Tumbledown Farm .9 Acres (give or take an acre or two)

A bit of "table talk" by Jesus in Luke 7 sets up three points of contrast: an ungracious host (showing how little forgiveness he has received), a woman whose love for Jesus shows (prior to the fact) how much forgiveness she is open to receiving, and Jesus our guest. (Brendan Byrne, The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke's Gospel, Liturgical Press) Who knew that hospitality is such a yard stick (measuring cup) for forgiveness?

But before we turn to the Gospel of Luke, we pause for a moment to consider the Psalmist's cry of desperation.
Psalm 5:1-8The Psalmist begins with a prayer for attention, which moves from a plea for God to take the earplugs out and turn to face the supplicant ("give ear") to a plea for God to take enough interest in what is being said that the prayer will register on the divine radar. The psalmist wants God to listen with understanding and discernment, to distinguish (binah) the individual words, phrases, and sentences so that sounds of the supplicant's prayer will be intelligible to God. The psalmist wants God to understand the prayer, not merely to hear the sound of praying.
The psalmist's prayer is characterized as a cry for help by someone who has been hurt. (shewa`; the root occurs 11 times in the book of Job and 10 times in the Psalms, but only rarely elsewhere.) Such cries of distress have a purpose and that purpose is to summon a strong helper, a hero. In this case the hero is God, who is envisioned in his role as king. (A warrior and defender; someone with great power; if the king cannot help, who will be able?)



Scroll to 3:11 for the relevant section.

Even though I'm president of the United States, my power is not limitless, so I can't dive down there and plug the hole. I can't suck it up with a straw. All I can do is make sure that I put honest, hard-working smart people in place ... to implement this thing.(President Barack Obama)
What sorts of things, other than oil spills, merit such a cry? The need for mercy (from a judge; Psalm 28), the need for healing (Psalm 30), and the need to be found or located (e.g., when lost at sea; Psalm 31), among others.



(Image source, http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/37650809/ns/sports-othersports/)
Photo: 16-year-old, Abby Sunderland, in her wrecked sailboat, Wild Eyes. She is now on a French fishing vessel, which rescued her half way between Australia and the coast of Africa. She spent two days without communication and sent out distress signals before she was rescued.

The Psalmist ends on the same theme we will see soon in the gospel reading, the one who has been saved from much also loves much. Gratitude is the hallmark of the life saved.


Luke 7:36-8:3

It helps first to remember the Roman setting of Jesus' party invitation. Often we make unfounded assumptions that can be dispelled with a few images, imaginative reconstructions of the Roman triclinium, the arrangements of the three couches, the placement of the table, the open end from which food would have been served.


(Image source, http://library.thinkquest.org/22866/Dutch/Plaatjes/aanlig2.gif)


(Image source, http://www.forumromanum.org/life/johnston180.jpg)




(Image source, http://www.forumromanum.org/life/johnston179.jpg)

306. The places on each couch were named in the same way, (locus) summus, medius, and īmus, denoted respectively by the figures 1, 2, and 3 in Figure 179. The person who occupied the place numbered 1 was said to be above (super, suprā) the person to his right, while the person occupying the middle place (2) was above the person on his right and below (īnfrā) the one on his left. The place of honor on the lectus summus was that numbered 1, and the corresponding place (1) on the lectus īmus was taken by the host. To the most distinguished guest, however, was given the place on the lectus medius marked 3; this place was called by the special name locus cōnsulāris, because if a consul was present, it was always assigned to him. It was next to the place of the host, and, besides, was especially convenient for a public official; if he found it necessary to receive or send a message during the dinner, he could communicate with the messenger without so much as turning on his elbow.(Johnson's Private Life of the Romans)

Roman dinners were social events, with guests. We too often forget in this age of home theaters that home entertainment in the Roman world was of necessity live entertainment. There was music and dancing. ("`We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'" Luke 7:32, NIB) There was recitation of written work, poetry and speeches, plays and the "good" parts of the best tragedies and comedies. And there was Jesus. He could be counted on for a miracle, a sign or good work, an exorcism, a good parable, a provocative statement, or something else altogether unexpected. You have to wonder from all the dinner invitations he received whether Jesus was considered by some of the rich folks of his day as just another form of entertainment. ("The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'" Luke 7:34, NRSV) For a good description, see the Wikipedia article on Roman cuisine, table culture

So, Jesus received yet another invitation to dinner, this time from a Pharisee. He accepted, Luke says, taking his place (which one?) and reclining with the other guests at the table. (Luke 7:36) About that time a woman who has heard that Jesus will be reclining on that couch at dinner in the Pharisee's house shows up with an alabaster bottle of ointment or perfume (muron) she has bought for the occasion. It is strongly aromatic, often used for anointing dead bodies (Luke 23:56).

The Expensive Stuff

(Image source, http://www.christies.com/lotfinderimages/d49742/d4974297x.jpg)


The Cheap Stuff

(Image source, http://www.jerusalem-antiquities.com/images/Roman%20Glass%20Perfume%20Jar6.jpg)

The woman with her alabaster jar walked into the room in full view of the guests and made her way around the table until she stood behind Jesus. There she took her stand, weeping, and began to shower his feet, drenching them with her tears. She was wiping them dry with her hair. And she was kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume.

The host, taking it all in, says to himself, "He's no prophet! Or he would know what sort of woman is touching him (7:39, hapto, most often of people "grabbing" Jesus, hoping he will "touch" and heal them: e.g., Luke 5:13; 6:19; 7:14; 8:16, 44-47; 11:33; 15:8; 18:15; and 22:51). This is nothing new or out of the ordinary to Jesus. People in need are always grabbing for him. Parents are always bringing their babies to him so that he may touch them. But this woman's a sinner! (harmotolos, see 5:30, 32) Jesus was always being accused of fraternizing with sinners and publicans by the Pharisees; yet, whose table is he sharing today?

Jesus turns to his host and says, "Simon, I have something to say to you." Now we get to glimpse the guise under which Jesus has been invited, because Simon responds, "Go ahead, teacher!" (didaskalos)

Jesus offers an after-dinner parable:

(Image source, http://newportricheyflforeclosures.com/images/forecloserichie.jpg)


(Image source, http://housesforeclosure.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bungalow.jpg)

A man who owed (chreopheiletai $500,000 and a man who owed $50,000 both had their loans re-negotiated with the bank (see Luke 16:5). (charizomai, generously, graciously, forgave and pardoned.) Now neither man owes anything, both have unblemished credit scores, and both can keep their houses. Tell me, which will love the banker more?

Jesus replies, "You judge correctly." (Similar to the way the Psalmist prays that God will hear and understand his prayer.) Then Jesus convicts Simon: "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave (didomi, echoing the inability of the debtors to "repay," apodidomi, their obligation) me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair." (NRSV, Luke 7:44) Jesus continues enumerating the host's many obligations, a kiss and oil for his head, which Simon had failed to perform. Her many sins have been forgiven, for she loves much. ...and then he trails off, ...but the one who has been forgiven little loves little.

Perhaps the most astonishing thing about the story is the order in which the statements occur. Jesus makes the declarative (objectively real) statement to Simon that the woman's sins have been (perfect! / past) forgiven before he turns to the woman and informs her (subjectively real) that her sins are (now) forgiven (perfect!).

(Image source, http://test.huntmuseum.com/qzty2o/2276.jpg)


(Image source, http://www.carlos.emory.edu/files/05classic05L.jpg)

The other guests are flabbergasted, asking, as will often be the case with Jesus, "who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus, not missing a beat, says to the woman that it is her faith that has saved her. Her love for Jesus is an expression of the depth of that faith. Her love is deeper, it seems, than the love of Simon, and so is her faith.

How deep is my love?

How much faith do I have?

If our mission is to be/make disciples (it is), we must examine carefully those things that may impede our mission and get in the way of extending help and hospitality. One of those things is fear. Sometimes we fear the angry responses that we may receive from hurting people. But sometimes we also fear our own inadequacy and inability, worrying that we may only make matters worse if we try to help. Because we do not know and cannot know always the full impact of our attempts to help, we may be tempted to avoid those people who are hurting. Instead, we must focus first on meeting the needs of the people whom God sends our way; putting them first--before our fear--is akin to putting Christ first. We must overcome any negative (-) response in ourselves and any fear of a negative response from those whom we would help, so that God's help and grace can triumph (+) over our fear and over the bitterness of hurting people.

