Life with attitude
Commentary
We live in an ever-coarsening culture. The edgy sounds and razor lyrics of punk and rap music have set a cutting edge to what defines our time. It's a raw look at who we are and what we do as a society. The language now deemed acceptable for general broadcast in the public media has reached new depths of baseness, not just with the words that are permissible to air, but also in the way certain topics are talked about. Dress has become more undress, with fashions flaunting undergarments, as well as slovenliness. Rudeness is justified either as "my rights" or "I'm just being honest with you."
Sadly, this coarseness is part of the ethos that defines America at the beginning of this new millennium. It expresses an attitude that is self-absorbed, angry and dispirited, playing on the threshold of nihilism. Injected into this malaise today are words from scripture that convey an attitude, to be sure, but one that is quite different than what arises naturally from the human heart. These words redirect our focus to a more substantial ground on which to stand, from which a healthier and hopeful attitude can arise for the living of our days.
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Jeremiah would have made a great homiletics professor for the eager preacher, more by example than by erudite lectures on the composition and delivery of sermons. Baruch, his faithful scribe, knew this and recorded for posterity many of Jeremiah's sermons. The first 20 chapters of Jeremiah contain sermons delivered during the reigns of Josiah and Jehoiakim, in the last half of the seventh century B.C. Each sermon is introduced in a manner like this: "The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord" (Jeremiah 1:4, 11; 2:1; 3:6; 7:1; 11:1; 14:1; 16:1; 18:1). Notice in this formula that the Lord is the source of Jeremiah's message. The prophet speaks not on his own authority; nor is his message simply what he thought up while burning the midnight oil.
Good sermons have good illustrations, and Jeremiah's sermon in today's text is no exception. The visual image of a potter toiling over a lump of clay is sufficient for Jeremiah to speak about how God is dealing with his people. Just as a potter can take a misshaped lump of clay that at first did not respond to the potter's design and remake it into something else, so too can God rework his people in new ways, "as it seemed good ... to do" (18:4). It is God's prerogative to do with the clay of his creation (the house of Israel) as he chooses.
The relationship between God and his people, the clay, is a dynamic one. The response the people offer to the working of the divine hands will make a difference in how those hands work the unfolding creation. When there is repentance in the clay, God, the potter, will not throw the sample away, but will continue to work with it and develop a newer, more satisfying design. If, however, there is evil in the clay -- a resistance to the potter having his way in shaping the clay, then, the potter will not be able to finish the intended design. The clay will be taken off the wheel, and it will no longer have the opportunity to come to life.
Out of this undesirable result comes the exhortation to repent (18:11). Short of this, there can only be judgment, which will disappoint the potter and leave the clay in despair. This message of Jeremiah does more than lift up the threat of judgment; it emphasizes the invitation of a caring potter that the clay remain responsive and thus on the wheel of life. This does not minimize the seriousness of the judgment; what it does more so is motivate a response of returning to the Lord.
Philemon 1-21
It is understandable, though unfortunate, that Philemon gets only one slot in the lectionary. Perhaps every pastor should determine to preach from this text/story this weekend, because this is the only time we will intentionally see Philemon and Onesimus. They have so much to offer us; it would be a shame to pass them over for any reason.
This is a beautiful story of forgiveness and Christian fellowship at its richest. Onesimus was a slave in the household of Philemon. We do not know the circumstances of why he apparently ran away. We learn that Philemon was a faithful Christian who expressed his love for the Lord and for the Christian community. Apparently, however, Onesimus did not convert to the faith while in Philemon's household.
Somehow, Onesimus ends up with Paul and becomes a Christian. Paul wants to send him back to Philemon. He is concerned, though, about everyone's attitude in this matter. He lifts up Onesimus as a valued servant (not slave; verses 13 and 16) in the Lord. This he makes clear in his choice of words describing Onesimus. The word for "slave" describes his station in life; the word for "servant" (from which we get the word deacon and the deaconite ministry) describes his status in the Christian community. Paul affirms Onesimus as "a beloved brother." With this new identity, Paul encourages him to return home to his master, most likely with a refreshed vision for serving the family with an attitude of mission, an attitude that transforms Onesimus' station.
Paul, like a master potter, "works" Philemon to reshape his attitude toward the one that he had considered useless up until now. Since Paul found Onesimus true to his name (meaning "useful"), he confidently sends him back to Philemon, who will benefit from his service. In fact, Philemon will discover a new attitude in his own heart, a discovery for which Paul prepares him.
One of the angles from which Paul persuades Philemon is that of debt. He recognizes that Onesimus has cost Philemon some financial loss. Paul is willing to assume the debt and promises to pay it. Then, he deftly reminds Philemon of the debt he himself owes Paul (probably for his salvation in Christ through Paul's witness -- what price can be put on that?) Paul does not belabor the point, for it is sharp enough to penetrate immediately.
