Proper 26
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook, SERIES II
for use with Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
Comments on the Lessons
The Haggai reading gives good eschatological material as we approach the end of the liturgical year. It has the same theme as the Gospel, that the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost. Haggai speaks of the new temple which will replace the one in ruins and will have even greater splendor. The Exodus passage has the theme of the theophany which was anticipated in Exodus 33:17-23, as the Lord descended from the cloud and stood with Moses and spoke to him. The reading from Wisdom declares that God's punishment is always tempered by mercy. Punishment is intended to lead to repentance. Two themes in the 2 Thessalonians passage are (1) the judgment of God and (2) the Day of the Lord. Luke gives the account of Zacchaeus the short man who climbed into a tree to see Jesus. Jesus explained he was destined to stay at Zacchaeus' house. Zacchaeus repented of his dishonesty as a tax collector, vowing to give half his goods to the poor, and from the other half to make restitution four-fold to those he had wronged. Jesus declared that salvation had come to his house, for the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.
Commentary
Haggai 2:1-9 (C)
The theme here is the glory of the new temple, which will be even greater than that of the old building which by now only a few elderly people can remember. The new temple may have been small (we don't know its size), but the promise is that its splendor will be even greater than the former one. Haggai spoke in the seventh month (the equivalent on modern calendars is mid-September to mid-October). Haggai sees God's Spirit standing in Israel's midst and so is reminded of the Exodus: "according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt." Haggai reminds the people of their covenant faith and points forward to the great new work God is about to do for the people. "Shake," verse 7, is often used to describe God's judgment in political turmoil. Here the writer seems to refer to the disorder of the accession of King Darius, which for the prophet is preparation for the restoration of Israel for her former glory under David. Israel was always strongest politically when the great nations of the Near East were weak.
The immediate promise is that the treasures of all nations shall come to the temple. God made the silver and gold and will claim it as his own. From the prophet's perspective, God is the chief actor in history. Thus victory of God's Kingdom will take place "in a little while." (v. 6) This does not mean "after a long time," but rather "in the immediate future." He associates the new day with the rise of Zerubbabel. (2:20-23) The word "prosperity" (v. 9) is often translated "peace." This gives it broader scope and does not limit it to material prosperitiy alone. Shalom, the Hebrew word for peace, may intend a play on the word Jerusalem. Jerusalem will have peace so that the rebuilding can go on without interruption.
Exodus 34:5-9 (L)
Moses is commanded in the preceding verses to cut two tables of stone out of the rock of Mount Sinai. Moses has already climbed the mountain. God descends on the mountain. It is hard to tell whether "him" in verse 5 refers to Moses or to God. Moses honors God by calling on his name when
God appears. According to verse 6a, God only passes before Moses and speaks to Moses from a distant place, shrouded in mystery. The theophany anticipated in Exodus 33:17-23 takes place now.
In verse 8 we have Moses' reaction to God's appearance or "passing by." Moses bows his head and worships God.
God's long address to Moses in verses 6ab-7 is made up of customary stereotyped phrases, and seems out of place in front of verse 8. Moses finds favor in God's sight. Moses asks God to go in the midst of Israel, although it is a stiff-necked people, pardon their iniquity and sin, and take Israel for his inheritance. This is the language of the liturgy of the covenant. Moses' prayer for pardon is the basis for the renewal of the covenant.
God discloses to Moses that he is the God of steadfast love, but this does not exclude God's judgment on sin. In verses 6-7 we have a summary of God's attributes, material which is probably an old cultic confession, and is found in other places in the Old Testament. (Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, 31)
This description of God as one who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin ... but who by no means clear(s) the guilty, sets the God of Israel apart from all other gods, both then and now. The preacher may want to contrast the God of Israel and his dealings with his people then and now, with the gods of other religions in order to show the distinctive uniqueness of Israel's God. God's revelation in Jesus Christ further and completely reveals his love and justice in Jesus Christ's death on the Cross. God who revealed himself only to a few, like Moses, in the Old Testament has now revealed himself to all through Christ.
