There's Always Somebody to Help
Commentary
Ruth 1:1-18
The First Lesson is drawn from a short story set in the period of Judges (1:1), underscoring the loyalty and fidelity that bind families together. The date of composition is uncertain. A date prior to the Babylonian Captivity in the 6th century BC indicates its purpose may be to establish David’s ancestry. A post-exilic date might indicate the author’s efforts to counter the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah which considered intermarriage wrong. This lesson in the story of the Moabitie Ruth’s marriage to the Judean Chilian (which means “sickness”) and the loss of the entire family to death, save Ruth’s sister-in-law Orpah, and mother-in-law Naomi (vv.1-5). Naomi’s name means “pleasant” and Ruth’s name derives from the Hebrew term rea, which means “friend” or “companion.” Naomi resolves to return to her Jewish home. Both daughters-in-law leave with her, but with her urging Orpah (whose name means “Back-of-the-neck”) returns home (vv.6-14a). Ruth remains, resolving loyalty to Naomi and her God (vv.14b-16).
Loyalty in America is on the decline. According to research for a book (Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society), friendships in contemporary America tend only to last for a 10-year average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker currently holds ten different jobs before age forty. And the American Psychiatric Association reports that 40% to 50% of marriages are ending in divorce. The story of Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi is a precious antidote to these trends. But crucial to the preacher is to note that this loyalty of Ruth’s is tied up with a commitment on Ruth’s part to commit to the Hebrew God of Naomi. It is God who gives us the courage and the love to stick together through thick and thin (as works follow from faith)? Another issue worth considering is that Ruth’s loyalty was to someone not of her own tribe. The church is a community like that at its best, one created by God to be truly multicultural, making all the members of the body one family, even if not ethnically related (Acts 2:5ff.; Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12ff.). In Christ, we are all made one – forever.
Hebrews 9:11-14
The Second Lesson is drawn from an anonymous treatise, which, given its argument for the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice to those of Levitical priests, was likely written prior to the destruction of The Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. Remarks in 2:3-4 suggest it was written by a member of a generation of Christians after the apostles. Modern scholars are inclined to regard the book as a sermon, perhaps modified after it was delivered to include travel plans, greetings, and a closing (13:20-25). The Christians addressed are thought to have been in danger of falling away from their confession (3:1; 4:14; 10:23). They had endured persecution (10:32-36).
This lesson is a further exposition of Christ as high priest [archiereus], particularly the characteristic of his sacrifice. Christ is identified as a high priest of the good things that have come (or will come) (v.110. He is said to enter the holy place thought to be the perfect tent, but not with goats and calves, but with his own blood to obtain eternal redemption [lutrosis, literally loosing] (vv.11-12). If the blood of goats and bulls sanctify the defiled (see Leviticus 16:5-15), the blood of Christ through the Spirit offering himself with no blemish to God can purify our conscience from “dead works” [nekron ergon, perhaps a reference to sins] in order to worship God (vv.13-14).
A 2008 Pew Forum poll revealed that 65% of the American public believe that many religions (not just through the sacrifice of Christ) can save. It is unlikely that much has changed in these attitudes in the intervening years. This lesson is a good antidote to these trends. Indeed, its message about Christ’s sacrifice for our sins plays a significant role in everyday life, and a sermon on the text should aim to develop this insight. We can be reminded in sermons on this lesson that we need Christ to equip us to be there for others. A sermon on this text provides an excellent opportunity to teach the atonement, especially understood as a sacrifice (the so-called satisfaction or penal substitution theory). But a crucial point is the biblical writer’s claim that Christ’s blood purifies us from “dead works” (v.14). It is possible that this phrase just refers to sins, that Christ purifies our despair about the sins we have done, an insight which certainly equips us to do works now that we know we are forgiven. But insofar as we embrace the Reformation insight that we sin in all we do, that all our works are sin, then in that Reformation spirit we can understand Christ’s sacrifice as freeing us from all works of the law so that we plunge into life on behalf of others, not so worried about what is in it for us since salvation is already a sure thing (Luther’s Works, Vol.31, p.356).
Mark 12:28-34
The gospel lesson is taken from the oldest of the Synoptic Gospels. It is perhaps based on oral traditions of the passion narratives and accounts of Jesus’ teachings (the so-called Q-source). The book was probably written prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Some speculate that the original audience was the church in Rome (especially Gentiles), as it presumes readers who are unfamiliar with Jewish customs and Palestinian geography (see 7:2-4,31), but it could have been written for Palestinian Christians.
