Archive for the ‘Psalm 91’ Tag
Above: Icon of Habakkuk
Image in the Public Domain
Private and Public Morality
FEBRUARY 21, 2021
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:2-14
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Titus 1:1-16
Luke 18:31-43
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Three ideas intertwine to the point of becoming inseparable in these assigned readings: trusting God, having good public morality, and having good private morality. Responsibility is both individual and collective. Leaders receive particular attention in the readings from Habakkuk and Titus. Injustice–social, economic injustice, to be precise–is rife while corrupt rulers pile up what is not properly theirs. Furthermore, for a bishop (in the case of the reading from Titus) to teach properly, the home life cannot contradict spoken orthodoxy.
The Law of Moses forbids exploitation. This teaching informs Judeo-Christian orthodox morality all the way from both Testaments to current times. Yet many professing, conventionally devout Jews and Christians somehow justify exploitation. Fortunately, many other Jews and Christians condemn exploitation in words and deeds. Their witness is consistent with the Law, the prophets, and Jesus.
Jesus died at the hands of an unjust system of a violent empire. It dominated with fear and intimidation. Jesus, however, exposed that empire for what it was by being better than it was.
Can we see that? Can we also see the link between public and private morality, as well as the connection between them and trusting in God?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 23, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR AND ISAAC THE GREAT, PATRIARCHS OF ARMENIA
THE FEAST OF MEISTER ECKHART, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN AND MYSTIC
THE FEAST OF SAINT METODEJ DOMINICK TRCKA, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1959
THE FEAST OF SAINT VICTORIAN OF HADRUMETUM, MARTYR AT CARTHAGE, 484
THE FEAST OF SAINT WALTER OF PONTOISE, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND ECCLESIASTICAL REFORMER
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2020/03/23/private-and-public-morality/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Fruit of the Christ Passion, an Icon
Image in the Public Domain
Upside-Down
MARCH 5, 2022
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
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. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 27
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
John 12:27-36
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Psalm 91 reads in part:
Because you have made the Lord your refuge
and the Most High your stronghold,
There shall no evil happen to you,
neither shall any plague come near your tent.
–Verses 9 and 10, Common Worship (2000)
That stands in stark contrast to Jesus’s experience in John 12:27-36, for his time to die was near. His exaltation was a form of execution the Roman authorities intended to be humiliating.
Often reality contradicts expectations. Following God faithfully does not necessarily lead to peace and prosperity. God can transform shame into glory, pain into a means of salvation, death into life, and defeat into victory. The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-11 and Luke 6:20-23) and Woes (Luke 6:24-26) contradict conventional wisdom. God steadfastly refuses to fit into our figurative boxes.
One might find that reality maddening or liberating. The reality of Hod frees us (if we permit it to do so) from illusions and folly dressed up as wisdom. So yes, the crucifixion proved inadequate to keep Jesus dead. And the recurring theme of the reversal of fortunes in the Gospel of Luke has challenged readers of that text for nearly 2000 years. I refuse to avoid discomfort with those passages by distorting their plain meanings. The Kingdom of God seems upside-down relative to the dominant human order, but the latter is actually upside-down.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 10, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF EDWIN HATCH, ANGLICAN PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/upside-down/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Israelites’ Cruel Bondage in Egypt, by Gerard Hoet
Image in the Public Domain
Trusting in God
MARCH 3 and 4, 2022
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
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. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 27
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 5:10-23 (Thursday)
Exodus 6:1-13 (Friday)
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 (Both Days)
Acts 7:30-34 (Thursday)
Acts 7:35-42 (Friday)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides under the shadow of the Almighty,
Shall say to the Lord, “My refuge and my stronghold,
my God, in whom I put my trust.”
–Psalm 91:1-2, Common Worship (2000)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Trust was of the essence for Moses, Aaron, and the Hebrew slaves. Straw and mud were the ingredients of ancient Egyptian bricks. Requiring slaves to collect their own straw while not reducing the quota of bricks was unrealistic and unfair. Blaming the Pharaoh was correct, for he gave the order. Casting blame on Moses and Aaron was wrong, however. Even Moses had a momentary lack of trust in God.
That lack of trust in God early in the narrative of the Book of Exodus was predictable. I refrain from criticizing any of the Hebrews who manifested it, for I have done the same thing in less dire circumstances. Yet, after a while, people should have learned that God is trustworthy. The fact of their eventual freedom should have constituted enough of a miracle.
