Proper 22
Devotional
Streams of Living Water
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle B
Object:
Job 1:1; 2:1-10
There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
-- Job 1:1
The story of Job is an examination of the issue of the suffering of the righteous and of how we should respond to a God who allows such suffering to take place. The story line that sets up the question can raise some troubling questions for the believer if it is taken literally. Satan, in this story, was a member of the heavenly court and assumed the role of the prosecutor who was simply searching for the truth. God was very proud of his servant, Job, and believed he was the example of right living. Satan, as the advocate for truth, questioned whether Job was not righteous because it benefited him rather than because of some internal integrity.
God permitted Satan to test the theory that even right living is, at its core, based on self-interest. First, disaster struck his family and his possessions, but still Job maintained his faith even as he mourned his loss. Satan pushed further and attacked Job's health. The story line clearly could pose the problem of why God would permit such a monstrous contest to take place. The intention of the story, however, was to pose the question of how the faithful were to respond to suffering that obviously falls on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Still, lingering in the background, was the question of the nature of God who permitted such suffering.
It was not uncommon for people to challenge the justice of God as they observed the sufferings of the world. It was the mirror image of the question posed by Satan. Satan suggested that Job was good because it benefited him to be good. The frequent human response, which affirms Satan's challenge, is: Why should people be good if it does not benefit them? Is there a reason to be faithful to God if being faithful does not protect you against the threats of life? Job's initial response was, "Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?" (v. 10). The question for the believer is whether he or she can trust God to be faithful when it is clear from life's experience that such trust does not guarantee a trouble free life?
Psalm 26
Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
-- Psalm 26:1
The setting for this psalm would seem to reflect a trial in which the petitioner would like to be declared innocent. If it is read with the story of Job in mind, it reflects the cry to God of any sufferer. The Hebrews were very clear from the beginning of their tradition that God was moved by the cry of injustice that comes up to heaven. It was the cry of Abel's blood, after having been slain by Cain, that cried out to God. It was because God had heard the sufferings of the people in slavery that he approached Moses to be a liberator. God was known not only as a God of justice, but also as a God who was moved by the cry of the sufferer.
The psalmist felt comfortable in putting his case before God. "Vindicate me ... prove me ... try me ... test my heart and mind" (vv. 1-2). Like all believers who lift their case to God, the petitioner presented the evidence. His evidence consists of his relationship with others and his relationship with God. On the assumption that we are judged by the company we keep, the psalmist asserts, "I do not sit with the worthless nor do I consort with hypocrites; I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked" (vv. 4-5). Since our life is also shaped by our connection with God through worship, the psalmist further asserted, "I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds" (vv. 6-7).
This prayer was an affirmation of the value of a life lived with integrity. In other places there is opportunity to acknowledge our need of forgiveness, but here we have our dignity affirmed and our effort at living with integrity acknowledged. "But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the Lord."
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.
-- Hebrews 1:3a
In our increasingly pluralistic world in which we are acquiring more respect for people of other faiths, this passage from Hebrews raises significant questions as to our understanding of Christ as the finality of God's revelation. While Hebrews emphasized the humanity of Jesus, it began with cosmic claims for Christ. Jesus was not just a great teacher or a good man but "a Son ... appointed heir of all things" (v. 2). And Jesus was not just the result of a sudden decision by the eternal God, but he was one "through whom [God] also created the worlds." Jesus was not even one revelation among many but "the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being...." There were present and future implications to Jesus because "he sustains all things by his powerful word." Finally, lest there be any misunderstanding for what was affirmed, this passage declared, "When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs" (vv. 3-4).
It has to be admitted that where Christians have dominated in the past, they have often used such cosmic claims as justification for seeking to eliminate other religions. As we come into an era where people of other faiths have become our neighbors whom we have grown to admire and respect, do such cosmic claims take on a different meaning? One approach, following the pattern that Hebrews sets, is to distinguish between the cosmic Christ and the earthly Jesus. While Jesus is recognized as the Christ who was "crowned with glory and honor" (v. 9), this came to him because he was willing to suffer and die on behalf of the world. Jesus did not approach people from a position of superiority, which demanded their compliance, but rather from a humility that sought to serve them at their point of need. The commonality among our faiths is the desire to address people at their point of human need.
