Mature Faith
Commentary
All of today’s texts address times along the faith journey where a mature faith is helpful. Modern examples include a church which has just completed a major building project. The ribbon cutting celebration is in the past. It is time to make payments to the creditors. Also, there are maintenance and upkeep costs along with knowing the state will be making inspection visits to assure building safety standards remain current.
Possibly a church has developed a new children or daycare ministry. Again, after the ribbon cutting ceremony and story in the newspaper, reality has set in. Staffing costs and background checks as well as more maintenance costs are the new reality.
A person has a new job or calling. The honeymoon is over with now. The reality of why there are vacancies for this position or in this vocation now set in. The honeymoon is over. This is another example of when a mature faith is helpful.
Lamentations 1:1-6; 3:19-26
Lamentations was written during one of the exile events from Judah to Babylon under the conquest of King Nebuchadnezzar around 586 BCE. The authorship has similar style and thought of Jeremiah or the scribes who worked with the prophet. The book is written in acrostic form for order so as not to be viewed as an abstract, random group of complaints. The theology is informed by the Book of Deuteronomy. This is especially pointed on in the Deuteronomy 4:26-27 warnings, which now have come to fruition. What is discomforting about this book is God is actually behind the suffering, destruction and exile as a punishment for sin. The book is a plea for comfort, while giving voice for mourning and major loss. Yet, the basic theology of the book assumes a cause and effect of negative consequences to the idolatry practices of the past. (Berlin, 15-17).
Kathleen M. O’ Connor has written a book which attempts to frame Lamentations in the category of living through trauma in any age and time of loss, Lamentations & Tears of the World, Orbis Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books 2002. This article will attempt to address both the Lamentation 1 and 3 texts grouch the pastoral attempt of O’Conner’s book. Also, The Old Testament Library Book On Lamentations by Adele Berlin is used as an exegetical reference.
Lamentations 1:1-6
The poem begins in the backdrop of loss of all symbols which provide meaning in life with a kaleidoscope of images of loss and despair. This includes the land, nation, temple and most importantly, younger marriageable and childbearing people who are the future of the nation are now sent into Babylonian exile. A distant observer could guess this introduction of a “lonely city” to be any city of any time period which has suffered great loss, and is now at the mercy of a larger, more successful governmental power. Any American rustbelt or struggling agricultural community could identify with this portion of the lament poem. Such writings as this give voice to such losses rather than deny them or superficially put a positive spin on deep felt, major losses. The once glorious economic and world-famous nation finds no resting place (1:3). This might be an equivalent to people losing that which defines their personhood such as job, family or community standing. Lamentations allows one to give voice to such losses as Job’s friends served him well in their mere silent presence at the beginning of the book (Job 1:11-13).
Most modern trauma survivors cannot get a hearing while being rejected, as well asnobody to listen or comfort them. They are labelled as complainers who whine and cannot accept life or life’s hard knocks. A simple acknowledgement can go a long way with people whose trauma will result in years of continuous scarring. One example might be a person who has lost their job in a community of care, faith or organization which was their adopted, surrogate family. The person will feel the scars of being terminated or having to take the walk of shame of dismissal from a beloved job feeling intense isolation and loneliness without a simple community such as in Lamentations to allow them to grieve. This week contains a sermon for loss of any loved one or way of living which does not solve the problem. Later, scripture gives voice with the hope of Isaiah 40-55 as God’s eventual response of deliverance and comfort being just as much of a reality.
In the case of Lamentations, the violated woman might be a metaphor of sacrilege of the holy temple where the people viewed a special sanctioned presence. (c.f.: Paul refers to the human body as a temple, 1 Corinthians 6:19). The lovers were allies whom Judah relied on against the advice of prophets. These allies have betrayed Judah and these ex-lovers now mock and delight in the misery of the vulnerable and disgraced people.
Why is God silent? The people have repeatedly broken the first commandment in Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me.” In many Christian churches this means we are to fear, love and trust God above anything else. Idolatry is the sin the nation is being judged on by being delivered to those untrustworthy alliances, material objects they have been warned about by the prophets. Unlike the book of Job, this is not undeserved suffering.
Through the lens of Christian faith, this text could be read alongside the 2 Timothy1:10 text, “but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality through the gospel,” like being delivered from Egyptian bondage, sin, death, and evil forces.
