ συντελεσθεισῶν αὐτῶν ἐπείνασεν. 3Εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ διάβολος, Εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰπὲ τῷ λίθῳ τούτῳ ἵνα γένηται ἄρτος. 4καὶ ἀπεκρίθη πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Γέγραπται ὅτι Οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος. 5Καὶ ἀναγαγὼν αὐτὸν ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ πάσας τὰς βασιλείας τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐν στιγμῇ χρόνου: 6καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ διάβολος, Σοὶ δώσω τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην ἅπασαν καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἐμοὶ παραδέδοται καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν θέλω δίδωμι αὐτήν: 7σὺ οὖν ἐὰν προσκυνήσῃς ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ, ἔσται σοῦ πᾶσα. 8καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Γέγραπται, Κύριον τὸν θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις. 9Ἤγαγεν δὲ αὐτὸν εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἔστησεν ἐπὶ τὸ πτερύγιον τοῦ ἱεροῦ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, βάλε σεαυτὸν ἐντεῦθεν κάτω: 10γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι Τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ ἐντελεῖται περὶ σοῦ τοῦ διαφυλάξαι σε, 11καὶ ὅτι Ἐπὶ χειρῶν ἀροῦσίν σε μήποτε προσκόψῃς πρὸς λίθον τὸν πόδα σου. 12καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι Εἴρηται, Οὐκ ἐκπειράσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου. 13Καὶ συντελέσας πάντα πειρασμὸν ὁ διάβολος ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἄχρι καιροῦ.

Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition © 1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;
The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition © 1975, United Bible Societies, London



2. ANALYSIS: LUKE 4:1-13



1-2 Iesous de pleires pneumatos hagiou - This

describes in two sentences (RSV) the time Jesus spent in

the wilderness. Not only was he full of the Holy Spirit,

but he was led by the Spirit throughout the wilderness

time. Schweizer suggests that those who are possessed by

the Spirit are most vulnerable to temptation. Mark

suggests that Jesus was driven by the Spirit. The forty

days may be a standard literary device to make the

unconscious connection with the commonly known religious

stories of trial and judgment: the Exodus and the Noah

story. Note that Luke uses the noun "diabolon" throughout

his pericope, for the evil one, rather than the proper

noun. Also there is a hint that the temptations may come

at the end of the wilderness fast, for "when they were

ended, he was hungry." After this statement Luke

describes the temptation to satisfy hunger.





3-4 Eipen de auto ho diabolos - This is the first

temptation. At first reading it seems to be a temptation

to satisfy a physical need--hunger. But the first phrase

is a direct challenge to Jesus's identity and mission.

Vincent Taylor's work on the Names of Jesus places much

significance on the titles given to Jesus. In this case,

the devil uses the title Son of God. In both OT and NT

precedent, this is a title given to someone who has the

power to reveal God. This use of the title can be seen as

the challenge of evil to God.



Note the stylistic formula denoting Jesus' response

according to the RSV:

"And Jesus answered (apekrithei) him." NIV simply says:

"Jesus answered." But the words in the Greek NT are not

exactly the same in all three responses: Verses 4, 8 and

12. Jesus' response is a quote from the manna story

(Deuteronomy 8:3b), and certainly the literary connection

is made between this event and the provision of manna in

the wilderness.


5-8 Kai anagagon auon edeixen auo pasas tas basileias

teis oikoumeneis - The Second temptation does not begin

with a challenge to God but puts Jesus in the World. It

is here that the devil appears to have control and the

ability to give something to Jesus, for a price. "in a

moment of time" is an interesting phrase, that must be a

standard idiomatic expression. Jesus' response is the

Creed of Judaism: The Shema.







9-12 epi to pterugion - The Third temptation combines

the tactics of the two previous temptations: It places

Jesus in a precarious position, and it challenges his

identity. Furthermore, the devil also quotes scripture.

This also places Jesus in the "religious" setting, i.e. at

the Temple. This is at once both a lofty challenge, yet

almost ludicrous in its absurdity.

These three temptations not only represent rather

traditional challenges of evil to God, there is in Luke's

version a powerful, yet subtle, building of the momentum

and power of the temptations. In the first temptation it

is the devil and Jesus' hunger that depict a personal

struggle. The second temptation involves the whole world,

and the devil's presumed ownership. The third temptation

uses a religious context, and all the challenges to

identity, and even Jesus' method of quoting scripture, for

an issue of personal safety.








13 ho diabolos apeste ap autou archi kairou - Luke

gives the impression that every kind of temptation has

been tried on Jesus, but that the devil has not yet given

up. For the devil there is a "kairos," just as there is a

"kairos" for God, Jesus and God's people.




3. STRATEGY: LUKE 4:1-13



In the classical homiletical style of a generation

ago, this text is perfect! It is complete with

Introduction (tell them what you are going to tell them),

three main points (tell them), and conclusion (tell them

what you told them). Probably each one of us would do

well to preach this style of sermon at least once on this

text. But it is full of many other possibilities that

cannot be overlooked.



This text describes what it means to be "driven." In

Jesus' case, he is driven by the Holy Spirit. This would

provide an entry point for dialog with "type A"

personalities, and possibly open up the pitfalls of such a

personality type. Most of the time we characterize "type

A's" with a subtle negativity; but here is the opportunity

to affirm and to connect in a meaningful and theological

manner.



A second issue that this text raises is the matter of

identity. Jesus has to prove he is God, and to prove

himself in the face of evil. Do we have to prove we are

good mothers by making certain that our children always

have what they want to eat? Do we have to prove we are

good fathers by giving our children everything they could

ever ask for?



Do we have to prove our authority by ordering a secretary

to bring a cup of coffee, or to pick up our laundry?



A third way of approaching this text would be to look

at the redundant phrases as common punctuation or starting

expressions. "And Jesus Answered, It is Written..." How

do we react when confronted by the challenges of

life--challenges that will detract us from our mission, or

even destroy our effectiveness?



A fourth way of dealing with this text is to take the

devil's stance. What things would most easily attract

someone away from their purpose in life? The preacher

could even write some letters in the manner of C.S.Lewis.



John Killinger says each temptation was "extremely

basic to human nature." (page 31) The temptations were

"for bread, for glory and for religious certainty." (page

32) A fifth way of dealing with this text would be to

select the most basic or commonly expressed needs in your

specific community and do a l980's version of the story.

For some it might be a lifetime contract for employment, a

stated recognition factor (a month's vacation after 10

years, a silver watch after 25 years, and a gold ring

after 50 years), and having the company president know you

and always call you by your first name and ask about your

family.









4. REFERENCES: LUKE 4:1-13



Schweizer, Eduard. THE GOOD NEWS ACCORDING TO LUKE.

John Knox Press, Atlanta. l984.



Taylor, Vincent. THE NAMES OF JESUS. MacMillan,

London. 1954.