The truth of Christ is proclaimed through our transformed lives rather than the imposition of our understanding of Christ on others. Also, the image of Christ as assistant at creation is drawn from the wisdom tradition. (See the parallels in Proverbs 8:22-31 as well as the Wisdom of Solomon 9:2.) The suggestion is that the truth of Christ is built into the creation (Colossians 1:15-17). Is it then possible for us to approach other faiths with a humility that seeks to learn as well as share, since they, too, are part of creation? Could God not speak to us through the spirit that moves within their faiths even as God speaks to them through ours? This is an incomplete response, but it bears continued reflection.
Mark 10:2-16
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
-- Mark 10:7-8a
Marriage, in Jesus' eyes, was more than a societal convention or even a means to provide for the protection and nurture of children. It was the custom at the time that a woman left her family and was joined to her husband's family. In a patriarchal society, this was a means of shifting responsibility for protection from one man to another. Jesus challenges this position by quoting Genesis 2:24 that says in marriage a man left his family and was joined to his wife. This must have come as a shock to his hearers. Jesus seemed to develop the idea found in story in Genesis 1:27 in which the image of God was reflected in the differentiation of the sexes. This creation story declared that the image of God was reflected in both maleness and femaleness. Further, it was in the coming together in total commitment that the image was complete.
The focal point of the image of God is in the power released in relationship. It is not easy for two such different creatures, male and female, to be totally committed to each other. The church, being more instructed by Moses' teachings than those of Jesus, has recognized divorce as an option resulting from our hardness of heart. But, as Jesus makes clear in his uncompromising statement about divorce, we can never enter into marriage with that as an assumption. Marriage must begin as a total commitment to discovering the heart of God through reaching across the bridge of our differences. God is reflected, or imaged, in the reconciliation of that which has been separated in creation.
The final verses in this reading are a reminder that families do not split up without affecting the children. By the very fact that they are so powerless in such a situation, we are reminded that God's commitment is to the powerless ones among us. "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs" (v. 14). While the church needs to demonstrate the grace and forgiveness of Christ in welcoming those who have been divorced, it should not fool itself. Divorce is a sin that needs the love of God if its very real wounds are to be healed.
There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
-- Job 1:1
The story of Job is an examination of the issue of the suffering of the righteous and of how we should respond to a God who allows such suffering to take place. The story line that sets up the question can raise some troubling questions for the believer if it is taken literally. Satan, in this story, was a member of the heavenly court and assumed the role of the prosecutor who was simply searching for the truth. God was very proud of his servant, Job, and believed he was the example of right living. Satan, as the advocate for truth, questioned whether Job was not righteous because it benefited him rather than because of some internal integrity.
God permitted Satan to test the theory that even right living is, at its core, based on self-interest. First, disaster struck his family and his possessions, but still Job maintained his faith even as he mourned his loss. Satan pushed further and attacked Job's health. The story line clearly could pose the problem of why God would permit such a monstrous contest to take place. The intention of the story, however, was to pose the question of how the faithful were to respond to suffering that obviously falls on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Still, lingering in the background, was the question of the nature of God who permitted such suffering.
It was not uncommon for people to challenge the justice of God as they observed the sufferings of the world. It was the mirror image of the question posed by Satan. Satan suggested that Job was good because it benefited him to be good. The frequent human response, which affirms Satan's challenge, is: Why should people be good if it does not benefit them? Is there a reason to be faithful to God if being faithful does not protect you against the threats of life? Job's initial response was, "Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?" (v. 10). The question for the believer is whether he or she can trust God to be faithful when it is clear from life's experience that such trust does not guarantee a trouble free life?
Psalm 26
Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
-- Psalm 26:1
The setting for this psalm would seem to reflect a trial in which the petitioner would like to be declared innocent. If it is read with the story of Job in mind, it reflects the cry to God of any sufferer. The Hebrews were very clear from the beginning of their tradition that God was moved by the cry of injustice that comes up to heaven. It was the cry of Abel's blood, after having been slain by Cain, that cried out to God. It was because God had heard the sufferings of the people in slavery that he approached Moses to be a liberator. God was known not only as a God of justice, but also as a God who was moved by the cry of the sufferer.
