PROPER 12
Worship
Scripture Notes
For use with Common, Lutheran and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
"Wisdom from God" is the major unifying motif in all of these texts except the Common selections Psalm 105:1-11 and Exodus 3:13-20. It is to the credit of scholarly critical biblical studies during the past two decades that the importance of the wisdom from God motif in the biblical texts is increasingly being recognized.
Common:
Psalm 105:1-11
In this impressive community hymn of praise, the worshiping congregation is called upon to give thanks to "Yahweh our God" for the covenant relationship that the people have with Yahweh and for all of the wonderful actions of Yahweh in behalf of the Israelites. The mighty acts of Yahweh and the wise judgments of Yahweh are singled out for special attention. Even though the Israelites have been the prime beneficiaries of Yahweh's judgments, according to this psalm all of the people within the inhabited world have become aware of the wise judgments of Yahweh. What do we have that is comparable to this in our specifically Christian tradition?
Lutheran: Psalm 119:129-136
Roman Catholic: Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130
The two verses (129-130) included in both the Lutheran and the Roman Catholic selections provide for us an epitome of the entire extensive Psalm 119 and of the "Wisdom from God" motif for next Sunday. Certainly the decrees of the Lord are wonderful. The revelation of the words of the Lord sheds light, giving understanding to the simple, as this is expressed in The New American Bible.
Common:
Exodus 3:13-20
If we wish to correlate this text to the "Wisdom from God" motif of the 1 Kings 3, Romans 8, and Matthew 13:44-52 readings, we can say that the revelation of God in the etymological explanation of the name of Yahweh as "I AM WHO I AM!" is an expression of wisdom from God. It is wise of us on our part to recognize the "Being" of God. If we have existence, for a brief period of time at least, God is existence ultimately, beyond all limits of time and space. The Church during the second century of the common era wisely rejected the view of Marcion that the Christian perception of God is radically different from the Israelite perception. We believe that the revelation of God as "I AM!" in Exodus 3:14, the Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob has in no way been abrogated by the revelation of God in Jesus as the Christ. Our Christian revelation is in continuity with the ongoing Israelite revelation. We can, of course, deemphasize elements of the ancient Israelite civil religion perceptions of Yahweh and elements of the early Christian vicious defamations of Jews, but we have not broken nor shall we ever break our relationship with the ongoing Israelite revelation. Our use of Exodus 3:13-20 in Christian worship provides an excellent opportunity to recognize our continuing relationship with the ongoing Israelite revelation.
Lutheran: 1 Kings 3:5-12
Roman Catholic: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
The "Wisdom from God" motif comes across most strongly in this story about Solomon's dream. Not only does this story demonstrate that wisdom comes from God; it also provides a theological reason for the identification of the name of Solomon with wisdom and with wisdom literature. This story tells us that wisdom is a gift from God and that wisdom is an attribute of God.
Since it is stated in 1 Kings 3:12 that the Lord will give to Solomon a heart so wise and understanding that there will never again be anyone to equal him, it was necessary for the followers of Jesus who proclaimed that their perception of God superseded that of the Israelite perceptions to proclaim that Jesus the Christ raised from the dead is greater than Solomon. Therefore, the Jesus of the "Q" materials (Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31) in material characterized by the wisdom motif claims that where he is "something greater than Solomon" is present. Our Christian tradition precluded any possibility of having Jesus subordinate to Solomon in wisdom through its deification of the Risen Christ as our Lord and Savior, God the Son. For us who are Christians, therefore, the wisdom of God has been most fully manifested in the Risen Christ, superseding for us the wisdom granted to Solomon in this 1 Kings 3:5-12 dream story.
Common:
Romans 8:26-30
Lutheran, Roman Catholic: Romans 8:28-30
According to the Apostle Paul in this text, God "has known," or "knows more" than any of us, the elements of God's gracious plan of salvation. Whatever we can know is revealed by God. God is the source of our knowing. God knows what is in our minds. It is enough for us to recognize and to believe that in every way God works things out for the good of those who love God. More than that we do not need, since whatever wisdom we have is from God, and we are called by God, we are known by God, we are set apart by God, we are declared to be righteous by God, and we are glorified by God.
