The right stuff
Commentary
The movie by the same name added this expression to our vocabulary -- "the right stuff." It refers to the capabilities, abilities, or skills of a person. When we say that she has "the right stuff," it means she is equipped for the task. Yet most of us have learned that we have to determine just what our "stuff" is. Michael Jordan has more than his share of the right stuff on the basketball floor, but he had to learn that he lacked the skills necessary to play professional baseball. Many have also learned the so-called "Peter Principle," which has to do with being promoted beyond our capacities.
Have you ever found yourself in that situation -- skilled in one area but then asked to perform equally well in another presumably more responsible position? We learn, often the hard way, just what our right stuff is and what it isn't. One of the stereotypes in comedy is the person who tries to perform in a position beyond his or her capabilities and looks foolish doing so. In our First Lesson, Job discovers that he has gotten himself in that situation.
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
What kind of stuff are you? That's God's answer to Job. Finally, Job gets what he has so long been asking for, namely, a face to face encounter with God. In that sense, chapters 38-41 provide the climactic scene in this literary drama. In last Sunday's lesson, we sampled Job's persistent effort to challenge God to a trial. Now he gets what he has asked for and more! In the major passage of the reading (38:1-7), God asks Job if he participated in the creation of the cosmos. In the optional addition (vv. 34-41), Job's capabilities in wisdom are called into question. The major thrust of this reading is to put Job in his place. God asks him, "Who do you think you are?" (See the commentary on Job written by Carol A. Newsom in The New Interpreter's Bible, Abingdon Press, volume IV, pages 319-637.)
In the Old Testament, the revelation of God is often associated with a storm. (See Ezekiel 1:4 where the word translated "storm," se'ara, is the same one translated "whirlwind" here; see also Job 40:6.) The natural consequences of God's appearance in the world is violent disruption. For the first time in the poetic section of Job, the sacred name,YHWH, is used for God (but see prose sections, e.g., 2:1). The use of God's personal name makes clear that this is the true deity speaking, but it also draws us back to the conversation between the satan and God (where YHWH is used). This God, who has been hidden from Job and spoken of with other titles, now appears as Lord of the universe (v. 1). God calls Job "man" (or "hero") as Job used it for himself at the very beginning of his lament (3:3, where it is translated "man-child"). "Counsel" refers to God's careful design and structuring of the universe.
Verse 2 sets the tone for the divine speech and declares that Job's attack on God betrayed bad "counsel" and "wisdom that lacks knowledge." These two expressions place the conversation in the context of the wisdom tradition (see Proverb 8). Job wanted a hearing before God, and now God asks him to stand up "like a man" to take the questions and to respond to them.
With verse 4 the rhetorical questions begin and continue through verse 7. These questions put Job in his place, while they also provide images of the cosmos. These queries picture the universe as a structure with a "basis" (v. 6), a "foundation" (v. 4), a "cornerstone" (v. 6), and measurable dimensions (v. 5). The last image in verse 7 may imply the construction of the temple which was accompanied by rejoicing and song. Other pictures of the cosmos follow in verses 8-33. As it is in the last verse, the wisdom theme is implicit in the first question, since Wisdom was thought to have been with God at the time of creation and rejoiced in its completion (Proverbs 8:22-31).
The rhetorical questions continue through verses 8-33 and comprise the optional reading, verses 34-41. Now the focus is less the creation of the world than command over the forces of nature. God asks Job if he has power over the "clouds" (v. 34a and 37), "flood of waters" (v. 34b), "lightnings" (v. 35), animals (vv. 39-40), and birds (v. 41). Verses 34-38 imply the capability to bring the rain or even announce its coming, while the feeding of wild creatures finish the reading (vv. 38-41). As it still is for farmers and consequently for all of us, rain was naturally a vital but uncontrollable natural element and predicting it a gift beyond humans. Verse 36 seems to break the flow of the passage, and its Hebrew is uncertain. For that reason, some have suggested that it refers to birds that seem to know when it is about to rain, even though humans haven't a clue.
Do you have the right stuff, Job? The answer is, of course, in no way are we humans able to withstand this challenge to the limits of our knowledge and capabilities. God's answer to Job in the whirlwind makes Job's defiance seem foolish. YHWH never really answers Job's questions and never explains why Job has suffered the way he did. The Lord of the universe simply says, "Who do you think you are to question me?" God's response to Job may sometimes fit us, since on occasion we claim that we have more knowledge and skill than are granted to humans. In such a time, God may shock us back to reality.
Hebrews 5:1-10
Is it irreverent to say that this passage claims Christ has "the right stuff"? Yes, but in a sense that's what the author attempts to say. The reading is part of the author's argument that Jesus is the great high priest par excellence -- an argument that begins in 4:14 and carries through 7:28. This reading continues the Second Lesson for last Sunday (see our columns for Propers 23 and 25.) In 5:1-10, the author's argument is clear and uncomplicated in structure. Verses 1-4 describe the role and functions of the high priest, then verse 5 turns to the claim that Christ became high priest (vv. 5-10).