I Kings 17:8-24Crying Bitter Tears

The bitter question that a grieving widow and mother asks Elijah is the sort of response we sometimes fear from those in pain whom we would like to help. The woman is understandably bitter and angry. She had been prepared to lose her son to famine when the prophet of God (the man of God, 'ish ha'elohim) had first appeared (I Kings 17:12). The prophet--without invitation--had offered her help and a promise: "thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth." (NRSV, I Kings 17:14) That promise must have seemed like salvation to her, especially when the jar of meal and the jug of oil did not run out after the first day and the second and the third. Her confidence, hope, and faith grew. She began to trust the Word of the Lord and the words of the prophet (I Kings 17:16). Now a fate worse than dying with her son suddenly confronts her. The widow's son has died; she must live on alone, so she lashes out at the prophet: "What did I ever do to you, that you come here and expose my sin to kill my son?" (I Kings 17:18) Elijah, instead of taking offense or meeting her bitterness with his own bitterness, takes her son compassionately into his arms and calls out to God on her behalf. Life reenters the boy and new life animates the widow, who says "now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth ['emet, trustworthy]." (NRSV, I Kings 17:24)

Galatians 1:11-24Resisting Grace, Hissing and Scratching at Jesus

We read again, now from Galatians instead of Acts (9:1-20, Third Sunday of Easter), about Saul's persecution of the followers of the Way and his remarkable conversion. One of my favorite images of Saul the Persecutor is from Fred B. Craddock's sermon, "Praying Through Clenched Teeth" (Twentieth Century Pulpit, Vol. II; also available in Eugene Lowry's How to Preach a Parable).

(Image source, http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SqirN5cE9sg/SGSmvtRmXtI/AAAAAAAAA18/FZFZa4mD9KM/s400/angry_cat.jpg)

The image of Saul (or Paul) presented there is of a wounded animal hissing and striking out at the hand that would save it. Craddock concludes his sermon like this:
Not too long ago God reached out his hand to bless me and my family. When he did, I looked at his hand; it was covered with scratches. Such is the hand of love, extended to those who are bitter.

(Image, "Crucified Hands," © Copyright 2005 by Debbie Rockey. All rights reserved.)

The "revelation of Jesus Christ" (apokalypsis, Galatians 1:12) of which Paul speaks in Galatians is the means by which he received the gospel (euangelion, good news, Galatians 1:11) that he now preaches. As Paul puts it, the new thing that happened on the Damascus road was that God revealed "his Son to [or in] me." (Galatians 1:16) Jesus is now the source and the content of Paul's preaching. But at the precise moment of that revelation, Jesus was unwelcome to Saul. The good news was resisted. Saul was still hissing and scratching and striking out against Jesus (persecuting [kath' hyperbalen 'ediokon] and trying to destroy ['eporthoun] the church; Galatians 1:13, 1:23). Craddock suggests that Paul's overreaction (kath' hyperbalen) to the good news of Jesus was a result of the threat Paul perceived to the-world-as-he-knew-it (Judaism), including his understanding of who God is and what God requires. The gospel threatened Saul's sense of self, his core identity, because it showed that the things in life that Saul most avidly pursued were in truth non-essentials (Galatians 1:14). For that reason, Saul struck out. But God persisted for Paul's own sake, and for the sake of the revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and for the sake of creating a church among the gentiles (Galatians 1:16).

Luke 7:11-17Showing Mercy with Courage and with Gracious Abandon

As Jesus nears the gates of Nain, he encounters a burial detail removing a corpse from town. It is not just any corpse, but a widow's "only begotten" (monogenes; see Luke 8:42 and 9:38) son who has died. All children are unique, special, and irreplaceable. The loss of an only child to a parent whose childbearing years are over simply underscores and emphasizes the bitterness of such a loss with terrible loneliness and finality. It is right to concentrate on Luke's concatenation of specific descriptors, especially the pairing of a "widow's (kai 'auten en chera) only begotten." It is to this situation in which a woman is left without both husband and son (e.g., Naomi; Ruth 1:5) that Jesus responds with deep compassion (splagchnizomai, like Pharaoh's daughter does as she rescues a crying baby Moses from the Nile basket, Exodus 2:6). In Proverbs 17:5, the LXX adds a contrasting line after the two negative statements that are in the Hebrew text: "Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished" (NRSV, following the Hebrew) "and the one who shows compassion (episplagchnizomai) will receive mercy" (LXX). Compassion and mercy go together. That is why compassion is forbidden at the destruction of the temple in Ezekiel 24:15-24; until chastisement is over, there is no mercy (and also, therefore, no compassion). Compassion includes the promise of concrete help (e.g., by the Ziphites to Saul when he is chasing David, 1 Samuel 23:21; ironically not shown by Saul at any time to David). This verb for compassion is only used by Luke again at 10:33 (the Good Samaritan) and 15:20 (the father for his Prodigal Son). This should not come as a great shock to those who are familiar with the Lukan narrative.

Jesus tells the widow not to weep (me klaie), an imperative repeated in the NT only at Revelation 5:5 to John, who had begun to despair that the scroll could not be opened. The root occurs, of course, in the Sermon on the Plain. (Luke 6:21, "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.") It occurs twice more in Luke 7, in the enigmatic saying at 7:32 and in 7:38 with the sinner woman who stood behind Jesus weeping, washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair.

At issue throughout this chapter is the identity of Jesus as a Great Prophet (Luke 7:16, 7:22, 7:39). His response to the widow from Nain and the sinner woman are woven of the same cloth: forgiveness and healing, resurrection and salvation.

Is success a sign for us? Moses is told that the arrival of the Hebrew people at the mountain again (his return to the same place with them) for worship will be a sign that God had sent him on his mission to deliver the Israelite captives from Egypt. What are our after-the-fact signs that God has sent us on our mission? What is the sign that we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews)? Is it our unity? (John 17)

Exodus 3:1-12One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is the one where Moses encounters the bush "that burns but is not consumed." The classic scene portrays Moses with his sheep near Mount Horeb, catching sight of the burning bush: immediately Moses is both attracted to the sight and a little apprehensive.

(Image source, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/CofSBurningBushLogo.JPG)

[Both the the Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the roots of our own Scotch-Irish Presbyterian churches in the USA, have in their seals and logos this burning bush. It is a symbol of the kirk. The motto of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is Ardens sed Virens, "burning but flourishing."]

(Image source, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/Pci_burningbush.PNG)

(Image source, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8a/Presbyterian_church_in_ireland_logo.png)

Perhaps Moses knew the reputation of the place. After all, this was Mt. Horeb, "the mountain of God." Perhaps Moses experienced something like the attraction that children in an old black and white haunted house movie do, who peer through the wrought-iron fence toward an old house that exercises their imaginations. They pass the ever-growing reputation of the place back and forth among themselves in whispers, while daring one another to trespass onto the estate and perhaps even to spend a whole night inside the house. Sooner or later, they see a light shining in a window or out on the grounds, and they are drawn reluctantly but inexorably inside.

(Image source, http://www.cyberhomes.com/CONTENT/Libraries/Blog_Pictures/Haunted_House.sflb)

While Moses has been inspecting the attractive-repulsive phenomenon of the burning bush, God has also been taking stock of Moses. And when Moses gets close enough, God calls out to remind Moses to mind his manners. Moses is not in his own home; he's at God's place. But God's invitation also means that Moses has finally arrived back at home; until now, in Pharaoh's court and in Egypt, Moses has not felt at home or connected to family. Now he is welcomed with a gesture of familiarity and a certain amount of intimacy. Taking off your shoes as a guest in someone else's home meant both that you honored your host--that you would follow the host's rules while you were in their home, receiving their hospitality--but also that you felt comfortable enough (un-threatened, at ease) to accept the familiarity and intimacy of removing your footwear and leaving it at the door.