Wisdom 11:22--12:1 (RC)
God is such a great God that in his sight the whole world is like a grain of dust that doesn't even tip the scales. This is the literal reading of this pericope. The translator has put it, "tips the scales." The theme of this reading is: God spares human beings because he loves them. God's power is irresistible (v. 21), and is for this reason free of restraint. God loves all that he has made: "You are merciful to all, because you can do all things and overlook men's sins so that they can repent." (v. 23) God does not abhor anything he has made. The writer is confident that if God had hated anything he would not have formed it. And nothing exists without God's willing it to be.
God spares all things because all things are his. God is the lover of life and his imperishable spirit is in all. This is the most forceful expression in all of Scripture of God's love for all things. The imperishable spirit is either Wisdom as the agent of God's immanence, or else the breath of life which God put in his creatures. (Genesis 2:7) Note this is not the Stoic spirit or soul of the world. It is rather the breath of life infused into the creatures by God their creator.
Someone has said that the ultimate question of philosophy is, "Is this a friendly universe?" The answer of Wisdom is a resounding "Yes!" for God loves all that he has made and has made nothing that he hates. The world needs to hear this message of the Creator's love. The preacher may want to point out some of the evidence against this being a friendly universe, and then contrast this with evidence for love being the ultimate affirmation, which the Christian gives because of God's love revealed in Christ on the Cross.
2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 (C)
2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12 (L)
2 Thessalonians 1:11--2:2 (RC)
Scholars are divided over whether or not Paul was the author of this letter or whether it was written in the name of Paul but not by him. The reader is referred to a critical commentary introduction for a discussion of authorship. For the sake of convenience we will refer to the author as Paul.
The theme of 1:3-12 is Paul's gratitude for the church's fidelity. The church at Thessalonica was sharply oppressed by the synagogue, which saw Christianity as an heretical sect. The Christian community here was also disturbed within by the expectation of the second coming of Christ, and by a vivid sense of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. This second letter of Paul's followed soon after the first one.
In verses 1-2 we have the salutation in which Paul, Silvanus and Timothy greet the church at Thessalonica. Verses 3-4 are the thanksgiving, similar to that in Romans 1:8-15. There is a formality about this letter, evidenced by the writers' saying they are "bound to give thanks" to God always for the brethren, and adding "as is fitting" (because their faith is growing and their love for one another is increasing). They praise the church for its character in persecution.
The writers boast of this congregation among the other churches of God, because of their steadfastness and faith under persecutions, and in the afflictions they are enduring.
The writers turn from reflecting on the virtues of the church to the judgment which God will bring on those who afflict it. They see the church as being brought, through the discipline of these afflictions, to the position of being made worthy of the Kingdom of God. The KJV reading of "counted worthy" is preferable to the RSV reading since it is more in line with Paul's usage.
The endurance of the Thessalonian disciples is the evidence that God is supporting them because they belong to him.
The revelation of the Lord Jesus is the theme of 1:7b-10. In the future judgment, the roles of the afflicted and afflicters will be reversed. There is an indefinite time when this will occur. Those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. Note that this is to be eternal destruction, not annihilation. It is endless destruction in separation from Christ.
In verses 11-12 the authors offer up a prayer for God's blessing, that God may make them worthy of their call ("deem worthy" is better), and that the name of our Lord Jesus may be gloried in them.
Next the writers deal with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, which was a burning issue for the church. "Assembling" was a technical term in apocalyptic literature, referring to the final gathering of Israel out of the dispersion. But here it is applied to Christians. There were false teachers who had disturbed the church. The church is urged not to be "shaken in mind or excited" over the day of the Lord. The word "shaken" always means violent unsettling, as the prison was shaken by an earthquake in Philippi. In classical Greek the word "excited" means "to cry aloud" and to be violently disturbed. It was chiefly used in tragedy. Thus, shaken and excited are words indicating the great excitement at Thessalonica. It seems someone had even forged a letter in Paul's name, concerning the day of the Lord. One or more people had been spreading false teaching about the day of the Lord and Paul is trying to clear up the matter. This new teaching may have come from the utterance of an ecstatic individual.
