Proper 19
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook, SERIES II
for use with Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
Comments on the Lessons
The Hosea reading describes the sins of the people which took them away from God. The prescription for returning is, "I desire steadfast love ... and the knowledge of God." The Exodus reading is Moses' first intercession after the people break the covenant. God repents of the evil he thought to do to his people. There is consensus on the 1 Timothy and Lucan readings. In 1 Timothy we learn how God showed his grace in making an apostle out of Saul, the persecutor of the church, in a kind of personal testimony to God's love. The reading from Luke has two of three parables about the lost: the lost sheep and the lost coin (the lost "prodigal" son is not included). The emphasis is on God's joy over the repenting of sinners.
Commentary
Hosea 4:1-3, 5:15--6:6 (C)
A second major division of the book of Hosea begins with 4:1-3. It deals with Israel's constant rebellion and the judgment of the Lord on Israel (4:1--14:9) In contrast to chapters 1-3, this section is wholly composed of a collection of sayings arranged for the author's purpose. It is a fitting introduction to the next section since it begins with a summons to the Israelites to hear God's Word, and it includes a statement of Israel's guilt and the punishment to come.
Although brief, this oracle is a kind of paradigm of Hosea's message of judgment. It begins with "Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel ..." which has a parallel only in Hosea 5:1, and is a proclamation formula. It specifies that the words to follow are God's message to Israel, verse 1a. Next follows the subject of the herald's proclamation, the legal suit God has against the people of the land because of breaking covenant. It uses an idiom of speech used in the royal court, similar to the style used by other prophets. Consider that the saying claims to be the "Word of the Lord," but it never shifts to the style of divine speech.
Hosea cites the complaint, which is the substance of God's case against Israel: "There is no faithfulness or kindness, and no knowledge of God in the land." (v. 1b) In verse 2 the case is stated in a listing of crimes against the law of God: "There is swearing, lying, killing, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and murder follows murder." Thus we have a comprehensive citing of sins of both omission and commission. Here is Israel in rebellion against God and breaking covenant. Israel is put "on trial" in words cast in the forms used in legal procedure in Israel's court. God plays the role of both prosecutor and judge. Appreciate the dramatic and theolgical setting here, as God carries out his legal process against his people because they have broken covenant.
Faithfulness (v. 1) has the original meaning of truth. It is not only in the sense of saying what is right but also in the sense of doing the right. Other terms which translate the Hebrew word are fidelity or steadfastness. The thrust of the word is toward an attitude of stability coupled with dependability, and a sense of duty.
Kindness (v. 1), a word in common use today, denotes a rather mild kind of polite manner and courtesy. But the Hebrew word includes the meaning of "covenant love," pointing to the living bond which binds two people together in trust and good will. It implies mutual obligations.
Notice that Hosea picks out faithfulness and kindness as foremost in covenant relationship, now disrupted. In verses 2:21f and other passages, these two qualities are promised as gifts of God. God gives what he demands!
The reference to "no knowledge of God in the land" may, of course, means that the people are ignorant of God's law, which calls for teaching. While this is surely meant, the term also points to the breaking of God's law in an attitude of willful neglect. Here Hosea uses the word for "God" one which points to God universally and not specifically the God of Israel, Yahweh. Not only has Israel broken covenant with her God, but she has failed in being a religious community by responding to God in a more general understanding.
In verse 3 we have a picture of a land which has lost its vitality. This loss affects every creature, even the fish. This is not only a drought, but a great loss of life-force due to a divine curse following breach of covenant. The land and its inhabitants share the curse, which points to the fact that all creation suffers the consequences of the broken covenant.
The focus in 5:15--6:6 is on a promise. If Israel will only return to the Lord, the Lord will heal her sickness and revive her. Note that 5:15--6:3 form a minor section within the larger whole of 5:8--6:6. However, some see verse 15 as standing apart from verses 10-14 and 6:1-3, but serving as a valuable transition, preparing for the song of penitence by describing God as one who waits for the response of his people. It is a song in response to the judgment described in 5:10-14. It introduces a continuous and prominent theme of Hosea: God, in spite of his anger against Israel's sin, ultimately seeks their reconciliation. God has given disciplinary punishment to his people. Now, in 5:15--6:3, we have a shallow repentance, and in verses 4-6, the requirement of mercy, not sacrifice.
God's people have suffered greatly and no help has come through foreign alliances.
In 6:1-3 we have a song of penitence, liturgical in form. Similar songs were used in times of national crisis, when the Israelites gathered for fastings, lament, petition and sacrifice in order to turn away God's wrath. Consider the two elements: (1) a twofold summons to return to God and acknowledge his Lordship, and (2) assertions of confidence that God will save. God's judgment is never intended to be merely penal, but always to be disciplinary and remedial. It is part of God's saving activity.
