Proper 22 – Year C

Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People

RCL Readings[1] – Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-9; II Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10

ACNA Readings – Habakkuk 1:1-13, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-17; II Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10


Seasonal Introduction. This season is often called “Ordinary Time,” a term derived from ordinal, meaning “numbered” or “in sequence.” However, there is nothing ordinary about this time. Rather, it is a time when we may reflect on how God (starting on Trinity Sunday and ending with Christ the King Sunday) has been at work in our own lives, the lives of his people, and how he will continue to work in the days to come. Ordinary Time is a season when we are invited to perceive the mystery of God at work in our daily lives, in the ordinary, in the mundane.


Common Theme. God calls us to be faithful. Sometimes all we can do is look to our faithful God in hope in times of persecution; other times we must be faithful to forgive those who sin against us. Thankfully, we have a testimony of faithfulness that we can learn from and imitate.


Hebraic Perspective. Over the last few centuries, a divide has been placed between what is observable, namely science, and the non-observable—described as faith. While there will always be people who do not agree with the object and actions of our faith, the idea that faith isn’t observable ignores the fundamental understanding of faith in the Bible. Faith is shown through action. Habakkuk 2:4, “The righteous shall live by his faith,” is quoted three times in the New Testament, each time showing the actions of faith and who is acting.


Because the pronoun “his” in Habakkuk 2:4 is unclear, interpreters proposed different explanations. The Habakkuk Commentary (1QpHab) from the Dead Sea Scrolls provides an interpretation of Habakkuk 2:4 during the Second Temple period. Who is it that lives by faith? “All those who observe the law in the house of Judah, whom God will deliver from the House of Judgement because of their suffering and because of their faith in the Teacher of Righteousness.”[2] Hebrews 10:19-12:2 affirms that the righteous who live by faith are those who endure persecution and yet remain obedient to God.


At first glance, it may seem that “the righteous shall live by his faith,” when applied to people, contradicts passages such as Ephesians 2:8–9—salvation is by grace through faith, not by our works. In modern theological debates, especially post-Reformation, “faith” and “works” are often portrayed as opposites. But in the Hebraic view, faith and faithfulness are inseparable. To believe in God is to follow Him; to trust is to act accordingly. Faith that does not act is not faith. As James writes, “Faith without works is dead.” Faith is not belief versus obedience—it is trust that obeys, loyalty that acts. What is faith in God if not following after God? 


Furthermore, while Ephesians is often quoted to emphasize that we cannot earn salvation, it is commonly assumed that the grace belongs to God but faith belongs to us, based on the presupposition that God cannot have faith. While the Qumran community—and Hebrews 10—believed the faith in Habakkuk 2:4 to refer to the righteous man, others took it as the faith—or faithfulness—of God. The second time that Habakkuk is quoted in the Scripture is Romans 1:17.[3] Paul makes it clear to the Romans that the righteous live by the faith of God. 


God acts. The gospel was no accident; it was the victory of God over the enemy. His righteousness is revealed from faith to faith. Throughout Scripture we encounter the same reality: God acts, and His people (and sometimes His enemies) bear witness. Where He acts, salvation comes, justice is done, and truth is revealed.


In addition to the righteous man and God as the subjects of faith, a third possibility was considered. Perhaps the righteous live by the faith of the Messiah. Habakkuk 2:3 appears prophetic and eschatological in nature. The first time that Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted in the New Testament is in Galatians 3:11. Galatians is not as clear as Hebrews 10, where the righteous man lives by faith, or Romans 1, where righteous men live because of the faithfulness of God. Yet the context clearly points toward our ability to live because we were redeemed by the Messiah. 


By whose faith do we live? First, by the faith of God—for without it there is nothing. Surely we are saved by His faith. Second, by the faith of the Messiah—for His faithfulness redeems us. Surely we are saved by His faith. Yet our own faith also matters, for we follow God and our Messiah, ”For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We are called to obey God and live.


Skeptics may think faith is an illusion—warm fuzzy feelings, separate from reason or knowledge. But faith is trusting in a trustworthy God whose acts of mercy, grace, and judgment we have seen over and over. Faith is believing that God will act as He always has acted. Faith is seeing that God’s eternal promises have yet to be broken—God remains faithful to the Jewish people despite Satan’s best attempts to destroy them; the land He promised them is still their inheritance (even when disobedience caused their exile at various times in history); and a descendant of David is on the throne. Faith is acting in steadfastness—finishing the race and overcoming in obedience to the God who was first faithful to us.


Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4.[4] Evil exists, and so people often question the goodness and existence of God. This isn’t a problem only for modern humanists and atheists. Many god-fearing, righteous men and women have turned to God and asked, “Why?” and “How long?”[5] Sometimes they do it in error, as in Ezekiel 18, where the people of Israel argue with God over who should live—the wicked who repent or the righteous who sin. But Habakkuk is not rebuked when he asks, “How long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?”