(Image source, http://wordincarnate.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/burning_bush.jpg)

The more usual scene in classical artwork has Moses closer to the bush, engaged with God, but with his sandals removed and his face covered/shielded, and/or his eyes averted from looking directly at God.

(Image source, http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/2008/07/01-07/shoes-ath-001.JPG)

For weeks now we've been talking about the need for hospitality--both receiving and offering hospitality--for life as a disciple of Jesus. Today, somewhat unexpectedly, the first thing we run into is another sign of the importance God attaches to what we might consider small acts of welcome and respect. The invitation to take off your shoes is at once both a sign of respect for God's holiness (no need to track up God's floor with the accumulated dirt of our living) and an invitation to make ourselves at home. It is a small act of intimacy (something that strangers, the uninvited, and the unwelcome are not invited to do) that shows respect for someone else's home.

(Image source, http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/la/102709shoes-01.jpg)

Although Moses would appear to be alone at Mt. Horeb, enjoying a one-on-one visit with God at home--this friendly, cozy scene is disrupted by the return of a vision shared between God and Moses of "the misery" of Hebrew slaves in Egypt, making bricks for the Pharaoh.

(Image source, http://www.mitchellteachers.net/WorldHistory/AncientEgyptNearEastUnit/Images/EgyptDailyLife/AncientEgyptDailyLifeHousingPic_large.jpg)

(Image source, http://www.bible.ca/archeology/archeology-TT100-tomb-of-rekhmire-vizier-thutmosisIII-hebrews-making-mud-bricks-thebes-luxor.jpg)

God comes quickly to the point of the visit:
I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." (Exodus 3:7-10, NRSV)

In other words, God wants to bring his people home to himself and to Canaan.

Moses objects strenuously. He agrees that the work needs to be done, but he objects to the idea that he, Moses, is qualified to do it. (Exodus 3:11) He anticipates that the Israelites will be reluctant to follow. (Exodus 4:1) Moses recognizes his own lack of eloquence. (Exodus 4:10) He even asks God to send someone else. (Exodus 4:13)

God responds directly to each of Moses' objections, providing assurance that the mission is indeed possible with God's help. Though much could be said about each of these assurances, I want to focus on one that most often gets overlooked, the assurance in the interim that he is on the right track, that he has indeed heard the Word of the Lord. That assurance comes as a promise that Moses will return to this very place, and when he does he will not return alone.

(Image source, http://awtravelogues.com/RegionsOfTheWorld/MiddleEast/Exodus%20Photos/MtSinaiValley.jpg)

In other words, God's house, Mt. Horeb, is a place very much on-the-way and in-between slavery in Egypt and life in Canaan. It is an oasis, a way station, a half-way house. It is not Canaan, their final destination, a land "flowing with milk and honey." But it is the mountain of God, Mt. Horeb; it is the place of burning bush and flourishing people. It is a place of escape and regrouping for the next part of their journey with God. They will stay for a little while at the very spot where the burning bush once stood, so that Moses and the people may be reassured that God is the author of their journey and the one who will bring them safely to its conclusion.
Hebrews 12:18-29
The writer of the book of Hebrews refers directly to the Exodus experience. The scene is one of modern worship and service with our shoes off, our eyes averted, and our faces hid from the presence of God. The writer of Hebrews (a preacher of long sermons) compares his readers (listeners) favorably to the Hebrews of the Exodus, but he also notes a significant difference. The burning bush and smoking mountain were physical realities at Mt. Horeb (the intermediate mountain, the mountain on-the-way to the promised land) in the Old Testament. The mountain to which we repair (come) is symbolized as Mt. Zion (the final destination, the promised land). This mountain is not physical, it is invisible. But the God we serve is no less alive than the fire that burned in the bush, and Jesus still offers himself to us, even from his place of ascension (heaven). It we refuse this offer, our world will be shaken. All that we know and cherish is temporal, fading, and subject to entropy. It will soon be gone. The only thing that will remain is his kingdom and our investment in it by his grace. So, heed the call to find those places near to Mt. Zion, places of acceptance, thanksgiving, offering, worship, reverence and awe. For our God too is a consuming fire.

John 17:20-26
Jesus prays for a different kind of proximity to God--and different signs of mission success--for his followers. Instead of returning to camp near a holy mountain (either Horeb or Zion), Jesus prays that his disciples will take up permanent residence "in" God and God take up residence "in" them. He prays that they may immerse themselves completely in this Burning-Fire-of-a-God through the passion of their love for one another. By doing this, they become the holy mountain and the burning bush for others, creating a holy place known as "unity" toward which others are attracted to see this strange sight.

Acts 11:1–18Peter's Defense

Peter, who is back "home" in Jerusalem with his friends and relatives, the other "apostles" and the "circumcised believers," now has to defend his actions in baptizing and welcoming Cornelius, a centurion, to the Way. Luke is careful to describe Cornelius as an "upright" and "God-fearing" person, but the only characteristic of Cornelius that the Jewish church leaders can see is that he is "uncircumcised," and therefore "unclean." The real question for Peter is, "Why did you eat with them?" (Acts 11:2)

Peter, whose temporary address "in Joppa, with Simon the tanner by the sea" we discussed last week,

© Copyright 2010 by Debbie Rockey. Peter at Simon the Tanner's House, Acts 9:43. Image rights available ($2.50) for church use.

takes his friends through the journey step-by-step. Like a scientist or mathematician explaining a complicated formula or a coach diagramming a complicated play, Peter recounts the journey from Dorcas to Simon's house to the house of Cornelius. He tells how he was praying (he leaves out the part this time about being up on Simon the Tanner's roof and hungry) when he fell into a trance and saw a vision.

© Copyright 2010 by Debbie Rockey. Peter's Vision of a Large Sheet, filled with unclean animals, four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds of the air, Acts 10:11. Image rights available ($2.50) for church use.

One of the details that stands out in Acts 10 (and in the shortened re-telling in Acts 11) is Luke's focused attention on hospitality:

• Arrival of the Needy. Acts 10:17 (retold in 11:11). "Real men" don't ask for directions, especially when they can just follow their noses! But these men, who were sent (apestalmenoi) by Cornelius, arrive at the right place by asking about the location of the house. These ambassadors arrive "at the gate" (pulona, Greek; Vulgate, ianua, door; see Luke 16:20, where Lazarus is laid at the "gate" of Dives).

  
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  Their arrival on the threshold demands a response of hospitality.
  

• Multiplication of Hospitality: The Power of Exponential Growth. Acts 10:22-23 (retold in 11:13).
  --Summoning a Good-News-Speaker. Cornelius is instructed by an angel to "send for" Peter. (metapempo, a compound used only by Luke in the New Testament, also used of Felix summoning Paul to "listen to him speak about faith in Christ," Acts 24:24.) Cornelius brings Peter "into his house" (something done also by Jairus to Jesus in Luke 8:41), so that Cornelius may hear what Peter has to say (rhemata para sou). The Greek word rhema, like the Hebrew word dabar, may take on specialized meanings according to context. The basic meaning is "word, saying, expression, or statement of any kind" (BDAG), but it can mean prophecy, prediction, commandment (as in the Ten Commandments, "words"). In this case it probably means preaching or teaching. It appears in some well known sayings, such as "Nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37, more woodenly and literally translated: "For every word [rhema, thing] will not be impossible with God.") In other words, what God says is true, and comes true (Luke 1:38, 2:15, 17, 19, etc.). Divine words spoken will be realized. Divine words will become real things, events, objects, matter--just as the world itself was "spoken" or commanded into existence.

  
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  --The Recipient of Hospitality Offers Hospitality. Peter, a guest himself with Simon the Tanner, offers the new arrivals hospitality--which will also be reciprocated by Cornelius when Peter arrives at his house. Luke tells us first that Peter is "staying with" (xenizo, receiving hospitality from, being entertained as a guest by) Simon the Tanner (Acts 10:6; also 10:32). Then, as we've said, that the men asked if this is the house where Peter is "staying" (Acts 10:18). And, finally, that Peter invites the men to "stay" with him at Simon the Tanner's house. (Acts 10:23) Luke uses this word xenizo advisedly. Luke is pointing out that Peter is staying as a "stranger" in Simon the Tanner's house, and that Peter is entertaining people he has not previously met in the house of someone he does not know. What's more, Peter will speak words that are "strangers" to their ears, as Paul did to the people of Athens in the Areopagus (Acts 17:19-20).

