Tagged: Salvation

December 22, 2016

Isaiah 52:7-10

This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on December 25, 2016.

Isaiah 52 is part Deutero-Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55). At the time of this writing, Israel was being held captive. Captivity was harsh. Freedom for Israel was nonexistent. The principle city, Jerusalem, had been severely damaged. Despite Israel’s circumstances, hope was alive because they believed Yahweh would provide deliverance. Their hope was deeply grounded in their past. They remembered that Yahweh’s power had freed Israel from Egypt after 400 years of captivity. That single thread of hope had been tightly wound around the hearts of the people for years. Now, with great anticipation, the good news of a new Exodus was hopefully coming.

The one who was bringing the news shared four distinct messages of hope. The messages were that of peace, goodness, salvation, and divine rule. The message of peace was exactly as the word implied. There would be a noticeable absence of conflict and strife. Consequently, there would be a spirit of unity among the people. The message of goodness conveyed the idea there would be an attitude of helpfulness that would build and strengthen the community. The third message was of salvation which indicated deliverance by Yahweh himself. Yahweh would protect and deliver Israel from anyone or anything that would seek to overpower His people. All of three messages were made possible by the fourth message. Through Yahweh’s divine rule peace, goodness and salvation to His people would be possible.

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October 17, 2016

Luke 19:1-10

This text is used for the Lectionary Year C on October 30th, 2016.

One of the most well-known stories of the New Testament, with accompanying soundtrack and all, is that of the rich tax collector, Zacchaeus. This makes the preacher’s task of finding something “new” much more difficult than at other times. Flipping or swiping back a few pages might offer some inspiration.

In chapter 18, immediately preceding the Gospel reading for this week, the reader will find two stories that further illustrate what Luke is offering the audience. The reference to a rich (young) ruler, who obeys all the commandments but can’t part with his wealth, presumably failing the first and greatest commandment. Compare this to the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector and the prayers they offer before God. Both are presumed to be wealthy, but only one is rich in spirit.

Swipe back a couple more pages to chapter 16, where we read of a rich man and his shrewd manager, followed by the important interpretive lens, “You cannot serve both God and money (mammon).” This transitions into another story some may have preached a few weeks earlier—that of the rich man and Lazarus on his front stoop.

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May 21, 2016

Luke 7:1-10

This text is used for the Lectionary Year C on May 29, 2016.

Jesus has just concluded his Sermon on the Plain. Whereas Matthew’s Jesus has preached a Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing Jesus’ authority from on high, Luke characteristically has Jesus preaching from a “level place,” among the people. Luke’s Jesus will show his authority by what he does in history working from below, so to speak.

Now we see that authority operating in a healing story in nearby Capernaum. This town is ground zero of Jesus’ Galilean ministry, the home of Simon Peter and a crossroads of trade on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is met by a delegation of Jewish town elders who intercede on behalf a Roman military leader. This man is a centurion, likely working under Herod Antipas and commanding troops responsible for tax collecting and keeping order. We are also told that he is a worthy man. He has had unusually good relations with the local Jews and generously paid for the building of their synagogue. This establishes his credentials with the Jewish leaders.

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August 4, 2015

John 6:56-69

This text is used for the Lectionary Year B on August 23, 2015.

(This is the third of three reflections on Jesus’ “I am the bread of life” statements in John 6, and all three really need to be read together.)

John 6 opens with thousands of excited people who have witnessed Jesus’ miracle of multiplication and have been generously fed by His hand. The chapter ends with most of these persons having defected and with just the inner circle of the Twelve, who are as surprised and offended by Jesus’ teaching as everyone else… and one of them is rapidly moving toward the disillusionment that will lead to betrayal.

With Jesus’ repeated affirmations that “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them” (6:56), many of those who were following Jesus pushed “eject.” “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” they asked. Not only was Jesus speaking in offensive—even heretical—ways, but He was challenging the structures of power with such boldness that it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see how this confrontation was going to end, and most of Jesus’ previously enthusiastic followers got out while they still could.

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