The changing landscape
Commentary
Object:
With Ahab's marriage to Jezebel, Israel experienced a changing
scene on the religious landscape as Baal worship became more prevalent
through royal sponsorship. Paul was introduced to a larger landscape
through his missionary journeys beyond the sphere of Jerusalem and
Damascus. Although Jesus did not travel beyond eighty miles from his
birthplace, his presence and compassion changed the landscape of
households over and over, an example of which is the centurion's in the
gospel text for this week.
There is a changing landscape in America, as measured by the hearts and the behaviors of the people. The Pew Research Center has studied this, and this past year released a new report that is worth noting. According to the study, there is a rise "at a rapid pace" of the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion. Statistics that should motivate any Christian mission enterprise are these: 20% of Americans are religiously unaffiliated today; of those under thirty, that figure rises to 33%. "A gradual softening of religious commitment" is indicated by other observations and reports regarding fewer people in worship attendance and fewer financial resources provided by worshipers to local congregations.
In the past five years, according to the Pew report, those considering themselves "unaffiliated" rose from 15 to 20%. The "unaffiliated" consist of those who identify themselves as atheists or agnostics (13 million, nearly 6% of the U.S. population) or having no particular religious affiliation (33 million, 14% of the U.S. population).
Quoting from the executive summary of the Pew study: "This large and growing group of Americans is less religious than the public at large on many conventional measures, including frequency of attendance at religious services and the degree of importance they attach to religion in their lives."
Yet just like Elijah knew that all those gathered at Mount Carmel had a religious pulse even though their hearts leaned toward different gods, and just like Paul knew the Galatians were still religious even though they were "deserting... and... turning to a different gospel," and just like the centurion was respected and appreciated by the elders because of his sensitivities to the Jewish community though he was considered a pagan: so too the "unaffiliated" who form a mission field around local congregations are people who believe in God (68%), hold a significant bond with nature (58%), consider themselves to be spiritual although not religious (37%), and pray daily (21%). The religiously unaffiliated even have a positive regard for churches and other religious institutions for the role they play in responding to the needs of the poor and in encouraging healthy community relationships.
This is the landscape upon which our Bible stories today serve like signposts directing the reader/listener to the God who is, whose good news for all is the freedom and joy to be found in living in relationship with Jesus, who brings God's powerful compassion into our daily lives, providing wellness for the living of our days in gracious relationship with one another.
1 Kings 18:20-21 (22-29) 30-39
The two books of Kings as a whole recount the history of the Israelites from the death of the beloved David (beginning of the tenth century BCE) through the splitting of the kingdom (North and South), the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria, and the exile of the Southern Kingdom into Babylon to the release of King Jehoiachin (mid-sixth century BCE). First Kings, as part of this larger narrative, concludes dramatically with stories of the notorious Ahab and his queen Jezebel and their deaths. It is in the ninth century BCE that the clash between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, reported in our text, takes place.
It should be noted for the sake of interpretation that Kings is not so much a history as it is a theology of the kingdom period of the people of Israel. The structure of Kings follows a chronological sequence and grounds the narrative in dates that refer to neighboring kings' reigns. There is a literary pattern used throughout that in part announces the king's accession, length of reign, reported stories and commentary by the writer, and then announces the death of the king. Yet the focus is on the relationship of the king to God and the events of the day are interpreted as a direct result of the strength or weakness of that relationship.
Ahab's reign is covered in 1 Kings 16:29--22:40. The narrative includes his marriage to Jezebel, a severe drought, the contest at Mount Carmel, war with the Arameans, the confiscation of Naboth's vineyard following Jezebel's treachery, and a second battle with the Arameans that brought about his death. Of Ahab, it was written that he "did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him" (16:30). Elijah was prophet during this time.
Theological comments are laced throughout the stories of the kings, indicating whether they were good or bad kings, depending on their devotion to the God of Israel. The kings are honored or berated according to their faithfulness. For example, of King Abijam, who reigned in Jerusalem for three years, it was written, "His heart was not true to the Lord his God, like the heart of his father David." Of King Jehoshaphat, who reigned 25 years over the Southern Kingdom and was a contemporary of King Ahab, it was written, "He walked in all the way of his father Asa; he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord."
Ahab gets a royal F as king because of his marriage to Jezebel, who was a Phoenician from Sidon. She was a worshiper of Baal. Ahab repeated the mistake of Solomon, who married foreign women and tolerated their worship of other gods. Earlier in 1 Kings, the reader is reminded of the command that God had given to the people: "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you; for they will surely incline your heart to follow their gods" (11:2). It is because of this disobedience that the contest at Mount Carmel was destined to take place.