  
  (Image source, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23580/23580-h/images/illus373.jpg)

  According to Luke, Peter and Simon the Tanner and Cornelius are all heeding the as-yet-unwritten admonition of the writer of the book of Hebrews: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2, NRSV)
  

• Entertaining Angels, literally! Acts 10:30 At first glance this verse has no other import (as if it needed any more) than to indicated the means by which (a divine messenger) Cornelius was directed to Peter. However, the messenger's "fine clothes" (en estheti lampra) are an indicator of high social class, wealth, and prominence. We know that Cornelius, a Roman centurion, will welcome someone who is well-dressed to his home, but will he also welcome Peter, whose clothes still reek of Simon the Tanner's profession?
  My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favouritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-4, NIB)The whole of James 2 is a condemnation of any sort of favoritism. Favoritism negates the good of our hospitality as a demonstration of faith. So the question becomes whether Cornelius will take the angel's advice to seek out Peter, a man he doesn't know, whose address at the smelly home of Simon the Tanner who lives by the sea. (Acts 10:32)
  
• Responding Well by Doing Good and Being Present. Acts 10:33. Cornelius commends Peter (kalos epoiesas, "you did well") for making the right choice to respond to the summons and demonstrates his own response both in sending for Peter and in gathering his house (enopion theou, "before God") to hear the strange words that Peter brings ("whatever the Lord has commanded you to say," panta + prostasso).
  
• Staying. Acts 10:48. The sort of work that is done by the rhema has both its immediate results (reception, initiation, baptism) and its longer-term effects. God's initiative in this sequence of events is clear to Peter, in the vision of the lowered sheet, in the knock of strangers at the door, in the visit of an angel to Cornelius, in the receptivity of Cornelius and his family to the Word of faith, and in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit "just as on us at first." For the Word to take root and grow in Cornelius and his family, however, Peter cannot be a "hit and run evangelist." Peter must remain ("abide") for a few days with these new gentile disciples, eating and drinking with them. The work begun is too important to leave immediately. Peter is an instrument of the word proclaimed, it is God who has begun and will complete this good work in them.
  

John 13:31–35, 36-38

The scene is the table for the Lord's Supper after communion is over (bread mostly eaten, cup mostly empty), Judas is leaving or has just left to betray Jesus. Jesus gives the disciples a "new" commandment that they love one another just as he has loved them. He promises that this love will be their identifying mark as disciples of Jesus in the world. The shadow of the cross of Jesus falls heavily in anticipation across the scene. It falls across Jesus and the disciples, including Peter. (Peter vows that he will follow Jesus to the death. Jesus' response makes me wonder whether we can relate the three times Peter denied to the three times the sheet was lowered and the three men who arrive at the same moment from Cornelius' house.) The scene of the foot-washing is a preview of the sort of sacrifice required to form the sort of community God desires, full of the sort of love that engenders hospitality for the stranger and fellowship without partiality. The growth of the kingdom is based on this deep love, hospitality and fellowship.

Peter Greenaway has created a 'son et lumiere' of Leonardo's Last Supper, http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/arts-reviews/leonardos-last-supper/2009/10/12/1255195742166.html?page=fullpage. (Image source, http://images.theage.com.au/ftage/ffximage/2009/10/14/supper_narrowweb__300x446,0.jpg)

Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. Who is my neighbor? My neighbor is the stranger who offers me hospitality in his stinky house, the people who show up on my doorstep, people with whom I have major disagreements and minor squabbles, people whom I cannot stand but for the grace of God. In order for the wind (Spirit) to continue blowing as it did at first, love must continue strong among the disciples of Jesus.

Hospitality is a 2-way street. Those who would learn hospitality must learn to accept hospitality with grace from unlikely candidates in unlikely places. The "house of a tanner" is perhaps the least likely place for "particular" Peter to lay his head for a little while, but in this instance the "house of a tanner" is in fact the Good Shepherd's sheep fold.

John 10:22–30Jesus and the Gentiles: Those "Other" Sheep

John gives a very specific time and place reference here. The when is winter. There may even be snow falling (rarely) as Jesus walks along the porch among the "gentile" God-fearers who seek to offer prayer and financial contributions, to be part of the action near the center of the Jerusalem sacrificial cultus, perhaps within sight of the smoke rising from the altar for burnt offerings. Jesus has followers, walking along behind or in front of him like a small flock of sheep, perhaps carrying and leading lambs of their own, or pigeons and turtle doves for sacrifice. The "Festival of the Dedication" (10:22) to which they have all come is the feast commemorating the re-dedication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus (1 Maccabees 4:36-59) in 164 B.C. after the defeat of the Seleucids (Syrian Greeks). The eight-day celebration marked a joyous end to the humiliation of gentile rule over Jerusalem and its temple, removing the disgrace that had cast a shadow over the altar and replacing shame with gladness. The festival is still known by its Hebrew name today, Hanukkah, and is still celebrated by Jews the world over (not just in Jerusalem) in December.

© Copyright 2010 by Debbie Rockey. Jesus in the Temple Portico in Solomon's Colonnade in Winter, John 10:22-23. Image rights available ($2.50) for church use.

John also tells us where Jesus was, specifically. He was in Solomon's Colonnade (aka, the "Portico of Solomon" or "Solomon's Porch"), a covered walkway along the perimeter of the courtyard of the gentiles, on the east side of the temple. Whatever else we may say about the location and its specificity, we should remember these things about Jesus and his relation to the nations (gentiles), especially the Greeks and Romans:

• Jesus came as the "light" of the world, especially the light to the gentiles (John 8:12, 9:5; Matthew 4:15ff. quoting Isaiah 9:1; Luke 2:32).
  
• Jesus came to bring justice and hope to the nations (gentiles; Matthew 12:18, 21).
  
• In Jerusalem, Jesus would be handed over to the gentiles for execution (Mark 10:33; Matthew 20:18-19).
  
• Jesus expects the love and welcome that his disciples extend to their enemies (e.g., the Seleucids, or the Greeks and Romans) to go beyond that of the gentiles (Matthew 5:41; the same goes for their praying, Matthew 6:7; and their concern for livelihood, Matthew 6:32).
  
• Jesus expects his followers to become servants, not lords, following the pattern that Jesus set in contrast to the pattern adopted by the nations (or "gentiles," Mark 10:42 // Matthew 20:25 // Luke 22:25).
  

Perhaps there is a thread connecting this pericope with the "parable" that comes in 10:1-6 and 10:7-18, especially in the contrast between Jesus (the Good Shepherd, but also the sacrificial lamb in 10:11ff.) and the thief or "bandit" (Greek lestes) of 10:1. If it is true that the anti-Roman revolutionaries of Jesus' day were known as "bandits," then Jesus may be making a contrast between their way and his way of gathering and protecting the flock. (There is almost certainly also a connection between the reference here and Jesus' famous line about the temple: "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves" [lestes], Matthew 21:13, KJV.) Moreover, if the "other sheep" of 10:16 are the gentiles and the "hired hands" are the Jewish leaders (see Jeremiah 23:1-6 and Ezekiel 34:1-24), then it is surely significant that Jesus chooses "Solomon's Porch" in the courtyard of the gentiles during the "Festival of the Dedication" to claim unity with the Father and to tacitly acknowledge his identity as the Christ. One greater than Judas Maccabeus is here, but his relationship with the nations (gentiles) will be far different and lastingly (eternally) effective. Oddly enough, in John and for John's reader, the sheep need protection from the Jewish leaders far more than from the supposed threat of the gentiles.

Peter at the Tanners': Staying for a While, Preparing to Welcome CorneliusActs 9:36–43

With the identity and conversion of Saul of Tarsus, aka Paul (Acts 13:9) the Apostle to the Gentiles, now on the record (last week, Acts 7:54-8:3 and 9:1-30), Luke turns in earnest toward an account of the arrival of the gospel in the home of a gentile named Cornelius. But first, the unlikely bearer of the first ray of Good News to the gentiles must stop at the house of a tanner.