Underlying all of this is the notion of passing on what one has received. Just as Paul received the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ, he passed it on to those who would hear and receive it in turn, like Philemon. He now calls upon Philemon to extend such grace to Onesimus, especially since both of them claim Jesus as Lord in their lives. Between the lines (especially in verses 14-16), one can sense a hint of what Paul wrote in Philippians 4:17: "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that accumulates to your account." Paul recognizes that Philemon will grow in his Christian discipleship by exercising the freedom he has in Christ to welcome Onesimus back into the home with forgiveness and new appreciation.
Some interesting comments can be drawn from the conjecture around the word in verse 9 that the Revised Standard Version translates "ambassador" and the New Revised Standard Version renders "an old man." The latter seems the more authentic, but the former makes good sense, even though its attestation in the manuscripts is minimal. The confusion arises over the difference in spelling between the words by one simple letter. It is easy to understand how a change from one to the other could be made in the tedious copy process of those early centuries.
The word for "ambassador," with the extra letter, would be consistent with other language Paul uses in his letters -- for example, 2 Corinthians 5:20 and especially Ephesians 6:20. The authority of his witness as commissioned by the risen Christ Jesus is emphasized here. This puts quite a lot of pressure on Philemon to comply with Paul's appeal.
But the word for "an old man" has greater corroboration among the manuscripts. In that case, Paul would seem to be appealing to the charm of his age, like an elder statesman, who is also in prison. How could Philemon refuse a request from such an individual in those circumstances? This may not carry the theological weight of the former word, but it nonetheless comes across as highly motivational.
Luke 14:25-33
Jesus is no stranger to hyperbole, a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to make a point. (The Greek word from which the hyperbole derives means "to exceed." See Matthew 18:6 for an instance of Jesus' strong use of language; also Luke 23:29-31.) Hate is an offensively strong word to use in reference to family ties. Jesus uses it freely when talking about the priorities one is to have in life. What Jesus likely means here is that while there are many important relationships in life, there are none more important than the relationship one has with him.
It may be for our sensitive ears that Matthew 10:37 expresses this same thought in a more palliative way. Reference is made to degrees of love. We can comprehend degrees of love, whereas the terminology of hate makes it sound like we have to choose one over the other. John 3:20 expresses this, as light and darkness are set in antipathy and those who choose evil do so because they hate the light. The same Greek word for hate is used in the Johanine text and the Lukan text.
It may be helpful to reflect on this pericope in light of Jesus' passion predictions in Luke 9:22-23, 43b-45. Jesus knows his destiny is the cross. He will have to give up everything to reveal the fullness of God's love for the world. Therefore, any who follow him must be willing to walk the same road to Calvary, giving up everything for the sake of attaining what Paul calls "the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).
It is not that we attain it through our efforts; we embrace what Christ has done for us. In so doing, we accept his claim on our life, which is a total claim, so that he may give to us his total blessings. Hence, the language of "denying self" that Jesus uses in describing how his disciples must follow him. Part of this denying of self is to relegate all other matters into secondary and tertiary positions, even the icon of family.
Jesus offers two very common images to help his hearers understand the cost of being his disciple. When one begins a building project, it is important to know just how much it will cost in order to be able to complete it. Constructing a tower is no small enterprise. Neither is following Jesus! One best be prepared to bear the cost, including denial of self, subjection to the will of God, rejection and even possible martyrdom.
In like manner, when an army is set against another, the combatants must have a complete understanding of their resources to determine if this is a cause that can be won. Battles are a matter of total commitment, for they mean life or death. So does following Jesus! It is a matter of life or death. There really is no middle ground. To side with Jesus, one must be willing to give up everything, like a soldier pledging allegiance to his general and offering his life on the front line for victory.
Application
We say we want warnings before things happen. "Forewarned is forearmed." Especially if there is something for which we may be chastised, we say we desire a warning to allow opportunity to change our ways and avoid the discipline. We get angry at those over us when they just "lower the boom" and don't even give us a second chance with "just a warning this time." However, like the people of Israel, we still "do it" even after the warning. The warning does not seem to work. Jeremiah's potter sermon did not turn the people from their ways. Clay just has a hard time listening, even with ears shaped to hear.
God is compelled by our resistance (like the spoiled clay on the potter's wheel) to deal with us in judgment. Rather than rag on God for "hard times" and ask whiney questions like "Why me?" the right attitude is to embrace the judgment, like Jeremiah had to. Ask the difficult, but necessary questions in the midst of God's discipline: "What must I learn from this experience? How can I let God have his way with me better?"