Killinger, John. A DEVOTIONAL GUIDE TO LUKE. The

Gospel of Contagious Joy. Word Books, Waco. 1980.



Luecke, Richard. VIOLENT SLEEP; Notes Toward the Development of

Sermons for the Modern City. Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1969.



Craddock, Fred. PREACHING. Abingdon Press, Nashville. 1985.


5. WORSHIP SUGGESTIONS: LUKE 4:1-13



Hymn: "O Lord, Throughout these forty days" (HB

142, LBW 99) sets the theme in a traditional mode.



Hymn: "Breathe on me, Breath of God" (HB 508, LBW

488) could well be used in reference to the "Filled by

the Spirit" theme.



I cannot overlook the rich possibilities in the other

lessons: Psalm 91 describes the confidence of one "filled with the

Spirit". Deuteronomy 26: 5-10 "The Wandering Aramean"

passage describes the test of the people of God.

Romans 10:8bff again picks up the theme of filling of the person

by the Spirit of God, and the subsequent confidence it produces.





Exegete: Dale I. Gregoriew, D.Min., a graduate of Princeton Seminary, continues as pastor of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Allen, Texas. He was sworn in on August 8, 2001, as chaplain of the Allen Police Department. He served for three years as associate chaplain before this promotion.























Lexegete © 2010

Tischrede Software

Dartmouth, MA 02747-1925

http://yourobdtsvt.blogspot.com

__________________________________________________

Transfiguration of Our Lord

Transfiguration of Our Lord • Epiphany Last • 2-14-10 • Exodus 34:29-35
Ps. 99 (9) • 2 Cor. 3:12–4:2 • Lk. 9:28-36 [37-43a]


Prayer of the Day

Holy God, mighty and immortal, you are beyond our knowing, yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Transform us into the likeness of your Son, who renewed our humanity so that we may share in his divinity, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.


SERMON: " White-Out" | Advent Lutheran, Middleboro, Massachusetts


It was an unforgettable experience that day in 1966. You might say I was in my glory, because I was skiing Squaw Valley ...and at that point in my life skiing was sheer joy. I was alone, like a surfer splashing through waves in the ocean, except that it was a sea of billowing, deep white powder snow in the High Sierra, far above Lake Tahoe. It wasn’t very cold, but the wind whipped across the deep snow, digging deep, icy cold drifts. There was only one trail up there I hadn’t explored, and so I thought I would give it a try. As I got aboard the chairlift I could barely see the red parka of the skier in a chair twenty yards ahead of me. It was late afternoon, but the sky seemed neither light nor dark, but filled with hug flakes of snow. The wooden chair slowly coiled its way to the top of the mountain and I looked back but could see non one behind me on the lift. Now and then I could hear shouts below me on the trail, but then they disappeared and I was clearly all alone at 10,000 ft.
As I slid down the ramp, I tried to find my way through the falling snow. But suddenly I was blind. I could not see a thing, and now I felt more alone than ever. It was far worse than being in a darkened closet. The natural reaction when you can’t see is to open your eyes wider, but it was of no use. That only made things worse. This was what is known and respected in the mountains as a white-out, and as far as I was concerned it was just as fearful as an avalanche. My eyes were no help to me at all, so I finally closed them and tried to sidestep down the steep summit trail. Like a bat in a cave, I had no idea where I was going except what I could tell from listening to the wind, hoping to hear another skier, praying I would not slam into a tree, fearing that I might lose my way somewhere in the foods far from any sort of help.

Amazingly, I could find the center of the trail by paying attention to my sense of balance and the downward pull of the slope, known as the fall line. It was slow and nerve-wracking because i knew the sun was shining brightly somewhere out there beyond the blizzard. Just then someone in a red parka bumped up against me and we both began to make out the sound of others below us in the same dilemma. Suddenly, like the switch of mighty lightbulb, the snow lifted and real sunlight filtered down through the trees. the sky now seemed as clear and pure as I have ever seen it before or since, and tinted a bright green by my temporary blindness. The ground seemed as firm and receptive as if one had been at sea for weeks, and the feeling of relief and sanctuary and joy was indescribable.

That day I learned that light alone is not enough for seeing. A light that shines on us in the darkness is one thing, but a light that blinds or over-powers us with its brilliance is another. The light that is clear and pure and strong cannot be overpowered or turned into darkness. The light that lifts us up from darkness is the true light, which came down from heaven, and it leads to safety and deliverance, even though we ourselves may at times find ourselves blinded by this same true light.

Life is not so simple that we can break it down into particles that are all positive or all negative, all good or evil. Life is never so black-and-white. Indeed, it seems as if it is more often the gray areas of inconsistency and moral uncertainty that give us trouble. Here is where we most often lose our way or even become unable to see the alternatives before us--perhaps because today there are so many of them. And God’s answer is to send us the true light, which can help us even though we are blinded by its glory, a light that can guide us even when we feel alone or helpless or lost. How does God do all this? By flipping a giant switch in our lives? No. By bringing us an abstract idea of Perfection and Goodness? Never. God does it by bringing Godness down-to-earth, to us and down to our size in a human child. This is how God chooses to penetrate our darkness, our blindness, our white-out. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

“God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” -- II Cor. 4:6 (ESV)

It is this amazing grace which has touched all of our lives. But be careful, lest you imagine that God has given us this gift only in order to prove his love. Christ comes as the incarnation of love, not as its Proof. Love is something you give, not something you prove. And it is this very capacity for love in each of us that it most Godly and Divine, when we see it in its true light. Then we recognize what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God. Until we see that, well, we might just as well be snowblind in a whiteout. Perhaps we reveal our own blindness when we expect God to prove his love for us. Someone told me she liked the Bible because it was full of proof of God’s love: proof like miracles or curing the sick and lame, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind.

But this is backwards theology. Jesus never cured to prove. The Bible was not written to provide proof for our doubting nature, and Jesus was unmoved by such controversies. He cured where faith was present, or because he simply chose to heal this one or that one in the depth of their need. The miracles are there, but that’s not why the faith is there. The faith was in Him and the good news he preached. Maybe the real miracle is that so many went on trusting in him in spite of the fact that they remained blind or lame or lost or in prison or alone. And many still do.

Christ came unrecognized, except by a few scruffy shepherds and kooky astrologers, and he remained unaccepted for the most part. Few in the ancient world recognized the glory of God in him. Greeks in those days were proud of their philosophy and wisdom--why should they care about a Jewish baby? And Jews awaited a strong deliverer who would come in power to save them--why should they care about a carpenter’s child? Romans sat secure in their world domination, or so they thought. Athens...Rome... Jerusalem, each one looked to its own source of purpose and life and light. But only to those who accepted this Gift, who recognized God’s love in his Son, to these God gave a glimpse of his eternal glory.

