A timely word
Commentary
Object:
Charles Dickens begins his classic work A Tale of Two Cities with "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…" In the small-town church where I was raised, the local pastor had a difficult time discerning what to preach about throughout the month of October. Summer had passed, and the only holiday on the horizon was Halloween. He did not want to encourage a "ghosts and goblins" sort of religion. Yet the month of October is what Charles Dickens describes as the "best of times and the worst of times." The leaves change color in the forests. The weather in the eastern portion of the USA is typically not too cold or too warm. However, the end of October has had economic disasters as far back as 1929. October 8 of 2008 created an economic crisis, which some debate whether it is over or has become the "new normal." The preacher this Sunday has a choice of three multiple texts from which one can preach a timely word for a variety of situations the faith or worship community might be facing at the given year. To use the Dickens metaphor, one's life can be in the safety of jolly old England, or they could be in such dire straits that they see the shadows of the French guillotine falling onto its next victim lurking on the torch-lit walls in the community. A timely word is needed!
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Israel was the sort of people who could watch all of the Scared Straight television shows the networks could produce and still think "It will never happen to me." In the year 587 BCE, the crisis of invasion, destruction, and exile did indeed occur. They lost their king, temple, and capital city of Jerusalem. The entire book of Lamentations catalogs all of the violence, carnage, rape, and destruction that occurred to this people. Where is God? What is God up to? Are there not nations who are more evil than Israel, that deserve far more judgment than this relatively medium-sized empire experienced? Specifically, Jeremiah 31:28 answers such questions: "And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord."
God is coming back to the place of imprisonment to claim back his exiled and beaten-down people. It is time to rebuild the people and the nation. God loves the people despite their arrogant disregard for the prophets and warnings he sent in earlier times. There is a new covenant that will be written on the people's hearts: "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah" (31:31). This new covenant resembles the old one, but has the effects of the Torah of the Hebrew Bible. It is not a mere modification of the Torah, but a covenant in which God initiates the relationship despite the people's rejection of God.
Part of exile was not only the landlessness, but also the inability to claim the power of one's God since the last major defeat in 587 BCE. The new covenant is an internalized agreement that is portable to any given land, location, or time eras during change. Knowing God's will on one's heart, the ability to receive forgiveness as well as offer forgiveness assures intimacy with the God of the sacred writings or scriptures, as well as the community of faith who honors such words. God no longer needs to be distant or far away, despite any bad choices people have made.
In times when cable television has a series on titled Orange Is the New Black, Jeremiah reminds all people that God welcomes back into his home those who ended up wearing the orange jumpsuit for their times. This God forgives such people, embraces them, and has an eternal inheritance for them as heirs to God's kingdom. Regardless of the good or bad investments people have made in their lives, the God in Jeremiah 31:33 will continue to assure people: "I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." [Source: Louis Stulman, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Jeremiah. (Abingdon Press, 2005)]
2 Timothy 3:14--4:5
One of the hymns in our church's worship book is titled "God's Word Is Our Great Heritage." Soon, some communities will be looking at the time changes of "fall back one hour." Then in the season after winter, it will be "spring ahead one hour." A hotel clerk in an Indiana community who resists such changes once told me, "We do not play with our clocks here." The words in the Bible are intended to be living words that impact the lives of both preachers and those who are saints in the pews regardless of the times and time zones.
Name the change, and Paul assures us that somewhere in the sacred scriptures there is good news or a living word for the people of faith. The pastoral epistles are part of these living words. Second Timothy, like the other pastoral epistles, has had contested authorship regarding whether this is Paul the apostle himself or a pseudonymous author [I once heard him (or her!)] called "Deutero-Paul." In my own mind, I settle this by thinking many of the letters were probably edited or co-authored by Timothy, Silas (Silvanus), and Paul himself [Source: Demetrius Williams, "Silas," New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, Volume 5 (Abingdon Press, 2009), p. 255]. I do not go to war over this issue, but call the author "Paul."
The author is addressing false teaching, desertion from the faith. False teachings have infiltrated the church. Persecution has worsened for the Christians (3:2-9), however Paul's example should provide encouragement to remain steadfast and persevere. Meanwhile, the writings (the Greek word is graphe, meaning simply writings, from which we get the word "graphics") are inspired for "teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). The sacred writings are available for people of all times to hear a word from God as was recorded by the community of faith at a given time. Before one gets into a biblical authority war over this text, be mindful that the New Testament as we have it today did not come into completion until around 400 CE [Tim Dowley, Editor, Eerdmans Handbook to the History of Christianity (Eerdmans, 1977), p. 95]. The Hebrew Bible or Old Testament was the "sacred writings" of the Christian communities then. Jewish rabbis and teachers were also interpreting these writings in a variety of ways.