The author portrays the high priest as dealing on behalf of others with human matters that have to do with God (v. 1). His "pastoral skills" arise from the fact that he himself is human and suffers all the weaknesses of those whom he represents before God (v. 2). Insofar as we are not always aware of our sins (e.i., "ignorant and wayward"), the high priest also brings these unconscious sins before God. Therefore, he is at once both a worshiper and the mediator between God and worshipers. However, since he is human, he must "offer sacrifice for his own sin" (v. 3) on the Day of Atonement (see chapters 9 and 10). Finally, the high priest never presumes to take this role on his own but only when he is "called by God" (v. 4 -- see Exodus 28).
Christ, the author claims, is the superior high priest and commences the argument for that claim by the similarity between the high priest's call and Christ's call. His "appointment," however, came directly from God and not through some historic line of succession like that of Aaron. Again the proof of this claim is in Hebrew Scripture, but only when it is re-interpreted in the light of belief in Christ. So, Psalm 2:7, which originally referred to God's appointment of the new king at his inauguration, is read as God's word to Jesus (see also 1:5). We should not make too much of the theologically loaded terms "Son" and "begotten," since we are dealing with a writing before the church had wrestled its way through the meaning of these terms.
A second Psalm provides further evidence that Jesus is the great high priest. Psalm 110 is another "royal Psalm," in this case bestowing a priestly authority on the king and thus extending his jurisdiction over worship as well as politics. The shadowy figure of Melchizedek is a bit hard to understand. He is mentioned only here and in Genesis 14:17-20, where he is called both king and "priest of God Most High" (El Elyon) of Salem and blesses Abram. He worshiped a Canaanite god who eventually was fused with Abram's God. The Israelites apparently took over some of the traditions and practices of the Jebusites who lived in the site that eventually became Jerusalem. Our author speaks as if the priesthood was understood to root in Melchizedek and not alone in Aaron. (Psalm 110:4 is also cited in Hebrews 1:13.) While the relationship between these two orders of priesthood is not clear, our author seems to think that the order of Melchizedek is eternal, while the Aaronic or Levite order is temporary and earthly (see 6:20; 7:11, 17, and 21).
Having supplied scriptural authority for Christ's high priesthood in verses 5 and 6, the author focuses on Jesus' earthly life (vv. 7-10). The exact meaning of verse 7 is debated, although many think it refers to Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane before his arrest (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-43; and Luke 22:40-46). But what does "to save him from death" mean? Is the author assuming that Jesus sought to avoid death on the cross, or is the reference to God's ability to rescue him from the grave through resurrection? That his prayer was "heard" argues for the latter possibility. Whatever it means, the author is clearly saying that Jesus genuinely suffered as a result of his willingness to fulfill God's plan for him (compare Psalm 22:1-2). "Submission" is the essential feature of Jesus' obedience, meaning that he was willing to put himself under God's control even when his own will was otherwise. So he became a model for Christians.
The idea of learning from suffering was common to Greek thinkers. "Learning obedience" suggests that Jesus went through a process, even though he was God's son (v. 8). The incarnation means that Christ had to struggle with obedience in the same way we do, although the author of Hebrews would surely say he did so successfully (see 4:15). In this process, Christ was made "perfect"(v. 9a); the passive verb means his sufferings completed a process of full submission in obedience. (For "perfect," see our column for Proper 22.) In this author's view, Christ's complete obedience is necessary if he is to be a source of "eternal salvation." In 7:23-28, the argument is that Christ's sacrifice is effective because he was without sin. Here the precise reason for Christ's having to have been perfectly submissive in order to offer salvation is not mentioned. However, for us to claim the salvation Christ has made available, we are asked to "obey him." Christ's own obedience calls forth our obedience and is the model for what it means to obey (v. 9b). Verse 10 returns to Melchizedek, providing both summary and closure to this segment of the argument. "Designated" (prosagoreu) claims that God truly gave Christ this role, and he did not claim it for himself.
Christ had or achieved all the qualifications to be named the eternal high priest. The author seems to think that those qualifications included both Christ's unique relationship with God (son) and his earthly obedience. The right stuff in this case included a willingness to suffer for what Jesus believed to be God's will. Hebrews has a good deal to say about suffering, so mention of Jesus' sufferings is intended to empower us with the stuff to stand up against affliction. Most of us would deny that we have the stuff to endure what Jesus had to bear, but one of the purposes of this passage from Hebrews is to offer a source of salvation, yes, and also a source of empowerment for difficulties. Christ had the right stuff and from him we can draw what it takes for true discipleship.