In verses 4-6, God speaks again and begins with a dismayed lament over the transitory loyalty of Israel and Judah toward the covenant. Thus the old tribal league is addressed. The dialogue here is now that between a husband and fickle wife, a father and a prodigal son. Israel's history is a record of the struggle and dialogue between God and human beings. The devotion of Ephraim and Judah has been transitory, like a morning cloud or early morning dew. Contrast this with the promise in verse 3 that God's coming to his people is like the showers and the spring rains that water the earth. Israel's steadfast love is fickle and disappears like morning mist and dew!
This fickleness is nothing new in Israel's history, for the prophets have spoken for God in this regard and given his judgment.
In verse 6 the heart of Hosea's message is set forth: God desires steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Note the parallelism of Hebrew poetry here, giving further emphasis. While sacrifice was the essential religious act in the eighth century B.C., and while the hearers of this message probably could not imagine worship without it, the prophet announces God's rejection of it. This must have sounded radical and nihilistic. Compare this to a call to stop going to church, stop celebrating communion and instead show concern for the homeless living on the streets, the aged who are mistreated in nursing homes, the children who are abused and undernourished! God elected Israel and intended to be Lord of all of her life. True devotion here is set in contrast to the sacrifice in which worshipers shared a meal in order to establish community with God. Knowledge of God is personal relationship with the God revealed in the Exodus, the One who is their only God. "To know God" is Hosea's usual term for normative faith. This knowledge of God is Israel's personal response to God's mighty acts of salvation/history, of election, and of obedience to the covenant.
Exodus 32:7-14 (L)
Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 (RC)
The setting of this account is Moses on Mount Sinai. This is part of a chapter dealing with the breaking of the covenant by the Israelites. Moses is told what has happened, and is reminded of his responsibility for the people he had brought out of Egypt.
In verse 15 we learn the tables were written on both sides, indicating they were out of the ordinary (since stones were usually inscribed on only one side). The description of the tables may have been a later addition.
God is angry with the people because they are "a stiff-necked people." The calf they made represents God to the people, but it is a god made according the desires of the people. The people's attempt to control God is a form of disobedience.
Moses reminds God that the Almighty cannot deny his own people, for to destroy Israel would mean that God would undo what he has done. God's working with Israel would be obscured to the Egyptians. So Moses' intercession is a pleading for God to be true to himself.
The good news for Israel is that "the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people." (v. 14) God judged the sins of the world in the death of his Son on the Cross, and in doing so "repented" of the evil he thought to do to human beings in requiring punishment and death for sin.
1 Timothy 1:12-17
The Pastoral Epistles, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, share a common character and problem in authorship. The date of 1 Timothy is suggested as A.D. 130-150. Scholars generally agree that in their present form it is difficult to assign these letters to the apostle Paul. The letters are pseudonymous and belong to a period of time later than Paul, Timothy or Titus. The names Timothy and Titus cannot be taken as the names of the men who worked with Paul but rather stand for the clergy who in this later generation stand in the same relationship to the writer (unknown) as Timothy and Titus stood to Paul. The Pastorals are unique in the New Testament letters in that they are not written to "all God's beloved" or the church in general, but rather to a special functional class of people in the church: the professional ministry. They were written by a pastor to pastors, and are the first such in the history of the church. The intent of 1 Timothy 1:3 is to suggest that the letter is a written reminder of what was spoken by the author earlier, just before his departure for Macedonia. But this must be regarded as "stage setting," a literary device seeking to ensure the authenticity of the letter and to underscore the necessity for writing it. Writing a book or letter and ascribing it to a well-known person (in order to give it greater authority) was practiced in the ancient world. It is not unknown today, when magazines print ghostwritten articles under the name of a person whose position and name gives the article greater authority. Alex Haley, author of Roots, tells of selling articles for a higher price in his days before achieving fame when he allowed the publisher to use a famous person's name as the supposed "author." We seem to have a similar case here with 1 Timothy.
If the apostle Paul is assumed to be the author, the date would be about A.D. 64, late in Paul's life. The major reasons for discounting Paul as the author lie in the differences in vocabulary and concepts between this and all Paul's earlier letters. This writer rejects Pauline authorship for this reason. The name "Paul" will be used in the commentary for convenience sake.
In these verses, 12-17, we have Paul described as the ideal preacher. The Greek expression "I thank" does not appear as a thanksgiving expression in the genuine letters of Paul. Paul uses another Greek word instead, a verb which does not appear in the Pastorals. Since this is a handbook of church order and administration there is really no need or place for a formal thanksgiving, which was Paul's usual style. The writer holds up Paul as the model preacher for other preachers, to whom the letter is written.