The psalmist felt comfortable in putting his case before God. "Vindicate me ... prove me ... try me ... test my heart and mind" (vv. 1-2). Like all believers who lift their case to God, the petitioner presented the evidence. His evidence consists of his relationship with others and his relationship with God. On the assumption that we are judged by the company we keep, the psalmist asserts, "I do not sit with the worthless nor do I consort with hypocrites; I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked" (vv. 4-5). Since our life is also shaped by our connection with God through worship, the psalmist further asserted, "I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds" (vv. 6-7).
This prayer was an affirmation of the value of a life lived with integrity. In other places there is opportunity to acknowledge our need of forgiveness, but here we have our dignity affirmed and our effort at living with integrity acknowledged. "But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the Lord."
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.
-- Hebrews 1:3a
In our increasingly pluralistic world in which we are acquiring more respect for people of other faiths, this passage from Hebrews raises significant questions as to our understanding of Christ as the finality of God's revelation. While Hebrews emphasized the humanity of Jesus, it began with cosmic claims for Christ. Jesus was not just a great teacher or a good man but "a Son ... appointed heir of all things" (v. 2). And Jesus was not just the result of a sudden decision by the eternal God, but he was one "through whom [God] also created the worlds." Jesus was not even one revelation among many but "the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being...." There were present and future implications to Jesus because "he sustains all things by his powerful word." Finally, lest there be any misunderstanding for what was affirmed, this passage declared, "When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs" (vv. 3-4).
It has to be admitted that where Christians have dominated in the past, they have often used such cosmic claims as justification for seeking to eliminate other religions. As we come into an era where people of other faiths have become our neighbors whom we have grown to admire and respect, do such cosmic claims take on a different meaning? One approach, following the pattern that Hebrews sets, is to distinguish between the cosmic Christ and the earthly Jesus. While Jesus is recognized as the Christ who was "crowned with glory and honor" (v. 9), this came to him because he was willing to suffer and die on behalf of the world. Jesus did not approach people from a position of superiority, which demanded their compliance, but rather from a humility that sought to serve them at their point of need. The commonality among our faiths is the desire to address people at their point of human need.
The truth of Christ is proclaimed through our transformed lives rather than the imposition of our understanding of Christ on others. Also, the image of Christ as assistant at creation is drawn from the wisdom tradition. (See the parallels in Proverbs 8:22-31 as well as the Wisdom of Solomon 9:2.) The suggestion is that the truth of Christ is built into the creation (Colossians 1:15-17). Is it then possible for us to approach other faiths with a humility that seeks to learn as well as share, since they, too, are part of creation? Could God not speak to us through the spirit that moves within their faiths even as God speaks to them through ours? This is an incomplete response, but it bears continued reflection.
Mark 10:2-16
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
-- Mark 10:7-8a
Marriage, in Jesus' eyes, was more than a societal convention or even a means to provide for the protection and nurture of children. It was the custom at the time that a woman left her family and was joined to her husband's family. In a patriarchal society, this was a means of shifting responsibility for protection from one man to another. Jesus challenges this position by quoting Genesis 2:24 that says in marriage a man left his family and was joined to his wife. This must have come as a shock to his hearers. Jesus seemed to develop the idea found in story in Genesis 1:27 in which the image of God was reflected in the differentiation of the sexes. This creation story declared that the image of God was reflected in both maleness and femaleness. Further, it was in the coming together in total commitment that the image was complete.
The focal point of the image of God is in the power released in relationship. It is not easy for two such different creatures, male and female, to be totally committed to each other. The church, being more instructed by Moses' teachings than those of Jesus, has recognized divorce as an option resulting from our hardness of heart. But, as Jesus makes clear in his uncompromising statement about divorce, we can never enter into marriage with that as an assumption. Marriage must begin as a total commitment to discovering the heart of God through reaching across the bridge of our differences. God is reflected, or imaged, in the reconciliation of that which has been separated in creation.
The final verses in this reading are a reminder that families do not split up without affecting the children. By the very fact that they are so powerless in such a situation, we are reminded that God's commitment is to the powerless ones among us. "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs" (v. 14). While the church needs to demonstrate the grace and forgiveness of Christ in welcoming those who have been divorced, it should not fool itself. Divorce is a sin that needs the love of God if its very real wounds are to be healed.