The processes of doctrines or orthodoxy are in formation at the writing of 2 Timothy. Every denomination and fellowship has its views on biblical authority. I would suggest we each have a "canon within a canon" in which we prioritize certain biblical passages. Martin Luther liked Romans 1:17 ("The just shall live by faith alone"). In times of constant change, Paul reminds churches to remain faithful and consistent to what they teach children and adults. This is a good way to connect Christian education with preaching.
I have even used this sort of text to underscore the biblical sources of a church's catechism or doctrinal teachings. I have indeed acknowledged that good, faithful Christians who do love Jesus have differing doctrines and views of how they interpret certain Bible passages. However, I wish to point all people toward what it means to be a faithful Christian in these times we live in. One can draw on the stories of the "Confessing Church" during World War II. One can explore how the Wesley brothers dealt with the social justice issues of their times in Europe. Since this week is close to Reformation Sunday, it would be a good time for a sermon on the respective church or fellowship's roots from Europe or other places of origin in the world. For instance, the Coptic Church has roots with Mark the Evangelist in Northern Africa. The Bible still speaks to us.
Another example is a young man who has to go to a job he hates very much every night after school. His family needs him to deliver pizza to help with the bills. He dreads the job. He is afraid of the customers he delivers to in the dangerous city where he lives. So he goes back into the Bible index of verses and finds Isaiah 41:10: "Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." He carries these words with him on all of his home deliveries, as if God were speaking directly to him! Now, does it matter whether the real Isaiah or Deutro-Isaiah wrote those words? No! Does it matter whether Isaiah had a fearful, unhappy pizza delivery man in mind when he wrote those words? No! They have become a living word of the gospel for this man. [Source: Arland J. Hultgren and Roger Aus, Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament: I-II Timothy; II Thessalonians, (Augsburg Fortress, 1984)]
Luke 18:1-8
This text of a persistent widow seeking justice from an uncaring judge is unique to Luke's gospel. Luke is an advocate of the poor and downtrodden of his times by giving voice to their challenges and concerns. He uses two stock characters that we will never read about again in this gospel narrative. This woman's social status is part of the lowly triad of that time of widows, foreigners, and children. She has no powerful legal team or Nancy Grace-type media advocates on cable news programs to defend her. The judge is more like one of those prima donna justices one sees in old American western movies who oversees "US Territories" that do not live by state constitutional rules. This man is the Judge Judy of his day, and knows he has a bully pulpit.
The text is framed within a discussion about prayer. "Persistent prayer pays off," might be one theme to pursue. But it bothers many Christians that God would require such persistence. Does not God hear his people and respond to them in a loving way? Modern commentators tend to place this parable into the category of a "caricature" about the justice system of the day. While people love to see the "David and Goliath" battles go on, this text is a sober reality check that rarely does Goliath lose, as with the case of this judge and one who wronged the widow. So is God like the unresponsive judge? Is this the basic theodicy question reframed into the widow being victim to both the perpetrator and the uncaring judge? One way to handle this text is to bring Luke and Acts together.
In Acts 6:1-7, we see a community of faith that is addressing the needs of widows and vulnerable people in a loving, responsible manner. God's care has come through for these people even after Jesus has ascended into heaven! The church knows what to do as we observe those who are vulnerable to the (increasingly growing) cracks in the safety net of the system. So one direction of a sermon could be to identify how when the legal system fails some people, where the people of faith are supposed to stand.
Another direction might be to juxtapose the actions of this judge with those of a just God whom we see in Jeremiah, Isaiah, and the one who will ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in Luke 19:28-39. A sermon title might be "God is not…." In this manner one can highlight how they see the kingdom coming together in response to the aloof people in authority who make arbitrary decisions about people's future: freedom, jobs, home loans, adoption of children, or acceptance into an education institution. [Source: Richard B. Vinson, Smyth & Hewlys Bible Commentary: Luke (Smyth and Hewlys, 2008)]
Application
On this day, I will follow the Charles Dickens line and identify those in my congregation who are living in both "the best of times" and "the worst of times." To those whose health is declining whom I visit in the nursing home, I remind them and their families that God's word is written in their hearts (Jeremiah). Our congregation has done its best to teach people of all ages how we see this word reflected in ethical living (Ten Commandments) and giving back to the community (books of Luke-Acts). By listening to people whether we can help them or not, we give voice to their suffering so they know they have been heard. My three-point sermon on the Luke 18:1-8 texts might sound like: 1) The Jerk Judge, 2) The Just Judge, 3) Jesus as Final Judge.
