Proper 28 – Year C
Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People
RCL Readings[1] – Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; II Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
ACNA Readings – Malachi 3:13-4:6; Psalm 98; II Thessalonians 3:6-16; Luke 21:5-19
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 will judge. He will make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked. The judgment of God is righteous and just—but it doesn’t always occur when we think it will.
Hebraic Perspective. Words in Hebrew are often paired with both parallel and complementary words. In English, think of paired terms like “law and order” or “trial and error.” Judgment, משפט (mishpat, sometimes ‘justice’), is often paralleled with statutes: “See, I have taught you statutes and judgments, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.“[2]
Throughout the Scriptures, we are made aware that God is the lawgiver and the one who brings judgment on the world. When mankind disobeyed the command of God, there were always consequences. Adam and Eve sinned, and death entered the world. Mankind continually acted wickedly, and God cut off all flesh by the waters of the flood. The Egyptians oppressed the Israelites and refused to listen to God’s command; therefore, they were struck by God ten times. Israel, after oppressing the poor, the orphan, and the widow, perished by sword, famine, and plague; those who survived were exiled from the land for a time.
Judgment is also commonly paired with another word, righteousness.[3] Deuteronomy 4:8 states: “And what great nation is there, that has statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?” In Psalm 119, the psalmist declares that he both loves the testimony of God, for He judges the wicked of the earth, and is also terrified of the judgment of God: “My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.” Nonetheless, the psalmist states that “I have done what is just (משפט) and right (צדק).”[4]
God’s judgment is paired with His righteous charity, and He expects us to do justice with righteousness, mercy, and humility. The ultimate example of that will be the Messiah, the ruling king from the line of David. During the Second Temple period, the responsibility to enact the final judgment was understood to be the task of the Messiah: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”[5] The Dead Sea community named Melchizedek as the coming messiah and spoke of a day in which he would exact judgment.
The standard for judgment is repeatedly emphasized by Israel’s prophets. We are judged on our care and concern for the weak members of society: the poor, the orphan, and the widow. Proverbs 19:17 explains that the concept of helping the poor is actually helping the Lord, and the Lord is faithful to reward. This is not biblical socialism. Paul makes clear that believers are to exercise discernment within the community to see who requires aid and who should be able to provide—at least in part—for themselves. Though judgment is often viewed negatively, it actually brings salvation to many. Food is provided to the hungry, the helpless are protected from the wicked, and the righteous are vindicated.
How can we judge others when we ourselves are sinners? First, we should be more willing to forgive than to judge, for God will forgive us as we forgive others, and we will be judged according to how we judge others.[6] Yet we are called to judge—but the righteous judgment of God is good. Second, the church is supposed to act uprightly when it judges, following the guidelines of God: confront our brother or sister in private and in love, ensure there are multiple trustworthy witnesses, and judge as a church.[7] Finally, God is to be in our midst. “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”[8] This promise is directly connected to judgment within the church.
Malachi 4:1-2a.[9] The claim made in Malachi 3:14-15 is nothing new and is as common today as it was then. Job asks, “Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? …Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them…They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.’”[10] Jesus’ parable in Luke 16:19-31 begins with a rich man enjoying luxury without concern for the poor or a thought of what came after his life. We still look around us and see that the arrogant appear to be blessed, and evildoers prosper while the righteous and humble suffer.
But God is neither blind nor deaf. He states that we will “see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.” Malachi then turns to an eschatological view, “the day is coming.” God would draw near for judgment, and “who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears?”[11] Neither sorcerers, adulterers, nor “those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless,”[12]—the arrogant and all evildoers—will be able to stand. But there are some who will endure the judgment of God.