© Copyright 2010 by Debbie Rockey. Peter at Simon the Tanner's House, Acts 9:43. Image rights available ($2.50) for church use.

It is probably no coincidence that the only other time we hear of this Tanner guy (or any other tanner, for that matter) in the New Testament is in the immediately adjacent story of the Peter's summons to the house of Cornelius. It serves as Peter's "address" in Joppa, the "house of Simon the tanner by the sea" (Acts 10:6 and 10:32), but it seems to me that, given the "contents" of the vision, Luke is injecting both a sense of humor and a significant theological point.

But to get the point, we need to know more about the Tanners and their cousins, the Glovers. The Tanner surname "is an ancient Anglo-Saxon occupational surname for someone employed as a tanner of animal skins and hides." In other words, Tanners come from the tanning, an important skill and first step in the manufacture (back when manufacture still meant "hand work") of everyday items: waterskins, bags, boats, armor (especially shields, but also greaves and bracers), quivers, scabbards, boots and shoes (or sandals), belts, gloves (for protection, gardening, etc.), hats (let's not get started with the supposed connection between "hatters" and madness), aprons, harness, saddles, and tethers and ties, straps and strops of all sorts. The English derivation of the name is from the Olde English pre 7th Century tannere, from the Late Latin tannarius, which was reinforced by the Old French verb taneor, introduced by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066. The ultimate derivation is thought to be from an ancient Celtic word for the oak (tree), whose bark was used in the tanning process.(Source, http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Tanner") Is it any wonder then that Simon the tanner's house is "by the sea"? In ancient history, tanning was considered a noxious or "odiferous trade" and relegated to the outskirts of town, amongst the poor. Indeed, tanning by ancient methods is so foul smelling that tanneries are still isolated from those towns today where the old methods are used.(Source, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanning) It was the "combination of urine, animal feces and decaying flesh that made ancient tanneries so odiferous."

(Image source, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Leather_tanning%2C_Fes.jpg)

If you add to this description of tanning the fact that most ancient manufacturers, including the "clothes washers" (or "fullers," who used urine instead of soap to loosen the dirt from the clothes) of ancient Rome, lived above or alongside their place of employment, then you'll understand why Peter is having trouble sleeping. And why he is dreaming of large sheets being lowered with all kinds of unclean animals on them. (Acts 10:9-23)

Peter is "enjoying" the hospitality of a Tanner.

© Copyright 2010 by Debbie Rockey. Peter's Vision of a Large Sheet, filled with unclean animals, four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds of the air, Acts 10:11. Image rights available ($2.50) for church use.

Peter is stepping outside his "comfort zone" as the gospel moves westward (in addition to northward, last week, to Damascus) outside the confines of Jerusalem. Peter's first stop, the thing that brings him to Joppa, is innocuous enough (if death can be innocuous). A woman named Tabitha (Greek, Dorcas), a counterpart to Stephen the Spirit-filled deacon, has died. Her name means "gazelle" (an even-toed ruminant, a clean animal) and she is clearly one of the chosen sheep. Hearing that Peter is in the area, the followers of the Way summon him to attend her "memorial service" and to hear a recounting of Dorcas' good deeds. She is given the name "disciple" (mathetria, the feminine form of the Greek word, only here in the New Testament). Tabitha (Greek, Dorcas) is, like Stephen, one who cares for widows. Peter raises her from the dead and the miracle draws attention, as one might expect, which keeps Peter unexpectedly (providentially?) pinned for a while in Joppa, accepting the hospitality of a Tanner. There is, as we said, good humor here. We do not have a stinky corpse (no 4-day Lazarus here), but the place where Peter is staying stinks (literally!!!) and Peter has to be holding his nose while he sleeps, eats, etc. at Simon's house. In order to learn how to extend hospitality to the gentile Cornelius, Peter must take the first step in learning to accept hospitality from a Tanner. We too must accept the hospitality of those sheep who are not of this sheep fold, so that we may hear the call of Christ to extend the reach of the gospel to those who are "unclean."

Saul, before he becomes Paul, is one bad dude, an anti-Christian. In order to complete the work that has been begun by Saul's transformation into Paul by an encounter (Theophany or Christophany) with the risen Jesus, the church and its leaders must with courage and forgiveness welcome the transformed Saul to the table, much as Jesus welcomed Simon aka Peter to breakfast after Peter's denial.

Acts 9:1-20The Murdering Visitor

Saul was still "breathing threats" and murder against the disciples (mathetes) of the Lord. (Acts 7:58-8:3) Saul was on the wrong side in the conflict early on, at the stoning of Stephen.




(Image source, http://www.stainedglassphotography.com/Galleries/Tiffany/Tiffany_UCCMontclair_The_Stoning_of_Stephen.jpg)

He moves quickly from mere "witness"--garment guard or coat check--at a stoning, taking on ever greater involvement and an ever more active role. Saul starts quickly down a terrible path of destruction, first simply by "taking pleasure in" the "elimination" of Stephen (suneudokeo, approving or taking pleasure; see Jesus' "woe" to those who witness and approve the killing of the prophets in Luke 11:48; also anairesis, "removal" by murder). Soon Saul is breaking into homes, terrorizing families, and abducting both men and women (suro, dragging away; paradidomi, handing over [same word for betrayal, by Judas of Jesus] to prison). In Acts 4:29 already, even before the stoning of Stephen, we hear the disciples praying for courage in the face of such threats against their lives. It is poetic justice, or ironic, that the one who bound and imprisoned disciples who were followers of the Way will soon enough himself be bound and imprisoned as a disciple of Jesus (e.g., Acts 22:29). Saul is aligned in his behavior against the disciples with both Judas (betrayal) and Barabbas (murder, phonos; Mark 15:7, Luke 23:19, 25). Saul's murderous intent (and very likely also "success" at murderous action) is not portrayed as a tragic mistake of circumstance, a one-time slip. Saul is not a victim of police entrapment. As Jesus says (Matthew 15:19, Mark 7:21) and as Paul will affirm (Romans 1:29), murder comes straight from the murderous heart. Saul, however he may have viewed his own actions, is not a commandment keeper.




(Image Source, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Stoning_St_Stephen_Saint-Etienne-du-Mont.jpg)

The kind of atrocity in which Saul participated is still known to us today, the victims are now called The Disappeared, e.g., in Argentina (Project Disappeared; see the Wikipedia article on "forced disappearance," which is now recognized as a crime against humanity by the International Criminal Court, without a statute of limitations.

We are all quite aware of the "conversion" of Saul on the road to Damascus. (Which we should be, since Luke recounts it three times with slight variation in Acts 9, 22, and 26.) We know from hundreds of paintings and Sunday School drawings that Saul is caught up short, stopped in his tracks, floored by the lightning flashes of a heavenly spotlight.




(Image source, http://www.wga.hu/art/m/michelan/2paintin/4paul1.jpg)


Fallen to the ground, Saul hears a voice asking "Why are you pursuing [persecuting, dioko] me?" After inquiring as to the identity of the one who is speaking to him, Saul receives the classic response that God thunders from out of a theophany ("I am," ego eimi), but with Jesus as the predicate nominative: "I am Jesus." Moreover, the voice adds a personal note: "I am Jesus, whom you are pursuing [persecuting, the double entendre cannot but assert itself]." In other words, Saul has caught that which he did not know he was seeking. His "sir" is his Lord. Perhaps it is saying too much to say that those who persecute the church are really, but ignorantly, pursuing Christ in their destruction of his body. Maybe. But the prayer of Stephen (and Jesus) seems apropos: forgive him [Saul], he's ignorant. His blindness at the encounter with the risen and ascended Christ is only the latest symbol of Saul's real situation. The other details--Saul's three day fast and the like--point to his sharing the sufferings (with the pattern of death, burial, resurrection) of the one whom he was persecuting.

Though much has often been made--and for good reason--about brave Ananias, the disciple who hears and obeys the commandment from the Lord to "Go!" to Saul, what are we to make of the equally important person named Judas? We know his name and his address on Straight Street in Damascus, and we know that he is a man of hospitality.




