Talk Me Down
Commentary
“Talk me down.” Have you heard that saying? The person saying this is unable to control their strong emotions by themselves and they need a good friend to talk them away from the figurative edge on which they’re standing, before they do something they’ll regret.
In the passage from Exodus God has had enough of these complaining ungrateful former slaves, and Moses has to talk God down before the people are destroyed.
The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the great things Paul accomplished with Lydia, the jailer, and others while answering the call that came to him in a dream to stop at Philippi and found a church. Now, from a jail cell, Paul has to talk down the two women who have split a house church into factions.
In the parable Jesus told about the wedding feast the ruler is angry at all those who ignored his invitation to a feast. If you were there, what do you think it would take to talk him down?
Exodus 32:1-14
Moses has to talk God down.
The Israelites did not create the calf to be a god. It was meant to be a pedestal for the invisible God. The ancient gods of their neighbors were often seen mounted on an animal, and as the people lost heart – and faith – they wanted a familiar symbol to bolster their confidence in a God who seemed absent. Moses was simply gone too long up on top of the mountain for their liking. Even though it was not meant as a god to compete with the God who freed them, it was still a distraction, and a clear symbol of their attempt to control God, inviting the deity to mount the calf and ride among them. God was being put back into nature instead of leaving God above nature.
God’s fury at the ingratitude and shortsightedness of the people threatens to open the floodgates of destruction. Moses has to talk God down from wiping out all the escaped slaves by asking God to reconsider and take a step back from the divine fury! Whether or not you believe God needed help from us to calm down once in a while it’s seems as if we are called into a relationship of mutuality, where we can call each other, divine and human, to account.
When there is smoke on the mountain and we feel distant from a God who feels absent we may resort to different means to coax God int our midst and to become more controllable. Great things were happening up on that mountain. God is not to be controlled by us. We are to be among those who wait upon the Lord. Our turn will come to mount up with wings like eagles.
Matthew 22:1-14
We’re used to getting invitations to weddings months or even years in advance. “Save the Date!” the postcard will read, with a photograph of the smiling couple on one side and detailed instructions about year, month, day, hour, venue, children or no children, choice of entre, along with specific contact information and gift registries.
But in the parable the ruler sends out dinner invitations for later that day with every expectation that people should drop what they’re doing and come. Was that realistic?
Well, thanks to the ancient papyri, we know it was standard practice. Here are a view examples of ancient invitations from the ancient world.
You are invited by Theon, son of Origenous, to the wedding of his sister tomorrow, Tubi 9th, at the eighth hour.
You are invited by Eudaimon to dine at the gymnasium for the crowning of his son Neilos, at the eight hour on the first of the month. (Beneath, written in another hand is a correction) On the 2nd.
You are requested to dine at the Temple of Dionysius today, the 9th, at the seventh hour, by the Exegetes.
Invitations in the ancient world went out the day of the event, or perhaps a day or two earlier. The ruler in the parable had every reason to expect that his friends would respond to his invitation and come!
We have to like what the ruler chose to do instead of allowing himself to be talked down – he invited the poor, the starving, the outcasts, the kind of folks most church people are wary of. We’d prefer to serve them at arm’s length, not have them over for dinner.
Philippians 4:1-9
This is it. This is what Philippians is all about. Two women, Euodia and Synched, are at each other’s throats, and the house churches are taking side. Why is it the mundane disagreements are more likely to be the source of conflict, of boundary lines, of territoriality in our churches than actual doctrinal matters?
We don’t know what the conflict was about, but Paul wanted Syzygus (translated as “local friend” in the Common English Bible), Clement, and everyone else in the church to get involved. And everyone in the churches would know how Paul felt because reading was not a silent occupation. Letters were read aloud (there was no silent reading) in front of everyone. Letters were meant to be public performance.
Someone needs to talk these two women down. Take a deep breath. Whatever it is, we can work it out. Because they both matter. We all matter.
Having chided, Paul turned to praise. He thanked them for sending Epaphroditus to help him in jail, and for their financial support. He made it clear he was depending on the mutual love they shared across many miles.