God, who equips the called for their vocations, knows that we cannot do everything on our own power. Fortunately, we do not need to do everything on our own power. Sometimes God intervenes directly. On other occasions God sends us help via people. Will we recognize that assistance when we encounter it? Will we trust God?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 10, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF EDWIN HATCH, ANGLICAN PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/trusting-in-god-6/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Burning Bush Logo of The Church of Scotland
Exodus and Mark, Part III: Unlikely Instruments of God
MARCH 28 and 29, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 2:23-3:22 (30th Day of Lent)
Exodus 4:1-18 (31st Day of Lent)
Psalm 34 (Morning–30th Day of Lent)
Psalm 5 (Morning–31st Day of Lent)
Psalms 25 and 91 (Evening–30th Day of Lent)
Psalms 27 and 51 (Evening–31st Day of Lent)
Mark 14:53-72 (30th Day of Lent)
Mark 15:1-15 (31st Day of Lent)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
A Prayer by St. Francis of Assisi:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/a-prayer-by-st-francis-of-assisi/
Prayers:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/prayer-for-tuesday-in-the-fifth-week-of-lent/
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/prayer-for-wednesday-in-the-fifth-week-of-lent/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Moses was a fugitive and a murderer with a speech impediment. Yet God sent him (along with Aaron, his eloquent brother) back to Egypt to help liberate the Hebrews. The Book of Exodus is quite clear: God liberated the Hebrews, yet had human agents.
Simon Peter denied Jesus three times while the Sanhedrin condoned perjury and held the flimsiest excuse for a trial of our Lord and Savior. Yet, a few weeks later, the Apostle became the rock of faith Jesus saw in him. Peter was still prone to speak when he should have remained silent, but he was a very different man in other ways.
We come to God as we are, complete with virtues, vices, shortcomings, flaws, and fortes. God knows all of them better than we do. Yet we can, by grace, become instruments of God, whose image we bear. Another indicator of grace germane to his one is that strengths can emerge from our flaws and our striving to overcome them. We make a spiritual pilgrimage in God because we know of our need to do so. And the journey proves quite rewarding in and of itself. So, without minimizing or denying the realities of sin and human frailties, I encourage you, O reader, to look within yourself and to recognize them as opportunities for growing spiritually and helping others.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 29, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE FIRST U.S. PRESBYTERIAN BOOK OF CONFESSIONS, 1967
THE FEAST OF JIRI TRANOVSKY, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS LUKE KIRBY, THOMAS COTTAM, WILLIAM FILBY, AND LAURENCE RICHARDSON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND MARTYRS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/exodus-and-mark-part-iii-unlikely-instruments-of-god/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Widow’s Mite
Image Sources = Johannes Bockh and Thomas Mirtsch
Genesis and Mark, Part XXII: Sincerity (Or the Lack Thereof)
MARCH 21 and 22, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 43:1-28 (24th Day of Lent)
Genesis 44:1-18, 32-34 (25th Day of Lent)
Psalm 34 (Morning–24th Day of Lent)
Psalm 5 (Morning–25th Day of Lent)
Psalms 25 and 91 (Evening–24th Day of Lent)
Psalms 27 and 51 (Evening–25th Day of Lent)
Mark 12:13-27 (24th Day of Lent)
Mark 12:28-41 (25th Day of Lent)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
Prayers:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/prayer-for-tuesday-in-the-fourth-week-of-lent/
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/prayer-for-wednesday-in-the-fourth-week-of-lent/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As I read the assigned lessons I arrived at a unifying theme: sincerity (or the lack thereof). Joseph’s brothers demonstrated the sincerity of their change of heart by
- not objecting to preferential treatment for Benjamin, the youngest brother, in Genesis 43:33-34, and
- defending Benjamin, whom they thought was about to become a slave in Genesis 44:18-34.
They passed the test with flying colors.
In contrast, collaborators tried to trick Jesus into sounding like a rebel in Mark 12:13-17. There were more Roman soldiers than usual in the city at the time. But Jesus was no fool. And the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection of the dead, asked an obvious trick question about levirate marriage and the afterlife. Yet our Lord did field an honest question–one regarding the greatest commandment–and witnessed a desperately poor widow make an offering. In the immediately prior passage he had denounced scribes who
devour the property of widows….
–Mark 12:40b, The New Jerusalem Bible
I have covered the widow’s mite in other posts linked to this one, but I choose to write the following here and now: The widow should have kept her money and spent it on her needs. But at least she was sincere.