(Image source, http://images.travelpod.com/users/juliank/middle-east-07.1196012340.straight-streetx-damascus-old-city.jpg)



Judas welcomes this murderer into his house; he provides shelter and eventually provides food, and perhaps even the pool in which Saul was baptized. But Judas does not receive the acclaim that Ananias receives. I doubt any of us could have named him if the question had come up in a trivia game before we read the scripture this morning.




(Image source, http://sahab-travel.com/arabmedlab2006/damas_imgs/damascus_ananias_church.jpg)



Ananias in his approach to Saul foreshadows Peter, who in the very next chapter of Acts must be told three times not to call anything impure that God has made clean. Peter is sent to the home of Cornelius, a centurion in the Italian regiment, and must embrace him as a brother and stay with him as a guest. In order to accept his mission from the Lord, Peter must overcome the prejudice he has against things that Jesus said cannot defile a person, for example, what a person eats. But Ananias had to overcome his fear of Saul's past, a real past, full of persecution and murder, things that Jesus said come out of a person and so do defile the person. So Ananias rightly receives his due, but what about Judas, Saul's host while Saul ate, drank, slept, and gained strength in Damascus and began to preach the gospel? Without Judas, there cannot be an Ananias or an answer to Saul's prayers for restoration. Without Judas, the person Jesus has chosen as an instrument to suffer and to carry the name Jesus before the Gentiles and their kings and before Israel itself would not have known the grace that accompanies Christ's judgment, the strength that comes from our fellowship with brothers and sisters, and the mission on which he would embark at once to bring the gospel to Greek speakers.

Hospitality is important. Hospitality to those against whom we hold prejudices is vital to the gospel. Hospitality to our enemies will rock the world.

John 21:1-19Forgiveness, Welcome, Call




(Image source, http://christianeducational.org/ushop/images/PWmorningshorea.jpg)

Jesus provides ample example of this Way toward forgiveness and hospitality in his appearance by the Sea of Tiberias. Here are the disciples who forsook him and denied him at the crucial hour. They have shown what sort of men they are. Simon Peter is here, leading the pack back to fishing for fish. The risen Jesus, still without permanent room and board, welcomes their return with open arms on the shore, sharing his fire and his fish. Jesus meets them with an invitation to fellowship: "Come and have breakfast." After breakfast Jesus takes Peter aside and tells him to feed and tend the sheep, renewing Peter's call to follow Jesus.

So Peter and Paul are joined in this week's reading as recipients of the Lord's forgiveness, hospitality, and call.

August 15-October 17

We will begin a sermon series on The Ten Commandments as school resumes this August. In addition to sermon notes each week, the blog will include discussion starters and questions for small groups to use during their reflection times.

The primary source for the series will be Interpretation: The Ten Commandments

This resource will be augmented with the following:

The Truth about God

Smoke on the Mountain

The Ten Commandments: The Liberating Rules of God

Please write to let me know if there are other, better resources that you have used for teaching and preaching to good effect. And also let us all know why you prefer your resource books to those recommended here.

Nowhere to Hide!

There is a striking contrast in the lectionary for the Second Sunday of Easter between John 20:19, when the disciples are huddled together behind doors locked in fear, and Acts 5:29, when Peter gives a bold witness to the exaltation of the crucified Jesus, saying, "We must obey God rather than men!" The fact of the crucifixion has not changed, so what has transpired that has so dramatically changed the disciples' outlook from fear to courageous proclamation and mission? On Pentecost Sunday, we are likely to claim that the difference in their outlook arrived abruptly with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (a dram of courage) at the birth of the church, but the first of today's readings suggests that the Holy Spirit's work on these disciples' hearts began somewhat earlier, within a day of the resurrection.

(Image Source, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Scared_Child_at_Nighttime.jpg)

Though I do not claim to understand the full depth of the terror that gripped the disciples in the aftermath of the crucifixion--the sort of terror that comes from having witnessed a dreadful miscarriage of justice while living under an authoritarian regime as a minority during times of civil unrest--we have all experienced fear, to one degree or another, rational or irrational, with credible basis or without. We have all experienced an emotional response to a perceived threat. And, if we are able, we take steps to escape or avoid that threat. That's what the disciples have done following the death of Jesus: they have identified what they perceive to be the external threat, "the Jews" (John 20:19; but because all these disciples of Jesus are also Jews [as was Jesus!], the phrase must be a kind of shorthand for "the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem" or the like). Reasonable or not, they perceive that they are in danger and so they have locked themselves behind closed doors to avoid the threat to their own lives from those who killed Jesus.

When my wife and I were first married, and again for a few years immediately after leaving graduate school, we lived in "cheap" apartments in what you might call the less affluent part of town. Though, statistically speaking, we were never realistically in any significant danger, we do have "fond memories" of these "good old days," of flying out of bed and hitting the floor at the sound of gunshots being fired. Whether the shots came from an apartment building or two down the street--and whether or not the sound really came from a backfiring car or a miscreant's late-night firecracker--we always overreacted. We called the police more than once. And we weren't alone in our fear; it was clearly shared by the previous inhabitants of each apartment. The one characteristic common to all three of these apartments was the number of "security locks" on the front door, a steel safety door. (They were installed before we moved in.) We regularly reinforced our sense of insecurity every time we slid the bolt ("click"), snapped the deadbolt ("click"), and snaked the chain into its chamber ("rattle, rattle, click"). We always ended with that last ounce of reassurance, by giving the little button in the center of the doorknob a quarter twist and grabbing on the handle to make sure it wouldn't turn. It took five minutes to open the door again on Friday nights for the pizza delivery man!

The point of it all was to keep the threat outside. But our fear also created a barrier between us and those whom we wanted to let in. When visitors came, which was rare, we found ourselves apologizing for keeping them waiting, half apologizing for locking the door in the first place, making jokes about how careful you have to be these days. "We can't let just anyone in," we'd say, or "you never know when someone might be up to no good." We'd recount as evidence for our judicious prudence the latest incident to hit the papers: someone robbed, someone mugged, someone raped or killed. Arriving home, "click, click, rattle, rattle, click, click" I would enter; and just as quickly, "click, click, rattle, rattle, click, click" we would lock the world out.

You would have thought we had reason to fear, reason enough to sing the bluesy, folksy spiritual: "Shut de do', keep out de debil!"

There were "devils" to avoid in our world, but mostly the kinds that aren't stopped by locked doors. And there were "devils" who wanted to stop these disciples from accepting their mission to spread the Good News about Jesus. But the greater threat to the propagation of the Gospel came from the disciples' own closed room, their shut door, their strong locks. If the Good News of the Gospel were to spread, the "shet do's" of these disciples had to swing wide open.

And since you are, I presume, post-resurrection Easter people, you'll surely know that Jesus is a master at opening sealed tombs. As Peter would soon find out, Jesus is able to spring prisoners (especially those who are self-imprisoned) out of tight jams. With grace--often where he is uninvited and "unbidden"--sometimes without even unlocking the door, Jesus makes his way into our locked rooms; he takes his place in the middle of our huddle and whispers a promise of peace that blows the bars off our windows and knocks the locks off our doors.

These disciples had been with Jesus for three years. They were prepared--afraid, for sure!--but also prepared to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God. They knew how to live on the edge; they had seen the lame walk and the blind receive their sight, seen people fed, and seen demons cast out. And they didn't always just follow, watching from a safe distance; they had already participated in real ministry of their own. Jesus had given them missions, sent them out on early assignments that they had already accomplished.

But now, in the big city after a weekend of horrific violence, they are locked in an anxious huddle. (Don't get me wrong. There were indeed "debils" out there to fear.) But in addition to misdirected fear of "the Jews," maybe their heightened anxiety also had a little bit to do with the anticipated scorn and ridicule of friends and family. Maybe they dreaded a little eating crow and lying down in a bed they themselves had made. They had publicly risked everything to follow Jesus, had believed that Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel. Someone of their friends and relatives would certainly look at them and say, "Where is your Lord and Savior now?" (The Gospel magazine, and theological review. Ser. 5. Vol. 3, no. 1-July 1874.) It was fear that had robbed them of their sense of peace; the world no longer seemed safe; so they had retreated inside and locked the doors. Their courage had died with Jesus and they had all but stopped living. Jesus had to perform a miracle just to get into the room where they were hiding and show himself to them.

