John Shearman's
 Liberal Lectionary Analysis

Rev. John Shearman

 INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE

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

NOTE: During the Season of Pentecost, some traditions follow a different set of readings from the Old Testament and Psalms. These alternate readings will be included in both the brief introductions and the more complete analyses.

HOSEA 11:1-11. The image of God behind this dramatic appeal to Israel is that of a loving, compassionate parent. Indeed, here God is described as the Mother of Israel. Just discipline is also the parent's role toward her children; and God does this too.

Hosea was one of that elite company of prophets who from the middle of the 8th century cried out against the abandonment of Israel's special covenant relationship with the only true God. The imminent threat from both Egypt and Assyria as the dominant powers of the period vying for supremacy is lifted up in vss.5-7 as the judgment of God against apostasy.

PSALM 107:1-9, 43. This selection forms the first two antiphons of a litany of thanksgiving most likely created as a hymn for community worship at a relatively late date, no more than four or five centuries BC. Its antiphon chorus celebrates God's enduring love on which all Israel's history has depended.

ECCLESIASTES 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23. (Alternate) In some respects Ecclesiastes is the most irreligious book in the Bible. Nowhere is this assessment clearer than in these selected passages that seems full of disheartening despair about life and faith. But take a deeper look. Perhaps there is something worthwhile in the setting the author creates for what follows in chapter 3 that everything has it's time in God's ordering of creation.

PSALM 49:1-12. (Alternate) Like Ecclesiastes, this psalm is the product of the Wisdom school of poets who sought to create a religious environment in a difficult age after Israel's return from exile in Babylon. Yet there is both hope and faith underlying the pessimism this psalmist expressed.

COLOSSIANS 3:1-11. Paul's letters follow a usual pattern of first stating what Christians believe, then declaring the ethical implications of those beliefs. Here he states what it means to live out one's baptism which symbolizes the death and resurrection of Christ. He emphasizes not only the way the Christians at Colossae were to use their bodies, but also the tense relationships which may well have existed between Jews and Gentiles.

LUKE 12:13-21. According to Luke's Gospel, Jesus always seemed to look for a teaching moment thrust at him by someone in his audience. Here a man having a quarrel with his brother asked him to be a judge between them about a family inheritance. Instead of doing what he was asked, Jesus told the parable of the farmer so satisfied with his wealth that he forgot how brief life can be. The point of the story is that God sees life from a totally different perspective. Do we share God's point of view?

HOSEA 11:1-11. The image of God behind this dramatic appeal to Israel is that of a loving, compassionate parent, the "Our Father" of the Gospels and the forgiving father of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Better still, because child rearing has always been and still is for many predominately a mother's role in most cultures, we should see here the Mother of Israel. This is the Mary we meet in Luke 2:41-52.

For Israel, history is not a recitation of events, but heilegeschichte - a holy story. The reference to Israel as a child being called out of Egypt relates to the Exodus, the formative event in the nation's history and religious tradition. Extra-biblical evidence of the event has been extremely difficult for modern historians and archaeologists to discover. Whether factual or not, the Hebrew scriptures were created around this formative tradition.

The image of the Exodus is expressed in the very first words of the passage and again in vss. 3, 4 and 8. In vss. 5-7, however, mention of Israel being returned to Egypt sounds a note of judgment against the apostasy of Yahweh's chosen people. The Gospel of Matthew makes another use of vs.1 in Matthew 2:15 in reference to the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. The authors of the NT read the Hebrew scriptures from a literalist standpoint and applied what they read to their convictions about Christ without regard to the historical context.

Yahweh's use of the historical events of Israel's past to call this holy people to obedience also comes through very forcefully. Vs. 2 recalls the Baal-worship and other forms of idolatry which so corrupted the worship of the Israelites following their settlement in Canaan, especially during the 9th and 8th centuries BCE. Hosea was one of that elite company of prophets who from the middle of the 8th century cried out against this abandonment of Israel's special covenant relationship with the only true God. Vss.5-7 lift up the imminent threat from both Egypt and Assyria as the dominant powers of the period vying for supremacy as the judgment of Yahweh against this apostasy. Squeezed as it was between the two superpowers of that time, the prophet could see the hand of God in Israel's situation.

The compassion of Yahweh exceeds the severity of this judgment, however, as vss. 9-11 assert. Because Yahweh is one who is merciful and loving as well as just, the anger of Yahweh, like the frightening roar of the lion, (or an angry father who only exercises authoritarian discipline?) brings Yahweh's children to their senses and sends them home trembling like birds (vss.10-11). There could not be a more colourful prophetic image.

The promise of Israel's return from exile has caused some scholars to hypothesize that this is a post-exilic addition to the original text of Hosea. The issue is ultimately unanswerable because no pre-exilic or other early texts exist. Furthermore, there is a vagueness and lack of specificity about the details of the promise and no mention whatsoever about the pre-eminence of Jerusalem and the temple which characterizes so much post-exilic writing. The passage really tells us more about Hosea's concept of Yahweh's true nature as a God of mercy and enduring love than about the events of those dangerous times.