In 2:1-12 the writers deal with the events of the End Time, and the purpose of the letter is revealed in this passage. The movement which Paul opposes here was a radical transformation of the Gospel. According to this non-Pauline alternative, the future redemption of the whole world was given up for the sake of the present salvation of believers, thus repudiating a future consummation and the redemption of history as a whole and of nature. This false teaching held that full salvation was available here-and-now. This seems to have been a notion out of Gnosticism, a movement which claimed to have a saving knowledge from Christ. Paul is holding out for the position that full salvation comes only when all history and all the cosmos is redeemed and God's kingship is fulfilled at the End Time. Christians, then as now, live "between the times" of Christ's resurrection and his coming again.
Luke 19:1-10
This story, found only in Luke, continues to address the question "Who receives the kingdom?" The passage is divided into:
(1) the introduction, verses 1-4
(2) the encounter, verses 5-7
(3) Zacchaeus' conversion, verses 8-9 and
(4) the conclusion, verse 10
It seems Zacchaeus "stood" in his home and there made his confession. (v. 8)
Jericho was a customs point for goods entering Palestine from the east. As chief tax collector, Zacchaeus received a share of all the taxes collected by those under him as well as through his own collections. He had become wealthy as a result. The title "chief tax collector" is not found anywhere else in Greek literature, so its meaning is in doubt. He may have been a tax contractor who had bought the local taxation rights from the Roman authorities. Whatever his rank, he was detested as a collaborator with the enemy and was socially ostracized. He undoubtedly had heard of Jesus and may have known of Levi's conversion. (5:27ff) He was sincerely interested in and open to the message of Jesus. Jesus calls him a true son of Abraham, which means he shares the faith and does the works of Abraham. Zacchaeus not only received the Kingdom message but also the messianic salvation, which shows he is a son of Abraham. Salvation came to his house.
Zacchaeus' strong urge to see Jesus made him risk going out into the streets. Because he was short, he climbed up into a sycamore tree, in order to see Jesus. When Jesus came by, he looked up, saw him, and called to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." The thrust of Jesus' words is that it is destined that Jesus stay at his house. Zacchaeus got more than he hoped for. A celebrity has come to the house of a short man who showed initiative!
So he came down from the tree quickly and received Jesus joyfully. But those who saw it murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Literally, the Greek says, "has entered to find lodging with a sinful human being." Zacchaeus, having heard the grumbling of the crowd, stops and speaks to Jesus deferentially.
"Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor," he says. This is a voluntary offering. He does not seem to be following any regulation. But contrast his action with that of the rich young ruler, with Dives, and with other wealthy people. Then he promises to make restitution four-fold to any he has defrauded in taxes. The Greek literally says, "If I have shaken anything down from anyone." This refers to extortion through kickbacks or blackmail. The implication is that he has not done this deliberately, but if he has discovered this in his past he takes action to make restitution. Four-fold restitution was known in the Old Testament: "four sheep for a sheep" (Exodus 22:1), and was found in Roman Law.
Jesus replied that "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." Salvation is the primary Lucan effect of the Christ-event. The story shows that even a Jew like Zacchaeus could be restored to a sound relationship with God. Notice the contrast between salvation coming to his house that day (on the one hand) and the grumbling of the critical crowd (on the other).
The focus of the story is found in the correspondence between Jesus' initiative in bringing salvation to Zacchaeus' house and Zacchaeus' initiative. Jesus gives the assurance of the reality of salvation which has already taken place in the secret of Zacchaeus' soul. This assurance rests on a transformed life, and on the witness of Jesus. The story tells us that Jesus comes in to a person, as he has promised: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20) The story also shows how Jesus draws a person, inspiring in a person a blind feeling that brings the person to him although he is still hidden and unknown. Jesus, in time, reveals himself to the person so drawn.
The story of Charles Colson of Watergate fame, or of other persons who have had a dramatic turnabout in life, prompted by the power of Christ, may be used to illustrate the sermon. The preacher may know of a person whose life was turned around in a dramatic fashion by the Spirit of the living Christ. The point of the sermon should be clear, that the Living Christ can transform the listener's life, just as Zacchaeus' life was transformed.
