The Gospel for October 28,2004 (St. Simon and St. Jude)
Luke 11:53-12:12 When he left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on innumerable questions, lying in wait to catch him out in something he might say. Meanwhile the people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And he began to speak, first of all to his disciples. ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed from the housetops. ‘To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, he is the one to fear. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows. ‘I tell you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, the Son of man will declare himself for him in the presence of God’s angels. But anyone who disowns me in the presence of human beings will be disowned in the presence of God’s angels. ‘Everyone who says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven, but no one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven. ‘When they take you before synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say, because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study Yeast in the first century represented a substance that, when applied in a minute quantity, had great influence. Today, we might think of Yeast as a "highly leveraged" substance. The yeast of the pharisees was their attention to minutiae at the expense of loving God and neighbor: in short, their corruption. Today's Psalm reminds us that God does not need our sacrifices, but our hearts -- an attitude, not overt "holy actions" to impress those around us without impressing YHWH at all.
What we think in secret cannot be hidden from our hearts or our God. Jesus continues to tell those assembled that he continues to demand complete allegiance, and will return it fully before God and His Angels; but He warns that God's great gift of the Holy Spirit is not to be dallied with, as the Spirit is the means of the goodness of our humanity and the author of the gifts we exhibit. The paraclete, the comforter, will find ways to speak God's words if we are without worry about what we might say; we are not qualified to speak for God, but His Holy Spirit will always speak clearly and well, if only we will let Him.
A Reflection The daily lectionary has been using a book from the Apochrypha -- Ben Sirach (or Ecclesiastes as it is sometimes known) -- for the Hebrew Bible reading. A part of "wisdom literature," these readings often mention the habit of gossip, or spreading scandal, as well as other intemperate acts of omission and commission.
I have uncovered gossip spread about me, and found it extremely unpleasant (and unnerving) to know that someone has started a rumor and that others have picked it up and spread it. But have I, like other humans, taken the opportunity to talk about someone else, to believe the worst about him or her? Is that not the same sin for which Jesus roasts the Pharisees here, hypocrisy? Of course it is.
One of the great values in a daily reading of the scriptures is that the habit presents us with a mirror into which we may look, with the lights turned very bright. We often see parts about ourselves that aren't so attractive as we thought they were; the moral surgery required to repair the defects is painful, because we're forced to recall more of God's ways for us, and to put them into practice -- if we are to honor the gifts given us by the Spirit. And there's no anesthesia for this surgery other than prayer.
The Collect
O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles, and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Luke 11:37-52 He had just finished speaking when a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and sat down at table. The Pharisee saw this and was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal. But the Lord said to him, ‘You Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness. Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too? Instead, give alms from what you have and, look, everything will be clean for you. But alas for you Pharisees, because you pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and neglect justice and the love of God! These you should have practised, without neglecting the others. Alas for you Pharisees, because you like to take the seats of honour in the synagogues and to be greeted respectfully in the market squares! Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that people walk on without knowing it!’ A lawyer then spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘when you speak like this you insult us too.’ But he said, ‘Alas for you lawyers as well, because you load on people burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not touch with your fingertips. ‘Alas for you because you build tombs for the prophets, the people your ancestors killed! In this way you both witness to what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the building. ‘And that is why the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will slaughter and persecute, so that this generation will have to answer for every prophet’s blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the Temple.” Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all. ‘Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselves and have prevented others from going in who wanted to.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study "They did the killing, you do the building."
If ever a lawyer were allowed to write for the Bible, this surely would be among the prize-winners. It has power. It has substance. It has brevity. It resonates in hearts. And it cleaves the one from the other in action while uniting them in purpose. It is breathtaking in its brevity, its simplicity, its ardor, and its straight-to-the-point accuracy.
A Reflection Jesus, in talking to the lawyers of the Law and their clients, the Pharisees, had had it with them. Knowing what was about to happen to his apostles and disciples -- and Himself -- he must have been aghast at how horribly effectively we men are able to repeat history's errors.
He had been politely reminded over his eschewal of the Pharisaic adherence to ritual washing: this much water, poured slowly from fingertip to wrist; rubbing the palms together for this long; this much water poured from wrist to fingertip.
And the scribes (the lawyers) had figured out ways to get around the very Law they interpreted. It was unLawful to carry a thing from house to house. But if one person picked it up, and another deposited it, then it became lawful, because it was unlawful only if one person did the whole thing. Simple: two people can do the work on the Sabbath that is forbidden to one of them.
This labyrinthine code had been heaped on the people of Israel by those who were theoretically preserving Israel's culture and history. In fact, the scribes were working out ways to get around the very Law they interpreted to be a burden to those who worked the six days; and they, the interpreters, were figuring out ways to make the Sabbath a burden as well with all the proscriptions they could wring out of the Law.
Is it any wonder that the man who could say "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." would have different thoughts about those who kept them poor?
A Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
