EPIPHANY 4
Worship
Scripture Notes
For use with Common, Lutheran and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
With selections from Psalms 1, 37, and 146 as the leadoff texts and the Beatitudes of Matthew 5 as the anchor text, it is obvious that the overriding theme of the readings selected for next Sunday could be stated as "HAPPINESS IS ..." Biblically speaking, happiness is experienced in the Presence of God. Happiness is the state of being of the People of God in the Kingdom of God, wherever God, rather than some earthly, oppressive ruler, is King.
Within the general framework of these texts, happiness is obviously various things for diverse people at different times. Let us look briefly at what happiness was for the People of God in the seven situations depicted in these texts. Then perhaps we can look at what happiness is for us and what it may be for the People of God who will be worshiping God together next Sunday where we shall be.
Common:
Psalm 37:1-11
Although at the present time it appears that those who are wicked and oppressive are the ones who are prosperous and happy, the psalmist urges those who are oppressed by the wicked to trust in Yahweh (the Lord) and to wait patiently for Yahweh to act. True and lasting happiness comes only as a gift of God, as a result of God's action. Those who are wise and calmly wait for Yahweh to assert Yahweh's self in the world will see the demise of the wicked. As certain as the morning and the noonday replace the darkness of night, so certain will be the fading and the withering away of those who are wicked under the cover of darkness.
The greatest happiness for us also comes when God removes our oppression from us. The evil that oppresses us may be imposed by others, it may be an illness or an accident, or it may be the result of our own lack of judgment. Our greatest happiness comes when we see the action of God in this world, God acting with a power that transcends all power engendered by the human mind and ingenuity. This is the only kind of happiness that will last forever.
Lutheran: Psalm 1
In Psalm 1, happiness is the condition of the person who avoids the ways of sin, but enjoys the reading, study, discussion, and meditation of the Torah of Yahweh (in our context we would say of God's Word). Such a person is like a tree that does not wither even in a hot, dry climate, because its roots are near ever-flowing streams of water. The way of such a person is known to the Lord, but the way of those who are wicked shall perish.
Even though we as Christians - and certainly Jews as Jews - are well aware that there are exceptions to the rule that those who study and meditate on God's Word shall prosper, we believe that ultimately the way of the Lord will triumph over the way of evil. Although we do not study and meditate on God's Word in order to do a good work so that we may be saved, we who believe that we are saved by the grace of God and believe that it is by faith in Christ Jesus as Lord that we accept God's grace will certainly study and meditate on God's Word because we experience happiness when we respond to God's Word.
Roman Catholic: Psalm 146:5-10
When we look closely at this text, we see that those who are said to be happy are those who are in need of help and of hope. Happy are those who are oppressed, the hungry, the prisoners, the blind, the bowed down, the righteous, the sojourners, the widow, and the orphan - all people in whom we might expect to find sadness rather than joy. Nevertheless, it is these, the oppressed, who are declared to be happy, while the wicked oppressors are destined by the Lord for destruction.
Therefore, this text is a most important biblical basis for the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. It is an excellent selection to be read with the Matthean Beatitudes. The similarity between the two texts should be noted within the worship service as an important indication of the close relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament, between the Israelite Scriptures and the distinctively Christian Scriptures, between the experiences of Jews and of Christians.
Common, Lutheran: Micah 6:1-8
In this Micah reading, the happiness theme is certainly in the final portion, 6:6-8. The rather severe self-criticism apparent in 6:1-5 was undoubtedly a matter of earnest concern at the time this message was first proclaimed, but, in terms of Christian usage, 6:6-8 is the portion that has the closest contact with the other readings for this day. The reading, therefore, should be limited to 6:6-8 for this occasion.
Happiness here for the People of God and in the Presence of God is simply to "do justice" in all relationships, to "show mercy," and to "live humbly" with your God. The interpretation that our proper position with respect to God is a position of humility, or at least of modesty, is the point of contact between this text and the Matthew 5 Beatitudes.
Roman Catholic: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13
Only those who seek Yahweh, the Lord, the God of Israel, will survive. Only they will be happy. They are, therefore, to be humble, righteous, and obedient to the Lord. There shall be no lies nor deceit among them. This remnant of the people shall find their refuge in the name of the Lord. There is no other hope for them.
