PROPER 20
Worship
Scripture Notes
For use with Common, Lutheran and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
The goodness of God is the dominant theme in the First Lesson texts, in the Psalms readings, and in the Matthew 20:1-16 account. Because of the goodness of God, the Apostle Paul was able to write that it would actually be better for him personally to die and to be with Christ, although he was willing to continue to endure the trials and tribulations of this present existence for the sake of his fellow believers in Philippi. We can effectively utilize the Philippians text, therefore, as an expression of our confident response to the amazing goodness of God. Because God is so good (particularly from the Christian perspective of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the Christ), we like Paul can be free and confident either to live or to die, free and confident both to live and to die. Therefore, all of these texts are gospel for us - God's grace to be accepted by faith.
Common:
Exodus 32:1-14
Israelites of any time and place who read this text easily understand its basic message. That basic message is that if it were not for the goodness of God (Yahweh) and Yahweh's willingness to respond to the fervent prayer of Moses in their behalf, their people (and consequently they themselves) would have ceased to exist at the point of the Exodus experience depicted in Exodus 32. The primary point of the text for Jews and for Christians is not that most of the Israelites reverted to the religious practices that they had learned from the Egyptians, but that God is good and gracious, willing to respond and to change God's course of action when unselfish intercessary prayers are addressed to God by faithful believers. That is the way in which this text should be used next Sunday.
Lutheran, Roman Catholic: Isaiah 55:6-9
There is no threat in this text. Instead, the text is an invitation, a description, and an observation. All people are invited to turn, to repent. It is said that all people are inherently wicked. All, however, may turn to Yahweh and be forgiven. (The Apostle Paul merely elaborated on this thought in Romans 1-5, which in many ways is a commentary on this and on similar Old Testament texts.) The description of Yahweh in this text as merciful and forgiving leads to the observation that Yahweh's thoughts and ways are different from our thoughts and ways. The Matthew 20:1-16 parable about the owner hiring laborers to work in the vineyard is an exposition in story form of the description of God and of the observation about God in this Isaiah 55:6-9 text. With a generous measure of inspiration from the Spirit of God, we could express the message of these texts ourselves in story form next Sunday, perhaps in a children's sermon, perhaps as the main message of the day.
Common:
Psalm 106:7-8, 19-23
These portions of Psalm 106, particularly verses 19-23, are a poetic rendition of the Exodus 32:1-14 narrative. They express the same message as the Exodus 32 account, that Yahweh is good and gracious, willing to change in response to the fervent prayers of faithful believers.
Lutheran: Psalm 27:1-13
This particular psalm was probably chosen for use on this occasion in the Lutheran Lectionary because the confident trust in Yahweh of the psalmist is comparable in some ways to the confident trust in God of the Apostle Paul expressed in Philippians 1:19-27. The difference is that the psalmist's trust was centered primarily in this present life. Paul's trust included life "with Christ" after death as well.
Roman Catholic: Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Many positive things are said about Yahweh in the portions of this psalm to be used here. Yahweh is said to be great, gracious, merciful, patient, kind, good, compassionate, just, and accessible to those who call upon Yahweh in truth. It is what is said in 145:9, that Yahweh is good to everyone, and compassionate with regard to all of Yahweh's creation, that links this psalm portion most closely with the other texts selected for this occasion.
Common:
Philippians 1:21-27
Lutheran: Philippians 1:1-5 (6-11) 19-27
Roman Catholic: Philippians 1:20-24, 27
These various portions of Philippians 1 provide considerable evidence of the close relationship that Paul claimed with the Philippian fellow believers. Paul's concern here is as always in his letters about the lifestyle appropriate for followers of Jesus during the time before the coming of the Day of the Lord. In this instance, however, Paul was also writing about appropriate "deathstyle." Paul wrote about how he perceived his own death, an event that might occur soon if Paul would defiantly proclaim at his trial to the advocates of Roman Civil Religion who would accuse him that "Jesus the Christ raised from the dead - not Caesar - is Lord!" as Paul was bold enough to write in Philippians 2:10-11 and in Romans 14:11. For Paul, because of the gracious goodness of God, his death would merely be a "graduation" to a new and better life with Christ. The style in which he would die, however, was of great importance to Paul. He wanted to die in "Christ-style," and he wanted the followers of Jesus in Philippi also to die in "Christ-style."