Theological Reflections
The Haggai passage foretells the new temple with greater splendor than the old, and the gift of prosperity to Israel. The Exodus reading tells of God's revelation of himself to Moses on Mount Sinai, and Moses' prayer for God to pardon the sins of Israel and take her for God's inheritance. The Wisdom reading gives an assurance of God's love of all his creation and a mercy in God which allows humans to repent and be pardoned. Judgment by God and the Day of the Lord are two themes of the 2 Thessalonians reading. God will judge those who afflict his church and they shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction. The Day of the Lord is yet to come, says Paul, when Christ will come as Lord and all history and the cosmos will be redeemed. Luke tells of Zacchaeus, who sought out Jesus, gave half his goods to the poor and offered to make restitution to any he had defrauded. Jesus assured those watching that salvation had come to his house and that he was a son of Abraham.
Homiletical Moves
Haggai 2:1-9 (C)
"In This Place I Will Give Prosperity," Says the Lord
1. Some who recall the old temple that lay in ruins cannot imagine a new temple with greater splendor
2. God assures Israel that he is with her and urges her to take courage, for he abides with Israel
3. God promises to shake the heavens and all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come to the temple
4. God promises that the splendor of the new temple will be greater than that of the old, and promises prosperity and peace to Israel
5. God has come into the world in Jesus Christ, who has replaced the temple and its sacrifices by his death on the Cross
6. Let us trust God to give peace and prosperity to those who believe his promises and do his will
Exodus 34:5-9 (L)
The Lord Reveals Himself to Moses
1. God appears to Moses on Mount Sinai and stands with him there
2. God declares that he is a God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgresssion and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty
3. Moses bows and worships God and asks God to go into the midst of Israel to pardon her iniquity and sin and take her as his inheritance
4. God has appeared to us in Christ as the God of suffering love, who judges sin but is merciful to sinners
5. Let us repent of our sins, turn to God in humble trust, and follow his commandments
Wisdom 11:22--12:1 (RC)
The God Who Loves All That Lives
1. God is so great that in his sight the whole world is like a grain that just tips the scale
2. God is merciful to humans because he can do all things
3. God overlooks the sins of humans to bring them to repentance
4. God loves all that lives, for his imperishable breath is in them all
5. Let us trust in God's goodness and mercy and follow him all the days of our lives
2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 (C)
2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12 (L)
2 Thessalonians 1:11--2:2 (RC)
May God Make You Worthy of His Call
1. Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonian church which has remained steadfast and kept the faith during afflictions outside and within
2. God will judge those who afflict his church when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven
3. Those who afflict the church will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction
4. May God make you worthy of his call and fulfill every good resolve and work of faith by his power, so that the name of Jesus may be glorified in you
5. The Day of the Lord is yet to come, so do not be led into false teaching about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
6. Be steadfast and faithful until Christ's return
This Preacher's Preference
Luke 19:1-10
The Short Man Who Saw Jesus and Was Saved!
1. Zacchaeus, a short man who was a rich tax collector in Jericho, climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus as he passed by
2. Jesus looked up, saw him, and called him to come down so he could stay that day in his house
3. Those who saw it murmured that Jesus had gone to be the guest of a man who was a sinner
4. Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully and told him he would give half his wealth to the poor, making restitution four-fold to any he had defrauded
5. Jesus declared that salvation had come to Zacchaeus' house and that he was a son of Abraham, since the Son of man came to seek and save the lost
6. Let us seek Jesus and we will find he is already looking for us; let us repent and joyfully receive him into our lives
7. Let us give generously of our wealth to the poor and make restitution to those we have wronged, in response to God's love in Christ
Hymn for Proper 26: How Firm a Foundation
Prayer
Gracious God, who loves all the things you have created and who is merciful to all, we repent of our sin and turn to you in faith. We thank you for the revelation of yourself in Jesus Christ as a God of suffering love. May we so live in joyful obedience to you that we may know the joy of your salvation. Amen
The Haggai reading gives good eschatological material as we approach the end of the liturgical year. It has the same theme as the Gospel, that the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost. Haggai speaks of the new temple which will replace the one in ruins and will have even greater splendor. The Exodus passage has the theme of the theophany which was anticipated in Exodus 33:17-23, as the Lord descended from the cloud and stood with Moses and spoke to him. The reading from Wisdom declares that God's punishment is always tempered by mercy. Punishment is intended to lead to repentance. Two themes in the 2 Thessalonians passage are (1) the judgment of God and (2) the Day of the Lord. Luke gives the account of Zacchaeus the short man who climbed into a tree to see Jesus. Jesus explained he was destined to stay at Zacchaeus' house. Zacchaeus repented of his dishonesty as a tax collector, vowing to give half his goods to the poor, and from the other half to make restitution four-fold to those he had wronged. Jesus declared that salvation had come to his house, for the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.