This is a more profound attitude to nurture in life, one that can endure the rough edges of experience with character and courage, because it rests in the promise of God. "At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it" (Jeremiah 18:7-8). This can certainly apply to individuals also.
In his letter to Philemon, Paul gives some practical direction for how the "clay" can be pliant, and therefore compliant, in the potter's hands, in God's hands. First, it is important to have a good understanding of self. Paul sees himself as "a prisoner for Christ Jesus" (1; very contextual, given his imprisonment). In other letters he describes himself as a "slave of Christ Jesus" (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1). Paul does not live for himself or unto himself. He belongs to Another. "For to me, living is Christ ..." he writes in Philippians 1:21. A vital attitude for Christians to maintain in our very ego-centered culture is one that understands the self first and foremost in the hands of God and subject to the will of God.
Second, having a healthy appreciation of others will go far in balancing the deleterious effects of individualistic tendencies. From the very beginning of his letter, Paul lifts up Philemon as beloved, a fellow worker, a lover of people, a man of faith, an inspiration to others. It would be crass to assert that Paul is simply setting up Philemon to be persuaded to do what Paul wants him to do. He builds up Philemon with genuine appreciation, following his own advice "for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). One of the best ways to keep from turning in upon ourselves (incurvatus se) is to focus on the gifts that others bring into relationships and offer for the good of the larger community.
Third, acknowledge, encourage and work for growth in others, not just for their own benefit, but for what they can then contribute for the benefit of others. Paul grew Onesimus from a slave to a servant, from a domestic to a disciple. This is doing in Christian parlance what the prophets called for in ages past -- to beat swords into plowshares and do justice (Micah), to seek good and not evil (Amos). Onesimus became a blessing for Paul and now Paul wants to send him back to Philemon, that he may be a blessing to him as well. In this way, the words of the psalmist ring so true: "How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1).
It truly is good and pleasant when people can dwell in unity. Unfortunately, the world does not allow this to happen without a struggle. There are hate groups that recruit followers and train them in violent attitudes and behaviors. Neo-Nazi enclaves exemplify this to the chagrin of humanity. Ethnic communities define themselves over against and at the expense of other communities. The strife in the Middle East in an ongoing illustration of this to the bafflement of world leaders, some of whom have been martyred in the search for peace.
How hard it is for us to give up our wills and subject ourselves to the will of God! Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it well when he described what is necessary for this to happen: "When Christ calls a man to follow him, he bids him come and die." It takes nothing less than that, and that is why the world cannot understand it. In the world and of the world, we seize what we deem important to us, what we can tangibly hold on to -- like our possessions and our family. We are oriented to the here and now and are often willing to settle for immediate satisfaction without regard to future blessing. But in so doing, we miss the point of Jesus' promise that as we seek the kingdom of God first and foremost, these other good things will be added to our experience in ways that bring joy and satisfaction (Matthew 6:33).
Take, for example, the matter of family. Society has elevated the status of family to the position of demigod. "Family is everything" is a cliche' that is repeated everywhere. With such a notion imbedded in our minds, it is no wonder that we have difficulty in comprehending Jesus' words about priorities. He is challenging us with a whole new paradigm for life, which places him as Lord in our life. How can we help young families, for example, live in this paradigm, as they struggle with schedules for their children that include wholesome activities that may conflict with the scheduled activities of the Christian community for worship, education, fellowship and service? Where do we have to adapt the church schedule to be responsive to the realities of our culture? Where do we have to challenge our families to make choices when this cannot so easily be done? Having the right attitude will go a long way in shaping right behavior.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Jeremiah 18:1-11
The figure of speech that describes God as a potter and Israel or the church as the clay is a frequent one in the scriptures. It takes its rational from the fact that God is our Maker and we are the work of his hands (cf. Isaiah 45:11). If God had not created his covenant people Israel by delivering them out of slavery in Egypt, and if he had not joined the church to that covenant folk through the new covenant in Jesus Christ, neither Israel nor the church would exist. "It is he that made us, and we are his" (Psalm 100:3). "We are all the work of thy hand" (Isaiah 64:8).
As a result, both Old and New Testament proclaim that God can do with us as he likes. "Does the clay say to him who fashions it, 'What are you making?' " asks Second Isaiah (Isaiah 45:9). Or, "Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?" Jesus asks in his parable in Matthew 20:15. God our Creator has the final say over his covenant people whom he has created, and he has the ultimate power to put his will into effect.
But we don't like that very well, do we? -- that the Lord can do with us whatever he likes? We want to be in control. We want to run our own lives and shape our own destinies, and we often do not like what God works in our lives.