Matthew 20:1-16
Joachim Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus (rev. ed., 1963), pp. 138-139, suggests that the funeral oration for Rabbi Bun bar Hijja by his close friend and admirer as reported in the Jerusalem Talmud used this parable of Jesus. The funeral oration there was a tribute to a young rabbi who, according to this Talmudic parable, had accomplished more during his short span of twenty-eight years than many others accomplish during a long lifetime. The two parables can, of course, be profitably compared and contrasted, but perhaps each parable was indigenous to its own milieu. The Laborers in the Vineyard parable in Matthew is Matthean at least in its setting. It occurs only in Matthew. Regardless of whether it was told by the Jesus of history within a Palestinian Jewish setting or whether it was developed within the Matthean tradition as a subtle polemic against the Jews (who had been first but now were last), the parable is a beautiful expression of God's goodness and grace. Literally, the key verse 20:15 reads something such as this: "Is it not lawful for me to do whatever I wish with regard to the things that are mine? Or is your eye evil because I am good?" Goodness and grace, rather than generosity, are the crucial divine qualities here. Presumably the laborers who had begun their work late in the afternoon needed a day's wage just as much as those who had labored all day, and because of God's goodness and grace they received it. If God's generosity had been the factor to be stressed, the story could have provided for the laborers who had toiled throughout the day a generous bonus for their efforts.
Any message that we share based on these texts, whether the message is expressed in story form, in three parts that develop a theme, or otherwise, should emphasize God's goodness and grace rather than God's generosity. Does not God through God's goodness and grace supply that which we need in order to live, to die, and to live again? Each of us, through faith in what we believe that God has done for us in Jesus as the Christ, can accept that goodness and that grace of God for ourselves. On the other hand, there is little or no evidence that God lavishly showers riches on us simply because we believe in God, or because we toil long and hard through the burden and heat of the day.
Common:
Exodus 32:1-14
Israelites of any time and place who read this text easily understand its basic message. That basic message is that if it were not for the goodness of God (Yahweh) and Yahweh's willingness to respond to the fervent prayer of Moses in their behalf, their people (and consequently they themselves) would have ceased to exist at the point of the Exodus experience depicted in Exodus 32. The primary point of the text for Jews and for Christians is not that most of the Israelites reverted to the religious practices that they had learned from the Egyptians, but that God is good and gracious, willing to respond and to change God's course of action when unselfish intercessary prayers are addressed to God by faithful believers. That is the way in which this text should be used next Sunday.
Lutheran, Roman Catholic: Isaiah 55:6-9
There is no threat in this text. Instead, the text is an invitation, a description, and an observation. All people are invited to turn, to repent. It is said that all people are inherently wicked. All, however, may turn to Yahweh and be forgiven. (The Apostle Paul merely elaborated on this thought in Romans 1-5, which in many ways is a commentary on this and on similar Old Testament texts.) The description of Yahweh in this text as merciful and forgiving leads to the observation that Yahweh's thoughts and ways are different from our thoughts and ways. The Matthew 20:1-16 parable about the owner hiring laborers to work in the vineyard is an exposition in story form of the description of God and of the observation about God in this Isaiah 55:6-9 text. With a generous measure of inspiration from the Spirit of God, we could express the message of these texts ourselves in story form next Sunday, perhaps in a children's sermon, perhaps as the main message of the day.
