John Shearman's
 Liberal Lectionary Analysis

Rev. John Shearman

 INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE

[A more complete analysis follows this brief summary for church bulletins.]

GENESIS 28:10-19A. As with all the patriarchal narratives, the Jacob cycle is a composite of several sources behind which lay oral traditions many centuries older. Scholars believe that the experience of Jacob’s dream at Bethel served as a link between two source narratives, the first part of the Jacob-Esau story (Gen. 25 and 27) and the Jacob-Laban story (Gen. 29-31). It confirms Jacob as the ancestor of the nation and thus serves as a symbol of the renewed covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel.

PSALM 139:1-12, 23-24. If the story of Jacob’s dream conveyed the theological message that God could be present to anyone at anytime anywhere, this psalm reiterates that message in great poetry. The poem begins with an expression of the individual worshiper’s deep, but awesome consciousness of God’s being aware of one’s actions at all times (vss. 1-5). This causes the worshiper to flee from divine observation, a flight that inevitably fails (vss.7-12).

ISAIAH 44:6-8. (Alternate) It is remarkable that these few lines of poetry were written during Israel’s exile in Babylon (586-539 BCE). Surrounded by the idols, temples and rituals of alternate gods, the Israelites recognized that their God was the only one that really mattered. The prophet compellingly challenged them to believe and trust in God who was in absolute control of their future.

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 12:13, 16-19. (Alternate) This book was not included in the Hebrew Scriptures or the Protestant Bibles since the 16^th century Reformation. However, written in Greek by a thoroughly Hellenized Jew in the 1^st century BCE, it was included in the Latin, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Scriptures. This was a very turbulent period in Israel (ca 165-63 BCE) when the country was governed by the descendants of the Maccabees who had led a rebellion against their Greek overlords. Both politically and religiously, the nation suffered from frequent and often bloody conflicts. In celebrating God’s sovereignty and justice, this passage contains a very similar message to that of the prophet of the Babylonian Exile who wrote Isaiah 40-55.

PSALM 86:11-17 (Alternate) This ancient lament by an individual worshiper presents a fine example of prayers amid troubling situations. With many of its phrases drawn from other scriptural sources, it does celebrate God’s incomparably gracious forgiveness and steadfast love and seeks God’s help is some unnamed but difficult circumstance.

ROMANS 8:12-25 Many people still believe that Paul is to blame for separating the concepts of flesh and spirit because he was a Jew who had been greatly influenced by Greek philosophy. It would be better if we regarded his separation of the two metaphorically which may well be closer to his actual position. He frequently used the term flesh to describe human nature, meaning nothing more or less than our physical and mortal existence.

In this passage Paul struggled to describe how the moral and spiritual can become the dominant factor in human behavior in this present mortal life and prepare the believer for eternal, spiritual life with God beyond death.

MATTHEW 13:24-30, 36-43 The parable reveals something about the hostile environment which the early church encountered. As a parable about the kingdom of heaven, it should looked at from God’s point of view, not that of the apostolic church or the church today. Its originally simple purpose warned that the circumstances in which the church was to grow might not be ideal, but the outcome would be determined in the end when God finally brought history to an end and established the kingdom.

GENESIS 28:10-19a. The Old Testament scriptures tell the story of Israel’s historic covenant relationship with God. It is a story of divine revelation and human response. Frequently dreams serve as the medium for divine revelation. This vehicle of learning the divine will can be found in all the literature of the ancient Middle East. The dreams of priests and kings had special significance. The OT, however, has no clear example of this kind of revelation being sought intentionally. Usually, the revelation comes at divine initiative as it does for Jacob in this instance. In the NT, Matthew alone makes use of this means of communicating God’s will to Joseph concerning the birth of Jesus. Modern dream psychology aside, there are few instances of dreams as a dependable means of communication between God and humans apart from the biblical story. Invariably, biblical dream narratives have a theological purpose.

As with all the patriarchal narratives, the Jacob cycle is a composite of several sources behind which lay oral traditions many centuries older. Scholars believe that the Bethel pericope served as a link between two source narratives, the first part of the Jacob-Esau story (Gen. 25 and 27) and the Jacob-Laban story (Gen. 29-31). It confirms Jacob as the ancestor of the nation and thus serves as a symbol of the renewed covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel.

The whole Jacob cycle tells of adventures filled with conflict and deceit. This clever liar does not exhibit the virtues of a great hero. In some situations, he deserves to be forsaken and left to fend for himself in whatever danger befalls him. This passage shows, however, that despite his character flaws, God still works through him to accomplish a greater purpose than the selfish interests of the man himself. Though often hidden in the turmoil of the man’s life, God’s guiding hand still governs the nation’s history through him.

