PROPER 19
Worship
Scripture Notes
For use with Common, Lutheran and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
God's forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others clearly dominates the thought of most of the texts selected for this occasion. In Romans 14:5-12, the emphasis is on ways in which we try to honor the Lord whether we continue to live here for a long period of time or whether we die soon. The Romans 14 text, therefore, can be considered a response to the other texts on forgiveness.
Common:
Exodus 20:1-20
In terms of the theme of God's forgiveness, the highlights of this Decalogue text in Exodus are in the emphasis on God's redemption of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and in God's showing steadfast love to the thousands of those who keep Cod's commandments.
Lutheran: Genesis 50:15-21
In this short portion of the Joseph Story we have the theological gem of these forgiveness texts. Joseph refuses to be vindictive even after his father's death, implying that only God has the right to judge Joseph's brothers. Joseph's brothers had intended evil to come to Joseph, but God intended everything that happened to Joseph to be for the good of many people who survived the seven year famine because Joseph had been sent to Egypt. In the light of God's action in bringing good out of what Joseph's brothers had intended for evil, not only does Joseph refuse to punish his brothers, but he also provides for them and for their families. By means of this gracious act, Joseph demonstrates the nature of God and at the same time provides an excellent example for young men and women to follow. This wisdom motif of an excellent model for young people to follow is one of the primary purposes of the Joseph Story in its canonical form. Also capsulated within the Joseph Story are large amounts of Israelite tribal history to which we have no other comparable access.
In the Joseph Story, the hand of God is shown here in Genesis 50:15-21 and in Genesis 45:5-15 in the repeated refrain, "God sent me before you to preserve life." That refrain, incidentally, has provided a model of hope for Jewish leaders during conditions of extreme suffering for them throughout history, including the Holocaust and the establishment of modern Israel.
We cannot leave this text without the comment that this text - as well as the Psalm 103:1-13 account chosen to be used with it - has not a trace of legalism regarding forgiveness. These Old Testament texts are satisfied to provide exemplary models of forgiveness by Joseph (Genesis 50:15-21) and by Yahweh (Psalm 103:1-13). On the other hand, the Matthew 18:21-35 text in the New Testament ends with a legalistic threat of God-ordered imprisonment until the last coin of debt is paid for all followers of Jesus who do not forgive their fellow believers from their hearts.
Roman Catholic: Sirach 27-30-28:7
Repeatedly this wisdom text warns against our seeking vengeance ourselves when our neighbor has been unjust to us. "Those who are vengeful will suffer the Lord's vengeance" (The New American Bible) Sirach 28:1a. The sinner clings to wrath and anger and hate. The one who is righteous forgives and is forgiven by God. This is excellent parenesis for each one of us.
Common:
Psalm 19:7-14
This text is more closely related to the Exodus Decalogue text than it is to the theme of God's forgiveness of us and of our forgiveness of others. Nevertheless, "the Torah that is graciously given by Yahweh is perfect, reviving our lives" (Psalm 19:7a) because Yahweh forgives us our sins. The Torah as a gracious gift, assuring us of Yahweh's forgiveness. Because the precepts of Yahweh are so good, we can and should forgive others when they are not good to us. We all sin (19:12), but we can with confidence ask the Lord to forgive even the faults of which we are not aware.
Lutheran: Psalm 103:1-13
Roman Catholic: Psalm 103:1-4, 9-12
Within this individual hymn of praise, the gracious forgiveness of Yahweh is acclaimed joyfully and repeatedly. The examples given are general enough that they can be used basically as they are even today. An unrehearsed responsive reading of this psalm during the worship service is hardly adequate for this occasion when God's forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others will be highlighted. Hundreds of years prior to God's splendid act of forgiveness of our sins through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, the often-repeated Israelite description of Yahweh as "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" was expanded with line after line of acclamation and analogy in this Psalm 103. Surely we shall want to use this psalm heavily next Sunday in our message and in our songs. (If the poetic expressions of the many things that the Lord has done appears from our own experiences to be somewhat overstated, we have in the Romans 14 text the appropriate means with which to temper the enthusiasm of the God-inspired psalmist.)
Matthew 18:21-35
Because this Matthew 18:23-35 parable of judgment is known so well by most of the people within our worshiping congregations, perhaps we could use the parable best as the basis for a children's sermon message told in our own words. The "gospel" in the parable is seen in the mercy that the lord of the servant showed in 18:27 by releasing the servant and cancelling the huge debt owed to the lord. The parenesis is seen in the requirement that we forgive the sins and debts that others have incurred, just as God in Christ has forgiven our sins. Both for the children and for the adults we should note the similarity between this parable and the petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive our sins as we have forgiven the sins of those who have sinned against us." Finally, the importance of forgiveness can be summarized through reference to the saying about how often we should forgive in Matthew 18:21-22.
Common:
Romans 14:5-12
Lutheran: Romans 14:5-9
Roman Catholic: Romans 14:7-9
Our understanding of this text is greatly increased when we realize that Paul was emphasizing that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, of the dead as well as of the living, as he wrote to followers of Jesus who were living in Rome itself, where Caesar was being acclaimed increasingly as Lord of all. In spite of the risks to Paul and to those to whom he was writing, Paul wrote that "If we live, we live in a close relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord, and if we die, we die in a close relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord." As in Philippians 2:10-11, Paul wrote here that soon every knee shall bend to the Lord Jesus Christ and every tongue shall confess him. Implied in this is the assertion that soon even Caesar himself and those who acclaimed Caesar as Lord would bend their knees at the name of Jesus Christ and confess him as their Lord. In order to provide a biblical base for this, Paul quoted Isaiah 45:23, and implied that where Yahweh was Lord in the Isaiah text Jesus Christ raised from the dead was now Lord.