Baal was the fertility god in Canaan, whose consort was Asherah (see 18:19; asherim were sacred poles set up in the countryside in honor of her and were a sign of the infiltration of foreign deities into the royal court of Israel -- hence "the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table"; André Lemaire in his book The Birth of Monotheism discounts this understanding, however). Baal and other local gods throughout Canaan were a constant distraction for the people, diluting the devotion they were to maintain to the God who brought them out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 20:2-3; Deuteronomy 6:4).
Mount Carmel is a distinguishing landmark at which to host the contest. It marks the border between Phoenicia and Israel, as if to say, "We will meet at the border for I will not tolerate your presence in Israel." Of course, they were already in Israel and had probably been there for centuries since Baal worship was quite common in Canaan from earlier times (at least mid-second millennium BCE) before the Israelites arrived from Egypt.
The theological point of the story of the contest at Mount Carmel is to demonstrate publicly that only Yahweh is God in Israel and only Yahweh is to be worshiped. No other religion is to be tolerated, a point horribly underscored by the death of 400 priests of Baal. This is too early in the development of the religion of the people of Israel to say that this was a contest about monotheism. It was a common understanding that there were indeed other gods who vied for worship and obedience. The prophet's case to be made here was that of monolatry -- that is to say, Israel will worship only one God and Yahweh is the name by which God is known, who by the way is indeed more powerful than any of the other gods in the neighborhood.
Galatians 1:1-12
Vintage Paul: fiery, direct, centered, focused. Galatians is one of the seven undisputed Pauline epistles (along with Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon). His passion fuels the fire in his belly that burns with astonishment because of the faltering understanding the Galatians have about the freedom in Christ to which Paul had introduced them. Paul is directly "in their face" about what he is writing so that there might be no further misunderstanding. His center is and always was Christ crucified, which frees the soul from any bondage that would be foisted upon the believer. His focus is on the issue of circumcision and what it means to live by "promise" and not "law."
Paul reminds the Galatians that he is "an apostle" sent to them by divine authority. They had better listen to him! This is in noticeable contrast to how he introduces himself to the Romans, whom he had not met yet. That letter begins in humility as Paul speaks of himself as "a servant," American PC. The Greek word is doulos, which actually means "slave." He does finally identify himself as such in Galatians 1:10, but then with "an attitude" to underscore that his message is from the Lord and not his own fabrication or simply the thoughts of others (vv. 11-12).
This letter is addressed to several churches in the region of Galatia, a swath of territory that runs north to south in central Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). The problem Paul identifies in this letter was not an isolated one. It was affecting many congregations in the area. Apparently, after Paul founded the congregations in Galatia during his first extended missionary journey certain unidentified "Judaisers" (Jewish-Christian teachers) followed him, advocating to the Gentile converts that they needed to follow the laws of Moses to be true to the newfound faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. This was in stark contrast to the freedom in Christ that Paul was preaching. Paul will go on in his letter to explain the difference between "law" and "gospel" particularly as it is applied to the question of circumcision for Gentile converts to the faith.
In verse 4, Paul briefly sets forth the sacrificial death of Christ Jesus on the cross as the foundation upon which he builds his argument for freedom in the Christian life when it comes to such matters of the law as circumcision and the observance of holidays. (In 1 Corinthians he addresses in addition such matters as proper foods to eat.) Paul's melody of freedom reaches its crescendo in Galatians 5:1 when he writes, "For freedom Christ has set us free." Martin Luther picks up this melody in his treatise Concerning Christian Liberty when he writes, "A Christian is the most free lord of all, and subject to none..." The atoning sacrifice of Christ is the hermeneutic that qualifies all human activity as responsive to the gift of salvation, not conditional for the gift of salvation. For Paul, this is the dividing line between law and gospel.
Paul is adamant about this, reflected in his use of certain fiery words like astonished... deserting... pervert... accursed in these opening sentences of his letter. Later on in the letter, he will address the Galatians as foolish (3:1) and say that he is perplexed (4:20) about them, adding that those who confuse the Galatians in these matters should simply castrate themselves (5:12). The reader is NOT left wondering "How do you really feel about this, Paul?"