Those who fear God will not only survive the heat of the furnace but will be healed and go forth victorious—the same fire that consumes the arrogant purifies those who fear God. Malachi 4:5 became an important eschatological sign of the coming Messiah. Zechariah declared that his son, John, would “go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,” quoting Malachi 4:5-6.[13] Jesus declared that John the Baptist was the “Elijah who is to come.”[14]
The gospels speak of a woman with a flow of blood for twelve years.[15] She had heard about Jesus and, having exhausted all she had on physicians who were unable to heal her, chose to touch the fringe of His garment, for “If I touch even His garments, I will be made well.” Many scholars believe that she read about the day of the Lord when “the Sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” The Hebrew term כנף (canaf, “wings”) can also refer to the corner of Jesus’ garment. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all write of this miraculous healing. John the Baptist had come, and the One with healing had come. But Jesus also declared that He came to judge.
Psalm 98.[16] The psalm begins by commanding us to sing a new song to the Lord. From a Hebraic perspective, a new song generally celebrates an act of God’s redemption—something newly experienced or long remembered—and preserves it in poetic memory. The Magnificat, or Mary’s song in Luke 1:46-55, is a New Testament example of creating a new song after the Lord performed something dynamic in the world, in that case, the incarnation of Jesus.[17]
Part of the new song was that the Lord’s righteousness and salvation were made known to all the nations of the world. This does not diminish the steadfast love and faithfulness God has for His people Israel but acknowledges that the kingship of God is over all the earth.[18] In fact, His faithful remembrance of Israel shows God’s salvation to all nations. All the nations of the earth are invited to respond to the salvation of God by praising, shouting, and singing joyfully to Him.
Creation itself joins in the adoration of the Divine. The sea roars, the rivers clap their hands, and the hills are delighted to behold the righteousness of God. While these metaphors and images—non-sentient objects doing animated things—might seem odd, there is a Hebraic understanding that creation is alive and more than capable of praising God.[19]
The psalmist concludes with joy and righteous judgment. The judgment of God is not generally considered to be something the world would greet with joy. But Romans 8:21 states that “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption.” God’s judgment is not like man’s judgment—it can be terrifying, but it is not corrupted by unrighteousness and crooked ways.[20]
II Thessalonians 3:6-13.[21] In response to the false teaching about Jesus’ return, Paul told the church of Thessaloniki to “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us.”[22] One of the traditions that Paul taught was to work diligently. Whether it was because of the false teachings or simple laziness, some within the church no longer worked.[23] Paul sharply rebuked them.
On the one hand, Paul encourages aiding those in need: “As we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”[24] He praises the Macedonians and those in Achaia for their generosity.[25] The early church happily provided for those in need, including food.[26] However, for each passage about generosity, there are also warnings to those who don’t work.[27]
Paul states that he could have demanded payment—it was his right as a teacher.[28] However, he followed the tradition he was likely taught and worked in a worldly occupation to earn his food and drink.[29] Hillel, one of the most important scholars in the time of Jesus’ childhood, was said to work a day job, earning only a half-dinar[30]—providing for his family as he was able—before going to study in the little free time he had.[31] Other teachers, with the exception of some of the wealthy priests and teachers in Jerusalem, were farmers, builders, shepherds, sandal-makers, scribes, and tanners.
Rabban Gamaliel[32] said: “Excellent is the study of the Torah when combined with a worldly occupation, for toil in them both keeps sin out of one’s mind. Torah which is not combined with a worldly occupation, in the end comes to be neglected and becomes the cause of sin. And all who labor with the community, should labor with them for the sake of Heaven.”[33] Rabbi Yehudah said: “Anyone who doesn’t teach his son a trade teaches him banditry.”[34]
Paul isn’t as harsh concerning idlers as some. Sirach 22:1-2 states: “The idler is like a filthy stone, and everyone hisses at his disgrace. The idler is like a lump of shit; anyone who picks it up will shake it off his hand.” But he still states, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” If they remained idle, Paul continues, “Have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.”
