Sermon Illustrations for Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 (2021)
Illustration
Job 1:1, 2:1-10
It’s interesting that Job 1:1 does not begin with, “And it came to pass…” (v’ya’he) as would be the case if this were a book of history, but with, “There was a man….” (esh hayah).
In Rabbi Victor E. Reichert’s 1946 Job commentary that is part of the Soncino Books of the Bible series, he reminds us that the Talmud (B.B. 15a) states: “Job never was and never existed but is only a typical figure….” The respected teacher Maimonides said that Job is “a parable meant to exhibit the views of mankind in regard to providence.”
Regardless of whether you believe The Book of Job is based on historical events, it is told in story form because stories draw us in to become part of the action, like a television drama.
This book grapples with the serious mystery we all confront in life: Bad things happen to good people. Job doesn’t deserve what happens to him. That is made clear throughout this book.
Now, spoiler alert, Job will never learn what happened to him. God will never put an arm around his shoulder and say, “Funny thing, Job, you’re not going to believe this, and I hope you find it heartening, but the other day I was in the heavenly court, and in walks the adversary, and I was bragging about you, see, and he says --- “. That’s not going to happen. There are no band aids here. No easy fix. And this suggests we should avoid pat answers (“She’s in a better place.” “Someday we’ll understand all this.”)
As I write this, we’re almost a year into the pandemic. Hopefully by the time you read this we’re past it, but you and individuals in your congregation are still coming to grips with the fact that we didn’t necessarily lose the stinkers to Covid-19. We lost good people, front line workers in hospitals, beloved parents and grandparents, and children. For some of us, even when it’s over, the pandemic is never going to be over.
I’d like to also add, as you think your way through this passage, that Job’s wife gets a bad rap. She does not say “Curse God and die,” as some translations suggest. Now perhaps the writer didn’t like putting the word “curse” and “God” in the same sentence, but the word he used is brk, or “bless.” Literally, she is giving him permission to die in a difficult circumstance. He is persisting in the integrity which God boasted about. Part of faithful living is faithful dying. In a book I co-authored we wrote: “Job’s wife found herself watching someone she cared for who, from her perspective, has no hope of survival. I believe she spoke out of pity for her husband and a desire to see his suffering end.” (Voices in the Book of Job, by Robert W. Neff, Brethren Press, 2005, p.26).
Frank R.
* * *
Job 1:1, 2:1-10
Job’s lot is hard for us to understand…the idea that God and Satan would disagree over Job’s faithfulness and God would allow Satan to have his way with Job. That is, of course, if we are to take the text literally. Rather let’s look at Job as an example of those good people to whom bad things, in some cases many bad things happen. Harold Kushner wrote the book When Bad Things Happen to Good People in 1981 as a means of exploring this very topic, this topic of suffering and evil in a world created by and supposedly governed by a God who is good. The presence of evil and pain in our world has challenged us all, all we faithful people who believe in the goodness of God. Our human lives are such that we encounter any number of occurrences that may cause us pain and loss. Yet, we are not abandoned by God – rather God walks with us, as God walked with Job, in every moment, feeling our pain, weeping our tears, and providing comfort in all things. That is the truth I cling to.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Job 1:1, 2:1-10
I found this story in “Today in the Word.” As the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, an elaborate trestle bridge was built across a large canyon in the west. Wanting to test the bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal load. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge, where it stayed an entire day.
One worker asked, “Are you trying to break this bridge?”
“No,” the builder replied, “I’m trying to prove the bridge won’t break.”
As I read this story, I thought about the story of Job. Satan thought Job would break. If Job suffered personally and physically, then he’d curse God. God allowed the test, not so much to break Job, but to show that Job wouldn’t break.
Bill T.
* * *
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
Jesus Christ is not just an ordinary human being. John Calvin noted that this lesson intimates that no good can be found apart from Christ, as he is the heir of all things (Commentaries, Vol.XXII/1, p.33). Martin Luther notes how Christ cleanses/purifies us:
To go further: When we accept him [Christ], when we believe he has purified us, he dwells within us because of, and by our faith, daily continuing to cleanse us by his own operation; and nothing apart from Christ in any way contributes to the purification of our sins. (Complete Sermons, Vol.3/2, p.180)
Have you ever wondered how Jesus can be divine and human and still be one? Luther offers an intriguing, enlightening image:
For humanity and divinity are not one natural single being; but as one indivisible person they are so united that the one cannot be separated from the other; just as sugar water is still water, but the sugar is so blended with the water that the two cannot be separated even though they are two distinct constituents. (Luther’s Works, Vol.23, pp.148-149)
Mark E.
* * *
Mark 10:2-16
This passage about divorce is a favorite “clobber verse” that some use to pummel wonderful Christians who are trying to escape abusive marriages. The Jewish world, alongside other ancient societies, had protocols in place to protect individuals getting divorces. So, what is happening here?
Briefly, Jesus answers a question from religious authorities (“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”) with a question. “What did Moses command you?” The religious authorities respond by deliberately misinterpreting a passage that is regularly mistranslated into English, and they knew what they were doing.