May we refrain from playing destructive games with God and each other. Instead, may we seek the best for each other and the community, be honest in that, and be sincere in our love.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 22, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF RICHARD BIGGS, ACTOR
THE FEAST OF ROTA WAITOA, ANGLICAN PRIEST
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/genesis-and-mark-part-xxii-sincerity-or-the-lack-thereof/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Children with Cats
Image Source = Nancy Collins
Genesis and Mark, Part XVII: Attitudes, Potential, and the Kingdom of God
MARCH 5, 2024
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 35:1-29
Psalm 34 (Morning)
Psalms 25 and 91 (Evening)
Mark 9:33-50
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
A Prayer to See Others as God Sees Them:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/a-prayer-to-see-others-as-god-sees-them/
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/prayer-for-tuesday-in-the-third-week-of-lent/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jacob was a trickster, schemer, manipulator, and a swindler. Yet God gave him a new name: Israel, literally
God rules.
Take your pick of origin story for this name, O reader; you have two options–the wrestling match in Genesis 32 and the less dramatic account in 35:10. (The Sources Hypothesis makes more sense the more I read the Hebrew Scriptures.)
God works through a variety of interesting people. For a few examples we need not look beyond this day’s readings. We have Jacob/Israel, of course. And we have the unnamed non-Apostle from Mark 9:38-40. After all,
Anyone who is not against us is for us.
–Mark 9:40, The New Jerusalem Bible
If that were not enough, the greatest in the Kingdom of God is the
servant of all.
–Mark 9:35, The New Jerusalem Bible
Among the wonderful themes in the Gospel of Mark is this: If you think that you are an insider, you almost certainly are mistaken. Almost everybody except the people closest to Jesus in that text knows who he really is, for example. So the teaching that the Kingdom of God functions differently than society fits well with the rest of Mark. And it meshes well with the story of Jacob. How else could a man of such dubious character became an agent of God’s plans?
Character matters, of course; it is a person’s destiny. But my point is that God can make anyone–regardless of character–an effective agent of divine plans. Yes, I write of the sovereignty of God. As for character, the most sterling example of it of which I have knowledge is Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Roman Empire executed as a criminal. So I place limited confidence in official estimates of a person’s character. As I recall, our Lord socialized with many disreputable people. He must have recognized much potential in them. And God must have recognized much potential in Jacob/Israel.
Do we recognize potential in others and in ourselves? Do we see each other as God sees us? And how does the manner in which we regard others and ourselves influence our actions? How do those actions affect others and shape society? Think about it.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 22, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF RICHARD BIGGS, ACTOR
THE FEAST OF ROTA WAITOA, ANGLICAN PRIEST
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/genesis-and-mark-part-xvii-attitudes-potential-and-the-kingdom-of-god/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Christ Rescuing Peter from Drowning
Genesis and Mark, Part XII: Wonders, Jealousies, Fears, and Violence
FEBRUARY 26 and 27, 2024
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 18:1-15 (11th Day of Lent)
Genesis 21:1-21 (12th Day of Lent)
Psalm 119:73-80 (Morning–11th Day of Lent)
Psalm 34 (Morning–12th Day of Lent)
Psalms 121 and 6 (Evening–11th Day of Lent)
Psalms 25 and 91 (Evening–12th Day of Lent)
Mark 6:14-34 (11th Day of Lent)
Mark 6:35-56 (12th Day of Lent)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
Feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Martyr (August 29):
http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/feast-of-the-beheading-of-st-john-the-baptist-martyr-august-29/
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/feast-of-the-beheading-of-st-john-the-baptist-martyr-august-29/
Prayers:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/prayer-for-monday-in-the-second-week-of-lent/
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/prayer-for-tuesday-in-the-second-week-of-lent/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ALPHA:
The Feeding of the Five Thousand is a story which all four canonical Gospels tell. Here are the citations:
- Mark 6:30-44
- Matthew 14:13-21
- Luke 9:10-17
- John 6:1-15
There are five thousand men in Mark. There is no indication of an estimate, such as “about” or “as many as.” Neither is there any mention of women and children.
Matthew 14:21 tells us of
about five thousand men…, to say nothing of women and children. (The New Jerusalem Bible)
Luke 9:14 has
about five thousand men. (The New Jerusalem Bible)
And John 6:10 mentions
as many as five thousand men. (The New Jerusalem Bible)
So the women and children occur explicitly in the Matthew reading, although the Johannine version implies them. (I read the text in several translations quite closely and consulted commentaries.) Such details interest me.