I said that I was in my glory that day in the High Sierra 44 years ago, caught in the blinding light of a white-out. But that isn’t quite right. The real glimpse of glory was in discovering that I was not alone, after all...that safety and sanctuary were really not that far away from me. The glory descended in clear, broad daylight, full of comfort and joy. My prayer is that each of you may discover that same glory in the coming year...finding God’s love and care in some down-to-earth time and place in your life...that you may see with an inner vision that the true light is at hand, full of grace and truth.


AMEN.

+ T R A N S F I G U R A T I O N + 2010 +

LEXEGETE™ | YEAR C | St. LUKE
__________________________________

Transfiguration of Our Lord
Last Sunday after Epiphany
February 14, 2010
Exodus 34:29-35
Psalm 99 (9)
2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2
Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a] [37-43a]

Prayer of the Day

Holy God, mighty and immortal, you are beyond our knowing, yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Transform us into the likeness of your Son, who renewed our humanity so that we may share in his divinity, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. This is my | Son, my Chosen,
lis- | ten to him! Alleluia. (Luke 9:35)



1a. CONTEXT: Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a]


The story of the Transfiguration of Jesus is found in

all the synoptic gospels and records the intense religious

experience of the three disciples Peter, James and John.

In all three accounts it follows the confession of Peter

and marks the transition from Jesus' preaching in Galilee

to his mission in Jerusalem.



Luke's transfiguration story places Jesus at the

summit of the prophetic and messianic expectations of his

age. The story is not incidental to Luke's gospel, nor an

example of synoptic coincidence. Luke's account, though

essentially similar to the versions of Matthew and Mark,

illumines the true power in Jesus' healing, teaching and

law-giving, and foreshadows the weakness of his followers,

who seem to be drowsy at crucial moments. The vision of

the three disciples is a turning point in Luke's gospel.

On the mountaintop Jesus' Galilean ministry is seen by the

light of Jewish hopes and the road ahead to Jerusalem is

first illumined.



Peter, John and James wake up to see Elijah and Moses

with Jesus, but alert readers of Luke's gospel might well

have been prepared for their appearance. The story of the

feeding of the 5,000 with loaves of bread and fish invokes

a miraculous feeding story of Elijah's in 2 Kings 4:42 and

Moses' feeding of the tribes in the wilderness. At the

beginning of chapter 9 Luke uses Herod to introduce these

associations. Jesus' activities had given rise to reports

that either John the Baptist had been raised, or that

Elijah or one of the prophets had appeared, and Herod

confesses a curiousity. "John I beheaded; but who is this

about whom I hear such things?" (Luke 9:9). Jesus,

according to Luke, asks who the people say he is.





The disciples report the titles Herod had also

heard: John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets.

Peter shares Herod's doubt concerning these but goes

beyond curiousity to conviction. He confesses that Jesus

is "the Christ of God." Now with John and James, Peter

will see Jesus' true identity in the vision of the

transfiguration.





1a. TEXT: Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a]

GREEK:

28Ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους ὡσεὶ ἡμέραι ὀκτὼ [καὶ] παραλαβὼν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ Ἰάκωβον ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος προσεύξασθαι. 29καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ προσεύχεσθαι αὐτὸν τὸ εἶδος τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἕτερον καὶ ὁ ἱματισμὸς αὐτοῦ λευκὸς ἐξαστράπτων. 30καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες δύο συνελάλουν αὐτῷ, οἵτινες ἦσαν Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας, 31οἳ ὀφθέντες ἐν δόξῃ ἔλεγον τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτοῦ ἣν ἤμελλεν πληροῦν ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ. 32ὁ δὲ Πέτρος καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ ἦσαν βεβαρημένοι ὕπνῳ: διαγρηγορήσαντες δὲ εἶδον τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς δύο ἄνδρας τοὺς συνεστῶτας αὐτῷ. 33καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ διαχωρίζεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἀπ∍ αὐτοῦ εἶπεν ὁ Πέτρος πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν, Ἐπιστάτα, καλόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς ὧδε εἶναι, καὶ ποιήσωμεν σκηνὰς τρεῖς, μίαν σοὶ καὶ μίαν Μωϋσεῖ καὶ μίαν Ἠλίᾳ, μὴ εἰδὼς ὃ λέγει. 34ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ἐγένετο νεφέλη καὶ ἐπεσκίαζεν αὐτούς: ἐφοβήθησαν δὲ ἐν τῷ εἰσελθεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν νεφέλην. 35καὶ φωνὴ ἐγένετο ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης λέγουσα, Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἐκλελεγμένος, αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε. 36καὶ ἐν τῷ γενέσθαι τὴν φωνὴν εὑρέθη Ἰησοῦς μόνος. καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐσίγησαν καὶ οὐδενὶ ἀπήγγειλαν ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις οὐδὲν ὧν ἑώρακαν. [ 37Ἐγένετο δὲ τῇ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ κατελθόντων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους συνήντησεν αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολύς. 38καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου ἐβόησεν λέγων, Διδάσκαλε, δέομαί σου ἐπιβλέψαι ἐπὶ τὸν υἱόν μου, ὅτι μονογενής μοί ἐστιν, 39καὶ ἰδοὺ πνεῦμα λαμβάνει αὐτόν, καὶ ἐξαίφνης κράζει, καὶ σπαράσσει αὐτὸν μετὰ ἀφροῦ καὶ μόγις ἀποχωρεῖ ἀπ∍ αὐτοῦ συντρῖβον αὐτόν: 40καὶ ἐδεήθην τῶν μαθητῶν σου ἵνα ἐκβάλωσιν αὐτό, καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν. 41ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, ω γενεὰ ἄπιστος καὶ διεστραμμένη, ἕως πότε ἔσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ ἀνέξομαι ὑμῶν; προσάγαγε ὧδε τὸν υἱόν σου. 42ἔτι δὲ προσερχομένου αὐτοῦ ἔρρηξεν αὐτὸν τὸ δαιμόνιον καὶ συνεσπάραξεν: ἐπετίμησεν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ, καὶ ἰάσατο τὸν παῖδα καὶ ἀπέδωκεν αὐτὸν τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ. 43ἐξεπλήσσοντο δὲ πάντες ἐπὶ τῇ μεγαλειότητι τοῦ θεοῦ. Πάντων δὲ θαυμαζόντων ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἐποίει εἶπεν πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ,

Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition
© 1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;

The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition
© 1975, United Bible Societies, London

ESV:
28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, [1] which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; [2] listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

[ 37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. 40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus [3] said to his disciples,


The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.

(1) 9:31 Greek exodus

(2) 9:35 Some manuscripts my Beloved

(3) 9:43 Greek he


2. ANALYSIS: Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a]



Luke 9:28-9 - Jesus brings Peter, John and James to

mountain in order to pray [proseuchasthai, from

proseuchomai--to offer or pour out prayer].