The passage is Deuteronomy 24:1-5. The passage begins: “Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; she ten leaves his house and goes off to become another man’s wife.”
Robert Alter, in his translation of his passage, renders the phrase “something objectionable” as “he finds in her some shamefully exposed thing.” The Jewish Publication Society translation says, “he finds something obnoxious” about her. Duane L. Christensen’s translation for the Word Biblical Commentary very literally states “…because he finds in her “a naked thing…’” The implication is that she has engaged in public lewd misbehavior and may be just plain nuts. It has nothing to do with whether she has failed to please or obey her husband. There is something seriously wrong with her.
Then the passage continues: “Then suppose the second man dislikes her, writes her a bill of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house (or the second man who married her dies); her first husband, who sent her away, is not permitted to take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that would be abhorrent to the Lord, and you shall not bring guilt on the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession.
Some commentators suggest that what is really happening is that some men are wife swapping -- officially divorcing their spouses temporarily then taking them back and doing this back and forth. And why might they do that? The next verse suggests one reason.
“When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be charged with any related duty. He shall be free at home one year, to be happy with the wife whom he has married.”
This means the other abuse some were perpetrating was that they were marrying, divorcing, and switching wives back and forth so they could perpetually dodge the draft. Since they got a free pass for a year some might have been swapping wives to get perpetual deferments.
Seems a little preposterous, doesn’t it? But many of the laws in the Torah can be considered case law, laws that were developed because someone abused a situation and a law had to be written to address the abuse.
Therefore, Jesus told those leaders that they were not permitted to divorce, because they were deliberately misinterpreting what was clearly a matter of case law to address particular abuses.
(This is adapted from the sermon on this text included in the CSS book “Mark His Words,” by Frank Ramirez).
Frank R.
* * *
Mark 10:2-16
I found this little story that I thought spoke volumes. First-grader Melanie had announced that she was engaged to marry the young gentleman next door, but the engagement was broken abruptly. When she was asked about it, she said, “Well, he just isn’t ready for marriage yet. And besides that, he scribbled in my coloring book.”
There’s something refreshingly candid about children. Jesus insisted that children be allowed to come to him because the kingdom of God belongs to “such as these.” Marriage and divorce are addressed here, too. God intends for marriage to last. Divorce is not something that God wants or desires. Choosing whether to marry or not is a serious question and one that needs to be prayerfully considered. It is where “two become one flesh.” First-grade Melanie has it right. If people are not ready for marriage, they should not get married.
Bill T.
It’s interesting that Job 1:1 does not begin with, “And it came to pass…” (v’ya’he) as would be the case if this were a book of history, but with, “There was a man….” (esh hayah).
In Rabbi Victor E. Reichert’s 1946 Job commentary that is part of the Soncino Books of the Bible series, he reminds us that the Talmud (B.B. 15a) states: “Job never was and never existed but is only a typical figure….” The respected teacher Maimonides said that Job is “a parable meant to exhibit the views of mankind in regard to providence.”
Regardless of whether you believe The Book of Job is based on historical events, it is told in story form because stories draw us in to become part of the action, like a television drama.
This book grapples with the serious mystery we all confront in life: Bad things happen to good people. Job doesn’t deserve what happens to him. That is made clear throughout this book.
Now, spoiler alert, Job will never learn what happened to him. God will never put an arm around his shoulder and say, “Funny thing, Job, you’re not going to believe this, and I hope you find it heartening, but the other day I was in the heavenly court, and in walks the adversary, and I was bragging about you, see, and he says --- “. That’s not going to happen. There are no band aids here. No easy fix. And this suggests we should avoid pat answers (“She’s in a better place.” “Someday we’ll understand all this.”)
As I write this, we’re almost a year into the pandemic. Hopefully by the time you read this we’re past it, but you and individuals in your congregation are still coming to grips with the fact that we didn’t necessarily lose the stinkers to Covid-19. We lost good people, front line workers in hospitals, beloved parents and grandparents, and children. For some of us, even when it’s over, the pandemic is never going to be over.
I’d like to also add, as you think your way through this passage, that Job’s wife gets a bad rap. She does not say “Curse God and die,” as some translations suggest. Now perhaps the writer didn’t like putting the word “curse” and “God” in the same sentence, but the word he used is brk, or “bless.” Literally, she is giving him permission to die in a difficult circumstance. He is persisting in the integrity which God boasted about. Part of faithful living is faithful dying. In a book I co-authored we wrote: “Job’s wife found herself watching someone she cared for who, from her perspective, has no hope of survival. I believe she spoke out of pity for her husband and a desire to see his suffering end.” (Voices in the Book of Job, by Robert W. Neff, Brethren Press, 2005, p.26).
Frank R.