Locks come in all shapes and sizes, and not just from the hardware store. It is quite natural when we have suffered some trauma in life, when we have been violated by some injustice, to lock ourselves away. When we suffer the death of a spouse, the loss of a friendship, the end of a relationship, the pain of estrangement from a loved one, rather than risk that pain again by loving again, we sometimes think it better--safer--simply to close the door, and click the lock; and, if you can't have love, at least you can have some degree of security from pain. But such a numbed existence is less than abundant life. For good students or people in careers they love, sometimes it is the fear of failure that locks the door. Better to shut down and stop trying, better to withdraw inside ourselves than to face yet another blow to our sense of self worth. For others the locks may take the form of illness, or fear of illness; financial difficulty, or fear of financial catastrophe. Job loss. Loss of mental acuity or physical strength. Fear of death.

(Image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Caravaggio_-_The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas.jpg)

But Jesus will not let fear disable these disciples. He will not let them give in to despair. As Calvin says, "it is worthy of notice how gently Christ acted towards them, in not keeping them in suspense any longer than till the evening. He brings them the pledge of new life, while darkness was overspreading the world." (Commentary, Gospel According to John, vs. 19) Jesus comes in and puts himself right in the middle of their fear, their hopelessness, and their despair. He barges right into their defensive huddle. The first thing he says is "Peace be with you." In the Gospel of John, he says it three times in a few short verses, and over the course of a week. "Peace be with you" was not then quite so strange--or as strictly religious a phrase--as it may seem to us now. Shalom lekah / Shalom lakem," was then as now, the usual way to greet a friend in Hebrew--just as salaam alak is in Arabic. It is the equivalent of saying, "hi." Often it is phrased as a question: "Hi, how's it going?" That may be what it means the first time Jesus says it. The first time they hear him utter a word after the resurrection, "peace" may just be an ice-breaking "Hi!"

Just think about that the next time you pass the peace at church. We gather behind our closed (hopefully not locked!) doors, we are called to worship, and we confess, and receive an assurance of pardon. Then the resurrected Christ bursts into our defensive circle, right into our hopeless, helpless messes, and says, "Hi!" With every greeting of "peace" we receive and every "peace" we offer, the resurrected Christ may even today be breaking through our defenses to greet us the way he greeted these first disciples.

Perhaps even the first time, but certainly by the second time he utters the phrase--Peace be with you--the meaning must be shading toward an assurance. ("My Peace" already has a back story in John 14, esp. 14:27.) He's saying "it's ok" or "everything's going to be ok." And by the last time he says it, to Thomas--Peace be with you!--it may have an edge, "Relax, already! God is in control." Jesus is telling his friends to lift up their heads, to hope, and to believe. Even the brutality of the beatings, the crown of thorns, the violence of the cross, the slandering of evil leaders have no power to take away the shalom of God. Jesus breaks into that locked room to restore peace, to make everything right again, to bring back their faith.

"Peace" also means that Jesus did not return for revenge. He is not telling his disciples to go out and wage war against his enemies. He simply reiterates his mission and theirs, to bring wholeness from the Father into a world wrecked by sin and evil and violence. Peace! Here they are, locked in by fear, and Jesus shows up to say no, no, no--unlock that door! Why? So that Jesus can come in? No. The resurrected Jesus already stands in the middle of their protective circle; he tells them to unlock the door because he is sending them on a mission. No more hiding in that room. No more hiding in our churches. No more hiding from our neighbors. Open the door and bring resurrection wholeness and peace to a world that so desperately needs it. How? How can we give peace to a violent world? By proclaiming forgiveness of sins. "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:23) Tired of doubt and fear? Want peace? Then unlock that "shet do'" of forgiveness. Go out into the world and forgive the Sanhedrin, and Pilate, and Caesar, and the soldiers.

Were the disciples able to do what Jesus asked? Did they let go of the doubt and fear? Did they open the doors? Did they go as commissioned? Did they forgive? Yes! Acts 5 recounts the second or third arrest of Peter and John and the other disciples in about as many days. Having been warned and then thrown into jail for preaching, they are sprung by an angel, and go right back to work, teaching publicly in the temple. When the council and elders send temple police to the prison to have Peter and his co-agitators ("peace"-niks) brought for a hearing, the temple police find the prison doors securely locked ("click, click, rattle, rattle, click click") and guards standing at the doors, but when they open the doors, they find the cell empty. No one is inside. Where are Peter and the disciples? They are standing again in the temple, teaching and preaching forgiveness in the name of their Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. We and the Holy Spirit are witnesses, Peter says, God raised him from death and exalted him. We and the Holy Spirit are witnesses. We cannot stay "shet up," doors locked, life over. The angels opened up our prison and told us to proclaim the message of life.

What an amazing task God gives to us, to preach peace and forgiveness to a warring world. Here we are, locked up in this place on the Second Sunday of Easter. The empty tomb was just the beginning, the first opened door. Jesus enters the places where we gather, sometimes even without our unlocking the door, and brings us the promise of peace, the whispered breath of life, that blows the bars off our windows and knocks the locks off our doors. What had terrified us in his absence is now dispelled by his presence as he says to each of us, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." We have doors to open, a mission to accomplish, good news to sing. Easter is not over; it has only just begun.

Praise and Insult: Stone and Flint

Isaiah 50:4-9Silence

The lord YHWH has given me a "taught tongue." The prophet acknowledges God as the true origin and source of the grace he has received to minister to others. Though the NRSV translates leshon limmudiym as the "tongue of a teacher," it is probably better think of a "trained tongue" (a "learning tongue," the kind of tongue that those who are [being] taught, instructed, or trained in some skill would have). When we think of the tongue of a gifted teacher, we may imagine the sorts of words that would flow from such a teacher's mouth: we may think how beautiful, wise, and helpful such words would be. However, the primary characteristic of a good teacher's (or student's) tongue is SILENCE. And the prophet has been given a "students' tongue." Only good students (listeners) make good teachers.

I think we can learn much from the instructions of another teacher who valued silence. In the Rule of St. Benedict (RB VI. De Taciturnitate) we are reminded by the teacher of the Psalmist's wise counsel: "I will watch my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will bridle my mouth...I was silent and still; not even saying anything good" (Psalm 39:1-2, NRSV). Quoting Proverbs 10:19 (when words are many, sin is never absent) and 18:21 (the tongue has the power to kill and bring to life), Benedict says that it is mostly better--no matter how good, holy, or beneficial the words, and no matter how advanced the disciple (perfectis discipulis)--to be silent. Students, no matter how mature, will benefit from additional listening.

(Image Source: http://swandive.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451e15a69e20105361949ed970b-500pi)

Though Benedict does not make reference to it, a good commentary on the value of silence can also be found in the New Testament book of James (1:4-5; 3:1-10, etc.). James reminds us (as does Isaiah) to recognize the Source of wisdom and faithful endurance in life's trials, and therefore also to pray for help and listen for instruction. James tells us to bridle our tongue, to refrain from teaching, and to speak only when we must--and then only to encourage and help our fellow travelers.

(Image Source: http://www.diy-wood-boat.com/images/Rudder_types.jpg)

Isaiah's point seems to be much the same. He, a prophet and teacher, has learned to shut up and listen to the Source. In this way, he insures that when he does speak, his words will be appropriate and helpful to others.

To know [how] to ... [?] the weary [with] a word. The meaning of la`uth is very much in doubt (BDB). HALOT relates it to the root that means bend or stoop, be crooked or deceptive. Since it hardly seems fair to bend someone who is already faint, the substitutions provided by the NIV (et al.) will have to suffice: to know the word that sustains the weary.

He rouses morning after morning; he rouses my ear to listen like those who are taught. Whatever the meaning of the intervening line, whatever "helpful" word has been spoken to the faint or weary companion, it is clear that the prophet has returned here to the theme of silence and listening, with the attendant meanings (for a learning student) of paying attention to, complying with, obeying, and accepting. The prophet/teacher cannot impart what he has not received. He or she must always return to God, the Source.