BETA:
Sometimes a lectionary becomes too choppy. I understand the need to avoid placing too much material on one day. The Lutheran daily lectionary I am following provides for
two readings of 15-25 verses each….one from the Old Testament, the other from the New Testament.
—Lutheran Service Book (2006), page 299
Yet this system divides the passage describing the Feeding of the Five Thousand (men) in Mark into two readings across as many days. One of my methods in composing these posts is combining days of material as necessary to maintain a certain degree of textual unity, not that I need to defend myself in this matter. This is a purely procedural notice.
We read today of wonders coexisting with sad news. Abraham and Sarah become parents in their old age yet expel Hagar and Ishmael, victims in the narrative. Our Lord heals people, feeds five thousand men with a small amount of food, and walks on water. Yet Herod Antipas, the man responsible for the death of John the Baptist, wants to meet Jesus. The wondrous and the unfortunate rub shoulders with each other.
That is the nature of the world, is it not? The Second Person of the Trinity became incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth. His life was at risk before he was born and remained so after his birth. And the Roman Empire executed him–not for being a nice guy who told people to love their neighbors, by the way. Authorities perceived him as a thread to their power. And he was, but not in the way in which zealots would have preferred him to be.
Jealousies and fears arise within us, bringing out the worst of our natures. Sometimes we project them onto God and convince ourselves that God commands us to expel or execute those who, by their existence, threaten our positions, status, or ego. May God forgive us, regardless of whether we know what we do.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 15, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE FIRST U.S. PRESBYTERIAN BOOK OF COMMON WORSHIP, 1906
THE FEAST OF CAROLINE CHISHOLM, HUMANITARIAN
THE FEAST OF PIRIPI TAUMATA-A-KURA, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/genesis-and-mark-part-xii-wonders-jealousies-fears-and-violence/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Subsiding of the Waters of the Deluge, by Thomas Cole
Genesis and Mark, Part VII: God and Crises
FEBRUARY 20, 2024
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 7:11-8:12
Psalm 34 (Morning)
Psalms 25 and 91 (Evening)
Mark 3:20-35
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A Related Post:
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/prayer-for-tuesday-of-the-first-week-of-lent/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The world of early Genesis mythology was a flat with a dome on top. There were waters beneath the land and there were waters above the dome. Thus, in 7:11b (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures), we read:
And the fountains of the great deep burst apart,
And the floodgates of the sky broke open.
As Richard Elliott Friedman wrote of the flood on page 38 of his Commentary on the Torah (2001),
It is more than ordinary rain. It is a cosmic crisis, in which the very structure of the universe is endangered.
Meanwhile, in Mark 3, some of our Lord’s relatives think that he might be out of his mind. Parts I and II of this story bracket an allegation by some scribes that Jesus is in league with Satan. This is how the author the the Gospel of Mark presents the material. So, in Mark, Jesus has to contend with disbelief by scribes and
his mother and his brothers (verse 31, The New Jerusalem Bible)
In the Gospel of Mark our Lord’s true identity is apparent to demons, God, and himself–yet not to his family members and to his Apostles–that is, until his death. Wilhelm Wrede, in Das Messiasgeheimnis in den Evangelien (1901), called this the Messianic Secret. (There was much more to his hypothesis, of course, but I will not chase that rabbit here and now.) In contrast, in the Gospel of John, there is no secret. In Mark, Jesus tells people he has healed to say nothing. (They disobey, of course.) Yet, in John, he never tries to conceal anything. The Markan premise makes sense to me, for it fits well with human relationships. We have blind spots regarding people who are very close to us, do we not? Often a stranger has more insight than does a friend, a relative, or an associate.
Anyhow, on to my main point..
In Genesis the world itself was in danger. The only protection for the intended survivors came from God. Certainly the boxy boat was not much compared to the water. And, in Mark our Lord’s personal world was in turmoil. Even worse, his life had been at risk since 3:6.
The Pharisees went out and began at once to plot with the Herodians against him, discussing how to destroy him. (The New Jerusalem Bible)
Even the life of the incarnate Son of God was endangered.
Such passages and themes of scripture cause me to wonder how anyone can, with a straight face, defend Prosperity Theology. Not only does the Book of Job raise questions regarding it, but the life of Christ and those of he Apostles (including Paul) disprove it. Furthermore, what about almost two thousand years of Christian martyrs? And there is the matter of the suffering prophets of God. But Jesus, Paul, and others knew that God was in charge. So, when one’s world is falling apart, God is still in charge.