Lamentations 3:19-26
The major theme of these verses is God remains sovereign and is Judah’s (and Israel’s) God despite any indiscretions on Israel’s part. The covenant that God has made with Israel through King David remains well intact is the good news here. God is loyal. He will restore the people one day. God’s steadfast love never ceases (3:22). Israel has a reasonable hope that God is good to those who wait for God (3:25). Meanwhile, silence and steadfast trust in God might be an appropriate response. In this sense, this could be an Advent theme text this week. Past experience and assurances are a basis for realistic hope in God. Lamentations is unique in that the people are far from being delivered, yet they have a glimmer of hope based on the covenant God made with David. Would Jesus the Messiah be a compatible fit or faithful response to such hope? Christians might use Jesus as the lens through which to read the entire book of Lamentations.
The sermon track here is what reasons do people have to hope when there is no deliverance or possibility of ending the current crisis on the horizon? One modern example might be a troubled family has their primary breadwinner sentenced to many years of imprisonment in a penal institution for a crime committed. Where is the hope and what is the basis for hope? Christians believe all people need God’s grace at one time in their lives. The Luke 17:5-6 reminds us that the faith the size of a small mustard seed could uproot and replant a mulberry tree. A mature Christian faith recognizes that trauma is very real part of life. The suggestion is not to attempt to solve the problems or come up with quick solutions. Lamenting is part of the spiritual growth journey. [Sources: Belin, Adele, The Old Testament Library: Lamentations, Lousiville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004); O’Conner, Kathleen M. Lamentations & Tears of the World, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2003)].
2 Timothy 1:1-14
This epistle is part of the pastoral epistles with contested authorship. It is usually dated around 80-90 C.E. by a disciple of Paul. There is a church structure and hierarchy showing early signs of taking shape. False teachers have threatened the unity of the church. The emphasis in the pastoral epistles is teaching true doctrine, as was handed down by Paul. Translating such teachings in daily Christian action is a mature discipleship response. The major doctrines such as resurrection, expectation of a second coming of Jesus, and propagation of the Christian message remain intact. Since the teaching’s content is not contested, this article will refer to the author as “Paul.” Timothy is Paul’s successor as a seasoned and mature disciple of the apostle.
2 Timothy has the basic five-part Pauline structure of a letter. 1) Opening. 2) Thanksgiving 3) Body 4) edxhortation or paraenesis. 5) greeting/benediction closing (Hultgren, 108). The Thanksgiving portion serves to give thanks and witness to the persons addressed. It also gives some indication for the purpose of the letter. That being to follow Paul’s example to suggest a quality of service which has a clear conscience and has a sincere faith similar to forebearers such as Lois and Eunice (1:5).
Timothy is told to rekindle his faith, and later “hold to the standard of sound teaching” (1:6,13). Having a gift for ministry being transferred to other people, has roots in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible in: Numbers 11:25-26- Eldad and Medad; Deuteronomy 34:9- Joshua; 2 Kings 2: 9, - Elijah and Elisha. How does the modern church lay its hands on the next generation of “Timothy” church leaders (1:6)? Do they need to receive formal education in academia or is local mentoring and guidance from the church elders suffice? How does the church develop mature Christians to lead the community into the next generations, be they in a stable location or exile in some form geographically, technologically or necessity of career relocations? Do church Bible and doctrine classes prepare mature Christians as Paul encourages in Timothy? Must the pastor remediate such lessons from the Sunday pulpit?
Paul believes a mature faith is one that keeps the community’s life alive in the discipleship in Jesus Christ. Maintaining a neutral stance or reluctance to engage in both thought and action are made believers vulnerable to allowing their cultural and last political contexts to dictate their actions is dangerous. Their children will be quick to identify this, and thus lead to the decline of the witness the church professes for generations to come. Some church people will be stunned to read about the growing population of “nones and dones.”
The task at hand in 2 Timothy is to try to rekindle the faith of the people in identifying the virtue and power of faith in the resurrected and risen Jesus Christ. Paul encourages zeal, diligence, and watchfulness. These could be Advent themes. Spiritual gifts that are developed in times of struggle do prove to be reliable for future times of suffering. The God of the cross remains at the side of believers. This God points Christians to new life in the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). The final good news according to Paul is death is destroyed and immortality is the light through the gospel message (1:10).