Commentary
Haggai 2:1-9 (C)
The theme here is the glory of the new temple, which will be even greater than that of the old building which by now only a few elderly people can remember. The new temple may have been small (we don't know its size), but the promise is that its splendor will be even greater than the former one. Haggai spoke in the seventh month (the equivalent on modern calendars is mid-September to mid-October). Haggai sees God's Spirit standing in Israel's midst and so is reminded of the Exodus: "according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt." Haggai reminds the people of their covenant faith and points forward to the great new work God is about to do for the people. "Shake," verse 7, is often used to describe God's judgment in political turmoil. Here the writer seems to refer to the disorder of the accession of King Darius, which for the prophet is preparation for the restoration of Israel for her former glory under David. Israel was always strongest politically when the great nations of the Near East were weak.
The immediate promise is that the treasures of all nations shall come to the temple. God made the silver and gold and will claim it as his own. From the prophet's perspective, God is the chief actor in history. Thus victory of God's Kingdom will take place "in a little while." (v. 6) This does not mean "after a long time," but rather "in the immediate future." He associates the new day with the rise of Zerubbabel. (2:20-23) The word "prosperity" (v. 9) is often translated "peace." This gives it broader scope and does not limit it to material prosperitiy alone. Shalom, the Hebrew word for peace, may intend a play on the word Jerusalem. Jerusalem will have peace so that the rebuilding can go on without interruption.
Exodus 34:5-9 (L)
Moses is commanded in the preceding verses to cut two tables of stone out of the rock of Mount Sinai. Moses has already climbed the mountain. God descends on the mountain. It is hard to tell whether "him" in verse 5 refers to Moses or to God. Moses honors God by calling on his name when
God appears. According to verse 6a, God only passes before Moses and speaks to Moses from a distant place, shrouded in mystery. The theophany anticipated in Exodus 33:17-23 takes place now.
In verse 8 we have Moses' reaction to God's appearance or "passing by." Moses bows his head and worships God.
God's long address to Moses in verses 6ab-7 is made up of customary stereotyped phrases, and seems out of place in front of verse 8. Moses finds favor in God's sight. Moses asks God to go in the midst of Israel, although it is a stiff-necked people, pardon their iniquity and sin, and take Israel for his inheritance. This is the language of the liturgy of the covenant. Moses' prayer for pardon is the basis for the renewal of the covenant.
God discloses to Moses that he is the God of steadfast love, but this does not exclude God's judgment on sin. In verses 6-7 we have a summary of God's attributes, material which is probably an old cultic confession, and is found in other places in the Old Testament. (Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, 31)
This description of God as one who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin ... but who by no means clear(s) the guilty, sets the God of Israel apart from all other gods, both then and now. The preacher may want to contrast the God of Israel and his dealings with his people then and now, with the gods of other religions in order to show the distinctive uniqueness of Israel's God. God's revelation in Jesus Christ further and completely reveals his love and justice in Jesus Christ's death on the Cross. God who revealed himself only to a few, like Moses, in the Old Testament has now revealed himself to all through Christ.