To be sure, we will accept the controlling lordship of God if he acts in favor and mercy toward us. And on that score, our text for the morning comes across to us as a hopeful proclamation by Jeremiah. The prophet is commanded by the Lord to go down to a potter's house and to watch the craftsman at work. As the potter spins the clay on his wheel, the clay sometimes does not obey his guiding fingers and ends up as a misshapen vessel. Consequently, the potter gathers the clay into a lump again and starts all over.
And that's a hopeful lesson for us, isn't it? Despite the ugly shape that we get our lives and churches into sometimes, God doesn't just throw us, the clay, away. Instead he can remake us into something serviceable and useful, into perhaps a cup to offer someone a drink of cold water in his name. That's encouraging. God can turn our misshapen lives and our misguided churches into worthy vessels for his service.
We do not like it very well, however, when we hear that God can do just the opposite. In our text, he also says through his prophet that if his people Israel or, by extension, his church, does evil, he will pluck it up and break it down and destroy it (cf. the verbs in Jeremiah 1:10). And we find the same thing in Romans 9:20-21, where God has worked his wrath on his people Israel. If we do not obey his guiding hand, our divine Potter may fashion no-people and no-church. God does with us as he wills.
In our text for the morning, a remedy is held out, however. If a people or a church turns from its faithless and evil ways, the divine Potter will do it good. Jeremiah here holds out to his people Israel the opportunity to repent and return to the Lord, who will finally be gracious. (The language is characteristic of the Deuteronomic source in Jeremiah that stemmed from the Deuteronomic reform perpetrated by King Josiah of Judah in 622-621 B.C., cf. 2 Kings 22-23). So our text finally forms a call to repentance -- repentance for our faithlessness in the church toward our God and faithlessness in the way we conduct our daily lives and act toward our neighbors.
The lectionary does not include the final verse of the passage in which the people of Judah respond to this call to repentance. Like we, they want to remain in charge of their own lives. And so to Jeremiah's call to repentance, they reply, "That is vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart." As a result, God's judgment descends upon the Israelites of Judah in the form of the armies of Babylonia. Their cities, government, and temple are destroyed, and in a series of three deportations, all but their poorest citizens are carried into exile in that foreign land. So this is a sobering message from our prophet for the morning.
But always, always, we must remember the grace of God that our text also extends to us. God is willing to rework our church and our lives into beautiful vessels if we, in faith, will let him do so -- if we will commit ourselves to him rather than acting in the stubbornness of our evil hearts.
Above all else, our divine Potter is good, "slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness," and he has no desire to give up on any one of us. To be sure, there are times when it may seem as if God is whirling us on his potter's wheel, pounding out the clay, even "treading" on it at times (cf. Isaiah 41:25), shaping us, molding us, sometimes against our stubborn wills, to make of us the "earthen vessels" (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7) that can hold the treasures of his gospel. But his aim is love, love for a whole world which he has made, and which he yearns to have return to him. The Lord in his love will remake us, if we will let him do so.
Lutheran Option -- Deuteronomy 30:15-20
This passage forms the final portion of the three long sermons that Moses delivers to the Israelites in the land of Moab on the eastern side of the Jordan River in the 14th century B.C. God has delivered the forbearers of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, guided them for 40 years through the wilderness, and brought the second generation to this place, where they stand poised to enter into the land that the Lord promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob many years before.
In short, Israel stands halfway between her redemption out of slavery and her entrance into her promised place of salvation and rest. And of course, so do we. Like our ancient forbears in Israel, we too were delivered out of slavery -- slavery to sin and death -- by the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have journeyed many years under the guiding hand of our Redeemer, often times, it seems, through a wilderness of life. And now we look forward to our entrance into our final salvation in God's everlasting, good kingdom.
But at this point in our journey through life, our text for the morning sets before us a choice -- a choice between life and good or death and evil. The Bible tells us that if we love the Lord, by obeying his commandments and walking in his ways, we will enter into life abundant and eternal. But if we turn to worship other things and other gods of this world and do not cleave to the Lord our God, we will surely know curse and death. We may think that there is a third, neutral way, but the Bible throughout knows differently (cf. Matthew 7:13-14; Psalm 1). Either we love God, and therefore obey him, or we don't. We cannot straddle some fence between those two positions, because we are always responsible to our God.
Our Lord Jesus tells us that if we love him, we will obey his commandments (John 14:15), and perhaps we should ask specifically just what it is that the Lord requires of us. All of us know the familiar passage from Micah 6:8, which asks that we "do justice" and "love kindness" and "walk humbly with our God." But our text from Deuteronomy, and indeed the book as a whole, sheds more light on that. Our text says we are to "cleave" to the Lord (v. 20) -- cling to him, hold fast to him, in any and all circumstances, to believe that no matter what happens to us, God is with us and is good and loves us. Deuteronomy puts it in the form of its central command, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). And adds our Lord, quoting Leviticus 19:18, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31). All of the commandments of God are gathered up in those two commands.