There are many evils in this world. Sometimes the innocent are afflicted and persecuted; sometimes the wicked do not appear to receive their just punishment. Habakkuk likely wrote his burden and song[6] just prior to the Babylonian invasion,[7] but his original complaint doesn’t mention Babylon—only destruction, violence, strife, and contention. After the reign of Josiah, Jehoiakim did not act with righteousness but perverted justice: “But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.”[8] 


Habakkuk’s complaint was genuine. There was great injustice in Judah when Habakkuk turned to God. As faithful believers, we can still say that God’s answer is not always easy to understand. Within that same generation, God would raise up the Babylonians—who would bring unbelievable horrors and injustice. Their justice was violence and captivity—might makes right, for “might is their god.” 


Nonetheless, God’s answer, while difficult, brought hope. The author of Hebrews states:

“But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”[9]

And then he quotes Habakkuk 2:3-4: “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”


God doesn’t say that there isn’t suffering in this world. He states that might is the god of the Chaldeans, and we can see that it continues to be the god of many in this world. The righteous will suffer alongside the downtrodden—but the one who looks to God in faith will have a great reward.


Psalm 37:1-9.[10] Psalm 37 is a chiastic abecedary poem divided into seven sections. Psalm 37:1-6 (אבג) forms the introduction of the psalm while Psalm 37:35-40 (רשת) concludes the psalm. Psalm 37:8-19 (הוזחטי) and 21-33 (למנספצ) form the bulk of the psalm, while verses 7, 20, and 34 (ד, כ, ק) provide brief interludes.[11] David highlights the relationship between the wicked and the upright and contrasts their future in and beyond this current world—particularly in light of their relationship before God.


Jesus told His disciples to “love your enemies.” Does that mean that we should simply capitulate to evil? King David, who had plenty of enemies, turns the question around: Are we trusting in the LORD? Our primary focus should be trusting in God, delighting in Him, waiting for Him, and committing our way to Him by doing good and being faithful. If we are fretting—inwardly burning up with worry and anger—and envious of wrongdoers, then there is every chance that we will turn to evil in anger and wrath ourselves. 


Life on this earth is short. This is true of those who are persecuted and martyred, but it is also true for the wicked, “they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.” The world knows this. Just prior to the time of Jesus, the Book of Wisdom records the words of the ungodly as they philosophize, “Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end, and no one has been known to return from Hades. For we were born by mere chance, and hereafter we shall be as though we had never been, for the breath in our nostrils is smoke.”[12] Without the eternal life of God, there is hopelessness. But the wicked do not turn to God, instead, the Book of Wisdom states the way of the world, “Let our might be our law of right, for what is weak proves itself to be useless.”[13]


The hope and trust the righteous have in God does not fit with the wicked’s law of might. Knowing that their time is short, the wicked become envious. And so they attempt to harm the righteous. “The wicked draw the sword… to slay those whose way is upright.” As the Book of Wisdom elaborates, they say, “Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law…he calls the last end of the righteous happy and boasts that God is his father. Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life… Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how reasonable he is and make trial of his forbearance.”[14] 


In counterpoint, God declares, “the meek shall inherit the land.” An inheritance is given after those who currently rule pass away. The future peace and inheritance King David speaks of in Psalm 37:9, 11, 22, 29, 34, and 37 all coincide with the wicked being cut off from this world, “I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found… transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.” There are things that are temporary and things that are eternal and we should focus on the things of God, which are eternal.


We do not capitulate to evil, but more importantly, we humble ourselves before God and commit our way to Him. That means that we act in faithfulness, righteousness, and justice. Instead of spending all our effort inwardly burning up over all the injustice evildoers commit [against me!], we must focus on the God who judges justly. And we don’t need to loudly proclaim to the world that we are faithful, righteous, and just. God says that, assuming we are trusting in Him and acting in accordance with that trust, “He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” The wicked see, and “plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him.” Not trusting in God will lead to evil. But we have every reason to trust in our God.


II Timothy 1:1-14. Paul begins his second letter with what had become second nature to him: prayer. Though prayer had taken on a central role in Jewish life after the destruction of the temple—offered morning, noon, and night along with blessings and petitions—Paul’s prayers bore a distinctive mark. He remembered the churches and their leaders continually, giving thanks and interceding for them. In this, Paul’s pattern of prayer stood out in his own generation.