In modern terms, one could instruct young people that living as a Christians according the scriptures of the church is to live a life which one is not ashamed. In the era of modern media, would a particular action be an embarrassment if it were posted on a Facebook page or recorded onto Android and gone “viral” for the world to view? Any given Christian congregation has matured teachers which can help younger people identify that which actions are honorable in scripture (such as the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20) and that which causes embarrassment (King David in 2 Samuel 11). Struggles in life remain for all people. Paul in 2 Timothy 1:13, is encouraging Timothy to “hold onto the standard of teaching you heard from me, in faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” [Sources: Fiore, Benjamin, Sacra Pagina: The Pastoral Epistles, First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus, (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2007); Hultgren, Arland, J., and Roger Aus., Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament: I-II Timothy, Titus, II Thessalonians, Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 1984)].
Luke 17:5-10
This text has two main parts. First, a small amount of faith can do amazing things, in response to the disciples request to “increase our faith” (17:5). Second, do not take God’s grace and gifts for granted.
This first portion of the text has a parallel in Matthew 17:20, where the mustard seed can move a mountain rather than a mulberry tree here in Luke. Scholars agree that both Matthew and Luke used the Q source for this text but shaped the saying according to the needs of their own faith community. It is also preserved in the noncanonical Gospel of Thomas. If one believes Jesus’ mission in Luke is from 19:10, to “seek and save the lost,” then Luke’s main point is that it is quality of faith is preferred to a quantity regarding mature discipleship. The important point is that it is genuine or authentic faith. Also, such a faith that grows can be limitless, which would serve an outreach ministry agenda. The disciples already have faith. They need no more. They simply need to just to apply and work with the faith given to them by God (Fitzmyer, 1142).
Another point is the first disciples themselves did not believe they had sufficient amounts of faith. Faith has a certain internal power to it. Later in 1 Corinthians 13:2, Paul would say faith moves mountains.
The text abruptly switches to a master/slave analogy. This metaphor is not without controversy (Parsons, 253). Is Jesus condoning slavery here? An alternative reading would be doing one’s duty regardless of their station in life is a reasonable request (Fitzmyer, 1147). The text still takes an abrupt shift. If a master can expect a reasonable day’s work from the slave, how much more can God expect from the people of faith? (Parsons, 253). While a master may choose to treat a slave with kindness and reward faithful service, it is by no means an entitlement (Chen, 232). One take away point here is Christians are not to take God’s grace for granted. God is not obligated to reward anybody’s good works. Obedience to God is given as a response to God’s grace, not to earn more points in heaven. God is to be honored. God expects people of faith to be growing as disciples, not slackers who need to be bribed to become better Christians.
The text does neither condemns nor condones slavery of the time of the Roman Empire. It simply wants to make the point that genuine faith carries out the deeds of discipleship without any more special rewards.
A modern example might be that a person is taking an adult inquirer’s class at a local church regarding becoming and growing as a Christian. The adult contacts the pastor to say that people at their place of work are fudging their production numbers to look better and also lying to management whenever possible. What shall honest Christians do here? The pastor responds that Christians are not to expect any extra pins or medals for doing the right thing. This is basic mature discipleship that builds character and enables people of faith to handle problems and obstacles of all sizes that come their way. It is at least a small mustard seed faith. [Sources: Chen, Diane, New Covenant Commentary Series: Luke, (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books 2017); Fitzmyer, Joseph A., The Anchor Bible: The Gospel According to Luke X-XXIV, Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company Inc., 1983); Parsons, Mikeal C., Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament: Luke, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015)]
Application
During the season of Pentecost, Ordinary time or of the Proper’s, the theme is the church year and the ministry of congregations during this time. We live in times when people believe quantity is the measuring stick of success. That is material objects, recreational vehicles, and of course money or monetary wealth. Luke reminds people of faith that it is quality of faith that often makes the difference. A busy businessperson is out on the side streets of a certain city trying to find a client. A flat tire suddenly occurs. With the use of a cell phone the person notifies their insurance company who will try to be in there in about an hour. Then a poor next-door neighbor sees the person in an expensive suit in this poor neighborhood. They invite their children to come outside and together they fix the man’s flat tire on the car. The businessperson attends a huge mega church in the suburbs. This family resides next door to a small urban church with an old building. Nobody measures the amount of faith when the chips are down. It is simply doing one’s Christian ministry to help the commuter with the flat tire.
Alternative Application
Neither Paul in the epistles nor Jesus in Luke critique the institution of slavery in their times. Yet both find more humane ways for those who work to have dignity and hope despite the practice of slavery in their times. Possibly a more humane way to terminate an employee would be to allow them to work out their week and come in on Saturday morning to clean out their work area. Also, a gift certificate for an area restaurant would be nice touch. Then they can leave a phone number or website for an employment agency the employer recommends. It does not solve all of the problems of termination but recognizes the human dimension of working in the trenches of a competitive employment market.