Scripture is very clear that we are to provide for the poor and needy. Israel’s failure to do so resulted in chastisement from God and exile from Israel.[35] We should “not grow weary in doing good.” However, we are all called to work—God gave us Adam work even before his sin—and failure to do so should result in judgment. Nonetheless, our judgment should be done as a warning to our brother or sister—not as an enemy. This warning is a result of judgment and discernment. It can be easy to err in failing to judge and easier to fail in being generous. Thankfully the Lord of peace is with us all.
Luke 21:5-19. During His earthly life, Jesus regularly attended the pilgrim festivals and worshiped His Father in the Temple. Jesus wasn’t antagonistic toward the Temple—nor its function. He seems to have held the Temple in Jerusalem in high regard, calling it, “my Father’s house”. However, that would not stop the coming judgment.
The gospel reading opens with the disciples suitably impressed with the grandeur of Herod’s Temple.[36] It was said in antiquity that there were three wonders of Israel: a sea in which all things float, a day of the week on which no work was done, and a magnificent temple without a single statue.[37] Josephus added that the outside of the Temple was covered with gold leaf, so that, when the sun shone, it was dazzling to behold.[38] However, while the disciples spoke about the Temple’s beauty, Jesus prophesied that this beautiful Temple would be utterly destroyed.
In the late Second Temple period, there were opposing schools of thought concerning the nature of the Messiah’s advent. One school taught that the Messiah would come to a generation that was worthy of him—that is to say, everything would improve, and when humanity was good enough, the Messiah would come to a world already filled with justice and righteousness. Another school of thought taught the opposite—that the Messiah would come to a generation that was not worthy of Him; that is, the world would descend into chaos and then the Redeemer would appear, bringing justice and righteousness with him.[39]
After taking time to ponder the question, the disciples asked Jesus when this might occur.[40] If such an important building was doomed to ruin, it would be important to know when, how, and why. The Temple represented the centralization of Israelite worship and communal life—for from it the word of the Lord was proclaimed and the praises of God rang out. God’s name and glory were attached to a place, the holy mountain of God. However, this was the second Temple. The great Temple of Solomon had been destroyed. Even before Solomon’s Temple was destroyed, the place where the Tabernacle had once been kept was sacked and demolished by the Philistines.[41]
The theological question for the Jewish sages was this: why? Why would the Lord allow the place where His name, His honour, and glory were attached to be destroyed at the hands of pagan Gentiles? They might, naturally, think that their gods were more powerful than the living God.[42] After the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, the exile to Babylon prompted deep theological introspection about the reasons for its fall.
The Israelites acknowledged that they had forsaken the Lord and they were guilty of idol worship.[43] Upon returning from Babylon, idolatry was never a major issue again. Jesus rarely had to address the sin of idolatry in His arguments.[44] Instead, He was more concerned with greed—money or mammon—and frequently criticized the hypocrisy of the temple leadership, who took rather than gave.
After contemplating the fall of this new Temple, the disciples asked two questions: When will it happen, and what will be the signs? Jesus did not give them a clear answer. Instead, He warned His disciples about false prophets and messiahs who would lead them astray from God. Jesus warned His disciples to “be on guard” three times.[45]
Jesus also reminded us that the world will experience troubles. Although we long and pray for peace, there will be war. There will be political and geological troubles: earthquakes and famines (likely from both war and the environment). Interestingly, Jesus says “This must take place.”[46] The disciples of Jesus would also be bound and persecuted. When it does, it “will be your opportunity to bear witness.”
We should be careful not to be distracted by these wars and catastrophes—neither being led astray by them nor leading others astray.[47] As both Peter and Paul stated, when we are brought before the courts, it should not be because we have done something wrong, but because we are blameless and walk uprightly.[48] In this way, the church—especially in times of persecution—will only grow.
Endnotes
[1] Alternative RCL readings: Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12:2-6
[2] Deuteronomy 4:5. See also: Deuteronomy 4:1, 8, 14, 45; Leviticus 18:5, 26; Malachi 3:22; Nehemiah 1:7; II Chronicles 33:8 etc.