Common:
Exodus 20:1-20
In terms of the theme of God's forgiveness, the highlights of this Decalogue text in Exodus are in the emphasis on God's redemption of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and in God's showing steadfast love to the thousands of those who keep Cod's commandments.
Lutheran: Genesis 50:15-21
In this short portion of the Joseph Story we have the theological gem of these forgiveness texts. Joseph refuses to be vindictive even after his father's death, implying that only God has the right to judge Joseph's brothers. Joseph's brothers had intended evil to come to Joseph, but God intended everything that happened to Joseph to be for the good of many people who survived the seven year famine because Joseph had been sent to Egypt. In the light of God's action in bringing good out of what Joseph's brothers had intended for evil, not only does Joseph refuse to punish his brothers, but he also provides for them and for their families. By means of this gracious act, Joseph demonstrates the nature of God and at the same time provides an excellent example for young men and women to follow. This wisdom motif of an excellent model for young people to follow is one of the primary purposes of the Joseph Story in its canonical form. Also capsulated within the Joseph Story are large amounts of Israelite tribal history to which we have no other comparable access.
In the Joseph Story, the hand of God is shown here in Genesis 50:15-21 and in Genesis 45:5-15 in the repeated refrain, "God sent me before you to preserve life." That refrain, incidentally, has provided a model of hope for Jewish leaders during conditions of extreme suffering for them throughout history, including the Holocaust and the establishment of modern Israel.
We cannot leave this text without the comment that this text - as well as the Psalm 103:1-13 account chosen to be used with it - has not a trace of legalism regarding forgiveness. These Old Testament texts are satisfied to provide exemplary models of forgiveness by Joseph (Genesis 50:15-21) and by Yahweh (Psalm 103:1-13). On the other hand, the Matthew 18:21-35 text in the New Testament ends with a legalistic threat of God-ordered imprisonment until the last coin of debt is paid for all followers of Jesus who do not forgive their fellow believers from their hearts.
Roman Catholic: Sirach 27-30-28:7
Repeatedly this wisdom text warns against our seeking vengeance ourselves when our neighbor has been unjust to us. "Those who are vengeful will suffer the Lord's vengeance" (The New American Bible) Sirach 28:1a. The sinner clings to wrath and anger and hate. The one who is righteous forgives and is forgiven by God. This is excellent parenesis for each one of us.
Common:
Psalm 19:7-14
This text is more closely related to the Exodus Decalogue text than it is to the theme of God's forgiveness of us and of our forgiveness of others. Nevertheless, "the Torah that is graciously given by Yahweh is perfect, reviving our lives" (Psalm 19:7a) because Yahweh forgives us our sins. The Torah as a gracious gift, assuring us of Yahweh's forgiveness. Because the precepts of Yahweh are so good, we can and should forgive others when they are not good to us. We all sin (19:12), but we can with confidence ask the Lord to forgive even the faults of which we are not aware.
Lutheran: Psalm 103:1-13
Roman Catholic: Psalm 103:1-4, 9-12
Within this individual hymn of praise, the gracious forgiveness of Yahweh is acclaimed joyfully and repeatedly. The examples given are general enough that they can be used basically as they are even today. An unrehearsed responsive reading of this psalm during the worship service is hardly adequate for this occasion when God's forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others will be highlighted. Hundreds of years prior to God's splendid act of forgiveness of our sins through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, the often-repeated Israelite description of Yahweh as "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" was expanded with line after line of acclamation and analogy in this Psalm 103. Surely we shall want to use this psalm heavily next Sunday in our message and in our songs. (If the poetic expressions of the many things that the Lord has done appears from our own experiences to be somewhat overstated, we have in the Romans 14 text the appropriate means with which to temper the enthusiasm of the God-inspired psalmist.)
Matthew 18:21-35
Because this Matthew 18:23-35 parable of judgment is known so well by most of the people within our worshiping congregations, perhaps we could use the parable best as the basis for a children's sermon message told in our own words. The "gospel" in the parable is seen in the mercy that the lord of the servant showed in 18:27 by releasing the servant and cancelling the huge debt owed to the lord. The parenesis is seen in the requirement that we forgive the sins and debts that others have incurred, just as God in Christ has forgiven our sins. Both for the children and for the adults we should note the similarity between this parable and the petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive our sins as we have forgiven the sins of those who have sinned against us." Finally, the importance of forgiveness can be summarized through reference to the saying about how often we should forgive in Matthew 18:21-22.
Common:
Romans 14:5-12
Lutheran: Romans 14:5-9
Roman Catholic: Romans 14:7-9
Our understanding of this text is greatly increased when we realize that Paul was emphasizing that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, of the dead as well as of the living, as he wrote to followers of Jesus who were living in Rome itself, where Caesar was being acclaimed increasingly as Lord of all. In spite of the risks to Paul and to those to whom he was writing, Paul wrote that "If we live, we live in a close relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord, and if we die, we die in a close relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord." As in Philippians 2:10-11, Paul wrote here that soon every knee shall bend to the Lord Jesus Christ and every tongue shall confess him. Implied in this is the assertion that soon even Caesar himself and those who acclaimed Caesar as Lord would bend their knees at the name of Jesus Christ and confess him as their Lord. In order to provide a biblical base for this, Paul quoted Isaiah 45:23, and implied that where Yahweh was Lord in the Isaiah text Jesus Christ raised from the dead was now Lord.