That is a lesson worth taking to heart.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 8, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT II, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, SPIRITUAL WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MAGDALENA OF CANOSSA, FOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY AND THE SONS OF CHARITY
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER OF TARENTAISE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/genesis-and-mark-part-vii-god-and-crises/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Migrant Workers Cutting Cabbages Near Lake Harbor, Florida, 1939
Image Source = Library of Congress
“My Father was a Wandering Aramean”
MARCH 6, 2022
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (New Revised Standard Version):
When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him,
Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.
When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, you shall make this response before the LORD your God:
A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me.
You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.
Psalm 91 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
abides under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 He shall say to the LORD,
“You are my refuge and my stronghold,
my God in whom I put my trust.”
3 He shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter,
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with his pinions,
and you shall find refuge under his wings.
5 You shall not be afraid of any terror by night,
nor of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the plague that stalks in the darkness,
nor of the sickness that lays waste at mid-day.
7 A thousand shall fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand,
but it shall not come near you.
8 Your eyes have only to behold
to see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge,
and the Most High your habitation,
10 There shall no evil happen to you,
neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
11 He shall give his angels charge over you,
to keep you in all his ways.
12 They shall bear you in their hands,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and adder;
you shall trample the young lion and the serpent under your feet.
14 Because he is bound to me in love,
therefore I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I am with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him to honor.
16 With long life will I satisfy him,
and show him my salvation.
Romans 10:5-15 (New Revised Standard Version):
Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that
the person who does these things will live by them.
But the righteousness that comes from faith says,
Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”
(that is, to bring Christ down)
or
“Who will descend into the abyss?”
(that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?
The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For,
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!
Luke 4:1-13 (New Revised Standard Version):
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him,
If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.
Jesus answered him,
It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him,
To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.
Jesus answered him,
It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
and serve him only.”
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him,
If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,”
and
“On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered him,
It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
The Collect:
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/prayer-of-praise-and-adoration-for-the-first-sunday-in-lent/
Prayer of Confession:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/prayer-of-confession-for-the-first-sunday-in-lent/
Prayer of Dedication:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/prayer-of-dedication-for-the-first-sunday-in-lent/
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/prayer-for-the-first-sunday-in-lent/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor it is far away. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us what we may hear it and observe it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it so that we may hear it and observe it?” No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.
–Deuteronomy 30:11-14, New Revised Standard Version–Catholic Edition
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Among the benefits of having converted my Bible study program into a lectionary-based blogging project is covering texts repeatedly–usually in different combinations. Thus parallels, contrasts, similarities, and shades of meaning emerge. Nevertheless, a frustration arises: Sometimes I have difficulty not being redundant in my analysis. Sometimes I am redundant in my analysis. So, when I read the Lukan version of the temptation of Jesus, I ask myself how I can avoid repeating what I have already written.
The readings fit together nicely. Luke 4:1-13 quotes Psalm 91:11-12. Moses, in Deuteronomy 26:1-11, reminds the descendants of escaped slaves what God has done for them before they enter the Promised Land. God is like what God has done. Such grace requires of its recipients a favorable response to both God and fellow human beings. Paul, in Romans 10:5-13, provides one of the famous passages about there being no distinction between Jews and Gentiles in Jesus. Salvation is available to all via Jesus, who resisted temptations successfully.
The word of God is in each of us. The Word of God has made the word of God manifest. Jesus, of course, is the Word of God. The word of God is everything God says–from our temporal perspective, has said, is saying, and will say. We have benefited much from grace, so we must not hoard it for ourselves. My ancestor was not a wandering Aramean; no, he was a Virginia farmer with eighteen children, most of whom did not live to adulthood. But the principle holds. There are “wandering Arameans” wherever we turn. May we resist the temptation to treat them and to think of them scornfully. God also loves them. The word of God is also within them.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 7, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMITION OF HUY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP
THE FEAST OF HARRIET STARR CANNON, COFOUNDER OF THE COMMUNITY OF SAINT MARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROSE VENERINI, FOUNDER OF THE VENERINI SISTERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEODARD OF NARBONNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP, AND SAINTS JUSTUS AND PASTOR, MARTYRS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/my-father-was-a-wandering-aramean/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
You must be logged in to post a comment.