Common:
Psalm 106:7-8, 19-23
These portions of Psalm 106, particularly verses 19-23, are a poetic rendition of the Exodus 32:1-14 narrative. They express the same message as the Exodus 32 account, that Yahweh is good and gracious, willing to change in response to the fervent prayers of faithful believers.
Lutheran: Psalm 27:1-13
This particular psalm was probably chosen for use on this occasion in the Lutheran Lectionary because the confident trust in Yahweh of the psalmist is comparable in some ways to the confident trust in God of the Apostle Paul expressed in Philippians 1:19-27. The difference is that the psalmist's trust was centered primarily in this present life. Paul's trust included life "with Christ" after death as well.
Roman Catholic: Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Many positive things are said about Yahweh in the portions of this psalm to be used here. Yahweh is said to be great, gracious, merciful, patient, kind, good, compassionate, just, and accessible to those who call upon Yahweh in truth. It is what is said in 145:9, that Yahweh is good to everyone, and compassionate with regard to all of Yahweh's creation, that links this psalm portion most closely with the other texts selected for this occasion.
Common:
Philippians 1:21-27
Lutheran: Philippians 1:1-5 (6-11) 19-27
Roman Catholic: Philippians 1:20-24, 27
These various portions of Philippians 1 provide considerable evidence of the close relationship that Paul claimed with the Philippian fellow believers. Paul's concern here is as always in his letters about the lifestyle appropriate for followers of Jesus during the time before the coming of the Day of the Lord. In this instance, however, Paul was also writing about appropriate "deathstyle." Paul wrote about how he perceived his own death, an event that might occur soon if Paul would defiantly proclaim at his trial to the advocates of Roman Civil Religion who would accuse him that "Jesus the Christ raised from the dead - not Caesar - is Lord!" as Paul was bold enough to write in Philippians 2:10-11 and in Romans 14:11. For Paul, because of the gracious goodness of God, his death would merely be a "graduation" to a new and better life with Christ. The style in which he would die, however, was of great importance to Paul. He wanted to die in "Christ-style," and he wanted the followers of Jesus in Philippi also to die in "Christ-style."
Matthew 20:1-16
Joachim Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus (rev. ed., 1963), pp. 138-139, suggests that the funeral oration for Rabbi Bun bar Hijja by his close friend and admirer as reported in the Jerusalem Talmud used this parable of Jesus. The funeral oration there was a tribute to a young rabbi who, according to this Talmudic parable, had accomplished more during his short span of twenty-eight years than many others accomplish during a long lifetime. The two parables can, of course, be profitably compared and contrasted, but perhaps each parable was indigenous to its own milieu. The Laborers in the Vineyard parable in Matthew is Matthean at least in its setting. It occurs only in Matthew. Regardless of whether it was told by the Jesus of history within a Palestinian Jewish setting or whether it was developed within the Matthean tradition as a subtle polemic against the Jews (who had been first but now were last), the parable is a beautiful expression of God's goodness and grace. Literally, the key verse 20:15 reads something such as this: "Is it not lawful for me to do whatever I wish with regard to the things that are mine? Or is your eye evil because I am good?" Goodness and grace, rather than generosity, are the crucial divine qualities here. Presumably the laborers who had begun their work late in the afternoon needed a day's wage just as much as those who had labored all day, and because of God's goodness and grace they received it. If God's generosity had been the factor to be stressed, the story could have provided for the laborers who had toiled throughout the day a generous bonus for their efforts.
Any message that we share based on these texts, whether the message is expressed in story form, in three parts that develop a theme, or otherwise, should emphasize God's goodness and grace rather than God's generosity. Does not God through God's goodness and grace supply that which we need in order to live, to die, and to live again? Each of us, through faith in what we believe that God has done for us in Jesus as the Christ, can accept that goodness and that grace of God for ourselves. On the other hand, there is little or no evidence that God lavishly showers riches on us simply because we believe in God, or because we toil long and hard through the burden and heat of the day.