It should be acknowledged that there is an urgency for Paul about all this, for Paul is an apocalyptic apostle. His description of "the present evil age" (1:4) refers to the condition of the world that is being overcome by the work of God in Christ Jesus, establishing a new order, the age to come, which the Messiah is introducing such that "the present form of this world is passing away" (1 Corinthians 7:31). Paul perceived "the ends of the ages" (1 Corinthians 10:11) as occurring in his lifetime. When he writes "Now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2), he means that literally! This is first-generation Christian apocalypticism in pure form. There is no time to waste being weighed down by the traditions of the past; let the yoke of such slavery (5:1) be removed by the revelation of Jesus Christ. In the time remaining, the Christian is free to live by the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23) as a new creation (6:15) until harvest time (6:9).
Luke 7:1-10
All four of the canonical gospels are replete with Jesus' teachings and miracles. If the skeleton of Jesus' ministry is the good news of the kingdom of God (4:43), then his teachings and miracles flesh that out with sinew and muscle for the people to hear, see, experience, and comprehend.
This account of the healing of the centurion's slave (and the following account of the raising to life of the son of the widow of Nain) is sequential to the sermon on the plain, a collection of Jesus' teaching, much like Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. As in all the gospels, the miracles authenticate the power with which Jesus speaks with authority. Jesus is one to be noticed and reckoned with. This is what John the Baptist himself became aware of and so sent two of his disciples to Jesus to verify if he was indeed the Messiah (7:18ff).
Just as Paul's ministry extended God's grace to the Gentiles, so too Jesus demonstrates in this account that God's mercy has no boundaries as he shows compassion for the Roman centurion and his slave (whose race or ethnicity we do not know). This story takes place in Capernaum, a town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This is not the first time Jesus had been in Capernaum (see 4:31). Nor was this to be his first miracle there (4:31-41). His reputation preceded him on this visit, such that the centurion was aware and so sought him out. Matthew reports that Jesus "made his home in Capernaum" (Matthew 4:13). Mark indicates that Jesus resided in a house in Capernaum (see Mark 2:1-12) in which he performed a miracle. (Matthew shares this story with Luke. Mark does not include it in his gospel. John tells a similar story, although it is about a royal official whose son is ill in Capernaum and Jesus performs the healing miracle from Cana; even so, trust in Jesus' word is a central component of the story.)
One might wonder if this miracle story is as much about the Roman centurion as it is about Jesus. For a Gentile, he is cast in the most favorable light in the overarching story about a Jew, Jesus. We are told that the soldier was a centurion, which immediately commands a certain respect for one who is recognized as a leader of men. That he had a slave may indicate a certain wealth to afford such a luxury, but that is not certain. What is clear is that he valued highly his slave, for whom he was willing to go to extra measures to provide care. He was a man well-connected to the community he served, indicated by the fact that Jewish elders were willing to carry his request to Jesus. They spoke well of him as one who loves the people, even though he represents a government who was oppressing the people. He is given credit for building the synagogue for the religious community, even though he apparently did not identify himself as a believer; nor was he called a God-fearer, as another centurion -- Cornelius -- was in Act 10:22, for example. His involvement in the construction of the synagogue may be another indication of his wealth; certainly of his generosity.
This centurion showed respect for Jesus. He did not presume to call upon him for this favor, as if he were deserving. The elders said he was, but he presented his request to Jesus with humility: "I am not worthy to have you come under my roof." This may also be a reference to the fact that a Jew would be considered defiled if he or she were to go into a Gentile's house. For the centurion, who understood authority and the "chain of command," he would be satisfied if Jesus simply spoke the word of healing for his servant.
It is interesting to note that there is no spoken word of healing in this text, no incantation to remember for bringing about the healing. In other miracle stories, Jesus speaks direct words for healing: Talitha, cumi... Be silent and come out of him... Be made clean... Stand up, take your mat, and go to your home... Lazarus, come out! In this particular healing, the wonder and the power of Jesus as miracle worker is underscored by no particular reference to words of healing. Attention is drawn to Jesus' observation of the centurion's faith, which alone appears to be the bridge between death and life for the slave.
Application
Depending on the character and the context of a given congregation, the preacher can take these texts in a variety of directions. That is the challenge for relevant preaching after careful biblical exegesis and interpretation.
The story about the contest at Mount Carmel is told to announce to the people that Yahweh is the God of Israel, and Yahweh alone. Baal is only a contender and pales to insignificance when pitted against Yahweh. The message of the story can resonate in the ears of those who are yearning to know the truth about God and the gods. In a pluralistic society, how is one to choose to whom one should give one's allegiance? That is, if there is indeed one who merits allegiance. Elijah knows the God who has power to deliver on divine promises for the sake of humanity.