Mark 10:35-45
Truly discipleship is what this Gospel Lesson is all about. Do the disciples have what it takes to follow their Lord? Having seen how tough Mark is on the disciples, we are not surprised that here again we gain the impression that they do not! (In Matthew 20:20, the mother of James and John makes their request of Jesus, deflecting the blame from the two brothers.) The reading does not include the third passion prediction in 10:32-34, which is okay, except it deprives listeners of the fact that the same pattern we saw earlier recurs here. Mark relates all three of the passion predictions within this structure -- Jesus makes his prediction, the disciples do not understand, and Jesus tries to straighten them out (8:31--9:1; 9:30-37; and 10:32-45). As a matter of fact, in 9:30-37, the disciples respond to Jesus' prediction by arguing about who is the greatest. In our lesson, James and John make their request in the wake of Jesus' prediction. The pattern is discouraging, because the disciples' dullness hints that we may be just as dull!
The lesson has two closely connected parts. The narrative begins with the sons of Zebedee asking for places of glory and what Jesus says in response (vv. 35-40). Then the narrator tells us that the other disciples caught wind of what their colleagues had done and are understandably enraged. This occasions Jesus' second session on greatness and service (vv. 41-45).
The "sons of Zebedee," along with Peter, comprised the "executive committee" or the inner circle of the twelve. For instance, only these three are privileged to witness Jesus' transfiguration (9:2-8). So, these are not marginal followers, but the cream of the crop. Their approach to Jesus seems designed to manipulate him, get him in a corner so that he will have to grant their wish. Their request is, in effect, that they might be named Jesus' most trusted advisers when he came to power. "Your right hand and ... your left" are the traditional places of honor and power. Ironically, Christ himself is destined to sit at God's right after his exaltation, and these two want that glory without the suffering that precedes it. Their request indicates they expect Jesus to claim his power soon, to overthrow the Romans, and to take command. They have no idea of the kind of Messiah their master is.
Jesus is remarkably gentle with these two. They aren't aware of what gaining such places of honor would entail, for those who sit with Jesus in glory will have shared his path of suffering to that glory. "Cup" is a frequent way of speaking of one's destiny, although it could be joy and gladness as well as suffering and pain (e.g., Psalms 23:5 and 11:6). As it does in Mark 14:36, here it also refers to Jesus' allotted portion of suffering (see also John 18:11), and -- although more ambiguous -- "baptism" carries the same meaning. Jesus asks them and they reply, "We are able." He then promises them that they will follow the path of suffering and death. Baptism and the Eucharist cup came to mean the participant's incorporation into Christ's suffering, and that is likely implied in verse 39. Verse 40 is difficult even in the Greek, but its sense is surely that discipleship cannot necessarily ensure rewards such as the brothers seek.
The anger of the other disciples requires Jesus to do some fence-mending. However, he tries to bring the disciples together again around a mutual understanding of what it means to be great. Mastery over others is not the sort of greatness that they should seek, for it is entirely out of tune with Christ's mission. Verses 43 and 44 comprise a parallelism: great = servant; first = slave. Jesus' own life is the reason the disciples are called to service (v. 43). His whole purpose is to minister to others, for in his ministry God serves humanity in our greatest need. Mark 14:24 and the phrase "to give his life a ransom for many" are the clearest indications of how Mark may have understood the atoning death of Jesus. "Ransom" (lutron) refers to the money paid for the manumission of slaves and became a metaphor for God's liberation of humans from sin. In the context of Markan thought, ransom is a way of conceiving Jesus' life and death as the means by which the reign of God entered the world and displaced the rule of evil. However, we probably should not attempt to derive a whole doctrine of atonement from this single word.
Talk about people looking foolish when they try to do something far beyond their abilities! James and John look like fools of the first order. They have no idea what they are asking or what they mean when they say, "We are able" (v. 39). If they have the right stuff for the task of discipleship as Jesus defines it, they do not as yet demonstrate it. In redefining power and greatness, Jesus redefines "the right stuff." The ability to follow Jesus faithfully entails the willingness and power to share his ministry with him. It is taking our places as servants along with our Lord. Still, the right stuff is never ours. As the Hebrews passage suggests, it comes from the One after whom we model our lives. It is Christ's stuff that makes us capable and not our own will or power. Like Job we stand before that which we do not understand and simply ask that God's grace grants us the right stuff to serve others.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
Our sometimes sentimental, always lenient religious faith bumps up against this text for the morning. Here we have a man named Job who has suffered horribly. He has lost everything he loved and of worth to him -- his family, his friends (who turned out to be no friends at all), his material goods and home, his esteemed name in his community, his health, and even his physical appearance. We would expect, therefore, that the Lord God's approach to such a suffering man would be one of compassion and tenderness -- like a good shepherd caring for a crippled lamb. But no. When God answers Job in this text and those passages that follow in the next two chapters, it is not with tender words of love, but initially in our text with the most scathing sarcasm. And the answer given is accompanied by the noise and power of a whirlwind. That's a great contrast to the way the Lord spoke to Elijah -- not in wind or earthquake or fire, but in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12) -- and it's rather disturbing to our sensibilities. God almost blows Job away here in this text, and it leaves us wondering why.