Christ Jesus gave Paul strength for his ministry and judged him faithful by appointing him to this service. The writer may have owed his conversion to Paul, or Paul's genuine letters. Like Paul, the writer is charged with a high and challenging mission.
The writer recalls his former life when he blasphemed and persecuted and insulted Christ Jesus. But he says he was given mercy because he had acted ignorantly in unbelief. It is not likely Paul would have recognized human ignorance as a ground of divine mercy, or would have excused himself. This seems to be an example of intellectualistic interpretation of Christianity derived from Stoic philosophy. The Greek word translated "insulted" refers to a doer of outrage. The emphasis in the Greek on all three terms, blasphemed, persecuted and insulted, is on the fact that Paul was a "doer" of these things.
In verse 14 we read that "the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." Sin had abounded, but grace abounded even more! It may be Paul is thinking of God's grace to him as he was on his way to Damascus to persecute the church. Then Paul quotes a saying that is a quotation, but its source cannot be located: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." The language is not Paul's here. Nowhere else does Paul refer to Christ as "coming into the world." Nor does the New Testament anywhere else use the expression "save sinners."
Paul says he was the foremost, which means greatest or worst, of sinners. This suggests a type of piety which is not consistent with the sincerity of Paul found in other letters by him. Emotion gives way to logic, and so this points to a writer who used Paul's transformation as an illustration.
Eternal life is promised to those who believe in Christ. Eternal life is a quality of life, life in relationship to God.
In verse 17 a doxology is given, one of two in 1 Timothy. The other is in 6:15-16. The writer bursts forth in this doxology, after surveying the wonder of the Gospel working in his life. The God who saved him is the God of every age, who is immortal. Since God is invisible, we cannot see him, and he is the one and only God. This prepares for the discussion about the unity of God in the next chapter. There is a final ascription of glory: "be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Luke 15:1-10
The emphasis in chapter 15 is on retrieving the lost, and the joy of God over one sinner who repents. Our pericope deals with the lost sheep and lost coin, which is followed by the familiar parable of the lost "prodigal" son. In the case of the lost sheep and coin, they were unwilling or unable to do anything to "save" themselves, whereas the lost son arose and returned to his father. The three parables are linked together by the key words "joy," "because the lost is found" and "repentance." Notice the literary device which joins the entire chapter. The elder son's complaint about the father's receiving the prodigal son and feasting him echoes the murmuring of Pharisees and scribes in verses 1-2, those who objected to Jesus' eating with tax collectors and sinners.
Note that our two parables contain a common surface structure, and are joined by a simple "or." It is as if they were spoken for the benefit of the male audience (sheep/shepherd), and female audience (woman and lost coin). Talbert sees this common structure:
1. What man / what woman
2. One sheep lost I one drachma lost
3. Sheep found / coin found
4. Calls friends and neighbors, saying "Rejoice with me for I have found the lost sheep" / calls neighbors, says "Rejoice with me for I have found the lost coin."
5. Just so, I tell you / Just so, I tell you.
(p. 147, Reading Luke by Charles H. Talbert, New York: Crossroad Publishing Co. 1986)
For the third time in Luke's Gospel Jesus is charged with encouraging loose morals by associating with tax collectors and sinners. While the Pharisees and scribes think their chief duty is to avoid such persons, Jesus claims that it is God's intent to take the initiative in seeking out sinners to restore them. The two parables in our pericope are but two of other pairs of parables Jesus told. He made a habit of telling short parables in pairs. In this pair, a man and woman are featured, both of whom go to great lengths to recover lost property.
In the case of the shepherd, he leaves the ninety-nine sheep to search for the one that is lost. Some think there is a surrealist note to Jesus' question, "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?" (v. 4) The expected answer according to this perspective would be: No one would do that! No shepherd in his right mind would leave ninety-nine sheep in the wildnerness where a fourth or half or more might wander over cliffs and be killed, or be killed by wolves or other predators. No one would risk a greater loss to save one sheep. But Jesus says this shepherd goes after the one that was lost until he finds it. A sheep may nibble its way until it is lost, then lie down in panic and not get up until rescued. But the shepherd who is good will leave the ninety-nine and go after the lost sheep until he finds it. He lifts it to his shoulders to carry it home, the best way to carry it.
