Sometimes God Defies the World’s Expectations
Commentary
Serving God his way, noting how God sometimes defies the world’s expectations.
Judges 4:1–7
The First Lesson is drawn from a compilation of ancient stories of tribal experiences under local leaders in the period from the death of Joshua to the establishment of the monarchy in Israel. The stories in the book were collected for didactic purposes perhaps by the mid-8th century BC. One hundred years later, they were edited by the progenitors of the pentateuch’s D strand – edits of the patriarchal tales in light of the religious revival taking place under the reign of King Josiah. This text is part of the story of Deborah.
The lesson begins by noting that after the previous Judge Ehud’s death, the Israelites sinned again in Yahweh’s sight (v.1). They were sold to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Jaxor, a city of Galilee. The Israelites cry out for help. Reference to the iron charts of Israel’s enemies reminds us that ironworking knowledge was just being brought to Canaan in the period of the judges of the 12th and 11th centuries BC (vv.2-3). Deborah is noted as a prophetess, wife of Lapidoth. She becomes a judge and many Israelites submitted to her (vv.4-5). She summons Barak, son of Abinoam, to take possession of Mount Tabor. She prophesies the conquest of Jabin’s army (vv.6-7) and eventually the king was subdued (vv.23-24).
This text affords an opportunity to focus on God’s use of women and others outside the structures of power in order to achieve justice. This is certainly an appropriate theme in this year of celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in America. True enough, women have made tremendous strides in exercising political leadership (witness Kamala Harris and the growing number of women in Congress). But we still have yet to have a female president, and the glass ceiling remains. Only 29% of senior management in American corporations is female. Only 33 Fortune 500 Companies are led by female CEOs. (See my Illustrations on this lesson for more statistics.) None of these problems got much attention in this year’s presidential campaigns. God’s use of women in the biblical accounts to do great things, the leadership he confers on some women today, goes against the grain of the patriarchal ways of life and challenges our present political and economic climate. But then God always has worked ”outside the box” humans try to put him in, as the story of Deborah makes clear.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
The Second Lesson is likely an authentic letter by Paul written to a church of mostly Gentiles in a Greek city threatened by social pressures and some persecution to return to the values of secular Roman culture. The book may contain fragments of several letters. In this text, Paul addresses further questions about the coming of the Lord. He first notes that concerning the times and seasons an eschatological timetable is not necessary (v.1). For the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (v.2). Paul uses the common image of a pregnant woman to illustrate the suddenness of Jesus’ return (v.3; cf. Isaiah 13:8; Jeremiah 6:24). The faithful are not in darkness [skotos, which also means “gloom”] about this matter. They are children of light (vv.4-5; cf. Luke 16:8). Paul proceeds to urge that we keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep do so at night.
Likewise, a concern with drunkenness is noted (vv.6-7). Paul issues a call to sobriety which is likely an exhortation to moral alertness. In doing this, the faithful are urged to put on the breastplate of faith, love and the hope of salvation [soteria] as a helmet (v.8). This reference to armor suggests that the Christian life must be a struggle. Paul then adds that God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through Christ who dies for us, so that whether awake or asleep, we may live with Him (vv.9-10). Paul urges mutual encouragement in closing (v.11).
The election has been decided. For some it is a time of celebration. For others, it has been a bad decision for our nation. This lesson reminds us that the election has neither brought in the kingdom (will not make our nation perfect), nor is it the end of the world. God still has surprises for us up ahead. It is up to us to remain morally alert and not go to sleep in the routine of everyday life. This is an opportunity to preach on how openness to the future, seeking new things and surprises in life, can make it better and more joyful. After all, God is to be found in mystery. Another angle on the sermon might be to stress how Paul warns us against all idle speculation about the time of Christ’s Second Coming. We may need this word in America today as a recent survey by the Pew Research Center revealed that 41% said they expect Jesus' Second Coming in the next forty years. Be ready but remember that God often defies our expectations.