Well, Job is a man who demanded to speak to God. He had earlier said that he would lay his court case before the Almighty and make God listen to him and acquit him like any reasonable person would (cf. 13:18-19; 23:4-7). And so God here asks that thundering question, "Who is this that darkens counsel without knowledge?" (v. 2). God is not going to be questioned here; Job is (v. 3). And then God fires off his interrogation. In other words, Job needs to be recalled to the knowledge of just to whom he is talking, as we often need to be recalled. We're not approaching a namby-pamby little deity when we approach God. We're approaching the Lord of the universe. And Job first has to come to that recognition.
So the Lord fires his questions at Job in the verses that follow. Was Job present when God created the world, measuring out its dimensions and anchoring it firmly with pillars in the cosmic sea so that it would not move (vv. 4-5)? Did Job hear the song sung by all the heavenly hosts of stars, celebrating the Lord's very good work (v. 7)? Or, in verses 34-38, can Job control the rain and thunderstorms with their lightning, or count the clouds in the heavens? And does Job reign over the animal kingdom, providing food for lion and raven (vv. 39-41)?
Contrary to the limits of our scientific understanding of the universe, God does all of those things. The creation doesn't run by natural law. It runs by the power of God, who in faithfulness keeps its processes orderly and recurring (cf. Genesis 8:22), so that our scientists may study them. And we, like Job, need to learn that the God whom we approach is Creator and Master of the marvels of the natural world, so that we gain some understanding of our dependent place in God's universe.
Does that mean, then, that we should not question God -- that we should not raise our voices in pleas and demands from the agonies that we suffer? Does it mean that, from the depths, we should not cry out for answers and mercy and care? Is God an unheeding Master who will not abide such cries, but who will reply to them only with manifestations of his almighty power? No. We have only to read the cries of the Psalmists to know that we can pray in all sorts of ways to God. And from the very beginning of the witness of the Scriptures, the Lord is one who hears our groaning, and sees our condition, and knows our sufferings (cf. Exodus 2:23-25; 3:7-8). Indeed, so aware is he of our agonies that he takes them all upon himself in his Son -- all our suffering, all our groaning, and even our death. And the greatest witness of his almighty power is his loving defeat of suffering and death.
But what of Job? Should he not have demanded of God his confrontation with him? Job obviously has to learn some humility before the Lord, just as we always should remember our humble station. But Job has to learn something else also. He has to learn further trust, just as that is always the requirement God asks of us. You see, God does speak in the whirlwind and answer his desperate servant Job. The Lord of the universe lowers himself to speak to a suffering man on a garbage dump. And that which the Lord tells his servant Job is that he always cares for his creation. He fixes the foundations of the earth. He causes the rain to fall, and the clouds to gather. He feeds the lion and the raven, he says in our text, and he goes on in Job 39-40 to enumerate his care for all his creatures. Job therefore should know that God also cares for him.
The Lord is not some awesome, unfeeling Master, running his creation by divine fiat. He is the caring Creator and Sustainer, who watches and preserves every one of his creatures, including us. And in the deepest depths of any despair, we can count on that sustenance and watchful strength and care of our God. Trust your Maker. That is the message of our text.
Lutheran Option -- Isaiah 53:4-12
This text forms a portion of the passage that is known as the Suffering Servant Song of Second Isaiah, who proclaimed his message to the Babylonian exiles of Israel sometime between 550 and 538 B.C. The whole passage of 52:13--53:12 is the stated Old Testament text for Good Friday in all three yearly cycles of the Revised Common Lectionary. The preacher may therefore want to refer to those expositions in back issues of Emphasis.
The speakers in our text are the nations, who are first mentioned in 52:15. The Suffering Servant's identity has been endlessly debated by scholars, but most probably is to be understood as an ideal portion of Israel, who is called by the prophet to give his life as a sin-offering (vv. 6, 10, 12) for all peoples, including the rest of his Israelite compatriots. Because the Servant is sinless (vv. 9, 11), his death atones for the sin of all others (v. 11). He bears the punishment for others' iniquities (vv. 4-6) and thus justifies them in the eyes of God.
But it is God himself who calls the Suffering Servant to such a course (v. 10). And because the Servant takes upon himself suffering for others, he will in the end be shown by God to be vindicated. The Servant will finally be exalted by God and prosper (vv. 52:13; 53:10-12), and his way will become the victorious way of all. Such is the suffering and yet ultimately triumphant role to which Second Isaiah calls the faithful in Israel in the sixth century B.C.
Israel never lived up to that role. But the son of Israel, Jesus Christ, did. Willingly taking upon himself the mission of suffering to which his people had been called by the prophet, Christ gave his back to the whip-stripes (v. 5) and became like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb (v. 7). He was cut off from the land of the living (v. 8), and his grave was borrowed from a rich man (v. 9). But his death atoned for the sins of us all, and his resurrection exalted him to victory over sin and death. And we, if we trust his work and live by faith in him, share in the benefits of his justifying and saving grace.