The shepherd calls his friends and neighbors to celebrate with him the finding of the lost sheep. This joy is a link with the parable of the lost coin, the story that follows. Jesus comments that there will be "more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." (v. 7) "In heaven" refers to God's angels, or part of God himself. Notice that joy is in heaven as well as on earth in the parable. Joy comes as a result of the initiative of divine love in seeking the lost sinner.
We cannot be certain that the ninety-nine refers to the scribes and Pharisees, since this is a parable and not an allegory. It may be typical of Luke in exaggerating God's joy over a repentant sinner. Remember that one of Luke's favorite themes is God's love for the penitent sinner.
In the parallel parable in Matthew, the application is different and the stress is put on the Father's will that not one of these "little ones" will be lost (Matthew 18:14), and not on the joy in heaven.
The lost coin was easily lost in the straw in a corner of the dark house with no windows. The woman had ten silver coins (drachmas). What their value was is hard to estimate. Some estimate one was worth a day's wages. Someone who misplaced a diamond ring, or who lost a hundred-dollar bill would search as the woman did, until finding it.
God is no less persistent in searching for the lost sinner than is the woman in searching for the lost coin. Notice that neither the coin nor the sheep make any effort to return to their owner. God, like these owners, takes the initiative. To call a person "lost" is to pay a high compliment for it means that person is precious to God. Note how Jesus refers to things that happen in heaven, since he knows God well enough to know what gives him joy!
Theological Reflections
The Hosea passage deals with God's desire for the repentant to return to him. The central thrust is God's desire for steadfast love and the knowledge of God, not sacrifice. In Exodus, Moses pleads with God for the people to forgive and not destroy Israel. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do his people. The passage in Timothy tells of "Paul's" persecution of Christ and the mercy he received because he acted ignorantly. The two parables in the reading from Luke deal with God's initiative in retrieving the lost, represented by the good shepherd and the woman who lost a coin. Thus a common theme in these passages is God's mercy in forgiving sinners who repent of sin and turn to him.
Homiletical Moves
Hosea 4:1-3; 5:15--6:6
God Desires Steadfast Love and Not Sacrifice!
1. The Lord has a controversy with Israel, for there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land
2. Instead, there is swearing, lying, killing, stealing, committing adultery, and murder follows murder
3. The land mourns and all creation is languishing because of Israel's sin
4. The people of Israel express a shallow repentance, expecting God to revive them in two or three days
5. God rebukes Israel for her transitory love, which is like a morning cloud and the dew
6. God declares he desires steadfast love, and not sacrifice; and knowledge of him, rather than burnt offerings
7. God calls for genuine repentance, a hatred for and turning from sin, and a turning to God in trust and humble obedience
Exodus 32:7-14 (L)
Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 (RC)
God Repents of the Evil He Thought to Do!
1. While Moses is on Mount Sinai, the people of Israel make a molten calf, worshiping and sacrificing to it
2. The Lord says they are a stiff-necked people: his wrath burns hot against them and he would consume them
3. But God promises to make a great nation of Moses
4. Moses pleads for the people, that God would turn from his fierce wrath and repent of his evil against the people, remembering his covenant promises to God's servants in the past
5. The Lord repents of the evil he thought to do to his people
6. In Christ's death on the cross God "repented" of the punishment due the sins of the human race and redeemed human beings who turn to him in humble trust
1 Timothy 1:12-17
The Grace of Our Lord Overflowed!
1. God called "Paul" to his service and gave him strength
2. Although Paul blasphemed, persecuted and insulted Christ Jesus, God forgave him because he acted ignorantly
3. Paul felt he was the foremost of sinners
4. But Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and his mercy was shown to Paul
5. Paul was a model of one toward whom Jesus Christ displayed his perfect patience, for all who were to receive eternal life by faith
6. Let us repent of our particular sins and turn to God for he will have mercy on us, and let us accept his gift of eternal life
This Preacher's Preference
Luke 15:1-10
God's Joy Over the Lost That Are Found!
1. A shepherd lost a sheep; a woman lost a coin; God has lost those who rebel and turn from him
2. The lost sheep was found; the lost coin was found; God in Christ has come to sinners and now they are found by his love
3. The shepherd and the woman rejoice with friends and neighbors over finding that which was lost
4. There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance
5. Let us seek God who has come into the world in Jesus to seek and to save the lost!
Hymns for Proper 19: Amazing Grace or
I Sought the Lord, and Afterward I Knew
Prayer
Merciful God, who has come to seek and save the lost through Jesus Christ, we repent of our sin and turn in trust to you. We confess our gross sins, resulting from our rebellion aginst you. We confess as individuals and as a people who have not been faithful or kind and have not known you. Grant that we may live in covenant with you, express steadfast love and know you as our Lord and Savior. We thank you for being a God who rejoices over one sinner who repents. Amen
The Hosea reading describes the sins of the people which took them away from God. The prescription for returning is, "I desire steadfast love ... and the knowledge of God." The Exodus reading is Moses' first intercession after the people break the covenant. God repents of the evil he thought to do to his people. There is consensus on the 1 Timothy and Lucan readings. In 1 Timothy we learn how God showed his grace in making an apostle out of Saul, the persecutor of the church, in a kind of personal testimony to God's love. The reading from Luke has two of three parables about the lost: the lost sheep and the lost coin (the lost "prodigal" son is not included). The emphasis is on God's joy over the repenting of sinners.