Matthew 25:14-30
The Gospel is again drawn from a book likely written in the last third of the first century in Antioch. Its Greek style suggests that it could not have been written by the disciple whose name the text bears. This lesson reports Jesus’ teaching of the parable of the talents, a teaching that only also appears in a similar account in Luke (19:12-17). The account begins with Jesus telling about a man going on a journey who gave five talents (a talent [talanton] was worth more than fifteen years’ wages of a laborer) to one of a his slaves/servant [doulos], two to another, and one to the third, each according to his ability (vv.141-5). (The image of a journey may suggest a foreshadowing of Jesus’ pending absence from the disciples.) The one who received five talents went and traded with them, making five more talents. The one with two talents did the same, earning two more (vv.16-17). But the slave with one talent dug a hole, hiding the master’s money (v.18). After a long time, the master returns and settles accounts with them (v.19). (This may be a reference to the delay in Christ’s Second Coming.) Those who had raised more talents reported the result and were praised (vv.20-23). But the one who buried the talent comes forth to report, noting how harsh the master was (vv.24-25). The master calls this slave wicked and lazy, for he is accustomed to reap where he did not sow. At least this slave should have invested the master’s money with a banker, the master states (vv.26-27). He then takes the slave’s one talent and gives it to the slave with ten. The master claims that to all who have, more will be given, but from those with nothing even what little they have will be taken away (vv.28-29). The slave who had just one talent is said to be worthless and is thrown into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (v.30).
New Testament scholar Eduard Schweizer is right in contending that this is not a parable about God giving unique talents to everybody. Rather this is a text aimed at those who are devoted to their own righteousness, to making sure they are “good Christians,” rather than considering what God wants us to do with the righteousness he’s given us. It seems that in this period when the Lord is absent from us, He wants us to be devoted to God and other people, taking active (risky) steps to help others (The Good News According To Matthew, p.472). American Christianity is fairly good at trying to be righteous and acting holy. It is reported in the Journal of the Scientific Study of Religion that at least as recently as 2012 there were 414,000 Christian congregations in our nation. Granted, some decline in these numbers might be transpiring in the pandemic. But given the fact that it is estimated that there were 6.5 million families in poverty in America in 2019, every family could be covered if each church committed to helping an average of eleven such families a year! Big congregations could surely do better than eleven to make up for how many families the 100-member congregations could sponsor. Suppose all of American Christianity used all of its talents (its buildings to house, its social events to feed, the extra clothing of its members to clothe, and business owners created jobs). It defies logic but consider the challenge to the congregation in which you preach, urging the flock to take the risk of devoting what the congregations owns to others. John Calvin once said that all that the church owns is for the support of those in need (Institutes [Westminster Press ed.]. p.1076). Make it clear, though, that anything we do with our talents, they belong to God and we only use them correctly because we have been prompted by him.
All of the texts, in their own way, remind us how God challenges the world’s expectations, and so launches the faithful into ways of life that defy what the world expects.
Judges 4:1–7
The First Lesson is drawn from a compilation of ancient stories of tribal experiences under local leaders in the period from the death of Joshua to the establishment of the monarchy in Israel. The stories in the book were collected for didactic purposes perhaps by the mid-8th century BC. One hundred years later, they were edited by the progenitors of the pentateuch’s D strand – edits of the patriarchal tales in light of the religious revival taking place under the reign of King Josiah. This text is part of the story of Deborah.
The lesson begins by noting that after the previous Judge Ehud’s death, the Israelites sinned again in Yahweh’s sight (v.1). They were sold to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Jaxor, a city of Galilee. The Israelites cry out for help. Reference to the iron charts of Israel’s enemies reminds us that ironworking knowledge was just being brought to Canaan in the period of the judges of the 12th and 11th centuries BC (vv.2-3). Deborah is noted as a prophetess, wife of Lapidoth. She becomes a judge and many Israelites submitted to her (vv.4-5). She summons Barak, son of Abinoam, to take possession of Mount Tabor. She prophesies the conquest of Jabin’s army (vv.6-7) and eventually the king was subdued (vv.23-24).
This text affords an opportunity to focus on God’s use of women and others outside the structures of power in order to achieve justice. This is certainly an appropriate theme in this year of celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in America. True enough, women have made tremendous strides in exercising political leadership (witness Kamala Harris and the growing number of women in Congress). But we still have yet to have a female president, and the glass ceiling remains. Only 29% of senior management in American corporations is female. Only 33 Fortune 500 Companies are led by female CEOs. (See my Illustrations on this lesson for more statistics.) None of these problems got much attention in this year’s presidential campaigns. God’s use of women in the biblical accounts to do great things, the leadership he confers on some women today, goes against the grain of the patriarchal ways of life and challenges our present political and economic climate. But then God always has worked ”outside the box” humans try to put him in, as the story of Deborah makes clear.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
The Second Lesson is likely an authentic letter by Paul written to a church of mostly Gentiles in a Greek city threatened by social pressures and some persecution to return to the values of secular Roman culture. The book may contain fragments of several letters. In this text, Paul addresses further questions about the coming of the Lord. He first notes that concerning the times and seasons an eschatological timetable is not necessary (v.1). For the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (v.2). Paul uses the common image of a pregnant woman to illustrate the suddenness of Jesus’ return (v.3; cf. Isaiah 13:8; Jeremiah 6:24). The faithful are not in darkness [skotos, which also means “gloom”] about this matter. They are children of light (vv.4-5; cf. Luke 16:8). Paul proceeds to urge that we keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep do so at night.