But first, we have to confess that we are sinners, don't we? We have to acknowledge that we are unrighteous in the sight of our God, and that we need redemption from sin and from the death that our sin deserves. For the wages of our sin is death, and only God can deliver us from that payment. But the price has been paid, good Christians. The sinless offering has been made. The final Suffering Servant has died and been exalted. And we, if we will, can now be counted forgiven, righteous, justified, redeemed, saved by our God -- the past wiped out, a new beginning given, a new life made possible -- if we will, dear friends, if we
Have you ever found yourself in that situation -- skilled in one area but then asked to perform equally well in another presumably more responsible position? We learn, often the hard way, just what our right stuff is and what it isn't. One of the stereotypes in comedy is the person who tries to perform in a position beyond his or her capabilities and looks foolish doing so. In our First Lesson, Job discovers that he has gotten himself in that situation.
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
What kind of stuff are you? That's God's answer to Job. Finally, Job gets what he has so long been asking for, namely, a face to face encounter with God. In that sense, chapters 38-41 provide the climactic scene in this literary drama. In last Sunday's lesson, we sampled Job's persistent effort to challenge God to a trial. Now he gets what he has asked for and more! In the major passage of the reading (38:1-7), God asks Job if he participated in the creation of the cosmos. In the optional addition (vv. 34-41), Job's capabilities in wisdom are called into question. The major thrust of this reading is to put Job in his place. God asks him, "Who do you think you are?" (See the commentary on Job written by Carol A. Newsom in The New Interpreter's Bible, Abingdon Press, volume IV, pages 319-637.)
In the Old Testament, the revelation of God is often associated with a storm. (See Ezekiel 1:4 where the word translated "storm," se'ara, is the same one translated "whirlwind" here; see also Job 40:6.) The natural consequences of God's appearance in the world is violent disruption. For the first time in the poetic section of Job, the sacred name,YHWH, is used for God (but see prose sections, e.g., 2:1). The use of God's personal name makes clear that this is the true deity speaking, but it also draws us back to the conversation between the satan and God (where YHWH is used). This God, who has been hidden from Job and spoken of with other titles, now appears as Lord of the universe (v. 1). God calls Job "man" (or "hero") as Job used it for himself at the very beginning of his lament (3:3, where it is translated "man-child"). "Counsel" refers to God's careful design and structuring of the universe.
Verse 2 sets the tone for the divine speech and declares that Job's attack on God betrayed bad "counsel" and "wisdom that lacks knowledge." These two expressions place the conversation in the context of the wisdom tradition (see Proverb 8). Job wanted a hearing before God, and now God asks him to stand up "like a man" to take the questions and to respond to them.
With verse 4 the rhetorical questions begin and continue through verse 7. These questions put Job in his place, while they also provide images of the cosmos. These queries picture the universe as a structure with a "basis" (v. 6), a "foundation" (v. 4), a "cornerstone" (v. 6), and measurable dimensions (v. 5). The last image in verse 7 may imply the construction of the temple which was accompanied by rejoicing and song. Other pictures of the cosmos follow in verses 8-33. As it is in the last verse, the wisdom theme is implicit in the first question, since Wisdom was thought to have been with God at the time of creation and rejoiced in its completion (Proverbs 8:22-31).
The rhetorical questions continue through verses 8-33 and comprise the optional reading, verses 34-41. Now the focus is less the creation of the world than command over the forces of nature. God asks Job if he has power over the "clouds" (v. 34a and 37), "flood of waters" (v. 34b), "lightnings" (v. 35), animals (vv. 39-40), and birds (v. 41). Verses 34-38 imply the capability to bring the rain or even announce its coming, while the feeding of wild creatures finish the reading (vv. 38-41). As it still is for farmers and consequently for all of us, rain was naturally a vital but uncontrollable natural element and predicting it a gift beyond humans. Verse 36 seems to break the flow of the passage, and its Hebrew is uncertain. For that reason, some have suggested that it refers to birds that seem to know when it is about to rain, even though humans haven't a clue.
Do you have the right stuff, Job? The answer is, of course, in no way are we humans able to withstand this challenge to the limits of our knowledge and capabilities. God's answer to Job in the whirlwind makes Job's defiance seem foolish. YHWH never really answers Job's questions and never explains why Job has suffered the way he did. The Lord of the universe simply says, "Who do you think you are to question me?" God's response to Job may sometimes fit us, since on occasion we claim that we have more knowledge and skill than are granted to humans. In such a time, God may shock us back to reality.
Hebrews 5:1-10
Is it irreverent to say that this passage claims Christ has "the right stuff"? Yes, but in a sense that's what the author attempts to say. The reading is part of the author's argument that Jesus is the great high priest par excellence -- an argument that begins in 4:14 and carries through 7:28. This reading continues the Second Lesson for last Sunday (see our columns for Propers 23 and 25.) In 5:1-10, the author's argument is clear and uncomplicated in structure. Verses 1-4 describe the role and functions of the high priest, then verse 5 turns to the claim that Christ became high priest (vv. 5-10).