This presents the modern interpreter with a clear message to proclaim. Just as Jacob represents a whole tribe from which Israel later developed a national identity, the events of this man’s life represent a much larger canvass on which the Lord of history reveals a redemptive purpose much greater than any hero, tribe or nation. This point comes through in the climax of the story when Jacob realized that God was with him, set up his stone pillow as an altar and renamed the place Bethel, "the house of God." The place became a sacred worship centre for countless generations to come.

PSALM 139:1-12, 23-24 If the story of Jacob’s dream conveyed the theological message that God could be present to anyone at anytime anywhere, this psalm reiterates that message in great poetry. The poem begins with an expression of the individual worshiper’s deep, but intensely frightening consciousness of God’s awareness of one’s actions at all times (vss. 1-5). This causes the worshipper to flee from divine presence, a flight that inevitably fails (vss.7-12).

The reading breaks off at this point, perhaps because the poetry is less compelling. Vss. 13-18 exhibit some textual difficulties which scholars vigorously debate. Vss. 17-18 return to the inspirational theme of the earlier lines. In vss. 19-22, however, the poem descends into vengeful hostility to enemies. Scholars suggest that this part may come from some other source than the original inserted during the copying of the original scroll by a person with a decidedly different theology. Finally, the psalmist confesses a willingness to be examined by God so that every wickedness may be removed and his footsteps placed firmly on the way of life everlasting.

The reading presents several opportunities for vivid thematic preaching. It challenges us with the question as to how much we are known by the God who has created and has redeemed us. And what are the implications for daily living of being known by God and being ever in God’s presence? Is this what Jesus’ meant by "the kingdom of God is within (or among) you?"

The psalm recalls the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden hiding in the bushes after having disobeyed God. It also presages the gospel stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son in Luke 15. The poet, Francis Thompson, picked up this theme in his renowned lyrical poem, The Hound of Heaven. No one can escape the gracious mercy of the God who wills to redeem as well as to create.

ISAIAH 44:6-8. (Alternate) It is remarkable that these few lines of poetry were written during Israel’s exile in Babylon (586-539 BCE). Surrounded by the tempting idols, temples and rituals of alternate gods, the Israelites recognized that their God was the only one that really mattered. The prophet compellingly challenged them to believe and trust in the one God who had been and still was in absolute control of their past and future history.

The unknown prophet of the Babylonian Exile whose poetic oracles are contained in Isaiah 40-55 had an unswerving trust is Yahweh. He believed beyond doubt that Yahweh was in control of Israel’s destiny regardless of the temptations and privations of their forced exile from their sacred homeland for two generations. Divine sovereignty over creation and history received special emphasis in his exquisite lyrical poetry. Second or Deutero-Isaiah, as he is known, was also convinced about Yahweh’s mission to bear witness to world that there is only one God who has a redemptive purpose in history and that Israel is God’s servant despite its suffering in exile.

This brief excerpt is the first of six strophes of a longer poem (44:6-23) in which the poet celebrates that Yahweh’s glory in the holy covenanted people of Israel.

WISDOM OF SOLOMON 12:13, 16-19. (Alternate) This book was not included in the Hebrew Scriptures or the Protestant Bibles since the 16^th century Reformation. However, written in Greek by a thoroughly Hellenized Jew in the 1^st century BCE, it was included in the Latin, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Scriptures. Although titled as if written by Solomon, this was a mere literary device to give the book authority. It was an important example of the literary genre known as Wisdom literature but even more influenced by Greek philosophy than other Wisdom texts like Ecclesiates (Koheleth) and Proverbs. It is thought to have been written for the Greek speaking Jews in Alexandria, Egypt.

Although of Alexandrian origin, the book reflected a very turbulent period in Israel’s history. The country was governed by Alexandeer Janneus, (104-78 BCE) sion of the Hasmonean dynasty who had led a rebellion against their Greek overlords (175-142 BCE) . Both politically and religiously, the nation suffered from frequent and often bloody conflicts. The religious parties which we meet largely in the NT, the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes, also came in to being during this time as a result of these conflicts.

Polarization of the godless and the righteous as well as the assurance of God’s ultimate victory over evil come to the fore in this book. The Jewish author was the first to believe in immortality when righteousness would be rewarded with eternal salvation. In celebrating God’s sovereignty and justice, this passage contains a very similar message to that of the prophet of the Babylonian Exile who wrote Isaiah 40-55.

PSALM 86:11-17. (Alternate) This ancient lament by an individual worshiper presents a fine example of prayers amid troubling situations. With many of its phrases drawn from other scriptural sources, it does celebrate God’s incomparably gracious forgiveness and steadfast love and seeks God’s help is some unnamed but difficult circumstance.

The first verses of this segment of the psalm (vss. 11-13) contains a heartfelt petition for single-mindedness in following ancient traditions and thanksgiving for God’s steadfast love. The latter part is a plea for help in standing firm against ruthless opponents. This could have been the expression of a devout Pharisee in the troubled Hasmonean period referred to above.