Our situation differs only slightly from that of the persons originally addressed in this text. For us, the Lord is not only Yahweh, the God of Israel, but also Jesus as the Christ raised from the dead. Our need for the protection of God is as great as was the need of the Israelites addressed originally by what was to become this text.
Common:
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Lutheran, Roman Catholic: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Happiness in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 is found in relationship with Christ Jesus, through whom we have our "wisdom," our "righteousness," our "holiness," and our "redemption." We boast in our relationship with Jesus as the Christ, not in our own "wisdom," or our own "righteousness," or in our own "holiness," or in our own "redemption."
1 Corinthians 1:31 is one of many instances in which Paul and other writers of New Testament material identify Jesus as the Christ raised from the dead with Yahweh, the Lord as perceived in Jeremiah 9:23-24 and elsewhere.
Matthew 5:1-12
Most of us are more familiar with the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-12 than we are with the similar beatitudes of Psalm 1 and of Psalm 146. Careful comparison of Matthew 5:1-12 with Luke 6:17, 20-23 and with similar beatitudes in Psalm 1 and in Psalm 146 indicates that Matthew 5:1-12 is probably a collection gathered gradually from among many "Happiness Sayings" expressed by Jesus in a variety of settings and remembered by his followers. In addition, followers of Jesus probably added to early collections of beatitudes of Jesus additional beatitudes of their own, in view of their experiences in their changing situation later during the first century. At least Matthew 5:11-12 appear to have their Sitz im Leben in the experiences of the Matthean church.
True happiness does not consist in having more material things than we can possibly use or consume, but in being dependent on God or on other persons. The poor, mourning, meek, oppressed Jews of Palestine among whom Jesus lived and worked and followers of Jesus who were poor, mourning, meek, and oppressed later in the first century understood these Beatitudes much more clearly than most of us understand them. They were poor because the Roman occupation forces oppressed them. They mourned because the Romans crucified Jesus and other leaders among them. They were meek because they had few other options in the political situation in which they lived. In spite of all of this oppression, they were blessed and they were happy because the Jesus of history had given them hope by pointing them toward God, and later some of them were given hope through their relationship with Jesus Christ raised from the dead. With them, we are most happy and blessed when our trust and our dependency are most fully in God.
Within the general framework of these texts, happiness is obviously various things for diverse people at different times. Let us look briefly at what happiness was for the People of God in the seven situations depicted in these texts. Then perhaps we can look at what happiness is for us and what it may be for the People of God who will be worshiping God together next Sunday where we shall be.
Common:
Psalm 37:1-11
Although at the present time it appears that those who are wicked and oppressive are the ones who are prosperous and happy, the psalmist urges those who are oppressed by the wicked to trust in Yahweh (the Lord) and to wait patiently for Yahweh to act. True and lasting happiness comes only as a gift of God, as a result of God's action. Those who are wise and calmly wait for Yahweh to assert Yahweh's self in the world will see the demise of the wicked. As certain as the morning and the noonday replace the darkness of night, so certain will be the fading and the withering away of those who are wicked under the cover of darkness.
The greatest happiness for us also comes when God removes our oppression from us. The evil that oppresses us may be imposed by others, it may be an illness or an accident, or it may be the result of our own lack of judgment. Our greatest happiness comes when we see the action of God in this world, God acting with a power that transcends all power engendered by the human mind and ingenuity. This is the only kind of happiness that will last forever.
Lutheran: Psalm 1
In Psalm 1, happiness is the condition of the person who avoids the ways of sin, but enjoys the reading, study, discussion, and meditation of the Torah of Yahweh (in our context we would say of God's Word). Such a person is like a tree that does not wither even in a hot, dry climate, because its roots are near ever-flowing streams of water. The way of such a person is known to the Lord, but the way of those who are wicked shall perish.
Even though we as Christians - and certainly Jews as Jews - are well aware that there are exceptions to the rule that those who study and meditate on God's Word shall prosper, we believe that ultimately the way of the Lord will triumph over the way of evil. Although we do not study and meditate on God's Word in order to do a good work so that we may be saved, we who believe that we are saved by the grace of God and believe that it is by faith in Christ Jesus as Lord that we accept God's grace will certainly study and meditate on God's Word because we experience happiness when we respond to God's Word.