The author portrays the high priest as dealing on behalf of others with human matters that have to do with God (v. 1). His "pastoral skills" arise from the fact that he himself is human and suffers all the weaknesses of those whom he represents before God (v. 2). Insofar as we are not always aware of our sins (e.i., "ignorant and wayward"), the high priest also brings these unconscious sins before God. Therefore, he is at once both a worshiper and the mediator between God and worshipers. However, since he is human, he must "offer sacrifice for his own sin" (v. 3) on the Day of Atonement (see chapters 9 and 10). Finally, the high priest never presumes to take this role on his own but only when he is "called by God" (v. 4 -- see Exodus 28).
Christ, the author claims, is the superior high priest and commences the argument for that claim by the similarity between the high priest's call and Christ's call. His "appointment," however, came directly from God and not through some historic line of succession like that of Aaron. Again the proof of this claim is in Hebrew Scripture, but only when it is re-interpreted in the light of belief in Christ. So, Psalm 2:7, which originally referred to God's appointment of the new king at his inauguration, is read as God's word to Jesus (see also 1:5). We should not make too much of the theologically loaded terms "Son" and "begotten," since we are dealing with a writing before the church had wrestled its way through the meaning of these terms.
A second Psalm provides further evidence that Jesus is the great high priest. Psalm 110 is another "royal Psalm," in this case bestowing a priestly authority on the king and thus extending his jurisdiction over worship as well as politics. The shadowy figure of Melchizedek is a bit hard to understand. He is mentioned only here and in Genesis 14:17-20, where he is called both king and "priest of God Most High" (El Elyon) of Salem and blesses Abram. He worshiped a Canaanite god who eventually was fused with Abram's God. The Israelites apparently took over some of the traditions and practices of the Jebusites who lived in the site that eventually became Jerusalem. Our author speaks as if the priesthood was understood to root in Melchizedek and not alone in Aaron. (Psalm 110:4 is also cited in Hebrews 1:13.) While the relationship between these two orders of priesthood is not clear, our author seems to think that the order of Melchizedek is eternal, while the Aaronic or Levite order is temporary and earthly (see 6:20; 7:11, 17, and 21).
Having supplied scriptural authority for Christ's high priesthood in verses 5 and 6, the author focuses on Jesus' earthly life (vv. 7-10). The exact meaning of verse 7 is debated, although many think it refers to Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane before his arrest (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-43; and Luke 22:40-46). But what does "to save him from death" mean? Is the author assuming that Jesus sought to avoid death on the cross, or is the reference to God's ability to rescue him from the grave through resurrection? That his prayer was "heard" argues for the latter possibility. Whatever it means, the author is clearly saying that Jesus genuinely suffered as a result of his willingness to fulfill God's plan for him (compare Psalm 22:1-2). "Submission" is the essential feature of Jesus' obedience, meaning that he was willing to put himself under God's control even when his own will was otherwise. So he became a model for Christians.
The idea of learning from suffering was common to Greek thinkers. "Learning obedience" suggests that Jesus went through a process, even though he was God's son (v. 8). The incarnation means that Christ had to struggle with obedience in the same way we do, although the author of Hebrews would surely say he did so successfully (see 4:15). In this process, Christ was made "perfect"(v. 9a); the passive verb means his sufferings completed a process of full submission in obedience. (For "perfect," see our column for Proper 22.) In this author's view, Christ's complete obedience is necessary if he is to be a source of "eternal salvation." In 7:23-28, the argument is that Christ's sacrifice is effective because he was without sin. Here the precise reason for Christ's having to have been perfectly submissive in order to offer salvation is not mentioned. However, for us to claim the salvation Christ has made available, we are asked to "obey him." Christ's own obedience calls forth our obedience and is the model for what it means to obey (v. 9b). Verse 10 returns to Melchizedek, providing both summary and closure to this segment of the argument. "Designated" (prosagoreu) claims that God truly gave Christ this role, and he did not claim it for himself.
Christ had or achieved all the qualifications to be named the eternal high priest. The author seems to think that those qualifications included both Christ's unique relationship with God (son) and his earthly obedience. The right stuff in this case included a willingness to suffer for what Jesus believed to be God's will. Hebrews has a good deal to say about suffering, so mention of Jesus' sufferings is intended to empower us with the stuff to stand up against affliction. Most of us would deny that we have the stuff to endure what Jesus had to bear, but one of the purposes of this passage from Hebrews is to offer a source of salvation, yes, and also a source of empowerment for difficulties. Christ had the right stuff and from him we can draw what it takes for true discipleship.
Mark 10:35-45
Truly discipleship is what this Gospel Lesson is all about. Do the disciples have what it takes to follow their Lord? Having seen how tough Mark is on the disciples, we are not surprised that here again we gain the impression that they do not! (In Matthew 20:20, the mother of James and John makes their request of Jesus, deflecting the blame from the two brothers.) The reading does not include the third passion prediction in 10:32-34, which is okay, except it deprives listeners of the fact that the same pattern we saw earlier recurs here. Mark relates all three of the passion predictions within this structure -- Jesus makes his prediction, the disciples do not understand, and Jesus tries to straighten them out (8:31--9:1; 9:30-37; and 10:32-45). As a matter of fact, in 9:30-37, the disciples respond to Jesus' prediction by arguing about who is the greatest. In our lesson, James and John make their request in the wake of Jesus' prediction. The pattern is discouraging, because the disciples' dullness hints that we may be just as dull!