ROMANS 8:12-25 One is tempted to think that Paul, a Jew of the Diaspora, had a distinctively Hellenistic view of human nature; and that Christianity has been burdened ever since with this dualistic separation of flesh and spirit. On the other hand, such an approach tends toward a literal interpretation of Pauline thought as determinative for Christian anthropology. It would be better if we regarded his separation of flesh and spirit metaphorically which may well have been his actual position. Paul frequently used the term flesh (Gk. = sarx) to describe human nature, meaning nothing more or less than our physical and mortal existence.

In this passage Paul struggled to describe how the moral and spiritual can become the dominant factor in human behavior in this present mortal life and prepare the believer for eternal, spiritual life with God beyond death. Hence the categories of Hellenistic dualism may have served him well, but did not blind him to spiritual realities or the benefits available through faith in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. In this instance, "living according to the flesh" meant living with those habits of mind and body one had before one met Christ who changed everything for the believer. He knew intimately what that was like!

In vss. 12-13, we learn that the core of our human problem is our pursuit of this life and all its pleasures. These end so quickly in physical and spiritual death. Life led by the Spirit of God does not end with death. Permanent, eternal spiritual life is the inheritance of the children of God. Paul elaborates on this heritage in contrasting metaphors: slaves who cannot inherit and children who do. He then moves to the amazing claim that the Spirit makes us conscious of the fact that we are the children of God and "joint heirs with Christ" (vss. 15-17).

Here Paul departs form his Jewish religious heritage so defined in the Wisdom literature and psalms where the reward of the righteous is usually thought of as a long and pleasant life in this world. The inheritance of Christians does not lead to a life of ease and beneficence, but to a challenging life of struggle and suffering. Paul knew what he was talking about for after his conversion his experience has been just that. Yet his faith convinced him that a far more glorious life was about to revealed (vs.18). He imagined that Christ would soon return to bring creation to its God-designed conclusion instead of the futile, flesh-bound existence to which the faithless condemn themselves. The groans of suffering which even the faithful share are the birth pangs of this new and glorious life (vs. 22-23). Many do not seize the opportunity for spiritual life.

The final two verse of this passage (vss. 24-25) contain a special emphasis on hope (Greek = elpis, elpizein). Paul begins with the surprising statement that "we are saved by hope." This is the reading of the KJV, although the RSV, NRSV and NEB give slightly different translations. Scholars have found that the early manuscripts vary considerably at this point. William Barclay, who followed the KJV in his translation, wrote that, like Paul, hope is one of the three great pillars of the Christian faith. It is on hope, along with faith and love, that the whole Christian faith is founded (1 Cor. 13:13). "Hope is characteristically the Christian virtue and it is something which for the non-Christian is impossible (Eph. 2:12). Only the Christian can be an optimist regarding the world. Only the Christian can cope with life. And only the Christian can regard death with serenity and equanimity." (New Testament Words, 73. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1974.)

MATTHEW 13:24-30, 36-43. Here again we run into the problem of a parable with an allegorical interpretation which seems not to be from Jesus himself. More than likely the allegory (vss. 36-43) is an accretion by Matthew or a later scribe from the 2^nd century using a typically Hellenistic approach to the remembered tradition. The parable itself also shows that its present text may have been altered under the influence of the allegory.

The story reveals something about the hostile environment which the early church encountered. As a parable about the kingdom of heaven, it has to be looked at from God’s point of view, not that of the apostolic church or the church today. It originally had an eschatological purpose. That the wheat and the weeds were to be left to grow together until separated at the harvest meant that the circumstances in which the church was to grow might not be ideal, but the outcome would be determined in the end when God finally brought history to an end and established the reign of divine love.

This may not have satisfied the community for which Matthew or a later redactor wrote. They lived in exceedingly difficult times when the church, "the children of the kingdom," (cf. Paul’s phrase in Rom. 8:14ff) was threatened by severe persecution by "the children of the evil one" (vs. 38). By that time belief in angels and the devil, taken over from late Judaism, had become part of the church’s normal thinking. Angels were seen as divinely mandated warriors ("the heavenly host" of Luke 2:13 cf. Matt. 26:53 "twelve legions of angels"). The Jewish concept of the Son of Man had been sublimated to NT messianic Christology.

As a Jew of the lst century, Jesus probably believed the traditional angelology and demonology of his time. Scholars heatedly debate whether or not he was responsible for much of the NT’s understanding of who he was as "Son of Man" or "Son of God." Perhaps Reginald H. Fuller, formerly of Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, VA, has drawn the most accurate conclusion: "(Jesus) was more concerned with what God was doing in him than who he was, especially in any metaphysical sense. But what God was doing through him in his earthly ministry provided the raw materials for the Christological evaluation of Jesus after the Easter event." (The Oxford Companion to the Bible, 361. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.)