There is a shadow side to this story as Elijah, apparently on his own, decides to butcher 400 priests of Baal. This is an example of religious zeal run amok -- like what happens when a right-to-life Christian shoots and kills an abortion doctor, another Christian, who is ushering for worship on a Sunday morning in Nebraska; or when a Muslim straps on explosives and goes onto the bus in Tel Aviv to blow up innocent civilians to the glory of Allah; or when a Jew picks up an automatic rifle and sprays bullets in a Hebron mosque killing 29 worshipers during Friday prayers. One needs to tell the various parts of any biblical story with discernment, acknowledging the ungodly dimensions even of the actions of those people seeking to be godly.
It is tempting to draw a line and then judge who is on the wrong side of the line. The story of Elijah and the priests of Baal does that with dire consequences meted out upon those on the wrong side. Paul, though he is clear in his understanding between what he taught and what the Galatians are being enticed into wrongly believing, still calls them "the church" and "brothers and sisters" (cultural equivalent for the text's use of "brothers"). Just as we must be careful where the zeal of our convictions leads us, so too must we be careful not to be exclusionary based upon what others may or may not believe in the household of faith. This is not to say there is no room for correction and even reproof; it is to say that such conversations are to be held within the bonds of Christian community -- not held in such a way as to sever the bonds of our God-given spiritual family.
Finally, as we observe Jesus in dealing with the centurion, we notice that Jesus did not question his theology before he acted. He did not qualify his response based upon the centurion's pedigree -- religious, ethnic, or political. He experienced a man whose heart was humbly open to him and he responded with compassion. So too the church today must learn to be more gracious to the variety of people in our neighborhoods and respond with compassion, which is, after all, the human expression of the divine agape which is given so freely to us, first and foremost. Though non-religious, the spiritually sensitive in our midst (regardless of their economic status, political leanings, sexual orientation, racial, or ethnic background) are fertile soil upon which the gospel can be sown for fruit that can be harvested by the Spirit of God in another time and in another place. In fact, it just may be through the likes of the centurion in our day (the stranger, the other, the unclean, the unlike us) that we may see a reflection of the faith that should be in us.
Worship Application
Here is a Call to Worship for use when the assembly gathers:
The God who is -- I AM WHO I AM -- calls you to gather.
...Come from the testing grounds where you struggle for truth.
...Come from the competing arenas that vie for your allegiance.
...Come from the furrowed fields where your life seems upturned.
...Come to God, who invites you
...to know the truth
...to find your way and
...to stand on ground that yields a harvest of joy. Amen
Here is a Benediction to use as a sending blessing:
The love of God has gathered you in this place.
Now that same love sends you out
...into contests that cry for truth
...into competitions that will test your faithfulness
...into conflicts where hurts need a word of hope.
Go with the power of the prophet Elijah.
Go with the zeal of the apostle Paul.
Go with the grace of the healer, Jesus. Amen.
Both these options can be written as litanies to include the assembly:
Call to Worship (Pastor or Leader, depending on who leads this)
Pastor: God is!
Congregation: God's name is I AM WHO I AM.
Pastor: God calls you to gather.
Congregation: We are here!
Pastor: You are invited to come.
Congregation: We come from testing grounds where we struggle for truth.
Pastor: You are invited to come.
Congregation: We come from competing arenas that vie for our allegiance.
Pastor: You are invited to come.
Congregation: We come from furrowed fields where our lives are upturned.
Pastor: Do you come for truth?
Congregation: Yes!
Pastor: Do you come to find your way?
Congregation: Yes!
Pastor: Do you come to experience joy in life?
Congregation: Yes!
Pastor: You have come to the right place.
Congregation: This will be our Mount Carmel, our Galatia, our Capernaum.
Benediction (Pastor or Leader, depending on who leads this)
Pastor: The love of God has gathered you in this place.
Congregation: We have experienced God's love for us.
Pastor: The love of God now sends you out...
Congregation: into contests that cry for truth.
Pastor: The love of God now sends you out...
Congregation: into competitions that will test our faithfulness.
Pastor: The love of God now sends you out...
Congregation: into conflicts where hurts need a word of hope.
Pastor: Go with God's blessing.
Congregation: We go with the power of the prophet Elijah.
Pastor: Go with God's blessing.
