Bible Tuesday for Pentecost 2, 2017

Exodus 19:2-8

2They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.3Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites:4You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, 6but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.” 7So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8The people all answered as one: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.

This story takes places just over two months after Israel left Egypt. It is the transitional story which moves the Exodus narrative from the escape from Egypt into the giving of the law. Moses’ journey has come full circle, since the wilderness of Sinai is where he shepherded for his father-in-law, Jethro, and saw the burning bush. “The arrival there heralds the fulfillment of God’s promise to Moses. Having redeemed Israel, as promised, God proposes a covenant relationship, as promised. The relationship is modeled on ancient royal covenants in which a citizenry accepted a king.” Jewish Study Bible

Some ancient Israelite traditions hold that the phrase “house of Jacob” refers to the Israelite women, while “Israelites” refers to the men. If so, it is unusual that the covenant is made with both women and men, mentioning the women first. In making this covenant, God reminds Israel of what has already been done for them: “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you out myself.” God also reminds them of what God did to the enemies of the Israelites.

Note how readily the Israelites accept the covenant! And wow, how quickly they will break it!

Psalm 100

1Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

2Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.

3Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.

5For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

This psalm is a joyful call to dedicated, committed faithfulness to Yahweh. All creation on earth is called to faithfulness in verse 1. But this psalm does not admonish people to fear the Lord, but rather to rejoice in God. Why?! Because God created us and everything we see. Verse 5 refers to the covenants God has made with God’s people and how faithful God is to them, faithful forever. Verse 4 references the gates and courtyards of the Temple in Jerusalem. As such, this psalm was likely used during worship in the Temple.

“With praise” – can also be correctly translated “with a thank offering”

Romans 5:1-8

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Christianity is full of -isms and -ations which may be familiar to the reader’s ear but perhaps not easily defined.

Justified/Justification- If something is just, then it is the same for everyone. When folks want justice, they want equal treatment under the law. Justification is to make things equal. Think of justified margins; all the sentences are made equal on the right and left sides of the page, no matter their character count. In Christianity, to be justified is to be made to measure up to God’s standard, to be stretched out to equal that length no matter our lack of character. In the first sentence above, Paul tells us that we are made to measure to God’s standard through faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul goes on to say that the suffering that befalls all human beings to one extent or another is made use of by the believer. As one endures suffering and turns to Jesus through that suffering, one grows into endurance, character, and hope, all of which are fulfilled in in Jesus. What gives the faithful the ability to transform pain, loneliness, rejection, powerlessness, etc., into hope? The Holy Spirit given through the “conversation and consolation of the brothers and sisters in Christ.” Martin Luther

Matthew 9:35-10:23

35Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

10Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;4Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 9Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. 11Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12As you enter the house, greet it. 13If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Harassed and helpless – The average Jewish commoner in Jesus’ time lived a rather rough life. Life expectancy was 30 -35 years of age, though this average was made so low, in part, by a high infant mortality rate. Jewish commoners were caught between the Roman occupying forces and the corrupt Temple authorities centered in Jerusalem. The Jewish peasants were taxed and bullied by both. They were discounted and condemned by both. In the gospel of Matthew, it is to these Jewish commoners/ peasants that Jesus is sent. The Romans had no time for conquered peoples and their religions, and the Jewish authorities viewed the groveling peasants as getting what they deserve.

Lord of the Harvest-this could be understood to be God/Yahweh or God/Jesus. The remainder of the pericope is the story of Jesus sending out laborers into the harvest. Why were they to stay among the Jews and not go among the Gentiles? The covenant that God made with Israel was that God would take care of Israel and Israel, in turn, would worship God and be God’s emissaries to all the world. The gospel of Matthew teaches that the disciples are sent out among the Israelites to heal them and get them back on track to minister to the rest of the world.

There were other miracles healers in Jesus’ day, some traveling Jews as well as the Roman goddess, Asclepios. The itinerate healers required payment, and the temples to Asclepios required sacrifices. Jesus sends out the twelve to heal and preach, but only accept hospitality in return.

Verses 16 and following are prophecy for what will happen to the apostles once Jesus has returned to heaven.

“endures to the end” – those who do not deny Jesus is the messiah.

“Shake off the dust from your feet” – symbolically showing that you have taken nothing from this town, nor are you leaving anything of yourself there. They are rejected what you have to give so you give them back everything they have, including the dust that clung to your shoes while you were there.