Throughout Luke's gospel moments of revelation occur

while Jesus is at prayer. Jesus was praying at his baptism

when the heavens opened (3:21), on the mountain before

choosing the disciples (6:12), on the Mount of Olives "as was

his custom" before his crucifixion (22:39), as well as on the

mountain of transfiguration. In this moment of prayer

the important dynamic is the communication and openness

between heaven and earth that is established in Jesus'

dialogue with God. Nothing particular is requested or

sought by Jesus. In Luke's gospel occasions of prayer

signify rather the intimacy Jesus has with God.



Luke 9:32 - Luke contrasts the intensity of Jesus'

prayer with the sleep [bebaremenoi hypno, from

bareo--weighted down with sleep] of the disciples. Their

reaction might indicate that the transfiguration took

place at night; in any case it foreshadows the sleep of

the disciples during Jesus' final night of prayer in the

Garden of Gethsemane. When the disciples waken from

their lethargy, they see Jesus in glory (doxa), speaking to

Moses and Elijah. Luke emphasizes the fact that Jesus and

his disciples are having distinct appearances of the

transfiguration. He notes the confusion of Peter who

gropes for a concrete resolution to this spiritual event.

"Let us build three booths," says Peter, who does not see

that Jesus' glory is from within and visible only to the

eyes of faith.



Luke 9:31 - Moses and Elijah have been speaking to

Jesus about the "departure" [exodos] he would fulfill in

Jerusalem. Moses speaking of Jesus' "exodus" is a prism

revealing a number of theological reflections: Jesus as

deliverer, Passover Lamb, leader, and prophet. Because

Moses and Elijah experienced suffering and rejection

before being vindicated by God, they legitimately share

with Jesus this foreshadowing of glory. Luke has already

drawn references to Moses and Elijah in the feeding

miracle, their symbolization of the "Law and the Prophets"

now establishes a new relationship between the "old" and

the "new" in the teaching of Jesus. In Luke this

encounter between the old and the new, heaven and earth,

suffering and exaltation, is the moment of glory [doxa].

It is beheld first by the disciple who made the

confession: "You are the Christ" and began to "see"

through the eyes of faith.





3. STRATEGY: Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a]



The story of the transfiguration of Jesus

provides wonderful material for reflection on the theme of

Christian growth. One might revive the "nature versus

nurture" controversy to demonstrate two seemingly

opposed theories of faith development. Luke might at first

seem to support the view that faith is born of momentous

experiences, that Christians need to point to a time of

revelation, or conviction. On closer scrutiny, Luke

gives ample cues that this mountaintop experience of the

disciples is to be interpreted in the context of Jewish

history and hopes, in the ongoing teaching and testifying

of the disciples, and in the slow path of the cross. The

mountain is a vantage point from which roads coming and

going can be seen.



Another direction to take in preparing a sermon on

this text could be to examine the role of prayer in the

life of a Christian. Luke is careful to distinguish

different kinds of prayer, and believers would do well to

note that not all prayer involves a relationship of asking

and receivingl. Moments of prayer during Jesus' ministry

establish and nurture his intimacy with God, his

continuity with the history of the Jewish people, and

his identity as Savior.



Exegete – The Rev. Maria Erling, ThD, is Associate Professor of the History of Christianity in North America and Global Missions at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, PA.






4. REFERENCES: Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a]



For a concise discussion of the transfiguration in Luke, and indeed an excellent

brief overview of the entire gospel, see O.C. Edwards, Jr.

LUKE'S STORY OF JESUS. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986.

Edwards is Professor of Preaching at Seabury-Western

Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, and a LEXEGETE™ contributor.






5. MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: Luke 9:28-36 [37-43a]


Two texts set to the Gregorian Chant "Adoro Te Devote"

are appropriate for this day: THEE WE ADORE O HIDDEN

SAVIOR (LBW 199), and ETERNAL SPIRIT OF THE LIVING CHRIST (HB

698, LBW 441).



A hymn focusesd on the theme of prayer is LORD, TEACH US HOW TO PRAY ARIGHT (LBW 438).



On the Transfiguration itself, HOW GOOD, LORD, TO BE HERE (LBW 89)

is suitable, especially the third stanza which sums up this day as follows:


" Fulfiller of the past and hope of things to be,

we hail your body glorified and our redemption see."



Others which apply to this occasion include:

CHRIST UPON THE MOUNTAIN PEAK (HB 129/130)

O LIGHT OF LIGHT (HB 133/4)

O WONDROUS TYPE, O VISION FAIR (HB 136/7, LBW 80)

CHRIST, WHOSE GLORY FILLS THE SKIES (HB 6/7)

WHEN MORNING GILDS THE SKIES (HB 427)













____________________________________


Lexegete™

© 2010 Tischrede Software
Dartmouth, MA 02747-1925

www.yourobdtsvt.blogspot.com

_____________________________

+ E P I P H A N Y FOUR Yr C + AD 2010 +

Lexegete™ | Year C | St. Luke

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
January 31, 2010 (Lectionary 4)

Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-6 (6)
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30

Prayer of the Day

Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. You shall go to all to | whom I send you.
Do not be afraid, for | I am with you. Alleluia. (Jer. 1:7, 8)
________________________________

1a. CONTEXT: Luke 4:21-30

This reading follows closely upon the preceding one.

It's placement here is dependent upon the temptation

story. As is well known, Luke's order for the temptation

differs from that of Mark and Matthew. In the

temptations are to create bread, to rule the world, and to

leap from the temple. In other words, has tempted to be

relevant, to be powerful and to be spectacular. refuses

all three temptations and thereby redefines the meaning of

being the Son of God. But it has been demonstrated that

also has demonstrate that he can do each of the things

Satan as tempted him to do. He can escape harm, he can

show power, and he can provide food. works this out

using chiasmus. The first element is in this passage.

angers the crowd, they are on the verge of killing him

[Lk. 4:29], but "passing through the midst of them he went

away." [An Incl. Lang. Lectionary, AILL] He escapes

certain death, not with angels "bear(ing) him up," but

nevertheless an escape. He completes the chiasmus by

demonstrating power over Satan in the man with the unclean

spirit and in Capernaum, and finally by the miraculous

catch of fish. Thus to those who appreciate a fine

story, and some irony, demonstrates that is the Messiah,

on his own terms.



This reading obviously makes the theme of rejection

absolutely clear. In order that there appear to be no

confusion of Jesus' part as to where he stands Elijah and

Elisha are mentioned. The expectation for the return of

Elijah at the end of the age makes him a natural in any

Gospel. Here the point is that even the prophet most

venerated by Israel, spurned Israel at a crucial point.


1b. TEXT: Luke 4:21-30

ESV:

21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?”

23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.”

24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,

26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

27 And there were many lepers [1] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.

29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.

30 But passing through their midst, he went away.
______________________________________________

[1] 4:27 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13


The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by
Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.



Greek:

21ἤρξατο δὲ λέγειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι Σήμερον πεπλήρωται ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ὑμῶν.