The lesson has two closely connected parts. The narrative begins with the sons of Zebedee asking for places of glory and what Jesus says in response (vv. 35-40). Then the narrator tells us that the other disciples caught wind of what their colleagues had done and are understandably enraged. This occasions Jesus' second session on greatness and service (vv. 41-45).
The "sons of Zebedee," along with Peter, comprised the "executive committee" or the inner circle of the twelve. For instance, only these three are privileged to witness Jesus' transfiguration (9:2-8). So, these are not marginal followers, but the cream of the crop. Their approach to Jesus seems designed to manipulate him, get him in a corner so that he will have to grant their wish. Their request is, in effect, that they might be named Jesus' most trusted advisers when he came to power. "Your right hand and ... your left" are the traditional places of honor and power. Ironically, Christ himself is destined to sit at God's right after his exaltation, and these two want that glory without the suffering that precedes it. Their request indicates they expect Jesus to claim his power soon, to overthrow the Romans, and to take command. They have no idea of the kind of Messiah their master is.
Jesus is remarkably gentle with these two. They aren't aware of what gaining such places of honor would entail, for those who sit with Jesus in glory will have shared his path of suffering to that glory. "Cup" is a frequent way of speaking of one's destiny, although it could be joy and gladness as well as suffering and pain (e.g., Psalms 23:5 and 11:6). As it does in Mark 14:36, here it also refers to Jesus' allotted portion of suffering (see also John 18:11), and -- although more ambiguous -- "baptism" carries the same meaning. Jesus asks them and they reply, "We are able." He then promises them that they will follow the path of suffering and death. Baptism and the Eucharist cup came to mean the participant's incorporation into Christ's suffering, and that is likely implied in verse 39. Verse 40 is difficult even in the Greek, but its sense is surely that discipleship cannot necessarily ensure rewards such as the brothers seek.
The anger of the other disciples requires Jesus to do some fence-mending. However, he tries to bring the disciples together again around a mutual understanding of what it means to be great. Mastery over others is not the sort of greatness that they should seek, for it is entirely out of tune with Christ's mission. Verses 43 and 44 comprise a parallelism: great = servant; first = slave. Jesus' own life is the reason the disciples are called to service (v. 43). His whole purpose is to minister to others, for in his ministry God serves humanity in our greatest need. Mark 14:24 and the phrase "to give his life a ransom for many" are the clearest indications of how Mark may have understood the atoning death of Jesus. "Ransom" (lutron) refers to the money paid for the manumission of slaves and became a metaphor for God's liberation of humans from sin. In the context of Markan thought, ransom is a way of conceiving Jesus' life and death as the means by which the reign of God entered the world and displaced the rule of evil. However, we probably should not attempt to derive a whole doctrine of atonement from this single word.
Talk about people looking foolish when they try to do something far beyond their abilities! James and John look like fools of the first order. They have no idea what they are asking or what they mean when they say, "We are able" (v. 39). If they have the right stuff for the task of discipleship as Jesus defines it, they do not as yet demonstrate it. In redefining power and greatness, Jesus redefines "the right stuff." The ability to follow Jesus faithfully entails the willingness and power to share his ministry with him. It is taking our places as servants along with our Lord. Still, the right stuff is never ours. As the Hebrews passage suggests, it comes from the One after whom we model our lives. It is Christ's stuff that makes us capable and not our own will or power. Like Job we stand before that which we do not understand and simply ask that God's grace grants us the right stuff to serve others.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
Our sometimes sentimental, always lenient religious faith bumps up against this text for the morning. Here we have a man named Job who has suffered horribly. He has lost everything he loved and of worth to him -- his family, his friends (who turned out to be no friends at all), his material goods and home, his esteemed name in his community, his health, and even his physical appearance. We would expect, therefore, that the Lord God's approach to such a suffering man would be one of compassion and tenderness -- like a good shepherd caring for a crippled lamb. But no. When God answers Job in this text and those passages that follow in the next two chapters, it is not with tender words of love, but initially in our text with the most scathing sarcasm. And the answer given is accompanied by the noise and power of a whirlwind. That's a great contrast to the way the Lord spoke to Elijah -- not in wind or earthquake or fire, but in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12) -- and it's rather disturbing to our sensibilities. God almost blows Job away here in this text, and it leaves us wondering why.
Well, Job is a man who demanded to speak to God. He had earlier said that he would lay his court case before the Almighty and make God listen to him and acquit him like any reasonable person would (cf. 13:18-19; 23:4-7). And so God here asks that thundering question, "Who is this that darkens counsel without knowledge?" (v. 2). God is not going to be questioned here; Job is (v. 3). And then God fires off his interrogation. In other words, Job needs to be recalled to the knowledge of just to whom he is talking, as we often need to be recalled. We're not approaching a namby-pamby little deity when we approach God. We're approaching the Lord of the universe. And Job first has to come to that recognition.