Congregation: We go with the zeal of the apostle Paul.
Pastor: Go with God's blessing.
Congregation: We go with the grace of our healer, Jesus.
Pastor: Amen. Let it be so.
Congregation: Amen. It is so.
There is a changing landscape in America, as measured by the hearts and the behaviors of the people. The Pew Research Center has studied this, and this past year released a new report that is worth noting. According to the study, there is a rise "at a rapid pace" of the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion. Statistics that should motivate any Christian mission enterprise are these: 20% of Americans are religiously unaffiliated today; of those under thirty, that figure rises to 33%. "A gradual softening of religious commitment" is indicated by other observations and reports regarding fewer people in worship attendance and fewer financial resources provided by worshipers to local congregations.
In the past five years, according to the Pew report, those considering themselves "unaffiliated" rose from 15 to 20%. The "unaffiliated" consist of those who identify themselves as atheists or agnostics (13 million, nearly 6% of the U.S. population) or having no particular religious affiliation (33 million, 14% of the U.S. population).
Quoting from the executive summary of the Pew study: "This large and growing group of Americans is less religious than the public at large on many conventional measures, including frequency of attendance at religious services and the degree of importance they attach to religion in their lives."
Yet just like Elijah knew that all those gathered at Mount Carmel had a religious pulse even though their hearts leaned toward different gods, and just like Paul knew the Galatians were still religious even though they were "deserting... and... turning to a different gospel," and just like the centurion was respected and appreciated by the elders because of his sensitivities to the Jewish community though he was considered a pagan: so too the "unaffiliated" who form a mission field around local congregations are people who believe in God (68%), hold a significant bond with nature (58%), consider themselves to be spiritual although not religious (37%), and pray daily (21%). The religiously unaffiliated even have a positive regard for churches and other religious institutions for the role they play in responding to the needs of the poor and in encouraging healthy community relationships.
This is the landscape upon which our Bible stories today serve like signposts directing the reader/listener to the God who is, whose good news for all is the freedom and joy to be found in living in relationship with Jesus, who brings God's powerful compassion into our daily lives, providing wellness for the living of our days in gracious relationship with one another.
1 Kings 18:20-21 (22-29) 30-39
The two books of Kings as a whole recount the history of the Israelites from the death of the beloved David (beginning of the tenth century BCE) through the splitting of the kingdom (North and South), the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria, and the exile of the Southern Kingdom into Babylon to the release of King Jehoiachin (mid-sixth century BCE). First Kings, as part of this larger narrative, concludes dramatically with stories of the notorious Ahab and his queen Jezebel and their deaths. It is in the ninth century BCE that the clash between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, reported in our text, takes place.
It should be noted for the sake of interpretation that Kings is not so much a history as it is a theology of the kingdom period of the people of Israel. The structure of Kings follows a chronological sequence and grounds the narrative in dates that refer to neighboring kings' reigns. There is a literary pattern used throughout that in part announces the king's accession, length of reign, reported stories and commentary by the writer, and then announces the death of the king. Yet the focus is on the relationship of the king to God and the events of the day are interpreted as a direct result of the strength or weakness of that relationship.
Ahab's reign is covered in 1 Kings 16:29--22:40. The narrative includes his marriage to Jezebel, a severe drought, the contest at Mount Carmel, war with the Arameans, the confiscation of Naboth's vineyard following Jezebel's treachery, and a second battle with the Arameans that brought about his death. Of Ahab, it was written that he "did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him" (16:30). Elijah was prophet during this time.
Theological comments are laced throughout the stories of the kings, indicating whether they were good or bad kings, depending on their devotion to the God of Israel. The kings are honored or berated according to their faithfulness. For example, of King Abijam, who reigned in Jerusalem for three years, it was written, "His heart was not true to the Lord his God, like the heart of his father David." Of King Jehoshaphat, who reigned 25 years over the Southern Kingdom and was a contemporary of King Ahab, it was written, "He walked in all the way of his father Asa; he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord."
Ahab gets a royal F as king because of his marriage to Jezebel, who was a Phoenician from Sidon. She was a worshiper of Baal. Ahab repeated the mistake of Solomon, who married foreign women and tolerated their worship of other gods. Earlier in 1 Kings, the reader is reminded of the command that God had given to the people: "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you; for they will surely incline your heart to follow their gods" (11:2). It is because of this disobedience that the contest at Mount Carmel was destined to take place.
