Proper 21
Devotional
Streams of Living Water
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle B
Object:
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?" Esther said, "A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!" Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
-- Esther 7:5-6
These few verses scarcely do justice to this delightful story of Esther. It is a classic folktale of good versus evil, which has been repeated again and again in various guises. While it scarcely mentions God, it is designed to reveal the providential hand of God working behind the scenes, incognito, to bring about justice in this world.
The Jews were living quietly in a foreign land. An incident, which seemed far removed from them, took place in the king's palace that resulted in the deposing of the queen. A plan was put forth whereby the king could view all of the eligible young women in his kingdom and choose from among them a new queen. Esther was among the young women who were brought to the palace. Mordecai, her uncle, being aware of the prejudice against the Jews, warned her not to reveal her identity. Esther won the beauty contest and became the new queen. In the meantime, we are introduced to the classically evil Haman who advised the king. Haman was offended by the Jews' refusal to bow down to him and proceeded to develop a plot that would result in their destruction as a people. Mordecai asked Esther to intervene, but she was frightened.
Then we hear the classic line suggesting the providential hand of God in this opportunity. "Do not think that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this" (Esther 4:13-14). Esther gathered up her courage and developed an elaborate plan to win the king's favor and expose Haman and his plot against her people.
Undergirding the story is a confidence in the providence of God that is working behind the scenes to accomplish the divine purpose. There is also a belief that as believers we are placed in positions to assist God in defeating evil in this world. If we refuse to participate, God's purpose will be accomplished in another way, but we will suffer the consequences of our refusal. Both the providence of God and the capacity of human free will are preserved in this story. For churches that refuse to become involved in correcting injustice, it is a cautionary tale. For humans who suffer from those injustices, it is a story of hope.
Psalm 124
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
-- Psalm 124:8
The Bible is quite clear that we are continually in a struggle between good and evil in our lives. It was important for Israel, situated as they were in a crossroads between superpowers that sought to conquer their world, to believe that someone greater than any power on earth protected them. While God was an invisible presence, signs of that help were often hidden in the mysterious ways in which events unfolded. The seemingly miraculous way in which they continued to escape the threats to their existence over time gave them confidence that God was faithful to them. They told and retold the formative story of their escape from Egypt, but then they included other stories of rescue both in the country and even later in exile, as with the story of Esther. Each time they rehearsed their history, they could say again, "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us, then they would have swallowed us up alive ..." (vv. 2-3). They knew that they could not explain the miracle of their existence by virtue of their cleverness, strength, or resources.
Their own history reminded them that they existed due to the grace of God and not by their works lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:9). It was almost with a sense of giddy unbelief that they could say, "Blessed be the Lord who has not given us as prey to their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken and we have escaped" (vv. 6-7). The temptation of life is to assume that we are in charge of our own future and that we shape our own destiny. Often that illusion is created by virtue of a selective amnesia that overlooks the many ways in which our life is gifted. It is in rehearsing the memory of our life that, with eyes of faith, we can join the psalmist in saying, "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side...." It is that awareness that enables us to affirm again and again, "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."
James 5:13-20
The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
-- James 5:16b
In a time when people, even believers, are quick to dismiss the church as a nonessential add-on to the more important personal journey of faith, the words of James are instructive. It is the communal gathering of the people of faith that encourages and nurtures our life in faith. It is too easy as an individual to allow our sufferings to throw us into despair. It is equally tempting in good times to forget the source of our blessings. It is the community of faith that reminds us that if we are suffering, we should pray; and if we are cheerful, we should sing songs of praise.
When we are ill, we are not left alone. It is the responsibility of the elders to bring the resources of faith to bear on our illness. At the same time, it is the church to which we should come to seek forgiveness for our sins. There is a power in the community of faith that is not available to the individual. "Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed" (v. 16). It is popular in our individualistic society to excuse our dismissal of the church through pointing out the failures of the church. While most churches provide plenty of evidence of their failure to demonstrate the faith they proclaim, they also provide the arena in which we can grow in the faith.