Possibly a church has developed a new children or daycare ministry. Again, after the ribbon cutting ceremony and story in the newspaper, reality has set in. Staffing costs and background checks as well as more maintenance costs are the new reality.
A person has a new job or calling. The honeymoon is over with now. The reality of why there are vacancies for this position or in this vocation now set in. The honeymoon is over. This is another example of when a mature faith is helpful.
Lamentations 1:1-6; 3:19-26
Lamentations was written during one of the exile events from Judah to Babylon under the conquest of King Nebuchadnezzar around 586 BCE. The authorship has similar style and thought of Jeremiah or the scribes who worked with the prophet. The book is written in acrostic form for order so as not to be viewed as an abstract, random group of complaints. The theology is informed by the Book of Deuteronomy. This is especially pointed on in the Deuteronomy 4:26-27 warnings, which now have come to fruition. What is discomforting about this book is God is actually behind the suffering, destruction and exile as a punishment for sin. The book is a plea for comfort, while giving voice for mourning and major loss. Yet, the basic theology of the book assumes a cause and effect of negative consequences to the idolatry practices of the past. (Berlin, 15-17).
Kathleen M. O’ Connor has written a book which attempts to frame Lamentations in the category of living through trauma in any age and time of loss, Lamentations & Tears of the World, Orbis Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books 2002. This article will attempt to address both the Lamentation 1 and 3 texts grouch the pastoral attempt of O’Conner’s book. Also, The Old Testament Library Book On Lamentations by Adele Berlin is used as an exegetical reference.
Lamentations 1:1-6
The poem begins in the backdrop of loss of all symbols which provide meaning in life with a kaleidoscope of images of loss and despair. This includes the land, nation, temple and most importantly, younger marriageable and childbearing people who are the future of the nation are now sent into Babylonian exile. A distant observer could guess this introduction of a “lonely city” to be any city of any time period which has suffered great loss, and is now at the mercy of a larger, more successful governmental power. Any American rustbelt or struggling agricultural community could identify with this portion of the lament poem. Such writings as this give voice to such losses rather than deny them or superficially put a positive spin on deep felt, major losses. The once glorious economic and world-famous nation finds no resting place (1:3). This might be an equivalent to people losing that which defines their personhood such as job, family or community standing. Lamentations allows one to give voice to such losses as Job’s friends served him well in their mere silent presence at the beginning of the book (Job 1:11-13).
Most modern trauma survivors cannot get a hearing while being rejected, as well asnobody to listen or comfort them. They are labelled as complainers who whine and cannot accept life or life’s hard knocks. A simple acknowledgement can go a long way with people whose trauma will result in years of continuous scarring. One example might be a person who has lost their job in a community of care, faith or organization which was their adopted, surrogate family. The person will feel the scars of being terminated or having to take the walk of shame of dismissal from a beloved job feeling intense isolation and loneliness without a simple community such as in Lamentations to allow them to grieve. This week contains a sermon for loss of any loved one or way of living which does not solve the problem. Later, scripture gives voice with the hope of Isaiah 40-55 as God’s eventual response of deliverance and comfort being just as much of a reality.
In the case of Lamentations, the violated woman might be a metaphor of sacrilege of the holy temple where the people viewed a special sanctioned presence. (c.f.: Paul refers to the human body as a temple, 1 Corinthians 6:19). The lovers were allies whom Judah relied on against the advice of prophets. These allies have betrayed Judah and these ex-lovers now mock and delight in the misery of the vulnerable and disgraced people.
Why is God silent? The people have repeatedly broken the first commandment in Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me.” In many Christian churches this means we are to fear, love and trust God above anything else. Idolatry is the sin the nation is being judged on by being delivered to those untrustworthy alliances, material objects they have been warned about by the prophets. Unlike the book of Job, this is not undeserved suffering.
Through the lens of Christian faith, this text could be read alongside the 2 Timothy1:10 text, “but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality through the gospel,” like being delivered from Egyptian bondage, sin, death, and evil forces.