Wisdom 11:22--12:1 (RC)
God is such a great God that in his sight the whole world is like a grain of dust that doesn't even tip the scales. This is the literal reading of this pericope. The translator has put it, "tips the scales." The theme of this reading is: God spares human beings because he loves them. God's power is irresistible (v. 21), and is for this reason free of restraint. God loves all that he has made: "You are merciful to all, because you can do all things and overlook men's sins so that they can repent." (v. 23) God does not abhor anything he has made. The writer is confident that if God had hated anything he would not have formed it. And nothing exists without God's willing it to be.
God spares all things because all things are his. God is the lover of life and his imperishable spirit is in all. This is the most forceful expression in all of Scripture of God's love for all things. The imperishable spirit is either Wisdom as the agent of God's immanence, or else the breath of life which God put in his creatures. (Genesis 2:7) Note this is not the Stoic spirit or soul of the world. It is rather the breath of life infused into the creatures by God their creator.
Someone has said that the ultimate question of philosophy is, "Is this a friendly universe?" The answer of Wisdom is a resounding "Yes!" for God loves all that he has made and has made nothing that he hates. The world needs to hear this message of the Creator's love. The preacher may want to point out some of the evidence against this being a friendly universe, and then contrast this with evidence for love being the ultimate affirmation, which the Christian gives because of God's love revealed in Christ on the Cross.
2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 (C)
2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12 (L)
2 Thessalonians 1:11--2:2 (RC)
Scholars are divided over whether or not Paul was the author of this letter or whether it was written in the name of Paul but not by him. The reader is referred to a critical commentary introduction for a discussion of authorship. For the sake of convenience we will refer to the author as Paul.
The theme of 1:3-12 is Paul's gratitude for the church's fidelity. The church at Thessalonica was sharply oppressed by the synagogue, which saw Christianity as an heretical sect. The Christian community here was also disturbed within by the expectation of the second coming of Christ, and by a vivid sense of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. This second letter of Paul's followed soon after the first one.
In verses 1-2 we have the salutation in which Paul, Silvanus and Timothy greet the church at Thessalonica. Verses 3-4 are the thanksgiving, similar to that in Romans 1:8-15. There is a formality about this letter, evidenced by the writers' saying they are "bound to give thanks" to God always for the brethren, and adding "as is fitting" (because their faith is growing and their love for one another is increasing). They praise the church for its character in persecution.
The writers boast of this congregation among the other churches of God, because of their steadfastness and faith under persecutions, and in the afflictions they are enduring.
The writers turn from reflecting on the virtues of the church to the judgment which God will bring on those who afflict it. They see the church as being brought, through the discipline of these afflictions, to the position of being made worthy of the Kingdom of God. The KJV reading of "counted worthy" is preferable to the RSV reading since it is more in line with Paul's usage.
The endurance of the Thessalonian disciples is the evidence that God is supporting them because they belong to him.
The revelation of the Lord Jesus is the theme of 1:7b-10. In the future judgment, the roles of the afflicted and afflicters will be reversed. There is an indefinite time when this will occur. Those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. Note that this is to be eternal destruction, not annihilation. It is endless destruction in separation from Christ.
In verses 11-12 the authors offer up a prayer for God's blessing, that God may make them worthy of their call ("deem worthy" is better), and that the name of our Lord Jesus may be gloried in them.
Next the writers deal with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, which was a burning issue for the church. "Assembling" was a technical term in apocalyptic literature, referring to the final gathering of Israel out of the dispersion. But here it is applied to Christians. There were false teachers who had disturbed the church. The church is urged not to be "shaken in mind or excited" over the day of the Lord. The word "shaken" always means violent unsettling, as the prison was shaken by an earthquake in Philippi. In classical Greek the word "excited" means "to cry aloud" and to be violently disturbed. It was chiefly used in tragedy. Thus, shaken and excited are words indicating the great excitement at Thessalonica. It seems someone had even forged a letter in Paul's name, concerning the day of the Lord. One or more people had been spreading false teaching about the day of the Lord and Paul is trying to clear up the matter. This new teaching may have come from the utterance of an ecstatic individual.