Baal was the fertility god in Canaan, whose consort was Asherah (see 18:19; asherim were sacred poles set up in the countryside in honor of her and were a sign of the infiltration of foreign deities into the royal court of Israel -- hence "the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table"; André Lemaire in his book The Birth of Monotheism discounts this understanding, however). Baal and other local gods throughout Canaan were a constant distraction for the people, diluting the devotion they were to maintain to the God who brought them out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 20:2-3; Deuteronomy 6:4).
Mount Carmel is a distinguishing landmark at which to host the contest. It marks the border between Phoenicia and Israel, as if to say, "We will meet at the border for I will not tolerate your presence in Israel." Of course, they were already in Israel and had probably been there for centuries since Baal worship was quite common in Canaan from earlier times (at least mid-second millennium BCE) before the Israelites arrived from Egypt.
The theological point of the story of the contest at Mount Carmel is to demonstrate publicly that only Yahweh is God in Israel and only Yahweh is to be worshiped. No other religion is to be tolerated, a point horribly underscored by the death of 400 priests of Baal. This is too early in the development of the religion of the people of Israel to say that this was a contest about monotheism. It was a common understanding that there were indeed other gods who vied for worship and obedience. The prophet's case to be made here was that of monolatry -- that is to say, Israel will worship only one God and Yahweh is the name by which God is known, who by the way is indeed more powerful than any of the other gods in the neighborhood.
Galatians 1:1-12
Vintage Paul: fiery, direct, centered, focused. Galatians is one of the seven undisputed Pauline epistles (along with Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon). His passion fuels the fire in his belly that burns with astonishment because of the faltering understanding the Galatians have about the freedom in Christ to which Paul had introduced them. Paul is directly "in their face" about what he is writing so that there might be no further misunderstanding. His center is and always was Christ crucified, which frees the soul from any bondage that would be foisted upon the believer. His focus is on the issue of circumcision and what it means to live by "promise" and not "law."
Paul reminds the Galatians that he is "an apostle" sent to them by divine authority. They had better listen to him! This is in noticeable contrast to how he introduces himself to the Romans, whom he had not met yet. That letter begins in humility as Paul speaks of himself as "a servant," American PC. The Greek word is doulos, which actually means "slave." He does finally identify himself as such in Galatians 1:10, but then with "an attitude" to underscore that his message is from the Lord and not his own fabrication or simply the thoughts of others (vv. 11-12).
This letter is addressed to several churches in the region of Galatia, a swath of territory that runs north to south in central Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). The problem Paul identifies in this letter was not an isolated one. It was affecting many congregations in the area. Apparently, after Paul founded the congregations in Galatia during his first extended missionary journey certain unidentified "Judaisers" (Jewish-Christian teachers) followed him, advocating to the Gentile converts that they needed to follow the laws of Moses to be true to the newfound faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. This was in stark contrast to the freedom in Christ that Paul was preaching. Paul will go on in his letter to explain the difference between "law" and "gospel" particularly as it is applied to the question of circumcision for Gentile converts to the faith.
In verse 4, Paul briefly sets forth the sacrificial death of Christ Jesus on the cross as the foundation upon which he builds his argument for freedom in the Christian life when it comes to such matters of the law as circumcision and the observance of holidays. (In 1 Corinthians he addresses in addition such matters as proper foods to eat.) Paul's melody of freedom reaches its crescendo in Galatians 5:1 when he writes, "For freedom Christ has set us free." Martin Luther picks up this melody in his treatise Concerning Christian Liberty when he writes, "A Christian is the most free lord of all, and subject to none..." The atoning sacrifice of Christ is the hermeneutic that qualifies all human activity as responsive to the gift of salvation, not conditional for the gift of salvation. For Paul, this is the dividing line between law and gospel.
Paul is adamant about this, reflected in his use of certain fiery words like astonished... deserting... pervert... accursed in these opening sentences of his letter. Later on in the letter, he will address the Galatians as foolish (3:1) and say that he is perplexed (4:20) about them, adding that those who confuse the Galatians in these matters should simply castrate themselves (5:12). The reader is NOT left wondering "How do you really feel about this, Paul?"