Lamentations 3:19-26
The major theme of these verses is God remains sovereign and is Judah’s (and Israel’s) God despite any indiscretions on Israel’s part. The covenant that God has made with Israel through King David remains well intact is the good news here. God is loyal. He will restore the people one day. God’s steadfast love never ceases (3:22). Israel has a reasonable hope that God is good to those who wait for God (3:25). Meanwhile, silence and steadfast trust in God might be an appropriate response. In this sense, this could be an Advent theme text this week. Past experience and assurances are a basis for realistic hope in God. Lamentations is unique in that the people are far from being delivered, yet they have a glimmer of hope based on the covenant God made with David. Would Jesus the Messiah be a compatible fit or faithful response to such hope? Christians might use Jesus as the lens through which to read the entire book of Lamentations.
The sermon track here is what reasons do people have to hope when there is no deliverance or possibility of ending the current crisis on the horizon? One modern example might be a troubled family has their primary breadwinner sentenced to many years of imprisonment in a penal institution for a crime committed. Where is the hope and what is the basis for hope? Christians believe all people need God’s grace at one time in their lives. The Luke 17:5-6 reminds us that the faith the size of a small mustard seed could uproot and replant a mulberry tree. A mature Christian faith recognizes that trauma is very real part of life. The suggestion is not to attempt to solve the problems or come up with quick solutions. Lamenting is part of the spiritual growth journey. [Sources: Belin, Adele, The Old Testament Library: Lamentations, Lousiville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004); O’Conner, Kathleen M. Lamentations & Tears of the World, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2003)].
2 Timothy 1:1-14
This epistle is part of the pastoral epistles with contested authorship. It is usually dated around 80-90 C.E. by a disciple of Paul. There is a church structure and hierarchy showing early signs of taking shape. False teachers have threatened the unity of the church. The emphasis in the pastoral epistles is teaching true doctrine, as was handed down by Paul. Translating such teachings in daily Christian action is a mature discipleship response. The major doctrines such as resurrection, expectation of a second coming of Jesus, and propagation of the Christian message remain intact. Since the teaching’s content is not contested, this article will refer to the author as “Paul.” Timothy is Paul’s successor as a seasoned and mature disciple of the apostle.
2 Timothy has the basic five-part Pauline structure of a letter. 1) Opening. 2) Thanksgiving 3) Body 4) edxhortation or paraenesis. 5) greeting/benediction closing (Hultgren, 108). The Thanksgiving portion serves to give thanks and witness to the persons addressed. It also gives some indication for the purpose of the letter. That being to follow Paul’s example to suggest a quality of service which has a clear conscience and has a sincere faith similar to forebearers such as Lois and Eunice (1:5).
Timothy is told to rekindle his faith, and later “hold to the standard of sound teaching” (1:6,13). Having a gift for ministry being transferred to other people, has roots in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible in: Numbers 11:25-26- Eldad and Medad; Deuteronomy 34:9- Joshua; 2 Kings 2: 9, - Elijah and Elisha. How does the modern church lay its hands on the next generation of “Timothy” church leaders (1:6)? Do they need to receive formal education in academia or is local mentoring and guidance from the church elders suffice? How does the church develop mature Christians to lead the community into the next generations, be they in a stable location or exile in some form geographically, technologically or necessity of career relocations? Do church Bible and doctrine classes prepare mature Christians as Paul encourages in Timothy? Must the pastor remediate such lessons from the Sunday pulpit?
Paul believes a mature faith is one that keeps the community’s life alive in the discipleship in Jesus Christ. Maintaining a neutral stance or reluctance to engage in both thought and action are made believers vulnerable to allowing their cultural and last political contexts to dictate their actions is dangerous. Their children will be quick to identify this, and thus lead to the decline of the witness the church professes for generations to come. Some church people will be stunned to read about the growing population of “nones and dones.”
The task at hand in 2 Timothy is to try to rekindle the faith of the people in identifying the virtue and power of faith in the resurrected and risen Jesus Christ. Paul encourages zeal, diligence, and watchfulness. These could be Advent themes. Spiritual gifts that are developed in times of struggle do prove to be reliable for future times of suffering. The God of the cross remains at the side of believers. This God points Christians to new life in the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). The final good news according to Paul is death is destroyed and immortality is the light through the gospel message (1:10).
In modern terms, one could instruct young people that living as a Christians according the scriptures of the church is to live a life which one is not ashamed. In the era of modern media, would a particular action be an embarrassment if it were posted on a Facebook page or recorded onto Android and gone “viral” for the world to view? Any given Christian congregation has matured teachers which can help younger people identify that which actions are honorable in scripture (such as the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20) and that which causes embarrassment (King David in 2 Samuel 11). Struggles in life remain for all people. Paul in 2 Timothy 1:13, is encouraging Timothy to “hold onto the standard of teaching you heard from me, in faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” [Sources: Fiore, Benjamin, Sacra Pagina: The Pastoral Epistles, First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus, (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2007); Hultgren, Arland, J., and Roger Aus., Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament: I-II Timothy, Titus, II Thessalonians, Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 1984)].