[3] Judgment and righteousness is paired around thirty-five times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Examples: Psalm 119:121; Proverbs 1:3; Proverbs 2:9; Hosea 2:19; II Samuel 8:15; I Kings 10:9; Isaiah 33:5; Jeremiah 22:3.
[4] Psalm 119:119-121
[5] Jeremiah 23:5, see also Jeremiah 33:15
[6] Matthew 6:14-15; Matthew 7:1-2
[7] Matthew 18:15-17
[8] Matthew 18:20
[9] ACNA includes Malachi 3:13-18, 4:2b-6
[10] Job 21:7-16
[11] Malachi 3:2
[12] Malachi 3:5
[13] Luke 1:17
[14] Matthew 11:14
[15] Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48
[16] Psalm 98 is the only psalm whose sole superscription is מִזְמוֹר (mizmor) meaning melody or poem. In many psalms the poem is attributed to someone. For example, in Psalm 48 the superscription (which is actually the opening verse) reads מִזְמוֹר לִבְנֵי־קֹרַח “melody to the sons of Korah” while for psalms of David the first verse will read מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד “melody to David.” The Septuagint does attribute Psalm 98 as a psalm of David.
[17] What is described as ‘new’ is actually not new in the sense of never having been done or heard before. For example in Mary’s song, which was new, she constantly quoted the Torah and the prophets. When Jesus said “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another…” it was hardly new as Moses had commanded us to love God and our neighbour, and yet it still was new and fresh—it's both, and.
[18] Salvation and redemption in the Psalms are often universal in scope. Universal, not in the sense that everyone and everything is saved, but that salvation is offered to all the world irrespective of ethnicity or position. Interestingly, these universal prayers were sung in Hebrew, by Jewish people, in the Temple in Jerusalem—although we may see foreigners joining in by the time of Acts due to the faithfulness of many Jewish people after the destruction of Solomon’s temple (and even some before it).
[19] This is not a belief in pantheism, animism, or paganism—the world is not a gargantuan thinking individual—but the earth does react to other things. Plants will react to the sun, wind, and rain. The earth, under the direction of God, also reacts to human behaviour. In Leviticus 18:28, Moses warned the Israelites, “And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.” Moses did not say that God would remove the people from the land, but that the land itself would react and force the people to move. And the land itself would enjoy the Sabbaths while Israel was outside the land (Leviticus 26:34-35). Jesus also stated: “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:40)
[20] Many translations choose to translate מישרים (meisharim) as “equity.” It comes from the word ישר (yashar) “straight” and is often also translated as upright. Righteousness, judgment, and equity are often seen together in the Psalms and Proverbs: “The proverbs of Solomon… to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity.” (Proverbs 1:1-3)
[21] ACNA includes II Thessalonians 3:14-16
[22] II Thessalonians 2:15
[23] As an anecdote, several years ago I met two men who preached in food banks and soup kitchens that Jesus was returning within the next year. However, they were at the food banks not to serve, or even preach, but because they refused to work and needed the food—assuming that there was no point working a secular job as the return of Jesus was so soon. Their testimony was false in both their prophecy and actions.
[24] Galatians 6:10
[25] Romans 15:25-27; II Corinthians 8:1-14
[26] Acts 4:34-37, 6:1-6
[27] Matthew 25:14-30; Ephesians 4:28; I Thessalonians 4:11-12; II Thessalonians 3:10; I Timothy 5:6-8
[28] I Corinthians 9:3-7; I Timothy 5:17-18. See also Numbers 18:8-32; Deut. 18:1-8.
[29] Paul was a tent-maker, Acts 18:1-4
[30] A half-dinar, or half-dinarius, was a low wage for even a laborer—see Matthew 20:2.