22Καὶ πάντες ἐμαρτύρουν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐθαύμαζον ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις τῆς χάριτος τοῖς ἐκπορευομένοις ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔλεγον, Οὐχὶ υἱός ἐστιν Ἰωσὴφ οὗτος;

23καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς, Πάντως ἐρεῖτέ μοι τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην: Ἰατρέ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν: ὅσα ἠκούσαμεν γενόμενα εἰς τὴν Καφαρναοὺμ ποίησον καὶ ὧδε ἐν τῇ πατρίδι σου.

24εἶπεν δέ, Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς προφήτης δεκτός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ.

25ἐπ∍ ἀληθείας δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, πολλαὶ χῆραι ἦσαν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἠλίου ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, ὅτε ἐκλείσθη ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐπὶ ἔτη τρία καὶ μῆνας ἕξ, ὡς ἐγένετο λιμὸς μέγας ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν,

26καὶ πρὸς οὐδεμίαν αὐτῶν ἐπέμφθη Ἠλίας εἰ μὴ εἰς Σάρεπτα τῆς Σιδωνίας πρὸς γυναῖκα χήραν.

27καὶ πολλοὶ λεπροὶ ἦσαν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ Ἐλισαίου τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἐκαθαρίσθη εἰ μὴ Ναιμὰν ὁ Σύρος.

28καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν πάντες θυμοῦ ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ ἀκούοντες ταῦτα,

29καὶ ἀναστάντες ἐξέβαλον αὐτὸν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἤγαγον αὐτὸν ἕως ὀφρύος τοῦ ὄρους ἐφ∍ οὗ ἡ πόλις ᾠκοδόμητο αὐτῶν, ὥστε κατακρημνίσαι αὐτόν:

30αὐτὸς δὲ διελθὼν διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν ἐπορεύετο.

Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition © 1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;

The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition © 1975, United Bible Societies, London


2. ANALYSIS: Luke 4:21-30

The theme of prophet-outsider is continued in . The

use of outsiders in the tales of Elijah and Elisha did not

mean that God had rejected Israel, only that his concerns

were also with those who were not of Israel. The hope was

that Israel would be called back to faithfulness. Thus a

widow [ a type representing dependency upon God] and a

righteous nobleman are the outsider individuals in the Elijah/Elisha

cycle. In 7 heals the slave of the centurion and

remarks "not even in Israel have I found such faith," and

at Acts 10:11 there is the story of Peter and Cornelius.

The point is that God is free to act in new ways. Israel,

and her expectations, cannot bind him. The force however

is not to point to an ultimate rejection of Israel, the

outsiders are used to call Israel to be what she can be.

The hope is that Israel will be reunited with the church.

Remember that one of Luke's problems is the problem of

Jewish rejection of as the Messiah.



The rejection begins in verse 22 where we can feel

the mood change. The crowd moves from staring in wonder

at one of their own to anger at the presumption of one of

their own lecturing them and claiming to be a prophet.

heightens the drama making rejection the only possible

outcome.





3. STRATEGY: 4:21-30



The force of the passage is that the concept of an

acceptable prophet is an oxymoron. The choice goes back

to Joshua 24, "choose this day whom you will serve." By

walking through the crowd demonstrated that he was not

powerless, his time was not yet. In so doing he also

demonstrates that the crucifixion is not a triumph over

him. It was his time and place.



This passage presents the preacher with the

opportunity to demonstrate that is not simply a

collection of isolated stories, but that had a plan.

Congregations are fascinated by chiasmus. It helps

explain the problems with chronology and geography

enabling the preacher to demonstrate that such details

were servants to the message wished to proclaim.


Closely related to the theme of rejection is the

theme of election. angered his audience by stating

metaphorically that election extended beyond the Jews.

The tradition carries forward a battle within Judaism

begun just after the exile.



The voices of Haggai, Zechariah, Nehemiah and Ezra call

for Israel to purify itself and wall itself off from the

world. Foreign wives are to be set aside, proselytism

stops, and the people look inward. The minority report

calling for Israel to continue to involve itself in the

world was filed away and ignored.


We know the minority report as the books of Ruth and

Jonah. Read back into holy history they demonstrate

that, in Ruth, David is dependent upon Moabites for his

very existence, and in Jonah, that even the historically

despised enemy, Assyria, was God's creation. Jesus'

sense of foreigners begin the elect renews this battle and

challenges those who hear it to look outside themselves.



Someone once said that the only trouble with the

concept of purgatory is that we try and run it from this

side. This holds true for election,too. From this side we do

best if we treat everyone as elect and not draw lines.

We can do this only if we are aware of the tenuous nature

of our own election and aware that our very existence

is summed up in the Rabbinical Parable of God's

morning prayer. As the parable goes, each

morning God prays "May my attributes of mercy outweigh my

attributes of justice."







4. REFERENCES: 4:21-30



Juel, Donald. LUKE-ACTS, THE PROMISE OF HISTORY.

Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1983.

Miesner, Donald R. "The Circumferential Speeches of
Luke-Acts: Patterns and Purpose," in SOCIETY OF BIBLICAL
LITERATURE 1978 SEMINAR PAPERS, Vol. II, ed. by Paul Achtemeier. Missoula, Montana: Scholars Press, 1978, pp. 223-238.
[This seldom-cited article is an excellent resource for understanding
the role of chiasmus in this and other texts in Luke-Acts .]




5. HYMN SUGGESTIONS: Epiphany Four, Year C

LOOK FROM YOUR SPHERE OF ENDLESS DAY ( HB 402)

HOPE OF THE WORLD, CHRIST OF GREAT COMPASSION (HB 493)

GOD OF GRACE AND GOD OF GLORY ( ELW 705, HB 415)

SPREAD O SPREAD, ALMIGHTY WORD (ELW 663, HB 530)

YOU ARE THE WAY, TO YOU ALONE (ELW 758, HB 457)

AND, IF NOT USED PREVIOUSLY THIS SEASON:

SONGS OF THANKFULNESS AND PRAISE (ELW 310, HB 90)

O LOVE, HOW DEEP, HOW BROAD, HOW HIGH (ELW 322, HB 448/9)

IF THE THEME OF "PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF" IS FOLLOWED:

O CHRIST, THE HEALER, WE HAVE COME ( ELW 610, 360)

HEALER OF OUR EVERY ILL (ELW 612)

THERE IS A BALM IN GILEAD (ELW 614)

WE COME TO YOU FOR HEALING, LORD (ELW 617)

O GOD, WHOSE WILL IS LIFE AND GOOD ( HB 435)

O SON OF GOD, IN GALILEE ( HB 426)


Exegete - Peter R. Powell, who has a degree in Chemical Engineering (NCSU ’70), earned his MDiv at Virginia Theol. Seminary and has recently retired as CEO of the Interfaith Housing Alliance of Westport, CT ( http://www.ihawestport.com/ ) .