Matthew 13:44-52
The language of the first two of these parables (the treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great value) is characteristic of wisdom literature, where wisdom from God is described as a hidden treasure (Proverbs 2:4; 8:18-21; Isaiah 33:6) and as a pearl (jewels, rubies, precious stones, etc. Proverbs 3:14-15; 8:11; Job 28:17-18). In addition, the Matthean Jesus asks his disciples in 13:51, "Have you understood all of this?" and they answer, "Yes." Comparison with Matthew 13:18 indicates that it is imperative that the wisdom from God be received and understood by the disciples of Jesus. According to these three Matthean parables, therefore, it is essential that those who would follow Jesus receive and understand this wisdom from God that God's kingdom, God's rule, and letting God direct our lives will bring to us great Joy, that this is the most valuable treasure that we may have, and that there will be a separation between the good and the worthless on the day of judgment.
All three of these parables of the kingdom are peculiar to Matthew in the New Testament. All three of them, however, occur in slightly different forms in the Gospel of Thomas, not in a group as in Matthew, but in three separate places in a sequence inverse to that in Matthew (Gospel of Thomas 109, 76, and 8 respectively). The differences in the Gospel of Thomas accounts, compared to Matthew 13:44-52, may be explained as additional developments within the Thomas tradition. In the Gospel of Thomas 109 a son sells a field that he has inherited without realizing that his father had hidden a great treasure in it for him. This development is consistent with gnostic thought. The father (God) provides the treasure, but only the son who has knowledge (gnosis) can be aware of the treasure. In the Gospel of Thomas 76 a merchant sells his entire wagonload of goods in order to be able to acquire the precious pearl. In gnostic terms, he is wise, for he divests himself of all material things in order to be able to acquire the spiritual gem. In the Gospel of Thomas 8 the fisherman throws away all of the small fish and keeps only a single large fish. Perhaps it should be said that if we use these parables as the biblical basis for our message next Sunday, we should emphasize that letting God (rather than Caesar or other material things) motivate us and direct our lives will bring us great joy. We should not engage in gnostic-type speculation that the hidden spiritual spark (treasure) is available only to those who are spiritual and possess spiritual gifts.
Finally, the meaning of Matthew 13:52 hinges largely on how we interpret the verb ekballei. Perhaps we have in the "every scribe trained in the kingdom of heaven" some kind of a self-designation in a positive, self-complimentary sense of the writers-redactors-scribes who developed the Gospel according to Matthew from Markan, "Q" materials, logia of Jesus, and other traditions. We cannot determine, however, whether they were saying that they were "bringing out" as useful or "throwing out" as useless new things and old things. Since the intention of the writers of this verse is not known to us, we should not base our proclamation and parenesis on this verse.
Common:
Psalm 105:1-11
In this impressive community hymn of praise, the worshiping congregation is called upon to give thanks to "Yahweh our God" for the covenant relationship that the people have with Yahweh and for all of the wonderful actions of Yahweh in behalf of the Israelites. The mighty acts of Yahweh and the wise judgments of Yahweh are singled out for special attention. Even though the Israelites have been the prime beneficiaries of Yahweh's judgments, according to this psalm all of the people within the inhabited world have become aware of the wise judgments of Yahweh. What do we have that is comparable to this in our specifically Christian tradition?
Lutheran: Psalm 119:129-136
Roman Catholic: Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130
The two verses (129-130) included in both the Lutheran and the Roman Catholic selections provide for us an epitome of the entire extensive Psalm 119 and of the "Wisdom from God" motif for next Sunday. Certainly the decrees of the Lord are wonderful. The revelation of the words of the Lord sheds light, giving understanding to the simple, as this is expressed in The New American Bible.
Common:
Exodus 3:13-20
If we wish to correlate this text to the "Wisdom from God" motif of the 1 Kings 3, Romans 8, and Matthew 13:44-52 readings, we can say that the revelation of God in the etymological explanation of the name of Yahweh as "I AM WHO I AM!" is an expression of wisdom from God. It is wise of us on our part to recognize the "Being" of God. If we have existence, for a brief period of time at least, God is existence ultimately, beyond all limits of time and space. The Church during the second century of the common era wisely rejected the view of Marcion that the Christian perception of God is radically different from the Israelite perception. We believe that the revelation of God as "I AM!" in Exodus 3:14, the Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob has in no way been abrogated by the revelation of God in Jesus as the Christ. Our Christian revelation is in continuity with the ongoing Israelite revelation. We can, of course, deemphasize elements of the ancient Israelite civil religion perceptions of Yahweh and elements of the early Christian vicious defamations of Jews, but we have not broken nor shall we ever break our relationship with the ongoing Israelite revelation. Our use of Exodus 3:13-20 in Christian worship provides an excellent opportunity to recognize our continuing relationship with the ongoing Israelite revelation.