The closing verses of this passage should be on display in every church. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
In the passage from Exodus God has had enough of these complaining ungrateful former slaves, and Moses has to talk God down before the people are destroyed.
The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the great things Paul accomplished with Lydia, the jailer, and others while answering the call that came to him in a dream to stop at Philippi and found a church. Now, from a jail cell, Paul has to talk down the two women who have split a house church into factions.
In the parable Jesus told about the wedding feast the ruler is angry at all those who ignored his invitation to a feast. If you were there, what do you think it would take to talk him down?
Exodus 32:1-14
Moses has to talk God down.
The Israelites did not create the calf to be a god. It was meant to be a pedestal for the invisible God. The ancient gods of their neighbors were often seen mounted on an animal, and as the people lost heart – and faith – they wanted a familiar symbol to bolster their confidence in a God who seemed absent. Moses was simply gone too long up on top of the mountain for their liking. Even though it was not meant as a god to compete with the God who freed them, it was still a distraction, and a clear symbol of their attempt to control God, inviting the deity to mount the calf and ride among them. God was being put back into nature instead of leaving God above nature.
God’s fury at the ingratitude and shortsightedness of the people threatens to open the floodgates of destruction. Moses has to talk God down from wiping out all the escaped slaves by asking God to reconsider and take a step back from the divine fury! Whether or not you believe God needed help from us to calm down once in a while it’s seems as if we are called into a relationship of mutuality, where we can call each other, divine and human, to account.
When there is smoke on the mountain and we feel distant from a God who feels absent we may resort to different means to coax God int our midst and to become more controllable. Great things were happening up on that mountain. God is not to be controlled by us. We are to be among those who wait upon the Lord. Our turn will come to mount up with wings like eagles.
Matthew 22:1-14
We’re used to getting invitations to weddings months or even years in advance. “Save the Date!” the postcard will read, with a photograph of the smiling couple on one side and detailed instructions about year, month, day, hour, venue, children or no children, choice of entre, along with specific contact information and gift registries.
But in the parable the ruler sends out dinner invitations for later that day with every expectation that people should drop what they’re doing and come. Was that realistic?
Well, thanks to the ancient papyri, we know it was standard practice. Here are a view examples of ancient invitations from the ancient world.
You are invited by Theon, son of Origenous, to the wedding of his sister tomorrow, Tubi 9th, at the eighth hour.
You are invited by Eudaimon to dine at the gymnasium for the crowning of his son Neilos, at the eight hour on the first of the month. (Beneath, written in another hand is a correction) On the 2nd.
You are requested to dine at the Temple of Dionysius today, the 9th, at the seventh hour, by the Exegetes.
Invitations in the ancient world went out the day of the event, or perhaps a day or two earlier. The ruler in the parable had every reason to expect that his friends would respond to his invitation and come!
We have to like what the ruler chose to do instead of allowing himself to be talked down – he invited the poor, the starving, the outcasts, the kind of folks most church people are wary of. We’d prefer to serve them at arm’s length, not have them over for dinner.
Philippians 4:1-9
This is it. This is what Philippians is all about. Two women, Euodia and Synched, are at each other’s throats, and the house churches are taking side. Why is it the mundane disagreements are more likely to be the source of conflict, of boundary lines, of territoriality in our churches than actual doctrinal matters?
We don’t know what the conflict was about, but Paul wanted Syzygus (translated as “local friend” in the Common English Bible), Clement, and everyone else in the church to get involved. And everyone in the churches would know how Paul felt because reading was not a silent occupation. Letters were read aloud (there was no silent reading) in front of everyone. Letters were meant to be public performance.
Someone needs to talk these two women down. Take a deep breath. Whatever it is, we can work it out. Because they both matter. We all matter.
Having chided, Paul turned to praise. He thanked them for sending Epaphroditus to help him in jail, and for their financial support. He made it clear he was depending on the mutual love they shared across many miles.
The closing verses of this passage should be on display in every church. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