Timothy had already been called and trained, yet Paul reminded him of the heritage of faith passed down through his grandmother and mother. Faith is rarely learned in isolation. A disciple does not only hear words but sees them lived out. Doctrines are learned in community. Likewise, doctrine is not merely words but a pattern of life based on truth. Paul urged Timothy to “follow the pattern of sound words” that he had received. As Paul wrote to Titus, we are to “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”[15]


Paul’s own life embodied that teaching. He had often warned that the faithful would face persecution, for the Scriptures—from the Psalms that lament it, to the Prophets that announced and denounced it, to the martyrs in Maccabees who endured it, and finally to the Book of Wisdom that explained it—testify that the righteous are opposed by the wicked. Israel had, at various times, been disciplined because of their own sins. But as the people turned from idolatry to God, fresh waves of hostility arose. God-fearings Israelites were mocked, opposed, and even martyred. The church would face similar persecution, for they too were to fear God and follow Him rather than the ways of this world. Now, writing as a prisoner, Paul urged Timothy not to fear. His chains bore witness to the gospel; his suffering displayed the grace and purpose of God.


Timothy was called to walk in the same obedience, imitating the pattern he had seen in Paul, just as Paul imitated Christ. He had seen Paul in prison, and was steadfast.[16] But as Paul drew close to death, Timothy was charged to continue in the same steadfastness. Paul told the Philippians, Corinthians, and Thessalonians to be “imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”[17] But Paul would soon die, and Timothy would become the one to instruct others in the sound doctrine he had been taught—even as he would be called to become the example of a man who could share in suffering without fear.


Luke 17:5-10. Luke 17:1-10 is best understood as a single, connected teaching rather than three separate sayings. Jesus instructs the disciples to be prepared both to rebuke and forgive a brother who sins. The disciples then turned to Jesus and asked for greater faith—after all, forgiveness is incredibly difficult.[18] Luke 17:5-6, taken in isolation, sounds amazing: even the smallest amount of faith would be sufficient to uproot a tree and move it. But Jesus’ example of faith in forgiving is not just about performing a miracle with a word of faith. 


Jesus then asks the disciples about the relationship between a servant and a master. Even if a servant works hard during the day, when he comes to his master’s house he remains a servant. The servant’s actions are neither miraculous nor do they bring great commendation—it is simply the duty of the servant to act in accordance with the master’s will. The amazing power of faith is juxtaposed with the faithful service of a servant. Faith is powerful, but being faithful in forgiving our brothers—our fellow servants—is not some amazing feat, it is what God rightly expects from us.

Endnotes

[1]  RCL Alternate Readings: Lamentations 1:1-6; Lamentations 3:19-26 or Psalm 137

[2] Géza Vermes, Commentary on Habakkuk (1QpHab) 7.15-8.1

[3] Galatians 3:11 was almost certainly written by Paul before Romans 1:17, while Hebrews 10:38 may have been one of the later books written in the 1st century AD.

[4] ACNA includes Habakkuk 1:5-13

[5] Job, David, Jeremiah, Habakkuk 

[6] Habakkuk 1:1 states that Habakkuk’s vision is a burden rather than a prophecy, dream, or vision. Burden, משא (massa), comes from נשא, to lift up. While not always negative—for example, the duty of the Levites to carry the utensils and tent of God—it often refers to something difficult to bear, such as in Exodus 23:5, where the beast of burden is unable to continue under its load without assistance. Habakkuk 3 is a prayer but is also thought to have been a song.

[7] While Habakkuk does not include an internal date, it seems quite likely that it is from between 609 BC, when Josiah died and Jehoiakim began his reign, and 605 BC, when Babylon first invaded Judah.

[8] Jeremiah 22:13-17

[9] Hebrews 10:32-36

[10] ACNA includes Psalm 37:10-17

[11] An abecedary poem is an acrostic poem following the order of the alphabet. Psalm 37 skips the ע but follows the modern alphabet beyond that omission. A chiastic structure is where the written structure mirrors itself in reverse with the mirror generally repeating, complimenting, or contrasting with the original pattern. The pattern of Psalm 37 is: אבג, ד, הוזחטי, כ, למנספצ, ק, רשת

  • 1-6: אבג
  • 7: ד
  • 8-19 הוזחטי
  • 20: כ
  • 21-33 למנספצ
  • 34: ק
  • 35-40: רשת

[12] Book of Wisdom 2:1-2

[13] Book of Wisdom 2:11

[14] Book of Wisdom 2:12-20

[15] Titus 1:9

[16] Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon

[17] I Corinthians 11:1

[18] C.S. Lewis said that to “love thy neighbour as thyself" might be the most unpopular of the Christian values. This is because we are commanded to forgive—even our enemies. He continued by stating that forgiveness isn’t even considered a virtue but rather something that is hateful and contemptible. Mere Christianity 3.7 “Forgiveness”