Commentary
Hosea 4:1-3, 5:15--6:6 (C)
A second major division of the book of Hosea begins with 4:1-3. It deals with Israel's constant rebellion and the judgment of the Lord on Israel (4:1--14:9) In contrast to chapters 1-3, this section is wholly composed of a collection of sayings arranged for the author's purpose. It is a fitting introduction to the next section since it begins with a summons to the Israelites to hear God's Word, and it includes a statement of Israel's guilt and the punishment to come.
Although brief, this oracle is a kind of paradigm of Hosea's message of judgment. It begins with "Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel ..." which has a parallel only in Hosea 5:1, and is a proclamation formula. It specifies that the words to follow are God's message to Israel, verse 1a. Next follows the subject of the herald's proclamation, the legal suit God has against the people of the land because of breaking covenant. It uses an idiom of speech used in the royal court, similar to the style used by other prophets. Consider that the saying claims to be the "Word of the Lord," but it never shifts to the style of divine speech.
Hosea cites the complaint, which is the substance of God's case against Israel: "There is no faithfulness or kindness, and no knowledge of God in the land." (v. 1b) In verse 2 the case is stated in a listing of crimes against the law of God: "There is swearing, lying, killing, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and murder follows murder." Thus we have a comprehensive citing of sins of both omission and commission. Here is Israel in rebellion against God and breaking covenant. Israel is put "on trial" in words cast in the forms used in legal procedure in Israel's court. God plays the role of both prosecutor and judge. Appreciate the dramatic and theolgical setting here, as God carries out his legal process against his people because they have broken covenant.
Faithfulness (v. 1) has the original meaning of truth. It is not only in the sense of saying what is right but also in the sense of doing the right. Other terms which translate the Hebrew word are fidelity or steadfastness. The thrust of the word is toward an attitude of stability coupled with dependability, and a sense of duty.
Kindness (v. 1), a word in common use today, denotes a rather mild kind of polite manner and courtesy. But the Hebrew word includes the meaning of "covenant love," pointing to the living bond which binds two people together in trust and good will. It implies mutual obligations.
Notice that Hosea picks out faithfulness and kindness as foremost in covenant relationship, now disrupted. In verses 2:21f and other passages, these two qualities are promised as gifts of God. God gives what he demands!
The reference to "no knowledge of God in the land" may, of course, means that the people are ignorant of God's law, which calls for teaching. While this is surely meant, the term also points to the breaking of God's law in an attitude of willful neglect. Here Hosea uses the word for "God" one which points to God universally and not specifically the God of Israel, Yahweh. Not only has Israel broken covenant with her God, but she has failed in being a religious community by responding to God in a more general understanding.
In verse 3 we have a picture of a land which has lost its vitality. This loss affects every creature, even the fish. This is not only a drought, but a great loss of life-force due to a divine curse following breach of covenant. The land and its inhabitants share the curse, which points to the fact that all creation suffers the consequences of the broken covenant.
The focus in 5:15--6:6 is on a promise. If Israel will only return to the Lord, the Lord will heal her sickness and revive her. Note that 5:15--6:3 form a minor section within the larger whole of 5:8--6:6. However, some see verse 15 as standing apart from verses 10-14 and 6:1-3, but serving as a valuable transition, preparing for the song of penitence by describing God as one who waits for the response of his people. It is a song in response to the judgment described in 5:10-14. It introduces a continuous and prominent theme of Hosea: God, in spite of his anger against Israel's sin, ultimately seeks their reconciliation. God has given disciplinary punishment to his people. Now, in 5:15--6:3, we have a shallow repentance, and in verses 4-6, the requirement of mercy, not sacrifice.
God's people have suffered greatly and no help has come through foreign alliances.
In 6:1-3 we have a song of penitence, liturgical in form. Similar songs were used in times of national crisis, when the Israelites gathered for fastings, lament, petition and sacrifice in order to turn away God's wrath. Consider the two elements: (1) a twofold summons to return to God and acknowledge his Lordship, and (2) assertions of confidence that God will save. God's judgment is never intended to be merely penal, but always to be disciplinary and remedial. It is part of God's saving activity.