Presentation of Our Lord
February 2, 2010
Malachi 3:1-4
Psalm 84 (1) or Psalm 24:7-10 (7)
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40

Prayer of the Day
Almighty and ever-living God, your only-begotten Son was presented this day in the temple. May we be presented to you with clean and pure hearts by the same Jesus Christ, our great high priest, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. My eyes have seen | your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence | of all peoples. Alleluia. (Luke 2:30-31)






_______________________________________



LEXEGETE

© 2010 Tischrede Software

Dartmouth,MA 02747-1925

http://yourobdtsvt.blogspot.com


_______________________________________

+ E P I P H A N Y THREE, Yr C + AD 2010 +

Lexegete™ | Year C | St. Luke

_______________________________________________________

Third Sunday after Epiphany

January 24, 2010 (Lectionary 3)

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19 (7)
1 Corinthains 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21

Prayer of the Day

Blessed Lord God, you have caused the holy scriptures to be written for the nourishment of your people. Grant that we may hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that, comforted by your promises, we may embrace and forever hold fast to the hope of eternal life, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to bring good news | to the poor, and to proclaim release | to the captives. Alleluia. (Luke 4:18)




1a. CONTEXT: Luke 4:14-21

This breaks into two unequal parts. Verses 14 and 15 serve as the introduction to the public ministry of Jesus. They are Luke's equivalent to Mark 1:14. Therefore, the opening verses are not to be regarded as simply a segue for Luke; they serve as a chapter heading for the next major section of the Gospel.

The second part of this reading is a related and programmatic . Its programmatic nature comes from its setting major themes for Luke. The , but not our reading, extends through verse 30. It speaks of Jesus' reception upon his return to Galilee. The shape of these verses is dependent upon what immediately precedes, the temptation in the wilderness. Only in Luke is Jesus full of the Holy Spirit when he enters the wilderness, and in the power of the Spirit when he returns. His resistance to temptation is a spirit-filled resistance which shows that he is not the Messiah which Judaism expected because he has, through the spirit, resisted every attribute of a Messiah. He has refused to be Moses, to be David and to be a Zealot. The spirit-filled Jesus is now prepared for an anointing because Luke has now redefined the word Messiah. This is the last instance in the Gospel in which Jesus is led by the Spirit. After his anointing Jesus functions on his own. The spirit will return in Acts as the prominent force leading the early church. But Jesus is now fully equipped.

This must also be read in conjunction with that which follows. Taken as a whole verses 16-30 prefigure the Palm Sunday story. In both place Jesus is hailed initially, but when he proclaims a Gospel other than that which the audience wishes to hear, he is rejected. In this story his time has not yet come and he is able to escape.

But these readings pave the way for a central Lucan theme, Jesus' rejection. From the beginning the people of are not prepared to accept his radical message of freedom from bondage and Satan rather than freedom from bondage to Rome. Luke is struggling throughout with the question of, why did the Jews reject their Messiah? The answer of course is that they were not looking for a Messiah that looked, sounded and behaved like Jesus. In his Gospel he must also redefine the concept of king for gentiles since Jesus' kingship is no less a radical reinterpretation of the concept for Gentiles than it is for Jews. Of course, Luke is forced to struggle with redefining the concept of Messiah because Jesus was crucified. Had Jesus died in some other fashion, then this process of redefinition would have been unnecessary. Jesus does not claim the title of Messiah for himself, it is hung on him at his death. But having died as the Messiah, Luke sets out to redefine the term to fit the attributes Jesus did claim for himself.

The quote from 61:1,2; 58:6 is Luke's creation. It perhaps serves to underscore the theme of rejection and resistance to change. 58:6 is a call for justice and righteousness, not fasting, as the appropriate response to one's own sin. It was not a popular message for the anonymous author of 58 and does not prove to be popular in Luke's setting.


1b. TEXT: Luke 4:14-21

GREEK:

14και υπεστρεψεν ο ιησους εν τη δυναμει του πνευματος εις την γαλιλαιαν. και φημη εξηλθεν καθ ολης της περιχωρου περι αυτου. 15και αυτος εδιδασκεν εν ταις συναγωγαις αυτων, δοξαζομενος υπο παντων. 16και ηλθεν εις ναζαρα, ου ην τεθραμμενος, και εισηλθεν κατα το ειωθος αυτω εν τη ημερα των σαββατων εις την συναγωγην, και ανεστη αναγνωναι. 17και επεδοθη αυτω βιβλιον του προφητου ησαιου, και αναπτυξας το βιβλιον ευρεν τον τοπον ου ην γεγραμμενον, 18πνευμα κυριου επ εμε, ου εινεκεν εχρισεν με ευαγγελισασθαι πτωχοις, απεσταλκεν με κηρυξαι αιχμαλωτοις αφεσιν και τυφλοις αναβλεψιν, αποστειλαι τεθραυσμενους εν αφεσει, 19κηρυξαι ενιαυτον κυριου δεκτον. 20και πτυξας το βιβλιον αποδους τω υπηρετη εκαθισεν: και παντων οι οφθαλμοι εν τη συναγωγη ησαν ατενιζοντες αυτω. 21ηρξατο δε λεγειν προς αυτους οτι σημερον πεπληρωται η γραφη αυτη εν τοις ωσιν υμων.


Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition
© 1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;

The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition
© 1975, United Bible Societies, London



ESV:

Jesus Begins His Ministry

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles

2. ANALYSIS: LUKE 4:14-21

The conclusion of our reading at verse 21 is artificial. A more natural stopping place would be the inclusio formed by "Is not this Joseph's son?" which binds off the introductory comment "where he had been brought up." As is, the reading implies that what Jesus has said will be acceptable . As the next reading illustrates, and as we can anticipate, it will not be.

The reading from is loaded. The audience heard it and knew themselves to be poor, captive and oppressed. They were taxed by Rome, occupied by a foreign power, and forced to obey pagans. Their initial reaction would have been one of support for Jesus' message. But it becomes obvious that the initial message is not the heart of Jesus' message.

Instead, seeing the position of this story as being influenced by a theme similar to that of the temptation story, we must read the references to poor, captive, blind and oppressed as references to being in bondage to Satan, not to Rome.

By this time in Intertestatmental Judaism meant the poor in spirit, not exclusively the impoverished. Therefore the other attributes of the recipients of the euaggelion were also understood metaphorically. The captives and oppressed were in captivity to Satan. The blind were unable to see reality as it really is, that is to see God. This understanding is consistent with Luke's use of aphesis, "to release." Elsewhere, in 1:77, it is translated forgiveness, likewise in the story about the woman who was a sinner, 7:36-50, and also in the resurrection appearance of Luke 24:47.

aphesis as forgiveness and release from Satan, not Rome, is also consistent with Luke's understanding of Jesus' mission as stated in Acts 10:36-38. Thus Luke depicts Jesus as standing before a group anxious to hear words of rebellion against Rome, instead hearing words exhorting them to be free from Satan. They were stunned, then angered.