In 2:1-12 the writers deal with the events of the End Time, and the purpose of the letter is revealed in this passage. The movement which Paul opposes here was a radical transformation of the Gospel. According to this non-Pauline alternative, the future redemption of the whole world was given up for the sake of the present salvation of believers, thus repudiating a future consummation and the redemption of history as a whole and of nature. This false teaching held that full salvation was available here-and-now. This seems to have been a notion out of Gnosticism, a movement which claimed to have a saving knowledge from Christ. Paul is holding out for the position that full salvation comes only when all history and all the cosmos is redeemed and God's kingship is fulfilled at the End Time. Christians, then as now, live "between the times" of Christ's resurrection and his coming again.
Luke 19:1-10
This story, found only in Luke, continues to address the question "Who receives the kingdom?" The passage is divided into:
(1) the introduction, verses 1-4
(2) the encounter, verses 5-7
(3) Zacchaeus' conversion, verses 8-9 and
(4) the conclusion, verse 10
It seems Zacchaeus "stood" in his home and there made his confession. (v. 8)
Jericho was a customs point for goods entering Palestine from the east. As chief tax collector, Zacchaeus received a share of all the taxes collected by those under him as well as through his own collections. He had become wealthy as a result. The title "chief tax collector" is not found anywhere else in Greek literature, so its meaning is in doubt. He may have been a tax contractor who had bought the local taxation rights from the Roman authorities. Whatever his rank, he was detested as a collaborator with the enemy and was socially ostracized. He undoubtedly had heard of Jesus and may have known of Levi's conversion. (5:27ff) He was sincerely interested in and open to the message of Jesus. Jesus calls him a true son of Abraham, which means he shares the faith and does the works of Abraham. Zacchaeus not only received the Kingdom message but also the messianic salvation, which shows he is a son of Abraham. Salvation came to his house.
Zacchaeus' strong urge to see Jesus made him risk going out into the streets. Because he was short, he climbed up into a sycamore tree, in order to see Jesus. When Jesus came by, he looked up, saw him, and called to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." The thrust of Jesus' words is that it is destined that Jesus stay at his house. Zacchaeus got more than he hoped for. A celebrity has come to the house of a short man who showed initiative!
So he came down from the tree quickly and received Jesus joyfully. But those who saw it murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Literally, the Greek says, "has entered to find lodging with a sinful human being." Zacchaeus, having heard the grumbling of the crowd, stops and speaks to Jesus deferentially.
"Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor," he says. This is a voluntary offering. He does not seem to be following any regulation. But contrast his action with that of the rich young ruler, with Dives, and with other wealthy people. Then he promises to make restitution four-fold to any he has defrauded in taxes. The Greek literally says, "If I have shaken anything down from anyone." This refers to extortion through kickbacks or blackmail. The implication is that he has not done this deliberately, but if he has discovered this in his past he takes action to make restitution. Four-fold restitution was known in the Old Testament: "four sheep for a sheep" (Exodus 22:1), and was found in Roman Law.
Jesus replied that "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." Salvation is the primary Lucan effect of the Christ-event. The story shows that even a Jew like Zacchaeus could be restored to a sound relationship with God. Notice the contrast between salvation coming to his house that day (on the one hand) and the grumbling of the critical crowd (on the other).
The focus of the story is found in the correspondence between Jesus' initiative in bringing salvation to Zacchaeus' house and Zacchaeus' initiative. Jesus gives the assurance of the reality of salvation which has already taken place in the secret of Zacchaeus' soul. This assurance rests on a transformed life, and on the witness of Jesus. The story tells us that Jesus comes in to a person, as he has promised: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20) The story also shows how Jesus draws a person, inspiring in a person a blind feeling that brings the person to him although he is still hidden and unknown. Jesus, in time, reveals himself to the person so drawn.
The story of Charles Colson of Watergate fame, or of other persons who have had a dramatic turnabout in life, prompted by the power of Christ, may be used to illustrate the sermon. The preacher may know of a person whose life was turned around in a dramatic fashion by the Spirit of the living Christ. The point of the sermon should be clear, that the Living Christ can transform the listener's life, just as Zacchaeus' life was transformed.