Roman Catholic: Psalm 146:5-10
When we look closely at this text, we see that those who are said to be happy are those who are in need of help and of hope. Happy are those who are oppressed, the hungry, the prisoners, the blind, the bowed down, the righteous, the sojourners, the widow, and the orphan - all people in whom we might expect to find sadness rather than joy. Nevertheless, it is these, the oppressed, who are declared to be happy, while the wicked oppressors are destined by the Lord for destruction.
Therefore, this text is a most important biblical basis for the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. It is an excellent selection to be read with the Matthean Beatitudes. The similarity between the two texts should be noted within the worship service as an important indication of the close relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament, between the Israelite Scriptures and the distinctively Christian Scriptures, between the experiences of Jews and of Christians.
Common, Lutheran: Micah 6:1-8
In this Micah reading, the happiness theme is certainly in the final portion, 6:6-8. The rather severe self-criticism apparent in 6:1-5 was undoubtedly a matter of earnest concern at the time this message was first proclaimed, but, in terms of Christian usage, 6:6-8 is the portion that has the closest contact with the other readings for this day. The reading, therefore, should be limited to 6:6-8 for this occasion.
Happiness here for the People of God and in the Presence of God is simply to "do justice" in all relationships, to "show mercy," and to "live humbly" with your God. The interpretation that our proper position with respect to God is a position of humility, or at least of modesty, is the point of contact between this text and the Matthew 5 Beatitudes.
Roman Catholic: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13
Only those who seek Yahweh, the Lord, the God of Israel, will survive. Only they will be happy. They are, therefore, to be humble, righteous, and obedient to the Lord. There shall be no lies nor deceit among them. This remnant of the people shall find their refuge in the name of the Lord. There is no other hope for them.
Our situation differs only slightly from that of the persons originally addressed in this text. For us, the Lord is not only Yahweh, the God of Israel, but also Jesus as the Christ raised from the dead. Our need for the protection of God is as great as was the need of the Israelites addressed originally by what was to become this text.
Common:
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Lutheran, Roman Catholic: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Happiness in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 is found in relationship with Christ Jesus, through whom we have our "wisdom," our "righteousness," our "holiness," and our "redemption." We boast in our relationship with Jesus as the Christ, not in our own "wisdom," or our own "righteousness," or in our own "holiness," or in our own "redemption."
1 Corinthians 1:31 is one of many instances in which Paul and other writers of New Testament material identify Jesus as the Christ raised from the dead with Yahweh, the Lord as perceived in Jeremiah 9:23-24 and elsewhere.
Matthew 5:1-12
Most of us are more familiar with the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-12 than we are with the similar beatitudes of Psalm 1 and of Psalm 146. Careful comparison of Matthew 5:1-12 with Luke 6:17, 20-23 and with similar beatitudes in Psalm 1 and in Psalm 146 indicates that Matthew 5:1-12 is probably a collection gathered gradually from among many "Happiness Sayings" expressed by Jesus in a variety of settings and remembered by his followers. In addition, followers of Jesus probably added to early collections of beatitudes of Jesus additional beatitudes of their own, in view of their experiences in their changing situation later during the first century. At least Matthew 5:11-12 appear to have their Sitz im Leben in the experiences of the Matthean church.
True happiness does not consist in having more material things than we can possibly use or consume, but in being dependent on God or on other persons. The poor, mourning, meek, oppressed Jews of Palestine among whom Jesus lived and worked and followers of Jesus who were poor, mourning, meek, and oppressed later in the first century understood these Beatitudes much more clearly than most of us understand them. They were poor because the Roman occupation forces oppressed them. They mourned because the Romans crucified Jesus and other leaders among them. They were meek because they had few other options in the political situation in which they lived. In spite of all of this oppression, they were blessed and they were happy because the Jesus of history had given them hope by pointing them toward God, and later some of them were given hope through their relationship with Jesus Christ raised from the dead. With them, we are most happy and blessed when our trust and our dependency are most fully in God.