The text reports on Jesus’ teaching of the great commandment, an account that appears in the other Synoptic Gospels. The scene is Jerusalem after his entrance on Palm Sunday. Following his dispute with Sadducees over whether there is a resurrection (vv.18-27), a scribe (presumably a rabbi or Pharisee who found Jesus’ advocacy of the resurrection accurate) asks him which commandment is first (v.28), a question commonly asked at that time in rabbinic circles. After confessing the unity of God, he teaches that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart...” (v.30). He proceeds to identify the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself (v.31). The idea is not unique to Jesus but does reflect some themes in the Hebrew Bible and is echoed by some second-century Jewish rabbis (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18). The scribe responds positively, claiming in a manner consistent with some elements in the Hebrew Bible that loving God and neighbor are more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices (Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8). Jesus praises him as “not far from the kingdom.” No one else dares pose further questions (vv.32-24). Only in Mark’s version is the scribe praised. Failure to pose further questions may be a sign of the kingdom of God and the end perceived as coming near (see 1:22).
A 2018 Gallup poll indicated that 49% of Americans believe that the state of moral values in the U.S. is poor. We need a word like Jesus delivers in this lesson concerning love for the neighbor, for we need lessons on actually doing it (along with the great commandment about loving God). To be sure, it would be a violation of all the traditions of this Reformation Day if a sermon on this text was nothing more than a homily on what we must do to obey Jesus’ Command. Of course, there are plenty of Pauline texts to make clear that our works are the result of God’s grace, not really something we do (Ephesians 2:10). But new research on the brain indicates that one of the side-effects of spiritual experience, the secretion of the brain chemical oxytocin (see Allison Jones, “Oxytocin Enhances Spirituality, New Study Says” [2016]) also makes us more social and solidifies relationships (Maureen Salamon, in (Live Science, May 30. 2013). You need both, loving God and loving the neighbor, but God’s love for us comes first (even before our love of him)!
All three of the lessons have something to say about our responsibility to others (even the Second Lesson if developed in the manner suggested above). But in the spirit of the Reformation celebrated on October 31, sermons on this theme will make clear that we are not well equipped to help others much if we are not always receiving the gift of grace and God’s forgiving love in Christ (Luther’s Works, Vol.26, p.106).
The First Lesson is drawn from a short story set in the period of Judges (1:1), underscoring the loyalty and fidelity that bind families together. The date of composition is uncertain. A date prior to the Babylonian Captivity in the 6th century BC indicates its purpose may be to establish David’s ancestry. A post-exilic date might indicate the author’s efforts to counter the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah which considered intermarriage wrong. This lesson in the story of the Moabitie Ruth’s marriage to the Judean Chilian (which means “sickness”) and the loss of the entire family to death, save Ruth’s sister-in-law Orpah, and mother-in-law Naomi (vv.1-5). Naomi’s name means “pleasant” and Ruth’s name derives from the Hebrew term rea, which means “friend” or “companion.” Naomi resolves to return to her Jewish home. Both daughters-in-law leave with her, but with her urging Orpah (whose name means “Back-of-the-neck”) returns home (vv.6-14a). Ruth remains, resolving loyalty to Naomi and her God (vv.14b-16).
Loyalty in America is on the decline. According to research for a book (Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society), friendships in contemporary America tend only to last for a 10-year average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker currently holds ten different jobs before age forty. And the American Psychiatric Association reports that 40% to 50% of marriages are ending in divorce. The story of Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi is a precious antidote to these trends. But crucial to the preacher is to note that this loyalty of Ruth’s is tied up with a commitment on Ruth’s part to commit to the Hebrew God of Naomi. It is God who gives us the courage and the love to stick together through thick and thin (as works follow from faith)? Another issue worth considering is that Ruth’s loyalty was to someone not of her own tribe. The church is a community like that at its best, one created by God to be truly multicultural, making all the members of the body one family, even if not ethnically related (Acts 2:5ff.; Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12ff.). In Christ, we are all made one – forever.
Hebrews 9:11-14
The Second Lesson is drawn from an anonymous treatise, which, given its argument for the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice to those of Levitical priests, was likely written prior to the destruction of The Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. Remarks in 2:3-4 suggest it was written by a member of a generation of Christians after the apostles. Modern scholars are inclined to regard the book as a sermon, perhaps modified after it was delivered to include travel plans, greetings, and a closing (13:20-25). The Christians addressed are thought to have been in danger of falling away from their confession (3:1; 4:14; 10:23). They had endured persecution (10:32-36).