It should be acknowledged that there is an urgency for Paul about all this, for Paul is an apocalyptic apostle. His description of "the present evil age" (1:4) refers to the condition of the world that is being overcome by the work of God in Christ Jesus, establishing a new order, the age to come, which the Messiah is introducing such that "the present form of this world is passing away" (1 Corinthians 7:31). Paul perceived "the ends of the ages" (1 Corinthians 10:11) as occurring in his lifetime. When he writes "Now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2), he means that literally! This is first-generation Christian apocalypticism in pure form. There is no time to waste being weighed down by the traditions of the past; let the yoke of such slavery (5:1) be removed by the revelation of Jesus Christ. In the time remaining, the Christian is free to live by the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23) as a new creation (6:15) until harvest time (6:9).
Luke 7:1-10
All four of the canonical gospels are replete with Jesus' teachings and miracles. If the skeleton of Jesus' ministry is the good news of the kingdom of God (4:43), then his teachings and miracles flesh that out with sinew and muscle for the people to hear, see, experience, and comprehend.
This account of the healing of the centurion's slave (and the following account of the raising to life of the son of the widow of Nain) is sequential to the sermon on the plain, a collection of Jesus' teaching, much like Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. As in all the gospels, the miracles authenticate the power with which Jesus speaks with authority. Jesus is one to be noticed and reckoned with. This is what John the Baptist himself became aware of and so sent two of his disciples to Jesus to verify if he was indeed the Messiah (7:18ff).
Just as Paul's ministry extended God's grace to the Gentiles, so too Jesus demonstrates in this account that God's mercy has no boundaries as he shows compassion for the Roman centurion and his slave (whose race or ethnicity we do not know). This story takes place in Capernaum, a town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This is not the first time Jesus had been in Capernaum (see 4:31). Nor was this to be his first miracle there (4:31-41). His reputation preceded him on this visit, such that the centurion was aware and so sought him out. Matthew reports that Jesus "made his home in Capernaum" (Matthew 4:13). Mark indicates that Jesus resided in a house in Capernaum (see Mark 2:1-12) in which he performed a miracle. (Matthew shares this story with Luke. Mark does not include it in his gospel. John tells a similar story, although it is about a royal official whose son is ill in Capernaum and Jesus performs the healing miracle from Cana; even so, trust in Jesus' word is a central component of the story.)
One might wonder if this miracle story is as much about the Roman centurion as it is about Jesus. For a Gentile, he is cast in the most favorable light in the overarching story about a Jew, Jesus. We are told that the soldier was a centurion, which immediately commands a certain respect for one who is recognized as a leader of men. That he had a slave may indicate a certain wealth to afford such a luxury, but that is not certain. What is clear is that he valued highly his slave, for whom he was willing to go to extra measures to provide care. He was a man well-connected to the community he served, indicated by the fact that Jewish elders were willing to carry his request to Jesus. They spoke well of him as one who loves the people, even though he represents a government who was oppressing the people. He is given credit for building the synagogue for the religious community, even though he apparently did not identify himself as a believer; nor was he called a God-fearer, as another centurion -- Cornelius -- was in Act 10:22, for example. His involvement in the construction of the synagogue may be another indication of his wealth; certainly of his generosity.
This centurion showed respect for Jesus. He did not presume to call upon him for this favor, as if he were deserving. The elders said he was, but he presented his request to Jesus with humility: "I am not worthy to have you come under my roof." This may also be a reference to the fact that a Jew would be considered defiled if he or she were to go into a Gentile's house. For the centurion, who understood authority and the "chain of command," he would be satisfied if Jesus simply spoke the word of healing for his servant.
It is interesting to note that there is no spoken word of healing in this text, no incantation to remember for bringing about the healing. In other miracle stories, Jesus speaks direct words for healing: Talitha, cumi... Be silent and come out of him... Be made clean... Stand up, take your mat, and go to your home... Lazarus, come out! In this particular healing, the wonder and the power of Jesus as miracle worker is underscored by no particular reference to words of healing. Attention is drawn to Jesus' observation of the centurion's faith, which alone appears to be the bridge between death and life for the slave.
Application
Depending on the character and the context of a given congregation, the preacher can take these texts in a variety of directions. That is the challenge for relevant preaching after careful biblical exegesis and interpretation.
The story about the contest at Mount Carmel is told to announce to the people that Yahweh is the God of Israel, and Yahweh alone. Baal is only a contender and pales to insignificance when pitted against Yahweh. The message of the story can resonate in the ears of those who are yearning to know the truth about God and the gods. In a pluralistic society, how is one to choose to whom one should give one's allegiance? That is, if there is indeed one who merits allegiance. Elijah knows the God who has power to deliver on divine promises for the sake of humanity.