An Alternative Application
God's grace can apply to all three texts. Jeremiah reminds people of faith that even when they mess up God's grace endures, though at times the people still may have to suffer the consequences for their bad choices. Second Timothy reminds us that God still speaks through the scriptures, regardless of our views on biblical authority. A certain woman this pastor knows and admires has told him that she no longer really believes in organized religion (and church) and will go off and worship God in her own way by being next to nature on Sunday mornings. But she still appreciates the words of the Psalmist, particularly Psalm 23. God's word still proclaims God's grace I believe. Finally, the woman in Luke 18 probably will not take comfort that possibly God is patient or graceful with the indifferent judge who ignores her pleas. Christ's second coming waits for the indifferent judges to repent. God's grace always seems unfair.
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Israel was the sort of people who could watch all of the Scared Straight television shows the networks could produce and still think "It will never happen to me." In the year 587 BCE, the crisis of invasion, destruction, and exile did indeed occur. They lost their king, temple, and capital city of Jerusalem. The entire book of Lamentations catalogs all of the violence, carnage, rape, and destruction that occurred to this people. Where is God? What is God up to? Are there not nations who are more evil than Israel, that deserve far more judgment than this relatively medium-sized empire experienced? Specifically, Jeremiah 31:28 answers such questions: "And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord."
God is coming back to the place of imprisonment to claim back his exiled and beaten-down people. It is time to rebuild the people and the nation. God loves the people despite their arrogant disregard for the prophets and warnings he sent in earlier times. There is a new covenant that will be written on the people's hearts: "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah" (31:31). This new covenant resembles the old one, but has the effects of the Torah of the Hebrew Bible. It is not a mere modification of the Torah, but a covenant in which God initiates the relationship despite the people's rejection of God.
Part of exile was not only the landlessness, but also the inability to claim the power of one's God since the last major defeat in 587 BCE. The new covenant is an internalized agreement that is portable to any given land, location, or time eras during change. Knowing God's will on one's heart, the ability to receive forgiveness as well as offer forgiveness assures intimacy with the God of the sacred writings or scriptures, as well as the community of faith who honors such words. God no longer needs to be distant or far away, despite any bad choices people have made.
In times when cable television has a series on titled Orange Is the New Black, Jeremiah reminds all people that God welcomes back into his home those who ended up wearing the orange jumpsuit for their times. This God forgives such people, embraces them, and has an eternal inheritance for them as heirs to God's kingdom. Regardless of the good or bad investments people have made in their lives, the God in Jeremiah 31:33 will continue to assure people: "I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." [Source: Louis Stulman, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: Jeremiah. (Abingdon Press, 2005)]
2 Timothy 3:14--4:5
One of the hymns in our church's worship book is titled "God's Word Is Our Great Heritage." Soon, some communities will be looking at the time changes of "fall back one hour." Then in the season after winter, it will be "spring ahead one hour." A hotel clerk in an Indiana community who resists such changes once told me, "We do not play with our clocks here." The words in the Bible are intended to be living words that impact the lives of both preachers and those who are saints in the pews regardless of the times and time zones.
Name the change, and Paul assures us that somewhere in the sacred scriptures there is good news or a living word for the people of faith. The pastoral epistles are part of these living words. Second Timothy, like the other pastoral epistles, has had contested authorship regarding whether this is Paul the apostle himself or a pseudonymous author [I once heard him (or her!)] called "Deutero-Paul." In my own mind, I settle this by thinking many of the letters were probably edited or co-authored by Timothy, Silas (Silvanus), and Paul himself [Source: Demetrius Williams, "Silas," New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, Volume 5 (Abingdon Press, 2009), p. 255]. I do not go to war over this issue, but call the author "Paul."
The author is addressing false teaching, desertion from the faith. False teachings have infiltrated the church. Persecution has worsened for the Christians (3:2-9), however Paul's example should provide encouragement to remain steadfast and persevere. Meanwhile, the writings (the Greek word is graphe, meaning simply writings, from which we get the word "graphics") are inspired for "teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). The sacred writings are available for people of all times to hear a word from God as was recorded by the community of faith at a given time. Before one gets into a biblical authority war over this text, be mindful that the New Testament as we have it today did not come into completion until around 400 CE [Tim Dowley, Editor, Eerdmans Handbook to the History of Christianity (Eerdmans, 1977), p. 95]. The Hebrew Bible or Old Testament was the "sacred writings" of the Christian communities then. Jewish rabbis and teachers were also interpreting these writings in a variety of ways.
The processes of doctrines or orthodoxy are in formation at the writing of 2 Timothy. Every denomination and fellowship has its views on biblical authority. I would suggest we each have a "canon within a canon" in which we prioritize certain biblical passages. Martin Luther liked Romans 1:17 ("The just shall live by faith alone"). In times of constant change, Paul reminds churches to remain faithful and consistent to what they teach children and adults. This is a good way to connect Christian education with preaching.