* * *
Job 1:1, 2:1-10
Job’s lot is hard for us to understand…the idea that God and Satan would disagree over Job’s faithfulness and God would allow Satan to have his way with Job. That is, of course, if we are to take the text literally. Rather let’s look at Job as an example of those good people to whom bad things, in some cases many bad things happen. Harold Kushner wrote the book When Bad Things Happen to Good People in 1981 as a means of exploring this very topic, this topic of suffering and evil in a world created by and supposedly governed by a God who is good. The presence of evil and pain in our world has challenged us all, all we faithful people who believe in the goodness of God. Our human lives are such that we encounter any number of occurrences that may cause us pain and loss. Yet, we are not abandoned by God – rather God walks with us, as God walked with Job, in every moment, feeling our pain, weeping our tears, and providing comfort in all things. That is the truth I cling to.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Job 1:1, 2:1-10
I found this story in “Today in the Word.” As the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, an elaborate trestle bridge was built across a large canyon in the west. Wanting to test the bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal load. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge, where it stayed an entire day.
One worker asked, “Are you trying to break this bridge?”
“No,” the builder replied, “I’m trying to prove the bridge won’t break.”
As I read this story, I thought about the story of Job. Satan thought Job would break. If Job suffered personally and physically, then he’d curse God. God allowed the test, not so much to break Job, but to show that Job wouldn’t break.
Bill T.
* * *
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
Jesus Christ is not just an ordinary human being. John Calvin noted that this lesson intimates that no good can be found apart from Christ, as he is the heir of all things (Commentaries, Vol.XXII/1, p.33). Martin Luther notes how Christ cleanses/purifies us:
To go further: When we accept him [Christ], when we believe he has purified us, he dwells within us because of, and by our faith, daily continuing to cleanse us by his own operation; and nothing apart from Christ in any way contributes to the purification of our sins. (Complete Sermons, Vol.3/2, p.180)
Have you ever wondered how Jesus can be divine and human and still be one? Luther offers an intriguing, enlightening image:
For humanity and divinity are not one natural single being; but as one indivisible person they are so united that the one cannot be separated from the other; just as sugar water is still water, but the sugar is so blended with the water that the two cannot be separated even though they are two distinct constituents. (Luther’s Works, Vol.23, pp.148-149)
Mark E.
* * *
Mark 10:2-16
This passage about divorce is a favorite “clobber verse” that some use to pummel wonderful Christians who are trying to escape abusive marriages. The Jewish world, alongside other ancient societies, had protocols in place to protect individuals getting divorces. So, what is happening here?
Briefly, Jesus answers a question from religious authorities (“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”) with a question. “What did Moses command you?” The religious authorities respond by deliberately misinterpreting a passage that is regularly mistranslated into English, and they knew what they were doing.
The passage is Deuteronomy 24:1-5. The passage begins: “Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; she ten leaves his house and goes off to become another man’s wife.”
Robert Alter, in his translation of his passage, renders the phrase “something objectionable” as “he finds in her some shamefully exposed thing.” The Jewish Publication Society translation says, “he finds something obnoxious” about her. Duane L. Christensen’s translation for the Word Biblical Commentary very literally states “…because he finds in her “a naked thing…’” The implication is that she has engaged in public lewd misbehavior and may be just plain nuts. It has nothing to do with whether she has failed to please or obey her husband. There is something seriously wrong with her.
Then the passage continues: “Then suppose the second man dislikes her, writes her a bill of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house (or the second man who married her dies); her first husband, who sent her away, is not permitted to take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that would be abhorrent to the Lord, and you shall not bring guilt on the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession.
Some commentators suggest that what is really happening is that some men are wife swapping -- officially divorcing their spouses temporarily then taking them back and doing this back and forth. And why might they do that? The next verse suggests one reason.
“When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be charged with any related duty. He shall be free at home one year, to be happy with the wife whom he has married.”
This means the other abuse some were perpetrating was that they were marrying, divorcing, and switching wives back and forth so they could perpetually dodge the draft. Since they got a free pass for a year some might have been swapping wives to get perpetual deferments.
Seems a little preposterous, doesn’t it? But many of the laws in the Torah can be considered case law, laws that were developed because someone abused a situation and a law had to be written to address the abuse.
Therefore, Jesus told those leaders that they were not permitted to divorce, because they were deliberately misinterpreting what was clearly a matter of case law to address particular abuses.
(This is adapted from the sermon on this text included in the CSS book “Mark His Words,” by Frank Ramirez).
Frank R.
* * *
Mark 10:2-16
I found this little story that I thought spoke volumes. First-grader Melanie had announced that she was engaged to marry the young gentleman next door, but the engagement was broken abruptly. When she was asked about it, she said, “Well, he just isn’t ready for marriage yet. And besides that, he scribbled in my coloring book.”
There’s something refreshingly candid about children. Jesus insisted that children be allowed to come to him because the kingdom of God belongs to “such as these.” Marriage and divorce are addressed here, too. God intends for marriage to last. Divorce is not something that God wants or desires. Choosing whether to marry or not is a serious question and one that needs to be prayerfully considered. It is where “two become one flesh.” First-grade Melanie has it right. If people are not ready for marriage, they should not get married.
Bill T.