Likewise, a concern with drunkenness is noted (vv.6-7). Paul issues a call to sobriety which is likely an exhortation to moral alertness. In doing this, the faithful are urged to put on the breastplate of faith, love and the hope of salvation [soteria] as a helmet (v.8). This reference to armor suggests that the Christian life must be a struggle. Paul then adds that God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through Christ who dies for us, so that whether awake or asleep, we may live with Him (vv.9-10). Paul urges mutual encouragement in closing (v.11).
The election has been decided. For some it is a time of celebration. For others, it has been a bad decision for our nation. This lesson reminds us that the election has neither brought in the kingdom (will not make our nation perfect), nor is it the end of the world. God still has surprises for us up ahead. It is up to us to remain morally alert and not go to sleep in the routine of everyday life. This is an opportunity to preach on how openness to the future, seeking new things and surprises in life, can make it better and more joyful. After all, God is to be found in mystery. Another angle on the sermon might be to stress how Paul warns us against all idle speculation about the time of Christ’s Second Coming. We may need this word in America today as a recent survey by the Pew Research Center revealed that 41% said they expect Jesus' Second Coming in the next forty years. Be ready but remember that God often defies our expectations.
Matthew 25:14-30
The Gospel is again drawn from a book likely written in the last third of the first century in Antioch. Its Greek style suggests that it could not have been written by the disciple whose name the text bears. This lesson reports Jesus’ teaching of the parable of the talents, a teaching that only also appears in a similar account in Luke (19:12-17). The account begins with Jesus telling about a man going on a journey who gave five talents (a talent [talanton] was worth more than fifteen years’ wages of a laborer) to one of a his slaves/servant [doulos], two to another, and one to the third, each according to his ability (vv.141-5). (The image of a journey may suggest a foreshadowing of Jesus’ pending absence from the disciples.) The one who received five talents went and traded with them, making five more talents. The one with two talents did the same, earning two more (vv.16-17). But the slave with one talent dug a hole, hiding the master’s money (v.18). After a long time, the master returns and settles accounts with them (v.19). (This may be a reference to the delay in Christ’s Second Coming.) Those who had raised more talents reported the result and were praised (vv.20-23). But the one who buried the talent comes forth to report, noting how harsh the master was (vv.24-25). The master calls this slave wicked and lazy, for he is accustomed to reap where he did not sow. At least this slave should have invested the master’s money with a banker, the master states (vv.26-27). He then takes the slave’s one talent and gives it to the slave with ten. The master claims that to all who have, more will be given, but from those with nothing even what little they have will be taken away (vv.28-29). The slave who had just one talent is said to be worthless and is thrown into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (v.30).
New Testament scholar Eduard Schweizer is right in contending that this is not a parable about God giving unique talents to everybody. Rather this is a text aimed at those who are devoted to their own righteousness, to making sure they are “good Christians,” rather than considering what God wants us to do with the righteousness he’s given us. It seems that in this period when the Lord is absent from us, He wants us to be devoted to God and other people, taking active (risky) steps to help others (The Good News According To Matthew, p.472). American Christianity is fairly good at trying to be righteous and acting holy. It is reported in the Journal of the Scientific Study of Religion that at least as recently as 2012 there were 414,000 Christian congregations in our nation. Granted, some decline in these numbers might be transpiring in the pandemic. But given the fact that it is estimated that there were 6.5 million families in poverty in America in 2019, every family could be covered if each church committed to helping an average of eleven such families a year! Big congregations could surely do better than eleven to make up for how many families the 100-member congregations could sponsor. Suppose all of American Christianity used all of its talents (its buildings to house, its social events to feed, the extra clothing of its members to clothe, and business owners created jobs). It defies logic but consider the challenge to the congregation in which you preach, urging the flock to take the risk of devoting what the congregations owns to others. John Calvin once said that all that the church owns is for the support of those in need (Institutes [Westminster Press ed.]. p.1076). Make it clear, though, that anything we do with our talents, they belong to God and we only use them correctly because we have been prompted by him.
All of the texts, in their own way, remind us how God challenges the world’s expectations, and so launches the faithful into ways of life that defy what the world expects.