And, say the scriptures, those form the path to abundant and eternal life in this journey that you and I are on. Love. Trust. Cleaving to God. Love, service, justice, forgiveness, mercy toward our neighbors. Surely there is no better way.
Sadly, this coarseness is part of the ethos that defines America at the beginning of this new millennium. It expresses an attitude that is self-absorbed, angry and dispirited, playing on the threshold of nihilism. Injected into this malaise today are words from scripture that convey an attitude, to be sure, but one that is quite different than what arises naturally from the human heart. These words redirect our focus to a more substantial ground on which to stand, from which a healthier and hopeful attitude can arise for the living of our days.
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Jeremiah would have made a great homiletics professor for the eager preacher, more by example than by erudite lectures on the composition and delivery of sermons. Baruch, his faithful scribe, knew this and recorded for posterity many of Jeremiah's sermons. The first 20 chapters of Jeremiah contain sermons delivered during the reigns of Josiah and Jehoiakim, in the last half of the seventh century B.C. Each sermon is introduced in a manner like this: "The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord" (Jeremiah 1:4, 11; 2:1; 3:6; 7:1; 11:1; 14:1; 16:1; 18:1). Notice in this formula that the Lord is the source of Jeremiah's message. The prophet speaks not on his own authority; nor is his message simply what he thought up while burning the midnight oil.
Good sermons have good illustrations, and Jeremiah's sermon in today's text is no exception. The visual image of a potter toiling over a lump of clay is sufficient for Jeremiah to speak about how God is dealing with his people. Just as a potter can take a misshaped lump of clay that at first did not respond to the potter's design and remake it into something else, so too can God rework his people in new ways, "as it seemed good ... to do" (18:4). It is God's prerogative to do with the clay of his creation (the house of Israel) as he chooses.
The relationship between God and his people, the clay, is a dynamic one. The response the people offer to the working of the divine hands will make a difference in how those hands work the unfolding creation. When there is repentance in the clay, God, the potter, will not throw the sample away, but will continue to work with it and develop a newer, more satisfying design. If, however, there is evil in the clay -- a resistance to the potter having his way in shaping the clay, then, the potter will not be able to finish the intended design. The clay will be taken off the wheel, and it will no longer have the opportunity to come to life.
Out of this undesirable result comes the exhortation to repent (18:11). Short of this, there can only be judgment, which will disappoint the potter and leave the clay in despair. This message of Jeremiah does more than lift up the threat of judgment; it emphasizes the invitation of a caring potter that the clay remain responsive and thus on the wheel of life. This does not minimize the seriousness of the judgment; what it does more so is motivate a response of returning to the Lord.
Philemon 1-21
It is understandable, though unfortunate, that Philemon gets only one slot in the lectionary. Perhaps every pastor should determine to preach from this text/story this weekend, because this is the only time we will intentionally see Philemon and Onesimus. They have so much to offer us; it would be a shame to pass them over for any reason.
This is a beautiful story of forgiveness and Christian fellowship at its richest. Onesimus was a slave in the household of Philemon. We do not know the circumstances of why he apparently ran away. We learn that Philemon was a faithful Christian who expressed his love for the Lord and for the Christian community. Apparently, however, Onesimus did not convert to the faith while in Philemon's household.
Somehow, Onesimus ends up with Paul and becomes a Christian. Paul wants to send him back to Philemon. He is concerned, though, about everyone's attitude in this matter. He lifts up Onesimus as a valued servant (not slave; verses 13 and 16) in the Lord. This he makes clear in his choice of words describing Onesimus. The word for "slave" describes his station in life; the word for "servant" (from which we get the word deacon and the deaconite ministry) describes his status in the Christian community. Paul affirms Onesimus as "a beloved brother." With this new identity, Paul encourages him to return home to his master, most likely with a refreshed vision for serving the family with an attitude of mission, an attitude that transforms Onesimus' station.
Paul, like a master potter, "works" Philemon to reshape his attitude toward the one that he had considered useless up until now. Since Paul found Onesimus true to his name (meaning "useful"), he confidently sends him back to Philemon, who will benefit from his service. In fact, Philemon will discover a new attitude in his own heart, a discovery for which Paul prepares him.
One of the angles from which Paul persuades Philemon is that of debt. He recognizes that Onesimus has cost Philemon some financial loss. Paul is willing to assume the debt and promises to pay it. Then, he deftly reminds Philemon of the debt he himself owes Paul (probably for his salvation in Christ through Paul's witness -- what price can be put on that?) Paul does not belabor the point, for it is sharp enough to penetrate immediately.