In verses 4-6, God speaks again and begins with a dismayed lament over the transitory loyalty of Israel and Judah toward the covenant. Thus the old tribal league is addressed. The dialogue here is now that between a husband and fickle wife, a father and a prodigal son. Israel's history is a record of the struggle and dialogue between God and human beings. The devotion of Ephraim and Judah has been transitory, like a morning cloud or early morning dew. Contrast this with the promise in verse 3 that God's coming to his people is like the showers and the spring rains that water the earth. Israel's steadfast love is fickle and disappears like morning mist and dew!
This fickleness is nothing new in Israel's history, for the prophets have spoken for God in this regard and given his judgment.
In verse 6 the heart of Hosea's message is set forth: God desires steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Note the parallelism of Hebrew poetry here, giving further emphasis. While sacrifice was the essential religious act in the eighth century B.C., and while the hearers of this message probably could not imagine worship without it, the prophet announces God's rejection of it. This must have sounded radical and nihilistic. Compare this to a call to stop going to church, stop celebrating communion and instead show concern for the homeless living on the streets, the aged who are mistreated in nursing homes, the children who are abused and undernourished! God elected Israel and intended to be Lord of all of her life. True devotion here is set in contrast to the sacrifice in which worshipers shared a meal in order to establish community with God. Knowledge of God is personal relationship with the God revealed in the Exodus, the One who is their only God. "To know God" is Hosea's usual term for normative faith. This knowledge of God is Israel's personal response to God's mighty acts of salvation/history, of election, and of obedience to the covenant.
Exodus 32:7-14 (L)
Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 (RC)
The setting of this account is Moses on Mount Sinai. This is part of a chapter dealing with the breaking of the covenant by the Israelites. Moses is told what has happened, and is reminded of his responsibility for the people he had brought out of Egypt.
In verse 15 we learn the tables were written on both sides, indicating they were out of the ordinary (since stones were usually inscribed on only one side). The description of the tables may have been a later addition.
God is angry with the people because they are "a stiff-necked people." The calf they made represents God to the people, but it is a god made according the desires of the people. The people's attempt to control God is a form of disobedience.
Moses reminds God that the Almighty cannot deny his own people, for to destroy Israel would mean that God would undo what he has done. God's working with Israel would be obscured to the Egyptians. So Moses' intercession is a pleading for God to be true to himself.
The good news for Israel is that "the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people." (v. 14) God judged the sins of the world in the death of his Son on the Cross, and in doing so "repented" of the evil he thought to do to human beings in requiring punishment and death for sin.
1 Timothy 1:12-17
The Pastoral Epistles, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, share a common character and problem in authorship. The date of 1 Timothy is suggested as A.D. 130-150. Scholars generally agree that in their present form it is difficult to assign these letters to the apostle Paul. The letters are pseudonymous and belong to a period of time later than Paul, Timothy or Titus. The names Timothy and Titus cannot be taken as the names of the men who worked with Paul but rather stand for the clergy who in this later generation stand in the same relationship to the writer (unknown) as Timothy and Titus stood to Paul. The Pastorals are unique in the New Testament letters in that they are not written to "all God's beloved" or the church in general, but rather to a special functional class of people in the church: the professional ministry. They were written by a pastor to pastors, and are the first such in the history of the church. The intent of 1 Timothy 1:3 is to suggest that the letter is a written reminder of what was spoken by the author earlier, just before his departure for Macedonia. But this must be regarded as "stage setting," a literary device seeking to ensure the authenticity of the letter and to underscore the necessity for writing it. Writing a book or letter and ascribing it to a well-known person (in order to give it greater authority) was practiced in the ancient world. It is not unknown today, when magazines print ghostwritten articles under the name of a person whose position and name gives the article greater authority. Alex Haley, author of Roots, tells of selling articles for a higher price in his days before achieving fame when he allowed the publisher to use a famous person's name as the supposed "author." We seem to have a similar case here with 1 Timothy.
If the apostle Paul is assumed to be the author, the date would be about A.D. 64, late in Paul's life. The major reasons for discounting Paul as the author lie in the differences in vocabulary and concepts between this and all Paul's earlier letters. This writer rejects Pauline authorship for this reason. The name "Paul" will be used in the commentary for convenience sake.
In these verses, 12-17, we have Paul described as the ideal preacher. The Greek expression "I thank" does not appear as a thanksgiving expression in the genuine letters of Paul. Paul uses another Greek word instead, a verb which does not appear in the Pastorals. Since this is a handbook of church order and administration there is really no need or place for a formal thanksgiving, which was Paul's usual style. The writer holds up Paul as the model preacher for other preachers, to whom the letter is written.