Paul recognized from the beginning that the treasure of the faith was contained in the clay jars of the church (2 Corinthians 4:7), but he saw in that very fact the power of God at work. James had admonished his people for their many shortcomings. Yet it is to the church, with all its frailties, that he called the people. It is the church that preserves the scriptures, the rituals that nurture us, and the opportunity for praise that points us to the giver of all that we have. It is the church that both invites and offers forgiveness as we grow in our understanding of the grace of God. It is the church that reminds us that "the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective."
Mark 9:38-50
Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.
-- Mark 9:38
The issue of inclusion and exclusion has plagued the church from its beginning and continues today. Denominational divisions have solidified around who has proper beliefs or practices. Churches have shown far less openness than the one that they affirm as their Lord has. "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me" (v. 29). What a prescription for ecumenical cooperation! Imagine the impact of all Christian communities recognizing and affirming the ministry we share in the name of our Lord. The sense of competition, even among churches of the same denomination, continues to demean the testimony of our faith. These verses follow immediately upon the story of the disciples arguing about who is the greatest and seem to reflect this same attitude of competition. To our shame, we need to recognize that more than one potential believer has been discouraged by this very attitude among the churches.
It makes Jesus' warning very potent. "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea" (v. 42). But the question always arises as to how far we should carry this openness. Many of the issues we argue about are very important. Jesus took a very strong stand against such reasoning. It is clear in Leviticus 21:16-24 that certain imperfections in the body made one unworthy to approach God. Now Jesus instructed his disciples to mutilate their body in precisely the manner that Leviticus warned about rather than to cause them to stumble in their faith. It is better to risk our own purity than to have that purity be the cause of our stumbling in the faith.
In the end, we are all dependent on the grace and forgiveness of God. Of course this will mean a lot of variety among Christians, but it could lend itself to the vitality of the community as a whole. It is like salt that flavors our food. "Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another" (v. 50). It is a prescription worthy of the churches of Christ.
Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?" Esther said, "A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!" Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
-- Esther 7:5-6
These few verses scarcely do justice to this delightful story of Esther. It is a classic folktale of good versus evil, which has been repeated again and again in various guises. While it scarcely mentions God, it is designed to reveal the providential hand of God working behind the scenes, incognito, to bring about justice in this world.
The Jews were living quietly in a foreign land. An incident, which seemed far removed from them, took place in the king's palace that resulted in the deposing of the queen. A plan was put forth whereby the king could view all of the eligible young women in his kingdom and choose from among them a new queen. Esther was among the young women who were brought to the palace. Mordecai, her uncle, being aware of the prejudice against the Jews, warned her not to reveal her identity. Esther won the beauty contest and became the new queen. In the meantime, we are introduced to the classically evil Haman who advised the king. Haman was offended by the Jews' refusal to bow down to him and proceeded to develop a plot that would result in their destruction as a people. Mordecai asked Esther to intervene, but she was frightened.
Then we hear the classic line suggesting the providential hand of God in this opportunity. "Do not think that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this" (Esther 4:13-14). Esther gathered up her courage and developed an elaborate plan to win the king's favor and expose Haman and his plot against her people.
Undergirding the story is a confidence in the providence of God that is working behind the scenes to accomplish the divine purpose. There is also a belief that as believers we are placed in positions to assist God in defeating evil in this world. If we refuse to participate, God's purpose will be accomplished in another way, but we will suffer the consequences of our refusal. Both the providence of God and the capacity of human free will are preserved in this story. For churches that refuse to become involved in correcting injustice, it is a cautionary tale. For humans who suffer from those injustices, it is a story of hope.