Luke 17:5-10
This text has two main parts. First, a small amount of faith can do amazing things, in response to the disciples request to “increase our faith” (17:5). Second, do not take God’s grace and gifts for granted.
This first portion of the text has a parallel in Matthew 17:20, where the mustard seed can move a mountain rather than a mulberry tree here in Luke. Scholars agree that both Matthew and Luke used the Q source for this text but shaped the saying according to the needs of their own faith community. It is also preserved in the noncanonical Gospel of Thomas. If one believes Jesus’ mission in Luke is from 19:10, to “seek and save the lost,” then Luke’s main point is that it is quality of faith is preferred to a quantity regarding mature discipleship. The important point is that it is genuine or authentic faith. Also, such a faith that grows can be limitless, which would serve an outreach ministry agenda. The disciples already have faith. They need no more. They simply need to just to apply and work with the faith given to them by God (Fitzmyer, 1142).
Another point is the first disciples themselves did not believe they had sufficient amounts of faith. Faith has a certain internal power to it. Later in 1 Corinthians 13:2, Paul would say faith moves mountains.
The text abruptly switches to a master/slave analogy. This metaphor is not without controversy (Parsons, 253). Is Jesus condoning slavery here? An alternative reading would be doing one’s duty regardless of their station in life is a reasonable request (Fitzmyer, 1147). The text still takes an abrupt shift. If a master can expect a reasonable day’s work from the slave, how much more can God expect from the people of faith? (Parsons, 253). While a master may choose to treat a slave with kindness and reward faithful service, it is by no means an entitlement (Chen, 232). One take away point here is Christians are not to take God’s grace for granted. God is not obligated to reward anybody’s good works. Obedience to God is given as a response to God’s grace, not to earn more points in heaven. God is to be honored. God expects people of faith to be growing as disciples, not slackers who need to be bribed to become better Christians.
The text does neither condemns nor condones slavery of the time of the Roman Empire. It simply wants to make the point that genuine faith carries out the deeds of discipleship without any more special rewards.
A modern example might be that a person is taking an adult inquirer’s class at a local church regarding becoming and growing as a Christian. The adult contacts the pastor to say that people at their place of work are fudging their production numbers to look better and also lying to management whenever possible. What shall honest Christians do here? The pastor responds that Christians are not to expect any extra pins or medals for doing the right thing. This is basic mature discipleship that builds character and enables people of faith to handle problems and obstacles of all sizes that come their way. It is at least a small mustard seed faith. [Sources: Chen, Diane, New Covenant Commentary Series: Luke, (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books 2017); Fitzmyer, Joseph A., The Anchor Bible: The Gospel According to Luke X-XXIV, Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company Inc., 1983); Parsons, Mikeal C., Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament: Luke, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015)]
Application
During the season of Pentecost, Ordinary time or of the Proper’s, the theme is the church year and the ministry of congregations during this time. We live in times when people believe quantity is the measuring stick of success. That is material objects, recreational vehicles, and of course money or monetary wealth. Luke reminds people of faith that it is quality of faith that often makes the difference. A busy businessperson is out on the side streets of a certain city trying to find a client. A flat tire suddenly occurs. With the use of a cell phone the person notifies their insurance company who will try to be in there in about an hour. Then a poor next-door neighbor sees the person in an expensive suit in this poor neighborhood. They invite their children to come outside and together they fix the man’s flat tire on the car. The businessperson attends a huge mega church in the suburbs. This family resides next door to a small urban church with an old building. Nobody measures the amount of faith when the chips are down. It is simply doing one’s Christian ministry to help the commuter with the flat tire.
Alternative Application
Neither Paul in the epistles nor Jesus in Luke critique the institution of slavery in their times. Yet both find more humane ways for those who work to have dignity and hope despite the practice of slavery in their times. Possibly a more humane way to terminate an employee would be to allow them to work out their week and come in on Saturday morning to clean out their work area. Also, a gift certificate for an area restaurant would be nice touch. Then they can leave a phone number or website for an employment agency the employer recommends. It does not solve all of the problems of termination but recognizes the human dimension of working in the trenches of a competitive employment market.