Christ Jesus gave Paul strength for his ministry and judged him faithful by appointing him to this service. The writer may have owed his conversion to Paul, or Paul's genuine letters. Like Paul, the writer is charged with a high and challenging mission.
The writer recalls his former life when he blasphemed and persecuted and insulted Christ Jesus. But he says he was given mercy because he had acted ignorantly in unbelief. It is not likely Paul would have recognized human ignorance as a ground of divine mercy, or would have excused himself. This seems to be an example of intellectualistic interpretation of Christianity derived from Stoic philosophy. The Greek word translated "insulted" refers to a doer of outrage. The emphasis in the Greek on all three terms, blasphemed, persecuted and insulted, is on the fact that Paul was a "doer" of these things.
In verse 14 we read that "the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." Sin had abounded, but grace abounded even more! It may be Paul is thinking of God's grace to him as he was on his way to Damascus to persecute the church. Then Paul quotes a saying that is a quotation, but its source cannot be located: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." The language is not Paul's here. Nowhere else does Paul refer to Christ as "coming into the world." Nor does the New Testament anywhere else use the expression "save sinners."
Paul says he was the foremost, which means greatest or worst, of sinners. This suggests a type of piety which is not consistent with the sincerity of Paul found in other letters by him. Emotion gives way to logic, and so this points to a writer who used Paul's transformation as an illustration.
Eternal life is promised to those who believe in Christ. Eternal life is a quality of life, life in relationship to God.
In verse 17 a doxology is given, one of two in 1 Timothy. The other is in 6:15-16. The writer bursts forth in this doxology, after surveying the wonder of the Gospel working in his life. The God who saved him is the God of every age, who is immortal. Since God is invisible, we cannot see him, and he is the one and only God. This prepares for the discussion about the unity of God in the next chapter. There is a final ascription of glory: "be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Luke 15:1-10
The emphasis in chapter 15 is on retrieving the lost, and the joy of God over one sinner who repents. Our pericope deals with the lost sheep and lost coin, which is followed by the familiar parable of the lost "prodigal" son. In the case of the lost sheep and coin, they were unwilling or unable to do anything to "save" themselves, whereas the lost son arose and returned to his father. The three parables are linked together by the key words "joy," "because the lost is found" and "repentance." Notice the literary device which joins the entire chapter. The elder son's complaint about the father's receiving the prodigal son and feasting him echoes the murmuring of Pharisees and scribes in verses 1-2, those who objected to Jesus' eating with tax collectors and sinners.
Note that our two parables contain a common surface structure, and are joined by a simple "or." It is as if they were spoken for the benefit of the male audience (sheep/shepherd), and female audience (woman and lost coin). Talbert sees this common structure:
1. What man / what woman
2. One sheep lost I one drachma lost
3. Sheep found / coin found
4. Calls friends and neighbors, saying "Rejoice with me for I have found the lost sheep" / calls neighbors, says "Rejoice with me for I have found the lost coin."
5. Just so, I tell you / Just so, I tell you.
(p. 147, Reading Luke by Charles H. Talbert, New York: Crossroad Publishing Co. 1986)
For the third time in Luke's Gospel Jesus is charged with encouraging loose morals by associating with tax collectors and sinners. While the Pharisees and scribes think their chief duty is to avoid such persons, Jesus claims that it is God's intent to take the initiative in seeking out sinners to restore them. The two parables in our pericope are but two of other pairs of parables Jesus told. He made a habit of telling short parables in pairs. In this pair, a man and woman are featured, both of whom go to great lengths to recover lost property.
In the case of the shepherd, he leaves the ninety-nine sheep to search for the one that is lost. Some think there is a surrealist note to Jesus' question, "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?" (v. 4) The expected answer according to this perspective would be: No one would do that! No shepherd in his right mind would leave ninety-nine sheep in the wildnerness where a fourth or half or more might wander over cliffs and be killed, or be killed by wolves or other predators. No one would risk a greater loss to save one sheep. But Jesus says this shepherd goes after the one that was lost until he finds it. A sheep may nibble its way until it is lost, then lie down in panic and not get up until rescued. But the shepherd who is good will leave the ninety-nine and go after the lost sheep until he finds it. He lifts it to his shoulders to carry it home, the best way to carry it.
The shepherd calls his friends and neighbors to celebrate with him the finding of the lost sheep. This joy is a link with the parable of the lost coin, the story that follows. Jesus comments that there will be "more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." (v. 7) "In heaven" refers to God's angels, or part of God himself. Notice that joy is in heaven as well as on earth in the parable. Joy comes as a result of the initiative of divine love in seeking the lost sinner.