There is a shadow side to this story as Elijah, apparently on his own, decides to butcher 400 priests of Baal. This is an example of religious zeal run amok -- like what happens when a right-to-life Christian shoots and kills an abortion doctor, another Christian, who is ushering for worship on a Sunday morning in Nebraska; or when a Muslim straps on explosives and goes onto the bus in Tel Aviv to blow up innocent civilians to the glory of Allah; or when a Jew picks up an automatic rifle and sprays bullets in a Hebron mosque killing 29 worshipers during Friday prayers. One needs to tell the various parts of any biblical story with discernment, acknowledging the ungodly dimensions even of the actions of those people seeking to be godly.
It is tempting to draw a line and then judge who is on the wrong side of the line. The story of Elijah and the priests of Baal does that with dire consequences meted out upon those on the wrong side. Paul, though he is clear in his understanding between what he taught and what the Galatians are being enticed into wrongly believing, still calls them "the church" and "brothers and sisters" (cultural equivalent for the text's use of "brothers"). Just as we must be careful where the zeal of our convictions leads us, so too must we be careful not to be exclusionary based upon what others may or may not believe in the household of faith. This is not to say there is no room for correction and even reproof; it is to say that such conversations are to be held within the bonds of Christian community -- not held in such a way as to sever the bonds of our God-given spiritual family.
Finally, as we observe Jesus in dealing with the centurion, we notice that Jesus did not question his theology before he acted. He did not qualify his response based upon the centurion's pedigree -- religious, ethnic, or political. He experienced a man whose heart was humbly open to him and he responded with compassion. So too the church today must learn to be more gracious to the variety of people in our neighborhoods and respond with compassion, which is, after all, the human expression of the divine agape which is given so freely to us, first and foremost. Though non-religious, the spiritually sensitive in our midst (regardless of their economic status, political leanings, sexual orientation, racial, or ethnic background) are fertile soil upon which the gospel can be sown for fruit that can be harvested by the Spirit of God in another time and in another place. In fact, it just may be through the likes of the centurion in our day (the stranger, the other, the unclean, the unlike us) that we may see a reflection of the faith that should be in us.
Worship Application
Here is a Call to Worship for use when the assembly gathers:
The God who is -- I AM WHO I AM -- calls you to gather.
...Come from the testing grounds where you struggle for truth.
...Come from the competing arenas that vie for your allegiance.
...Come from the furrowed fields where your life seems upturned.
...Come to God, who invites you
...to know the truth
...to find your way and
...to stand on ground that yields a harvest of joy. Amen
Here is a Benediction to use as a sending blessing:
The love of God has gathered you in this place.
Now that same love sends you out
...into contests that cry for truth
...into competitions that will test your faithfulness
...into conflicts where hurts need a word of hope.
Go with the power of the prophet Elijah.
Go with the zeal of the apostle Paul.
Go with the grace of the healer, Jesus. Amen.
Both these options can be written as litanies to include the assembly:
Call to Worship (Pastor or Leader, depending on who leads this)
Pastor: God is!
Congregation: God's name is I AM WHO I AM.
Pastor: God calls you to gather.
Congregation: We are here!
Pastor: You are invited to come.
Congregation: We come from testing grounds where we struggle for truth.
Pastor: You are invited to come.
Congregation: We come from competing arenas that vie for our allegiance.
Pastor: You are invited to come.
Congregation: We come from furrowed fields where our lives are upturned.
Pastor: Do you come for truth?
Congregation: Yes!
Pastor: Do you come to find your way?
Congregation: Yes!
Pastor: Do you come to experience joy in life?
Congregation: Yes!
Pastor: You have come to the right place.
Congregation: This will be our Mount Carmel, our Galatia, our Capernaum.
Benediction (Pastor or Leader, depending on who leads this)
Pastor: The love of God has gathered you in this place.
Congregation: We have experienced God's love for us.
Pastor: The love of God now sends you out...
Congregation: into contests that cry for truth.
Pastor: The love of God now sends you out...
Congregation: into competitions that will test our faithfulness.
Pastor: The love of God now sends you out...
Congregation: into conflicts where hurts need a word of hope.
Pastor: Go with God's blessing.
Congregation: We go with the power of the prophet Elijah.
Pastor: Go with God's blessing.
Congregation: We go with the zeal of the apostle Paul.
Pastor: Go with God's blessing.
Congregation: We go with the grace of our healer, Jesus.
Pastor: Amen. Let it be so.
Congregation: Amen. It is so.