PSALM 107:1-9, 43. This lection forms the first two antiphons of a liturgical psalm of thanksgiving, one of the true gems of the Psalter. The addition of the last verse of the psalm (vs.43) creates an exegetical problem no one has conclusively resolved: Are vss.1-32 the original thanksgiving hymn and vv.33-43 another psalm celebrating the providence of Yahweh and, in the prophetic tradition, the care of Yahweh for the needy?

Vss. 42-43 contain a wisdom saying comparable to those found in Proverbs and Job (cf. Job 22:19), but only once elsewhere in the Psalter (49:10). If this is a valid analysis, one may reasonably conjecture that it was an editor during the late post-exilic period who forged the unified psalm as it now appears. Wisdom and prophetic influences, especially those of Second Isaiah and Job, can be identified in many other phrases of the text.

The antiphonal refrain repeated throughout the first part (vss.8, 15, 21, 31), each with its own extension (vss.9, 16, 22, 32), emphasize the liturgical character of the psalm. Note especially how four distinct groups of worshippers and their particular reasons for thanksgiving have been identified in vss. 4-7, 10-14, 17-20 and 23-30. One wonders if these are descriptions of the many different groups of the Diaspora scattered abroad in various conditions after the historical disaster of the fall of Samaria (722 BCE) or of Jerusalem (586 BCE). If so, then the psalm could have been composed for one or other of the great festivals when the Diaspora were required to return to the temple.

It has been speculated that vss. 22 and 32 give evidence of its use with the offering of the thanksgiving sacrifices. They still ring true in the praises of modern congregational worship for the universal and steadfast loving kindness of our God.

ECCLESIASTES 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23. (Alternate) Qoheleth, the teacher of Wisdom, known more by the Latin name of the book, Ecclesiastes, was the classical cynic of scripture. These selections from the beginning of his collection of wise sayings express that characterization very well. Purporting to be Solomon, the son of David, he used this pseudonym to conceal his identity as a 4^th century observer of Israel's moral and spiritual decline during the later Persian period.

According to the late Prof. R.B.Y. Scott, he was not an atheist, but he did take a position "diametrically opposed to the doctrine that Yahweh (is) a personal God, had chosen Israel to be a people peculiar to himself and had made known to her his will." (The Way of Wisdom. Macmillan, 1971. p. 170) At the same time, Koheleth was agnostic and fatalistic, which fit well with his affirmation of the existence and power of Yahweh. This found expression in his oft repeated statement that "all is vanity and chasing after wind." In this he seemed almost ahead of his time in the direction that the Prophet Mohammed would take almost a millennium later.

Qoheleth came to the conclusion that life did not have much meaning. As he said in 2:18-21, he despaired of his labours yielding anything from which he might benefit. Only others gained from what he had wrought. All one's efforts yield only pain and vexation. As a result, he eschewed all but pleasure and felt that this too was the will of God (vss. 24-25 not in this reading). He must have suffered from a prolonged depression or his times must have been exceedingly oppressive.

PSALM 49:1-12. (Alternate) In a mood not dissimilar from that of Qoheleth, this psalmist wrote in a style that can only be classified as poems of wisdom. Several other psalms also adopted a like position. (See Psss. 1; 37; 73; 91; 112; 128) They sought to instruct and exhort their audience to be faithful in trying times. Death and Sheol seem perilously close to this particular poet.

In the first couplets, the psalmist addresses a wide audience. His real target, however, may have been the wealthy who live pompously and extravagantly in sumptuous homes. He appears to be reading or uttering an oracle which he describes as "a proverb." (Vs. 4) Some of his contemporaries obviously benefited greatly from adopted the ways their Persian overlords. Was it their ill gotten gain that so distressed this psalmist? He wanted people to take life as it came, especially with regard to riches.

Echoing the strong social justice of the prophets, he wanted nothing of the self-centred life. He shared Qoheleth's view that the pursuit of wealth held nothing but vanity. Only others would reap its benefits (vs. 9). Wisdom itself held no attraction because it too would perish like all flesh.

Some scholars see this psalm as a defense of divine providence in the face of much evil. That does not appear to be more than superficial. In fact the word "God" only occurs twice in the whole psalm. More pessimistic fatalism than sincere faith stands out in this excerpt. Perhaps too, this is the meaning of the unusual reference in vs. 15 to redemption from Sheol, although the reading does not include this. Was this in the same vein as Job's claim in Job 19:25 "I know that my redeemer lives"?

COLOSSIANS 3:1-11. Where does one begin to comment about this highly theological and yet very practical ethical passage? The theology comes in vss. 1-4; the ethics in vss.5-11. As might be expected, the latter is based on the former. The resurrection of Christ which we now share, symbolically through baptism and psychologically through faith, is the source of the power to live the Christian life. This life is now available to all who believe as is the promise to share the eternal glory of Christ beyond death. For many of the people to whom Paul wrote this letter, the implications of this counsel meant radical change in their customary behaviour. It may still do so for us.