Theological Reflections
The Haggai passage foretells the new temple with greater splendor than the old, and the gift of prosperity to Israel. The Exodus reading tells of God's revelation of himself to Moses on Mount Sinai, and Moses' prayer for God to pardon the sins of Israel and take her for God's inheritance. The Wisdom reading gives an assurance of God's love of all his creation and a mercy in God which allows humans to repent and be pardoned. Judgment by God and the Day of the Lord are two themes of the 2 Thessalonians reading. God will judge those who afflict his church and they shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction. The Day of the Lord is yet to come, says Paul, when Christ will come as Lord and all history and the cosmos will be redeemed. Luke tells of Zacchaeus, who sought out Jesus, gave half his goods to the poor and offered to make restitution to any he had defrauded. Jesus assured those watching that salvation had come to his house and that he was a son of Abraham.
Homiletical Moves
Haggai 2:1-9 (C)
"In This Place I Will Give Prosperity," Says the Lord
1. Some who recall the old temple that lay in ruins cannot imagine a new temple with greater splendor
2. God assures Israel that he is with her and urges her to take courage, for he abides with Israel
3. God promises to shake the heavens and all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come to the temple
4. God promises that the splendor of the new temple will be greater than that of the old, and promises prosperity and peace to Israel
5. God has come into the world in Jesus Christ, who has replaced the temple and its sacrifices by his death on the Cross
6. Let us trust God to give peace and prosperity to those who believe his promises and do his will
Exodus 34:5-9 (L)
The Lord Reveals Himself to Moses
1. God appears to Moses on Mount Sinai and stands with him there
2. God declares that he is a God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgresssion and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty
3. Moses bows and worships God and asks God to go into the midst of Israel to pardon her iniquity and sin and take her as his inheritance
4. God has appeared to us in Christ as the God of suffering love, who judges sin but is merciful to sinners
5. Let us repent of our sins, turn to God in humble trust, and follow his commandments
Wisdom 11:22--12:1 (RC)
The God Who Loves All That Lives
1. God is so great that in his sight the whole world is like a grain that just tips the scale
2. God is merciful to humans because he can do all things
3. God overlooks the sins of humans to bring them to repentance
4. God loves all that lives, for his imperishable breath is in them all
5. Let us trust in God's goodness and mercy and follow him all the days of our lives
2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 (C)
2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12 (L)
2 Thessalonians 1:11--2:2 (RC)
May God Make You Worthy of His Call
1. Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonian church which has remained steadfast and kept the faith during afflictions outside and within
2. God will judge those who afflict his church when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven
3. Those who afflict the church will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction
4. May God make you worthy of his call and fulfill every good resolve and work of faith by his power, so that the name of Jesus may be glorified in you
5. The Day of the Lord is yet to come, so do not be led into false teaching about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
6. Be steadfast and faithful until Christ's return
This Preacher's Preference
Luke 19:1-10
The Short Man Who Saw Jesus and Was Saved!
1. Zacchaeus, a short man who was a rich tax collector in Jericho, climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus as he passed by
2. Jesus looked up, saw him, and called him to come down so he could stay that day in his house
3. Those who saw it murmured that Jesus had gone to be the guest of a man who was a sinner
4. Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully and told him he would give half his wealth to the poor, making restitution four-fold to any he had defrauded
5. Jesus declared that salvation had come to Zacchaeus' house and that he was a son of Abraham, since the Son of man came to seek and save the lost
6. Let us seek Jesus and we will find he is already looking for us; let us repent and joyfully receive him into our lives
7. Let us give generously of our wealth to the poor and make restitution to those we have wronged, in response to God's love in Christ
Hymn for Proper 26: How Firm a Foundation
Prayer
Gracious God, who loves all the things you have created and who is merciful to all, we repent of our sin and turn to you in faith. We thank you for the revelation of yourself in Jesus Christ as a God of suffering love. May we so live in joyful obedience to you that we may know the joy of your salvation. Amen