So the Lord fires his questions at Job in the verses that follow. Was Job present when God created the world, measuring out its dimensions and anchoring it firmly with pillars in the cosmic sea so that it would not move (vv. 4-5)? Did Job hear the song sung by all the heavenly hosts of stars, celebrating the Lord's very good work (v. 7)? Or, in verses 34-38, can Job control the rain and thunderstorms with their lightning, or count the clouds in the heavens? And does Job reign over the animal kingdom, providing food for lion and raven (vv. 39-41)?
Contrary to the limits of our scientific understanding of the universe, God does all of those things. The creation doesn't run by natural law. It runs by the power of God, who in faithfulness keeps its processes orderly and recurring (cf. Genesis 8:22), so that our scientists may study them. And we, like Job, need to learn that the God whom we approach is Creator and Master of the marvels of the natural world, so that we gain some understanding of our dependent place in God's universe.
Does that mean, then, that we should not question God -- that we should not raise our voices in pleas and demands from the agonies that we suffer? Does it mean that, from the depths, we should not cry out for answers and mercy and care? Is God an unheeding Master who will not abide such cries, but who will reply to them only with manifestations of his almighty power? No. We have only to read the cries of the Psalmists to know that we can pray in all sorts of ways to God. And from the very beginning of the witness of the Scriptures, the Lord is one who hears our groaning, and sees our condition, and knows our sufferings (cf. Exodus 2:23-25; 3:7-8). Indeed, so aware is he of our agonies that he takes them all upon himself in his Son -- all our suffering, all our groaning, and even our death. And the greatest witness of his almighty power is his loving defeat of suffering and death.
But what of Job? Should he not have demanded of God his confrontation with him? Job obviously has to learn some humility before the Lord, just as we always should remember our humble station. But Job has to learn something else also. He has to learn further trust, just as that is always the requirement God asks of us. You see, God does speak in the whirlwind and answer his desperate servant Job. The Lord of the universe lowers himself to speak to a suffering man on a garbage dump. And that which the Lord tells his servant Job is that he always cares for his creation. He fixes the foundations of the earth. He causes the rain to fall, and the clouds to gather. He feeds the lion and the raven, he says in our text, and he goes on in Job 39-40 to enumerate his care for all his creatures. Job therefore should know that God also cares for him.
The Lord is not some awesome, unfeeling Master, running his creation by divine fiat. He is the caring Creator and Sustainer, who watches and preserves every one of his creatures, including us. And in the deepest depths of any despair, we can count on that sustenance and watchful strength and care of our God. Trust your Maker. That is the message of our text.
Lutheran Option -- Isaiah 53:4-12
This text forms a portion of the passage that is known as the Suffering Servant Song of Second Isaiah, who proclaimed his message to the Babylonian exiles of Israel sometime between 550 and 538 B.C. The whole passage of 52:13--53:12 is the stated Old Testament text for Good Friday in all three yearly cycles of the Revised Common Lectionary. The preacher may therefore want to refer to those expositions in back issues of Emphasis.
The speakers in our text are the nations, who are first mentioned in 52:15. The Suffering Servant's identity has been endlessly debated by scholars, but most probably is to be understood as an ideal portion of Israel, who is called by the prophet to give his life as a sin-offering (vv. 6, 10, 12) for all peoples, including the rest of his Israelite compatriots. Because the Servant is sinless (vv. 9, 11), his death atones for the sin of all others (v. 11). He bears the punishment for others' iniquities (vv. 4-6) and thus justifies them in the eyes of God.
But it is God himself who calls the Suffering Servant to such a course (v. 10). And because the Servant takes upon himself suffering for others, he will in the end be shown by God to be vindicated. The Servant will finally be exalted by God and prosper (vv. 52:13; 53:10-12), and his way will become the victorious way of all. Such is the suffering and yet ultimately triumphant role to which Second Isaiah calls the faithful in Israel in the sixth century B.C.
Israel never lived up to that role. But the son of Israel, Jesus Christ, did. Willingly taking upon himself the mission of suffering to which his people had been called by the prophet, Christ gave his back to the whip-stripes (v. 5) and became like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb (v. 7). He was cut off from the land of the living (v. 8), and his grave was borrowed from a rich man (v. 9). But his death atoned for the sins of us all, and his resurrection exalted him to victory over sin and death. And we, if we trust his work and live by faith in him, share in the benefits of his justifying and saving grace.
But first, we have to confess that we are sinners, don't we? We have to acknowledge that we are unrighteous in the sight of our God, and that we need redemption from sin and from the death that our sin deserves. For the wages of our sin is death, and only God can deliver us from that payment. But the price has been paid, good Christians. The sinless offering has been made. The final Suffering Servant has died and been exalted. And we, if we will, can now be counted forgiven, righteous, justified, redeemed, saved by our God -- the past wiped out, a new beginning given, a new life made possible -- if we will, dear friends, if we