Psalm 124
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
-- Psalm 124:8
The Bible is quite clear that we are continually in a struggle between good and evil in our lives. It was important for Israel, situated as they were in a crossroads between superpowers that sought to conquer their world, to believe that someone greater than any power on earth protected them. While God was an invisible presence, signs of that help were often hidden in the mysterious ways in which events unfolded. The seemingly miraculous way in which they continued to escape the threats to their existence over time gave them confidence that God was faithful to them. They told and retold the formative story of their escape from Egypt, but then they included other stories of rescue both in the country and even later in exile, as with the story of Esther. Each time they rehearsed their history, they could say again, "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us, then they would have swallowed us up alive ..." (vv. 2-3). They knew that they could not explain the miracle of their existence by virtue of their cleverness, strength, or resources.
Their own history reminded them that they existed due to the grace of God and not by their works lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:9). It was almost with a sense of giddy unbelief that they could say, "Blessed be the Lord who has not given us as prey to their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken and we have escaped" (vv. 6-7). The temptation of life is to assume that we are in charge of our own future and that we shape our own destiny. Often that illusion is created by virtue of a selective amnesia that overlooks the many ways in which our life is gifted. It is in rehearsing the memory of our life that, with eyes of faith, we can join the psalmist in saying, "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side...." It is that awareness that enables us to affirm again and again, "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."
James 5:13-20
The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
-- James 5:16b
In a time when people, even believers, are quick to dismiss the church as a nonessential add-on to the more important personal journey of faith, the words of James are instructive. It is the communal gathering of the people of faith that encourages and nurtures our life in faith. It is too easy as an individual to allow our sufferings to throw us into despair. It is equally tempting in good times to forget the source of our blessings. It is the community of faith that reminds us that if we are suffering, we should pray; and if we are cheerful, we should sing songs of praise.
When we are ill, we are not left alone. It is the responsibility of the elders to bring the resources of faith to bear on our illness. At the same time, it is the church to which we should come to seek forgiveness for our sins. There is a power in the community of faith that is not available to the individual. "Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed" (v. 16). It is popular in our individualistic society to excuse our dismissal of the church through pointing out the failures of the church. While most churches provide plenty of evidence of their failure to demonstrate the faith they proclaim, they also provide the arena in which we can grow in the faith.
Paul recognized from the beginning that the treasure of the faith was contained in the clay jars of the church (2 Corinthians 4:7), but he saw in that very fact the power of God at work. James had admonished his people for their many shortcomings. Yet it is to the church, with all its frailties, that he called the people. It is the church that preserves the scriptures, the rituals that nurture us, and the opportunity for praise that points us to the giver of all that we have. It is the church that both invites and offers forgiveness as we grow in our understanding of the grace of God. It is the church that reminds us that "the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective."
Mark 9:38-50
Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.
-- Mark 9:38
The issue of inclusion and exclusion has plagued the church from its beginning and continues today. Denominational divisions have solidified around who has proper beliefs or practices. Churches have shown far less openness than the one that they affirm as their Lord has. "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me" (v. 29). What a prescription for ecumenical cooperation! Imagine the impact of all Christian communities recognizing and affirming the ministry we share in the name of our Lord. The sense of competition, even among churches of the same denomination, continues to demean the testimony of our faith. These verses follow immediately upon the story of the disciples arguing about who is the greatest and seem to reflect this same attitude of competition. To our shame, we need to recognize that more than one potential believer has been discouraged by this very attitude among the churches.
It makes Jesus' warning very potent. "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea" (v. 42). But the question always arises as to how far we should carry this openness. Many of the issues we argue about are very important. Jesus took a very strong stand against such reasoning. It is clear in Leviticus 21:16-24 that certain imperfections in the body made one unworthy to approach God. Now Jesus instructed his disciples to mutilate their body in precisely the manner that Leviticus warned about rather than to cause them to stumble in their faith. It is better to risk our own purity than to have that purity be the cause of our stumbling in the faith.
In the end, we are all dependent on the grace and forgiveness of God. Of course this will mean a lot of variety among Christians, but it could lend itself to the vitality of the community as a whole. It is like salt that flavors our food. "Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another" (v. 50). It is a prescription worthy of the churches of Christ.