3. STRATEGY: Luke 4:14-21

The temptation for preachers, confronted with the reality that poor means "poor in spirit " is to preach ONLY about poverty in spirit, but this would not be true to the text. The Gospel has a preferential option for the poor, not because the poor are holier than others, but because the poor know that they can depend upon nothing other than God. This realization of absolute dependency led to the development of poor as meaning "poor in spirit." We are surrounded by examples of the poor in spirit, and those who are both poor in spirit and simply poor. It is no less true today that it was in the first century, that people are more than willing to be freed from the bondage they know about and identify, but do not wish to be free from bondages they find attractive. We each have our Rome we wish to be set free from, but often it is not the major problem. This passage provides the preacher with the opportunity to pave the way to Easter. Here we begin the process of misunderstanding Jesus and in that process participate in crucifying him along with those who in the first century actually did the deed.

The temptation which Jesus resisted was to interfere in the world and to take away our individuality, our ability to make decisions and to be important. The call which this passage presents us with is a call to recognize that we are on the journey to freedom and to finding ourselves. We are on the way to being empowered. It is much easier to not empower the poor, be they poor in spirit or in fact. It is much easier simply to take care of the poor and hope that they will be grateful. But the biblical model is to empower. That is, to set free the chains which bind and to take part in the acceptable year of the Lord.

Each week in Epiphany another aspect of God revealed in Christ makes itself known. This week emphasizes that God is on our side in the struggle against evil. The question is, are we on His?


4. REFERENCES: Luke 4:14-21

Juel, Donald. LUKE-ACTS, THE PROMISE OF HISTORY. Atlanta: Knox Press, 1983.





5. MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: Luke 4:14-21

Some appointed hymns for this day include the following:

LOOK FROM YOUR SPHERE OF ENDLESS DAY (LBW 402)
O GOD OF LIGHT, YOUR WORD, A LAMP UNFAILING (LBW 237)
HAIL TO THE LORD'S ANOINTED (LBW 380, HB 616)
THANKS TO GOD, WHOSE WORD WAS SPOKEN (HB 630)
WORD OF GOD, COME DOWN ON EARTH (HB 633)
GOD HAS SPOKEN TO HIS PEOPLE (HB 536)
GOD HAS SPOKEN BY HIS PROPHETS (LBW 238)

Of these, perhaps the most interesting is Willard Jabusch's modern interpretation of an old theme, set to a Hasidic Torah song (Yisrael V'oraita) by Richard Proulx. Since the text deals in some ways with the response to Jesus by his own people, this could be an occasion to make mention of Jewish-Christian relations and to point out that the gospel is not consistent with anti-Semitism. Perhaps it would be possible to have a church-synagogue exchange or at least have an opportunity for members of two congregations to interact or attend one another's services. Such programs, begun modestly in very small and even dwindling congregations have made a profound difference in communities where they are encouraged. Perhaps this would be the time to begin planning other opportunities for Jewish-Christian understanding during the coming Paschal season as well.












Conversion of Paul
January 25, 2010

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ends
Acts 9:1-22
Psalm 67 (3)
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 21:10-19

Prayer of the Day
O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused the light of the gospel to shine throughout the world. Grant that we may follow his example and be witnesses to the truth of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. This Jesus | God raised up,
and of that all of | us are witnesses. Alleluia. (Acts 2:32)


______________________________________________


Lexegete™

© 2009 Tischrede Software

Dartmouth, MA 02747-1925

www.yourobdtsvt.blogspot.com


________________________________________________

+ EPIPHANY TWO + Year C +

Lexegete™ | Year C | St. Luke
____________________________________

Second Sunday after Epiphany | January 17, 2010 (Lectionary 2)

Isaiah 62:1-5

Psalm 36:5-10 (8)

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

John 2:1-11

Prayer of the Day

Lord God, source of every blessing, you showed forth your glory and led many to faith by the works of your Son, who brought gladness and salvation to his people. Transform us by the Spirit of his love, that we may find our life together in him, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. Jesus re- | vealed his glory,
and his disciples be- | lieved in him. Alleluia. (John 2:11)
____________________________________

1a. CONTEXT: John 2:1-11

The fourth evangelist provides two bold assertions about the historic Jesus in the first chapter of his Gospel. The first is that He is the "unique" Son, a distinct title which expresses Jesus' filial sense of His Father's presence and which provides the energizing force of Jesus' whole life. The second and closely related assertion is that out of this unique relationship there comes a consciousness of Jesus' messianic vocation.

The fourth evangelist then goes on to relate the story of the turning of water into wine found in no other Gospel. The evangelist describes it as the first of his signs (semeion) which not only revealed the glory of his unique relationship, it also had the effect of evoking the faith of the disciples. The miracles or signs, as understood in this Gospel, are not merely signals that the Kingdom of God is at hand as they are in the Synoptic Gospels, but also clear indication that he by whom the signs are wrought is the Son of God equal to God himself.
A great number of scholars and readers of this account have raised the question whether the story is the report of an actual occurrence. The sheer quantity of wine produced toward the end of a wedding feast (120-plus gallons by one estimate) make it appear doubtful. No parallel is found in the Synoptic Gospels, but there are non-biblical stories similar in content. The Greek God Dionysius, for example, was not only the discoverer of the vine, but he was also the cause of the miraculous transformation of water into wine.

C.J. Wright of Manchester, England, once suggested that what is essential to hold in mind is the evangelist's main intention. He was endeavoring to express the transformation which the life of Jesus had achieved in His disciples and friends. Thus we can envision a possible process. The author had heard tell of a certain wedding which Jesus once attended, in which he shared, and to which occasion he added joy and completeness. He had also in mind many of the familiar sayings of Jesus such as "keeping the good wine until the end, " "the new wine in old bottles."

The evangelist had also reflected upon the meaning of the old wine of Judaism which had served well. He remembered,too, that Jesus never sought to destroy but to fulfill. Thus from out of this process eventuates the story in its present vivid narrative form. Throughout the process the author's overmastering desire is to express the unseen spiritual and moral reality manifest in Jesus. Yet it may also be that we have a real story. What is essential to comprehend is not that is simply telling us of things that Jesus once did in Palestine, but of things which he continues to do today. Wherever Jesus comes into life there comes a new quality which is ever turning water into wine.