This lesson is a further exposition of Christ as high priest [archiereus], particularly the characteristic of his sacrifice. Christ is identified as a high priest of the good things that have come (or will come) (v.110. He is said to enter the holy place thought to be the perfect tent, but not with goats and calves, but with his own blood to obtain eternal redemption [lutrosis, literally loosing] (vv.11-12). If the blood of goats and bulls sanctify the defiled (see Leviticus 16:5-15), the blood of Christ through the Spirit offering himself with no blemish to God can purify our conscience from “dead works” [nekron ergon, perhaps a reference to sins] in order to worship God (vv.13-14).
A 2008 Pew Forum poll revealed that 65% of the American public believe that many religions (not just through the sacrifice of Christ) can save. It is unlikely that much has changed in these attitudes in the intervening years. This lesson is a good antidote to these trends. Indeed, its message about Christ’s sacrifice for our sins plays a significant role in everyday life, and a sermon on the text should aim to develop this insight. We can be reminded in sermons on this lesson that we need Christ to equip us to be there for others. A sermon on this text provides an excellent opportunity to teach the atonement, especially understood as a sacrifice (the so-called satisfaction or penal substitution theory). But a crucial point is the biblical writer’s claim that Christ’s blood purifies us from “dead works” (v.14). It is possible that this phrase just refers to sins, that Christ purifies our despair about the sins we have done, an insight which certainly equips us to do works now that we know we are forgiven. But insofar as we embrace the Reformation insight that we sin in all we do, that all our works are sin, then in that Reformation spirit we can understand Christ’s sacrifice as freeing us from all works of the law so that we plunge into life on behalf of others, not so worried about what is in it for us since salvation is already a sure thing (Luther’s Works, Vol.31, p.356).
Mark 12:28-34
The gospel lesson is taken from the oldest of the Synoptic Gospels. It is perhaps based on oral traditions of the passion narratives and accounts of Jesus’ teachings (the so-called Q-source). The book was probably written prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Some speculate that the original audience was the church in Rome (especially Gentiles), as it presumes readers who are unfamiliar with Jewish customs and Palestinian geography (see 7:2-4,31), but it could have been written for Palestinian Christians.
The text reports on Jesus’ teaching of the great commandment, an account that appears in the other Synoptic Gospels. The scene is Jerusalem after his entrance on Palm Sunday. Following his dispute with Sadducees over whether there is a resurrection (vv.18-27), a scribe (presumably a rabbi or Pharisee who found Jesus’ advocacy of the resurrection accurate) asks him which commandment is first (v.28), a question commonly asked at that time in rabbinic circles. After confessing the unity of God, he teaches that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart...” (v.30). He proceeds to identify the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself (v.31). The idea is not unique to Jesus but does reflect some themes in the Hebrew Bible and is echoed by some second-century Jewish rabbis (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18). The scribe responds positively, claiming in a manner consistent with some elements in the Hebrew Bible that loving God and neighbor are more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices (Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8). Jesus praises him as “not far from the kingdom.” No one else dares pose further questions (vv.32-24). Only in Mark’s version is the scribe praised. Failure to pose further questions may be a sign of the kingdom of God and the end perceived as coming near (see 1:22).
A 2018 Gallup poll indicated that 49% of Americans believe that the state of moral values in the U.S. is poor. We need a word like Jesus delivers in this lesson concerning love for the neighbor, for we need lessons on actually doing it (along with the great commandment about loving God). To be sure, it would be a violation of all the traditions of this Reformation Day if a sermon on this text was nothing more than a homily on what we must do to obey Jesus’ Command. Of course, there are plenty of Pauline texts to make clear that our works are the result of God’s grace, not really something we do (Ephesians 2:10). But new research on the brain indicates that one of the side-effects of spiritual experience, the secretion of the brain chemical oxytocin (see Allison Jones, “Oxytocin Enhances Spirituality, New Study Says” [2016]) also makes us more social and solidifies relationships (Maureen Salamon, in (Live Science, May 30. 2013). You need both, loving God and loving the neighbor, but God’s love for us comes first (even before our love of him)!
All three of the lessons have something to say about our responsibility to others (even the Second Lesson if developed in the manner suggested above). But in the spirit of the Reformation celebrated on October 31, sermons on this theme will make clear that we are not well equipped to help others much if we are not always receiving the gift of grace and God’s forgiving love in Christ (Luther’s Works, Vol.26, p.106).