The lord YHWH opened my ear and I was not rebellious; I did not backslide. The import seems to be that the prophet-student received a difficult word of instruction or assignment to complete from his divine Teacher. But he has not hesitated to carry it out, despite the difficulty. As one who listens carefully, in silence, the student is well prepared by his Teacher to take on the tough assignment.

Insult & Flint

My back I gave to the beaters and my jaw to those pull out hair; my face I did not hide from insult and spit. The assignment is one that involves the pain, humiliation and abuse of the student. Hence the appropriateness of the previous comment about not turning away. The student could have flinched, but he didn't. Any disciple would be tempted to opt out of this particular assignment. So, it is necessary for us to ask: what assignment could be so important to a student's learning and growth that it merits the endurance of such treatment?

But the lord YHWH will help me, so I am not humiliated. ...so I set my face like a flint, and I know I will not be shamed [by failure]. That last verb (bwsh) has to do with the kind of shame endured by a routed army or someone who has failed a mission--or, to continue the student/disciple metaphor, someone who has failed a test. The prophet-student knows that the Master Teacher, God himself, will be at his side throughout the ordeal, insuring that the student will have every resource required to succeed. Nevertheless, flint-like resolve is required.

(Image Source: http://www.xmission.com/~jbdaniel/assets/flint.jpg)

The [judge] who declares me innocent is near. Who will charge me? Let's take our [opposing] places [in court]. Who is my opponent? [lit. "the owner of my case"] Let him approach. The ordeal that the student-prophet is facing appears to be forensic or juridical. There is a case to be tried, and the prophet likes his chances with the Judge--who is also, of course, the Teacher.

(Image Source: http://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/supreme_court_building.jpg)

Indeed, the lord YHWH helps me. Who can declare me guilty? But they are all like [old] clothes; they wear out. A moth eats them. Again, the prophet is certain of success, despite the rough going for the moment. Over the long haul flint lasts, but clothes wear out. With God on his side, the prophet has nothing to fear from a wayward judgment.

(Image Source: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3403/3662196267_95494578bd_o.jpg)

Luke 19:28-40Noise

Though it cannot be proven, it is likely that any festival "ascent" (anabainon) into Jerusalem was accompanied by psalmody. There must have been some singing! As Jesus nears the Mount of Olives, he (the Master Teacher) gives two of his students an assignment. They are to retrieve a colt (or foal) which has never been ridden ("on which no person ever sat"). They are to loose the colt and bring it to Jesus. If anyone in the unnamed adjacent village asks about their assignment, they are to say only "The Lord needs it."

The assignment could easily have been a confidence-building exercise. The colt was where Jesus said it would be. The villagers ask the very question Jesus had said they might, and the disciples' answer appears to have sufficed: "The Lord needs it" was enough. Note: perhaps there is a subtle play on ho kurios autou and hoi kurioi autou, "its lord needs [it]" and "its owners [lords] asked." The disciples are expected to listen (=obey) without knowing everything that the Master Teacher knows.

A+ ... so far, for them. What about us? Have we been listening carefully? ...or are we already making unfounded assumptions? E.g., that the colt must be a donkey? ...or that the scene must be filled with palms and shouts of Hosanna? Luke doesn't mention the palms! And the Hosannas can only be implied.

(Image Source: http://www.abcgallery.com/S/semiradsky/semiradsky33.JPG)

They threw their cloaks on top of the colt as something of a makeshift saddle and set Jesus on the colt. And as Jesus went along, people carpeted the road with their cloaks. And as they came to the place where the road starts down the Mount of Olives, the whole gathering of students began rejoicing with praise to God with a loud noise for all the examples of [God's] power they had seen.

(Image Source: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/8/14/1250254760501/Mount-of-Olives-Jerusalem-019.jpg)

Praise & RocksBlessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!

And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him [Jesus], "Teacher, give your students a warning." Clearly, the Pharisees have in mind the sort of instruction that is given in Psalms and Proverbs and James about the need for students to keep their tongues in check--to keep SILENT, so that they may better hear and obey the Master Teacher. Jesus had warned his students before about inappropriate comments and exclamations, especially those having to do with Jesus' power and kingdom and his identity as the Messiah or Christ. (See Luke 9:21, 9:55, etc.) This is the sort of advice that Jesus himself will follow--as the Son, the Student, the Suffering One--later, in front of the tribunal (Mark 14:61, Matthew 26:63). But that isn't the case, for either the Master or for his students, on "Palm" Sunday in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus' response to the Pharisees is that it is time to praise God. If the students are silent now, the rocks will shout out. Jesus, in the meantime, has set his face like flint, having glimpsed the "assignment" that awaits him.

(Image source, http://www.silk.net/RelEd/Year%20B/graphics/palmB_1.gif).

Maundy Thursday Meditation
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Maundy is from mandatum, "commandment." John 13:34, mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos ut et vos diligatis invicem (Vulgate). "A new commandment I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, you also ought to love one another." (See Maundy Thursday, Wikipedia.)
John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Peon, peons:
1826, from Mex.Sp. peon "agricultural laborer" (esp. a debtor held in servitude by his creditor), from Sp., "day laborer," also "pedestrian," originally "foot soldier," from M.L. pedonem "foot soldier" (see pawn (2)). The word entered British Eng. earlier (1609) in the sense "native constable, soldier, or messenger in India," via Port. peao "pedestrian, foot soldier, day laborer."
Source: Online Etymology Dictionary, http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=peon. Or see the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary entry for peon.

(Image source, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Foot-outside.jpg)

I decided on this title for the Maundy Thursday meditation while preparing an etymology lesson for my 7th grade Latin class at Southport Presbyterian Christian School. Our vocabulary for that lesson included the Latin word pēs (genitive pedis); m, third declension. One of the English words (or Spanish, as the case may be) derived from pes is "peon" (and "pawn"), i.e., a "foot soldier" (pedon). About the same time that I was preparing this lesson in etymology, I was also reading John 13 and preparing the bulletin for our Maundy Thursday service. What struck me as I read John 13:5-9 again was that Jesus chose to wash the very part of the disciple anatomy that most clearly referenced the disciples' servant status: the pedes discipulorum (Greek, tous podas ton matheton). True, Jesus was also modeling servant status himself, taking off his outer garment and wrapping a towel around his waist. He was truly being the "servant of the servants of God." But I have often wondered at Peter's objection to Jesus' action.

Perhaps it is true that Peter he did not want Jesus "demeaning" himself by playing the slave. But why the focus on the feet? And why suggest that Jesus wash not only his feet but also his head and hands? (13:9) Perhaps Peter is embarrassed by his "disciple feet." Dirty feet show that Peter has been doing the chores of a menial laborer. He has been doing drudge work, peasant work. He is a flunky for the kingdom of heaven. And perhaps Peter would rather draw attention to the more honorable parts of the body, his hands and especially his head. (1 Corinthians 12:23)

Whatever the case, Jesus makes it absolutely clear to Peter and the rest that their feet are always going to need washing (they have disciple feet, like it or not) and that they are the ones who will soon enough need to be washing feet for one another. The servant is not greater than his master, the student than his teacher, nor the apostle (messenger, footman) than the one who commissioned him. (John 13:16) This is the heart of the examination that Paul admonishes for those who are preparing to participate in the Lord's Supper. (1 Corinthians 11:28) The examination reveals our dirty disciple feet and our need for cleansing. Allowing the spotlight to fall on our servant status can be uncomfortable, as it was for Peter and the disciples. But it is necessary, so that we try to outdo one another in loving others and honoring others above ourselves. (Romans 12:10)

The prayer for Maundy Thursday is: "Teach me, Lord, to love and serve others." The question for examination this Maundy Thursday is whether there is something more that Christ is asking us to do, some greater depth of service to others that he is calling us to take up. Are your feet as dirty as they can get? Have you washed the feet of your brothers and sisters lately?

(Image source, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Simon_ushakov_last_supper_1685.jpg)