Paul envisions the risen and ascended Christ "seated at the right hand of God," and therefore exercising all divine power. The image of deity as an all-powerful oriental potentate on a magnificent throne is found in most ancient religious traditions as well as in children's fairy tales. One is reminded of the immense tapestry of the Risen Christ towering over the altar in the magnificent Coventry Cathedral rebuilt of etched and coloured glass and stainless steel beside the ruins of the old cathedral destroyed in the World War II blitz. Standing at Christ's feet is a life-size figure a man, his head reaching no higher than Christ's ankles. Effortlessly, one's eyes are lifted upward and upward to the full height of Christ whose head reaches almost to the vaulted roof. The memory of a visit to Coventry Cathedral or looking again at a photograph of it brings vss.2-4 fully alive. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/deano/384485426 )

So what? When it was built in the 1950s the cathedral stood in the midst of an urban community serving as the parish church for a neighborhood that was predominately Christian. Today the cathedral's community includes people of all races and faith traditions, most of whom are non-Christian. It is a microcosm of the world as it is now. How then is the church to serve such a world? That too was Paul's problem in the Gentile cities like Colossae, one of the few he did not mention as having visited in person.

Paul found the impetus for his ethical challenge in vss.5-8 in similar conditions. He focused on the negative aspects of this "earthly" life. It would appear that the Colossians had found a great many sexual diversions to undercut their new life in Christ. But were they so different from our own situation? Just pick up today's newspaper or watch the latest television news or sitcoms for a contemporary view of what he means. The contrast with what the risen Christ empowers us to be is startling, as startling as stripping oneself of all one's old clothes and donning new ones "according to the image of its creator" (vss.9-10) In fact, this is exactly what happened when new converts were baptized. They were stripped naked and reclothed in new white garments to symbolize their rebirth to a totally new life.

In vs.11 Paul clarifies just how utterly new this life is to be. All the old barriers that divide people from one another are swept away and we all become one in Christ. Scholars have pointed out the similarity of this passage with Galatians 3:28-29. Others have noted the many parallels with the Letter to the Ephesians, particularly Paul's conception of the unity of believers in the Christian fellowship as the Body of Christ. Such is the missioning reality of the great Coventry Cathedral in its English urban setting. (See their web site http://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/. This mission also calls the church universal in a world longing to see the living Christ stand among us.

The latest published edition of the World Christian Encyclopedia, contains the following data: There are more than 34,000 separate Christian groups in the world, over half of them independent churches not interested in linking with any major denomination.

At the turn of the 21^st century, Christians made up 33% of the world's population with close to 2 billion followers. Other main religious groupings were as follows in order of numerical adherents: Moslems: 19.6 % - 1 billion; Hindus : 13.4% - 800 million; Buddhists: 5.9% - 360 million; Sikhs: 0.4% - 23 million; Jews : 0.2% - 14 million.

Sadly, the data appears to reveal a decidedly Christian bias. Does not the behaviour of so many in our supposedly "Christian" society compare more closely to the death-dealing description of Colossae's new converts in vs. 5?

LUKE 12:13-21. Many a farmer or business entrepreneur has been troubled by this parable. Jesus appears to say that making a good living and increasing one's wealth is totally wrong. Not so. That isn't the issue Jesus is dealing with in this family quarrel. The wrong lies in the greed, envy and lack of sharing which Jesus challenged as a result of someone's demand for the division of a family inheritance. It does sound very familiar, doesn't it? That is an issue whether one thinks of it on a purely personal scale or on the wide spectrum of international affairs where the gap between the rich and poor nations is growing greater year by year.

A few years ago, the whole world was stunned by the failure of what had been called the Asian economic miracle. Bank failures and a widespread recession had decisively countered the widely hailed myth as the ultimate success of capitalism. Yet this debacle did not halt the much hyped growth of the global economy or caused another global depression of the depths of the 1930s. Still today, Japan and several others of the wealthiest nations of Asia are only beginning to recover.

A similar failure in the supposedly invulnerable "dot.com" and related electronic equipment industries has caused considerable economic losses in Europe and North America. More recently, the buy-out mania that swallows up companies with a long successful history brings agonized appeals to governments to prevent this madness. Every blip in the stock market indices increases the anxieties of those who have invested their savings in widely held mutual funds or trusts. An article in the financial section of the newspaper tells us that major banks and investment houses with all their expertise have suffered as significantly as the modest investor.

That may not bring much comfort to the baby boom generation of the 1950s and 60s looking forward to a comfortable retirement. It is disturbing to see their investment portfolios dwindle by 20% or more in a few months. As with so much in the NT, here is the modern version of Jesus' parable writ large and broadcast so that the whole world may see it happening day by day. "Guard against greed in all its forms....That's the way it is with those who save up for themselves, but aren't rich where God is concerned." (Luke 12: 15, 21. The Complete Gospels. Edited by Robert J. Miller, Poleridge Press, 1991.)