Lutheran: 1 Kings 3:5-12
Roman Catholic: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
The "Wisdom from God" motif comes across most strongly in this story about Solomon's dream. Not only does this story demonstrate that wisdom comes from God; it also provides a theological reason for the identification of the name of Solomon with wisdom and with wisdom literature. This story tells us that wisdom is a gift from God and that wisdom is an attribute of God.
Since it is stated in 1 Kings 3:12 that the Lord will give to Solomon a heart so wise and understanding that there will never again be anyone to equal him, it was necessary for the followers of Jesus who proclaimed that their perception of God superseded that of the Israelite perceptions to proclaim that Jesus the Christ raised from the dead is greater than Solomon. Therefore, the Jesus of the "Q" materials (Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31) in material characterized by the wisdom motif claims that where he is "something greater than Solomon" is present. Our Christian tradition precluded any possibility of having Jesus subordinate to Solomon in wisdom through its deification of the Risen Christ as our Lord and Savior, God the Son. For us who are Christians, therefore, the wisdom of God has been most fully manifested in the Risen Christ, superseding for us the wisdom granted to Solomon in this 1 Kings 3:5-12 dream story.
Common:
Romans 8:26-30
Lutheran, Roman Catholic: Romans 8:28-30
According to the Apostle Paul in this text, God "has known," or "knows more" than any of us, the elements of God's gracious plan of salvation. Whatever we can know is revealed by God. God is the source of our knowing. God knows what is in our minds. It is enough for us to recognize and to believe that in every way God works things out for the good of those who love God. More than that we do not need, since whatever wisdom we have is from God, and we are called by God, we are known by God, we are set apart by God, we are declared to be righteous by God, and we are glorified by God.
Matthew 13:44-52
The language of the first two of these parables (the treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great value) is characteristic of wisdom literature, where wisdom from God is described as a hidden treasure (Proverbs 2:4; 8:18-21; Isaiah 33:6) and as a pearl (jewels, rubies, precious stones, etc. Proverbs 3:14-15; 8:11; Job 28:17-18). In addition, the Matthean Jesus asks his disciples in 13:51, "Have you understood all of this?" and they answer, "Yes." Comparison with Matthew 13:18 indicates that it is imperative that the wisdom from God be received and understood by the disciples of Jesus. According to these three Matthean parables, therefore, it is essential that those who would follow Jesus receive and understand this wisdom from God that God's kingdom, God's rule, and letting God direct our lives will bring to us great Joy, that this is the most valuable treasure that we may have, and that there will be a separation between the good and the worthless on the day of judgment.
All three of these parables of the kingdom are peculiar to Matthew in the New Testament. All three of them, however, occur in slightly different forms in the Gospel of Thomas, not in a group as in Matthew, but in three separate places in a sequence inverse to that in Matthew (Gospel of Thomas 109, 76, and 8 respectively). The differences in the Gospel of Thomas accounts, compared to Matthew 13:44-52, may be explained as additional developments within the Thomas tradition. In the Gospel of Thomas 109 a son sells a field that he has inherited without realizing that his father had hidden a great treasure in it for him. This development is consistent with gnostic thought. The father (God) provides the treasure, but only the son who has knowledge (gnosis) can be aware of the treasure. In the Gospel of Thomas 76 a merchant sells his entire wagonload of goods in order to be able to acquire the precious pearl. In gnostic terms, he is wise, for he divests himself of all material things in order to be able to acquire the spiritual gem. In the Gospel of Thomas 8 the fisherman throws away all of the small fish and keeps only a single large fish. Perhaps it should be said that if we use these parables as the biblical basis for our message next Sunday, we should emphasize that letting God (rather than Caesar or other material things) motivate us and direct our lives will bring us great joy. We should not engage in gnostic-type speculation that the hidden spiritual spark (treasure) is available only to those who are spiritual and possess spiritual gifts.
Finally, the meaning of Matthew 13:52 hinges largely on how we interpret the verb ekballei. Perhaps we have in the "every scribe trained in the kingdom of heaven" some kind of a self-designation in a positive, self-complimentary sense of the writers-redactors-scribes who developed the Gospel according to Matthew from Markan, "Q" materials, logia of Jesus, and other traditions. We cannot determine, however, whether they were saying that they were "bringing out" as useful or "throwing out" as useless new things and old things. Since the intention of the writers of this verse is not known to us, we should not base our proclamation and parenesis on this verse.