Underlying all of this is the notion of passing on what one has received. Just as Paul received the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ, he passed it on to those who would hear and receive it in turn, like Philemon. He now calls upon Philemon to extend such grace to Onesimus, especially since both of them claim Jesus as Lord in their lives. Between the lines (especially in verses 14-16), one can sense a hint of what Paul wrote in Philippians 4:17: "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that accumulates to your account." Paul recognizes that Philemon will grow in his Christian discipleship by exercising the freedom he has in Christ to welcome Onesimus back into the home with forgiveness and new appreciation.
Some interesting comments can be drawn from the conjecture around the word in verse 9 that the Revised Standard Version translates "ambassador" and the New Revised Standard Version renders "an old man." The latter seems the more authentic, but the former makes good sense, even though its attestation in the manuscripts is minimal. The confusion arises over the difference in spelling between the words by one simple letter. It is easy to understand how a change from one to the other could be made in the tedious copy process of those early centuries.
The word for "ambassador," with the extra letter, would be consistent with other language Paul uses in his letters -- for example, 2 Corinthians 5:20 and especially Ephesians 6:20. The authority of his witness as commissioned by the risen Christ Jesus is emphasized here. This puts quite a lot of pressure on Philemon to comply with Paul's appeal.
But the word for "an old man" has greater corroboration among the manuscripts. In that case, Paul would seem to be appealing to the charm of his age, like an elder statesman, who is also in prison. How could Philemon refuse a request from such an individual in those circumstances? This may not carry the theological weight of the former word, but it nonetheless comes across as highly motivational.
Luke 14:25-33
Jesus is no stranger to hyperbole, a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to make a point. (The Greek word from which the hyperbole derives means "to exceed." See Matthew 18:6 for an instance of Jesus' strong use of language; also Luke 23:29-31.) Hate is an offensively strong word to use in reference to family ties. Jesus uses it freely when talking about the priorities one is to have in life. What Jesus likely means here is that while there are many important relationships in life, there are none more important than the relationship one has with him.
It may be for our sensitive ears that Matthew 10:37 expresses this same thought in a more palliative way. Reference is made to degrees of love. We can comprehend degrees of love, whereas the terminology of hate makes it sound like we have to choose one over the other. John 3:20 expresses this, as light and darkness are set in antipathy and those who choose evil do so because they hate the light. The same Greek word for hate is used in the Johanine text and the Lukan text.
It may be helpful to reflect on this pericope in light of Jesus' passion predictions in Luke 9:22-23, 43b-45. Jesus knows his destiny is the cross. He will have to give up everything to reveal the fullness of God's love for the world. Therefore, any who follow him must be willing to walk the same road to Calvary, giving up everything for the sake of attaining what Paul calls "the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).
It is not that we attain it through our efforts; we embrace what Christ has done for us. In so doing, we accept his claim on our life, which is a total claim, so that he may give to us his total blessings. Hence, the language of "denying self" that Jesus uses in describing how his disciples must follow him. Part of this denying of self is to relegate all other matters into secondary and tertiary positions, even the icon of family.
Jesus offers two very common images to help his hearers understand the cost of being his disciple. When one begins a building project, it is important to know just how much it will cost in order to be able to complete it. Constructing a tower is no small enterprise. Neither is following Jesus! One best be prepared to bear the cost, including denial of self, subjection to the will of God, rejection and even possible martyrdom.
In like manner, when an army is set against another, the combatants must have a complete understanding of their resources to determine if this is a cause that can be won. Battles are a matter of total commitment, for they mean life or death. So does following Jesus! It is a matter of life or death. There really is no middle ground. To side with Jesus, one must be willing to give up everything, like a soldier pledging allegiance to his general and offering his life on the front line for victory.
Application
We say we want warnings before things happen. "Forewarned is forearmed." Especially if there is something for which we may be chastised, we say we desire a warning to allow opportunity to change our ways and avoid the discipline. We get angry at those over us when they just "lower the boom" and don't even give us a second chance with "just a warning this time." However, like the people of Israel, we still "do it" even after the warning. The warning does not seem to work. Jeremiah's potter sermon did not turn the people from their ways. Clay just has a hard time listening, even with ears shaped to hear.
God is compelled by our resistance (like the spoiled clay on the potter's wheel) to deal with us in judgment. Rather than rag on God for "hard times" and ask whiney questions like "Why me?" the right attitude is to embrace the judgment, like Jeremiah had to. Ask the difficult, but necessary questions in the midst of God's discipline: "What must I learn from this experience? How can I let God have his way with me better?"
This is a more profound attitude to nurture in life, one that can endure the rough edges of experience with character and courage, because it rests in the promise of God. "At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it" (Jeremiah 18:7-8). This can certainly apply to individuals also.