We cannot be certain that the ninety-nine refers to the scribes and Pharisees, since this is a parable and not an allegory. It may be typical of Luke in exaggerating God's joy over a repentant sinner. Remember that one of Luke's favorite themes is God's love for the penitent sinner.
In the parallel parable in Matthew, the application is different and the stress is put on the Father's will that not one of these "little ones" will be lost (Matthew 18:14), and not on the joy in heaven.
The lost coin was easily lost in the straw in a corner of the dark house with no windows. The woman had ten silver coins (drachmas). What their value was is hard to estimate. Some estimate one was worth a day's wages. Someone who misplaced a diamond ring, or who lost a hundred-dollar bill would search as the woman did, until finding it.
God is no less persistent in searching for the lost sinner than is the woman in searching for the lost coin. Notice that neither the coin nor the sheep make any effort to return to their owner. God, like these owners, takes the initiative. To call a person "lost" is to pay a high compliment for it means that person is precious to God. Note how Jesus refers to things that happen in heaven, since he knows God well enough to know what gives him joy!
Theological Reflections
The Hosea passage deals with God's desire for the repentant to return to him. The central thrust is God's desire for steadfast love and the knowledge of God, not sacrifice. In Exodus, Moses pleads with God for the people to forgive and not destroy Israel. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do his people. The passage in Timothy tells of "Paul's" persecution of Christ and the mercy he received because he acted ignorantly. The two parables in the reading from Luke deal with God's initiative in retrieving the lost, represented by the good shepherd and the woman who lost a coin. Thus a common theme in these passages is God's mercy in forgiving sinners who repent of sin and turn to him.
Homiletical Moves
Hosea 4:1-3; 5:15--6:6
God Desires Steadfast Love and Not Sacrifice!
1. The Lord has a controversy with Israel, for there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of God in the land
2. Instead, there is swearing, lying, killing, stealing, committing adultery, and murder follows murder
3. The land mourns and all creation is languishing because of Israel's sin
4. The people of Israel express a shallow repentance, expecting God to revive them in two or three days
5. God rebukes Israel for her transitory love, which is like a morning cloud and the dew
6. God declares he desires steadfast love, and not sacrifice; and knowledge of him, rather than burnt offerings
7. God calls for genuine repentance, a hatred for and turning from sin, and a turning to God in trust and humble obedience
Exodus 32:7-14 (L)
Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 (RC)
God Repents of the Evil He Thought to Do!
1. While Moses is on Mount Sinai, the people of Israel make a molten calf, worshiping and sacrificing to it
2. The Lord says they are a stiff-necked people: his wrath burns hot against them and he would consume them
3. But God promises to make a great nation of Moses
4. Moses pleads for the people, that God would turn from his fierce wrath and repent of his evil against the people, remembering his covenant promises to God's servants in the past
5. The Lord repents of the evil he thought to do to his people
6. In Christ's death on the cross God "repented" of the punishment due the sins of the human race and redeemed human beings who turn to him in humble trust
1 Timothy 1:12-17
The Grace of Our Lord Overflowed!
1. God called "Paul" to his service and gave him strength
2. Although Paul blasphemed, persecuted and insulted Christ Jesus, God forgave him because he acted ignorantly
3. Paul felt he was the foremost of sinners
4. But Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and his mercy was shown to Paul
5. Paul was a model of one toward whom Jesus Christ displayed his perfect patience, for all who were to receive eternal life by faith
6. Let us repent of our particular sins and turn to God for he will have mercy on us, and let us accept his gift of eternal life
This Preacher's Preference
Luke 15:1-10
God's Joy Over the Lost That Are Found!
1. A shepherd lost a sheep; a woman lost a coin; God has lost those who rebel and turn from him
2. The lost sheep was found; the lost coin was found; God in Christ has come to sinners and now they are found by his love
3. The shepherd and the woman rejoice with friends and neighbors over finding that which was lost
4. There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance
5. Let us seek God who has come into the world in Jesus to seek and to save the lost!
Hymns for Proper 19: Amazing Grace or
I Sought the Lord, and Afterward I Knew
Prayer
Merciful God, who has come to seek and save the lost through Jesus Christ, we repent of our sin and turn in trust to you. We confess our gross sins, resulting from our rebellion aginst you. We confess as individuals and as a people who have not been faithful or kind and have not known you. Grant that we may live in covenant with you, express steadfast love and know you as our Lord and Savior. We thank you for being a God who rejoices over one sinner who repents. Amen