[31] Yoma 35b.7
[32] There are several famous Gamaliel’s in the formation and running of the Sanhedrin and they are often confused for one another. This Gamaliel lived several generations after Paul.
[33] Pirkei Avot 2.2
[34] Tosefta Kiddushin 1.8
[35] Amos 2:6-7; Ezekiel 16:49
[36] Mark 13:1
[37] Seneca, according to Augustine’s City of God 6.11, had a low opinion of the Sabbath, “Seneca, among the other superstitions of civil theology, also found fault with the sacred things of the Jews, and especially the sabbaths, affirming that they act uselessly in keeping those seventh days, whereby they lose through idleness about the seventh part of their life…” Tacitus, in his Histories 5.4-5, was of a similar mind to Seneca, writing of the “base and abominable” ways of the Jewish people who not only chose to rest on the seventh day but extended their “indolence to give over the seventh year as well to inactivity”–the year of rest for the land.
The Jews were, according to Tacitus, “the worst rascals among other people, renouncing their ancestral religions…the Jews conceive of one god only, and that with the mind alone: they regard as impious those who make from perishable materials representation of gods in man’s image; that supreme and eternal being is to them incapable of representation and without end. Therefore they set up no statues in their cities, still less in their temples; this flattery is not paid their kings, nor this honour given to the Caesars.”
Strabo in his Geography 16.2.42 spoke of a lake in which, “water was so very heavy that there is no use for divers, and any person who walks into it and proceeds no farther than up to his navel is immediately raised afloat.” Tacitus also wrote concerning the geography of Israel in Histories 5.6 of “a lake of great size: it is like the sea… Its lifeless waves bear up whatever is thrown upon them as on a solid surface; all swimmers, whether skilled or not, are buoyed up by them.”
[38] Josephus’ The War of the Jews 5.5.6
[39] Sanhedrin 98a
[40] Jesus and the disciples were just leaving the Temple when the disciples first spoke. But Mark 13:3 states that they walked across the Kidron Valley and onto the Mount of Olives, which provides an excellent view of the temple and its precincts, before they continued the discussion. Jesus privately discussed the destruction of the Temple, the abomination of desolation, and false christs and prophets from the Mount of Olives.
[41] God told Israel they were to “seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name and make His habitation there.” But neither God nor Moses told them where God’s habitation would be. The Tabernacle was first set up in Shiloh of Ephraim after Joshua and the people were able to conquer Canaan. It stayed there until the time of Eli and Samuel. However, according to Jeremiah and archaeological studies, the Philistines didn’t stop when they took the Ark of the Covenant but proceeded to go to Shiloh itself where they sacked Shiloh and the Tabernacle–the place where God met the people of Israel. Only in the Psalms does David return to the writing of Moses and declare that Jerusalem was the place that God had chosen. And from the time of Samuel until Solomon there were only temporary dwelling places for the Arc of the Covenant.
[42] Isaiah 36:18-20
[43] The Talmud, in Yoma 9b, described the traditional theological reason for the destruction of the Temple, “Why was the first Temple destroyed? Because the three cardinal sins were rampant in society: idol worship, licentiousness, and murder.”
[44] Rather, it was Paul who had to speak on idolatry with the Gentiles. Nonetheless, both Paul and Jesus equated greed with idolatry.
[45] Mark 13:9, 23, 33
[46] Mark 13:7
[47] Unfortunately, at least anecdotally, whenever I hear people speak about wars and rumors of war, it is in the context of fear, anxiety, or self-righteous glee—which is precisely the opposite of what Jesus warned us of. “Such-and-such is happening (war, hurricanes, or famine), surely Jesus is coming back” or “So-and-so is surely the antichrist!” or “This is the beginning of the battle of Gog and Magog”. There are many antichrists in this world, death and disease are the enemies of God, and there will be persecution of believers. But Jesus has already defeated death and we are (or at least should be) hated for His name’s sake.
[48] See I Peter 3:13-17 and Ephesians 2:12-16