In his letter to Philemon, Paul gives some practical direction for how the "clay" can be pliant, and therefore compliant, in the potter's hands, in God's hands. First, it is important to have a good understanding of self. Paul sees himself as "a prisoner for Christ Jesus" (1; very contextual, given his imprisonment). In other letters he describes himself as a "slave of Christ Jesus" (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1). Paul does not live for himself or unto himself. He belongs to Another. "For to me, living is Christ ..." he writes in Philippians 1:21. A vital attitude for Christians to maintain in our very ego-centered culture is one that understands the self first and foremost in the hands of God and subject to the will of God.
Second, having a healthy appreciation of others will go far in balancing the deleterious effects of individualistic tendencies. From the very beginning of his letter, Paul lifts up Philemon as beloved, a fellow worker, a lover of people, a man of faith, an inspiration to others. It would be crass to assert that Paul is simply setting up Philemon to be persuaded to do what Paul wants him to do. He builds up Philemon with genuine appreciation, following his own advice "for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). One of the best ways to keep from turning in upon ourselves (incurvatus se) is to focus on the gifts that others bring into relationships and offer for the good of the larger community.
Third, acknowledge, encourage and work for growth in others, not just for their own benefit, but for what they can then contribute for the benefit of others. Paul grew Onesimus from a slave to a servant, from a domestic to a disciple. This is doing in Christian parlance what the prophets called for in ages past -- to beat swords into plowshares and do justice (Micah), to seek good and not evil (Amos). Onesimus became a blessing for Paul and now Paul wants to send him back to Philemon, that he may be a blessing to him as well. In this way, the words of the psalmist ring so true: "How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1).
It truly is good and pleasant when people can dwell in unity. Unfortunately, the world does not allow this to happen without a struggle. There are hate groups that recruit followers and train them in violent attitudes and behaviors. Neo-Nazi enclaves exemplify this to the chagrin of humanity. Ethnic communities define themselves over against and at the expense of other communities. The strife in the Middle East in an ongoing illustration of this to the bafflement of world leaders, some of whom have been martyred in the search for peace.
How hard it is for us to give up our wills and subject ourselves to the will of God! Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it well when he described what is necessary for this to happen: "When Christ calls a man to follow him, he bids him come and die." It takes nothing less than that, and that is why the world cannot understand it. In the world and of the world, we seize what we deem important to us, what we can tangibly hold on to -- like our possessions and our family. We are oriented to the here and now and are often willing to settle for immediate satisfaction without regard to future blessing. But in so doing, we miss the point of Jesus' promise that as we seek the kingdom of God first and foremost, these other good things will be added to our experience in ways that bring joy and satisfaction (Matthew 6:33).
Take, for example, the matter of family. Society has elevated the status of family to the position of demigod. "Family is everything" is a cliche' that is repeated everywhere. With such a notion imbedded in our minds, it is no wonder that we have difficulty in comprehending Jesus' words about priorities. He is challenging us with a whole new paradigm for life, which places him as Lord in our life. How can we help young families, for example, live in this paradigm, as they struggle with schedules for their children that include wholesome activities that may conflict with the scheduled activities of the Christian community for worship, education, fellowship and service? Where do we have to adapt the church schedule to be responsive to the realities of our culture? Where do we have to challenge our families to make choices when this cannot so easily be done? Having the right attitude will go a long way in shaping right behavior.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Jeremiah 18:1-11
The figure of speech that describes God as a potter and Israel or the church as the clay is a frequent one in the scriptures. It takes its rational from the fact that God is our Maker and we are the work of his hands (cf. Isaiah 45:11). If God had not created his covenant people Israel by delivering them out of slavery in Egypt, and if he had not joined the church to that covenant folk through the new covenant in Jesus Christ, neither Israel nor the church would exist. "It is he that made us, and we are his" (Psalm 100:3). "We are all the work of thy hand" (Isaiah 64:8).
As a result, both Old and New Testament proclaim that God can do with us as he likes. "Does the clay say to him who fashions it, 'What are you making?' " asks Second Isaiah (Isaiah 45:9). Or, "Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?" Jesus asks in his parable in Matthew 20:15. God our Creator has the final say over his covenant people whom he has created, and he has the ultimate power to put his will into effect.
But we don't like that very well, do we? -- that the Lord can do with us whatever he likes? We want to be in control. We want to run our own lives and shape our own destinies, and we often do not like what God works in our lives.
To be sure, we will accept the controlling lordship of God if he acts in favor and mercy toward us. And on that score, our text for the morning comes across to us as a hopeful proclamation by Jeremiah. The prophet is commanded by the Lord to go down to a potter's house and to watch the craftsman at work. As the potter spins the clay on his wheel, the clay sometimes does not obey his guiding fingers and ends up as a misshapen vessel. Consequently, the potter gathers the clay into a lump again and starts all over.