I have even used this sort of text to underscore the biblical sources of a church's catechism or doctrinal teachings. I have indeed acknowledged that good, faithful Christians who do love Jesus have differing doctrines and views of how they interpret certain Bible passages. However, I wish to point all people toward what it means to be a faithful Christian in these times we live in. One can draw on the stories of the "Confessing Church" during World War II. One can explore how the Wesley brothers dealt with the social justice issues of their times in Europe. Since this week is close to Reformation Sunday, it would be a good time for a sermon on the respective church or fellowship's roots from Europe or other places of origin in the world. For instance, the Coptic Church has roots with Mark the Evangelist in Northern Africa. The Bible still speaks to us.
Another example is a young man who has to go to a job he hates very much every night after school. His family needs him to deliver pizza to help with the bills. He dreads the job. He is afraid of the customers he delivers to in the dangerous city where he lives. So he goes back into the Bible index of verses and finds Isaiah 41:10: "Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." He carries these words with him on all of his home deliveries, as if God were speaking directly to him! Now, does it matter whether the real Isaiah or Deutro-Isaiah wrote those words? No! Does it matter whether Isaiah had a fearful, unhappy pizza delivery man in mind when he wrote those words? No! They have become a living word of the gospel for this man. [Source: Arland J. Hultgren and Roger Aus, Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament: I-II Timothy; II Thessalonians, (Augsburg Fortress, 1984)]
Luke 18:1-8
This text of a persistent widow seeking justice from an uncaring judge is unique to Luke's gospel. Luke is an advocate of the poor and downtrodden of his times by giving voice to their challenges and concerns. He uses two stock characters that we will never read about again in this gospel narrative. This woman's social status is part of the lowly triad of that time of widows, foreigners, and children. She has no powerful legal team or Nancy Grace-type media advocates on cable news programs to defend her. The judge is more like one of those prima donna justices one sees in old American western movies who oversees "US Territories" that do not live by state constitutional rules. This man is the Judge Judy of his day, and knows he has a bully pulpit.
The text is framed within a discussion about prayer. "Persistent prayer pays off," might be one theme to pursue. But it bothers many Christians that God would require such persistence. Does not God hear his people and respond to them in a loving way? Modern commentators tend to place this parable into the category of a "caricature" about the justice system of the day. While people love to see the "David and Goliath" battles go on, this text is a sober reality check that rarely does Goliath lose, as with the case of this judge and one who wronged the widow. So is God like the unresponsive judge? Is this the basic theodicy question reframed into the widow being victim to both the perpetrator and the uncaring judge? One way to handle this text is to bring Luke and Acts together.
In Acts 6:1-7, we see a community of faith that is addressing the needs of widows and vulnerable people in a loving, responsible manner. God's care has come through for these people even after Jesus has ascended into heaven! The church knows what to do as we observe those who are vulnerable to the (increasingly growing) cracks in the safety net of the system. So one direction of a sermon could be to identify how when the legal system fails some people, where the people of faith are supposed to stand.
Another direction might be to juxtapose the actions of this judge with those of a just God whom we see in Jeremiah, Isaiah, and the one who will ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in Luke 19:28-39. A sermon title might be "God is not…." In this manner one can highlight how they see the kingdom coming together in response to the aloof people in authority who make arbitrary decisions about people's future: freedom, jobs, home loans, adoption of children, or acceptance into an education institution. [Source: Richard B. Vinson, Smyth & Hewlys Bible Commentary: Luke (Smyth and Hewlys, 2008)]
Application
On this day, I will follow the Charles Dickens line and identify those in my congregation who are living in both "the best of times" and "the worst of times." To those whose health is declining whom I visit in the nursing home, I remind them and their families that God's word is written in their hearts (Jeremiah). Our congregation has done its best to teach people of all ages how we see this word reflected in ethical living (Ten Commandments) and giving back to the community (books of Luke-Acts). By listening to people whether we can help them or not, we give voice to their suffering so they know they have been heard. My three-point sermon on the Luke 18:1-8 texts might sound like: 1) The Jerk Judge, 2) The Just Judge, 3) Jesus as Final Judge.
An Alternative Application
God's grace can apply to all three texts. Jeremiah reminds people of faith that even when they mess up God's grace endures, though at times the people still may have to suffer the consequences for their bad choices. Second Timothy reminds us that God still speaks through the scriptures, regardless of our views on biblical authority. A certain woman this pastor knows and admires has told him that she no longer really believes in organized religion (and church) and will go off and worship God in her own way by being next to nature on Sunday mornings. But she still appreciates the words of the Psalmist, particularly Psalm 23. God's word still proclaims God's grace I believe. Finally, the woman in Luke 18 probably will not take comfort that possibly God is patient or graceful with the indifferent judge who ignores her pleas. Christ's second coming waits for the indifferent judges to repent. God's grace always seems unfair.