1b. Text: John 2:1-11

Greek:


2. ANALYSIS: John 2:1-11



1Καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ γάμος ἐγένετο ἐν Κανὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ ἦν ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐκεῖ:
2ἐκλήθη δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν γάμον.
3καὶ ὑστερήσαντος οἴνου λέγει ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν, Οἶνον οὐκ ἔχουσιν.
4[καὶ] λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι; οὔπω ἥκει ἡ ὥρα μου. 5λέγει ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ τοῖς διακόνοις, Ο τι ἂν λέγῃ ὑμῖν ποιήσατε.
6ἦσαν δὲ ἐκεῖ λίθιναι ὑδρίαι ἓξ κατὰ τὸν καθαρισμὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων κείμεναι, χωροῦσαι ἀνὰ μετρητὰς δύο ἢ τρεῖς.
7λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Γεμίσατε τὰς ὑδρίας ὕδατος. καὶ ἐγέμισαν αὐτὰς ἕως ἄνω.
8καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἀντλήσατε νῦν καὶ φέρετε τῷ ἀρχιτρικλίνῳ: οἱ δὲ ἤνεγκαν.
9ὡς δὲ ἐγεύσατο ὁ ἀρχιτρίκλινος τὸ ὕδωρ οἶνον γεγενημένον, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει πόθεν ἐστίν, οἱ δὲ διάκονοι ᾔδεισαν οἱ ἠντληκότες τὸ ὕδωρ, φωνεῖ τὸν νυμφίον ὁ ἀρχιτρίκλινος
10καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος πρῶτον τὸν καλὸν οἶνον τίθησιν, καὶ ὅταν μεθυσθῶσιν τὸν ἐλάσσω: σὺ τετήρηκας τὸν καλὸν οἶνον ἕως ἄρτι.
11Ταύτην ἐποίησεν ἀρχὴν τῶν σημείων ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν Κανὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ ἐφανέρωσεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ.


Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition
© 1979, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart;

The Greek New Testament, 3rd edition
© 1975, United Bible Societies, London

ESV:

John 2:1-11 - The Wedding at Cana

2:1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.
3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. [*]
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.
9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
[*] 2:6 Greek two or three measures (metrētas); a metrētēs was about 10 gallons or 35 liters

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles



2:1 - gamos - A marriage feast was a notable event. It lasted seven days, with new guests arriving each day.


Jn. 2:1 - hei meiter tou Ieisou - The mother of Jesus is never named in this Gospel.

It was Jesus' mother who brought the information that there was no more wine. To a Jewish feast wine is essential. "Without wine," said the Rabbis," there is no joy." The evangelists does not seek to fix blame. He is not interested in why the wine has given out.

Jn. 2:4 - ti emoi kai soi, gynai - There appears to be no coldness or disrespect suggested in these words. "What have I to do with you," is an ordinary conversational phrase. William Barclay suggests that Jesus was only telling his mother to leave things to him, that he had his own way to deal with the situation.


Jn. 2:4 - oupo ekei hei hora mou - The hour of Jesus here refers to his death on the cross and his exaltation. The hour when we may expect to see the divine glory manifested in the creative activity of the Son of God has not yet come, though anticipations of it may be seen. Jesus interpreted his life not in terms of a succession of opportunities, but in terms of God's eternal purpose.


Jn. 2:6 - de ekei lithinai huoriai - There were six stone waterpots. It is conceivable, but by no means provable, that the number six is symbolic. Six being less by one than seven, the Jewish number of completeness and perfection, would indicate that the Jewish dispensation dominated by law is imperfect and must give way.


Jn 2:9f. - architriklino.... "When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, "Every one serves the good wine first; and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." (AN INCL. LANGUAGE ) - There is no real evidence that this was a custom. But it does provide an unforgettable way to stress what wants to emphasize, that the new faith based on the eschatological event is better than anything that went before it.


3. STRATEGY: John 2:1-11

The fundamental preaching task is to come to grips with a particular text as text in order that the text as Word can grasp the living of the one to whom it is addressed. Hence, the preacher's strategy must be controlled by the intention of the evangelist. The evangelist saw the miracle of the turning of the water into wine as a sign of the manifestation of God's power and presence and thus as a call to believe in the Son who holds a unique relationship to the Father.

A miracle always points beyond itself, and the effort of the preacher should be to understand but not to try to explain. Paul Tillich warned against ever applying the term miracle or mystery to something that ceases to be a mystery after it has been revealed. The ability of the Christ to respond to human need is always greater than our capacity to describe it.

The fourth evangelist has a very pronounced way of dealing with miracles or "signs." He never avoids them. Quite the opposite, he sketches them in the most bold way he can. The miracles are central and the evangelist gathers around the miracle stories all which is characteristic of the master's teachings. While there is no reason to finally believe that the author does not take them literally, he does not place the emphasis there. uses the miracles as evidence, very refreshing to his own thoughts, of Christ's continuous capacity to work related but far more extraordinary spiritual miracles.

Arthur Gossip reminds us that the point of the Cana story is to illustrate the way in which "our Lord enters people's troubles; how unbelievably he suffices in every difficulty; and above all, how he enriches things for us. What water is to wine, what the embarassing insufficiency was to the relief he wrought for his host, so is any other life compared to the fulness, color, adventure and achievement that he gives.
The preacher is always well advised to reflect upon and share his or her own experience and those reported by friends, which testify to the adequacy of Christ. Helpful, too, is a careful reading of the biographies of Christians who have made a career of trusting, such as George Mueller.

That contemporary saint, Corrie Ten Boom, who learned even in one of Hitler's concentration camps what it means to trust, wrote: "Often I have heard people say, 'How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at this lovely weather!' Yes, God is good when he sends good weather. But God is also good when he allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp. I remember on one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. 'No,Corrie,' said Betsie, 'He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.' " Corrie concludes, there is an ocean of God's love available--there is plenty for everyone. May God grant never to doubt that victorious love, whatever the circumstances."

Lexegete: John Stadtlander, ThD †

4. REFERENCES

Juel, Donald. LUKE-ACTS: THE PROMISE OF HISTORY. Atlanta: Knox, 1983.

Ten Boom, Corrie. THE HIDING PLACE. Waco,TX: Word, 1973.


5. MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: John 2:1-11

Hymns reflecting the situation and message of this text include the following:


ALL PRAISE TO YOU, O LORD ( HB 138, LBW 58)
SONGS OF THANKFULNESS AND PRAISE (HB 135, ELW 310)
WHEN CHRIST'S APPEARING WAS MADE KNOWN (HB 131/2, LBW 85)
FROM GOD CHRIST'S DEITY CAME FORTH (HB 443)

Others which might fit with the exegetical STRATEGY above include:

O WORD OF GOD INCARNATE (HB 632, ELW 514)
THE ONLY SON FROM HEAVEN (ELW 309)
JESUS, PRICELESS TREASURE (ELW 775)

And, for Holy Communion, the following are suggested:

THIS IS THE HOUR OF BANQUET AND OF SONG (HB 316/7) DECK THYSELF WITH JOY AND GLADNESS (LBW 224, HB 339) NOW THE SILENCE (HB 333,LBW 205)

Confession of Peter • January 18, 2010

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins

Acts 4:8-13

Psalm 18:1-6, 16-19 (2, 3)

1 Corinthians 10:1-5

Matthew 16:13-19

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, you inspired Simon Peter to confess Jesus as the Messiah and Son of the living God. Keep your church firm on the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace it may proclaim one truth and follow one Lord, your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea | and Samaria,

and to the ends | of the earth. Alleluia. (Acts 1:8)

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