And that's a hopeful lesson for us, isn't it? Despite the ugly shape that we get our lives and churches into sometimes, God doesn't just throw us, the clay, away. Instead he can remake us into something serviceable and useful, into perhaps a cup to offer someone a drink of cold water in his name. That's encouraging. God can turn our misshapen lives and our misguided churches into worthy vessels for his service.
We do not like it very well, however, when we hear that God can do just the opposite. In our text, he also says through his prophet that if his people Israel or, by extension, his church, does evil, he will pluck it up and break it down and destroy it (cf. the verbs in Jeremiah 1:10). And we find the same thing in Romans 9:20-21, where God has worked his wrath on his people Israel. If we do not obey his guiding hand, our divine Potter may fashion no-people and no-church. God does with us as he wills.
In our text for the morning, a remedy is held out, however. If a people or a church turns from its faithless and evil ways, the divine Potter will do it good. Jeremiah here holds out to his people Israel the opportunity to repent and return to the Lord, who will finally be gracious. (The language is characteristic of the Deuteronomic source in Jeremiah that stemmed from the Deuteronomic reform perpetrated by King Josiah of Judah in 622-621 B.C., cf. 2 Kings 22-23). So our text finally forms a call to repentance -- repentance for our faithlessness in the church toward our God and faithlessness in the way we conduct our daily lives and act toward our neighbors.
The lectionary does not include the final verse of the passage in which the people of Judah respond to this call to repentance. Like we, they want to remain in charge of their own lives. And so to Jeremiah's call to repentance, they reply, "That is vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart." As a result, God's judgment descends upon the Israelites of Judah in the form of the armies of Babylonia. Their cities, government, and temple are destroyed, and in a series of three deportations, all but their poorest citizens are carried into exile in that foreign land. So this is a sobering message from our prophet for the morning.
But always, always, we must remember the grace of God that our text also extends to us. God is willing to rework our church and our lives into beautiful vessels if we, in faith, will let him do so -- if we will commit ourselves to him rather than acting in the stubbornness of our evil hearts.
Above all else, our divine Potter is good, "slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness," and he has no desire to give up on any one of us. To be sure, there are times when it may seem as if God is whirling us on his potter's wheel, pounding out the clay, even "treading" on it at times (cf. Isaiah 41:25), shaping us, molding us, sometimes against our stubborn wills, to make of us the "earthen vessels" (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7) that can hold the treasures of his gospel. But his aim is love, love for a whole world which he has made, and which he yearns to have return to him. The Lord in his love will remake us, if we will let him do so.
Lutheran Option -- Deuteronomy 30:15-20
This passage forms the final portion of the three long sermons that Moses delivers to the Israelites in the land of Moab on the eastern side of the Jordan River in the 14th century B.C. God has delivered the forbearers of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, guided them for 40 years through the wilderness, and brought the second generation to this place, where they stand poised to enter into the land that the Lord promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob many years before.
In short, Israel stands halfway between her redemption out of slavery and her entrance into her promised place of salvation and rest. And of course, so do we. Like our ancient forbears in Israel, we too were delivered out of slavery -- slavery to sin and death -- by the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have journeyed many years under the guiding hand of our Redeemer, often times, it seems, through a wilderness of life. And now we look forward to our entrance into our final salvation in God's everlasting, good kingdom.
But at this point in our journey through life, our text for the morning sets before us a choice -- a choice between life and good or death and evil. The Bible tells us that if we love the Lord, by obeying his commandments and walking in his ways, we will enter into life abundant and eternal. But if we turn to worship other things and other gods of this world and do not cleave to the Lord our God, we will surely know curse and death. We may think that there is a third, neutral way, but the Bible throughout knows differently (cf. Matthew 7:13-14; Psalm 1). Either we love God, and therefore obey him, or we don't. We cannot straddle some fence between those two positions, because we are always responsible to our God.
Our Lord Jesus tells us that if we love him, we will obey his commandments (John 14:15), and perhaps we should ask specifically just what it is that the Lord requires of us. All of us know the familiar passage from Micah 6:8, which asks that we "do justice" and "love kindness" and "walk humbly with our God." But our text from Deuteronomy, and indeed the book as a whole, sheds more light on that. Our text says we are to "cleave" to the Lord (v. 20) -- cling to him, hold fast to him, in any and all circumstances, to believe that no matter what happens to us, God is with us and is good and loves us. Deuteronomy puts it in the form of its central command, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). And adds our Lord, quoting Leviticus 19:18, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31). All of the commandments of God are gathered up in those two commands.
And, say the scriptures, those form the path to abundant and eternal life in this journey that you and I are on. Love. Trust. Cleaving to God. Love, service, justice, forgiveness, mercy toward our neighbors. Surely there is no better way.
