22 October 2023: Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary time A

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Is 45:1, 4-6	Ps 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10	1 Thes 1:1-5b	Mt 22:15-21
RCL: Is 45:1-7		RCL: 1 Thes 1:1-10	RCL: Mt 22:15-22

Discipleship: loyalty to God alone

During Ordinary time the Lectionary presents stories and teachings from Jesus’ everyday ministry. This week’s readings focus on potential competing loyalties a disciple faces in living for the kingdom.

First reading (Is 45:1, 4-6)

The first reading is from Isaiah, specifically second Isaiah, who prophesied to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. This anonymous prophet lived in the sixth century BC (~550-539 BC). The interaction between the Holy One of Israel (God) and Jerusalem (the people of God) drives all of Isaiah’s narrative. Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55) offers hope for Jerusalem’s future beyond the city’s destruction and the end of the monarchy and national state.

In today’s pericope, Isaiah presents a new understanding of God. Isaiah believes that God will liberate Jerusalem, but he also knows that human agents’ actions will accomplish God’s plan. Just as God works though Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets, God now chooses Cyrus, the king of Persia and a gentile, to liberate the Jewish exiles from Babylon. Isaiah names Cyrus as God’s “anointed” (מָשִׁיחַ/mâshîyaḥ or “messiah”), a title Hebrew scripture uses to this point to identify Israel’s kings. God’s intervention in human history (“opening doors,” “leaving gates unbarred”) allows Cyrus to “subdue nations.” God anoints Cyrus “for the sake of Jacob and Israel;” that is, the Jewish people who remain captives in Babylon. Cyrus captured Babylon in 539 BC and released the exiles to return to Jerusalem in 538 BC.

The Lectionary editors chose this reading because God acts in human history, using human leaders to fulfill the divine plan.

Second reading (1 Thes 1:1-5b)

The second reading is the first part of a five-week, semi-continuous reading from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonica ekklesia. Paul wrote this letter, the earliest written document in Christian scripture, in 50-51 AD to encourage the Thessalonians’ faith and to answer questions about marriage, Jesus’ parousia, and believers’ resurrections.

In today’s pericope, Paul greets the Thessalonica ekklesia with “grace and peace.” “Grace” (χάρις/cháris) can almost summarize Paul’s gospel in one word; “peace” (שָׁלוֹם/shalom) reflects the greeting in Jewish letters. Paul thanks God for the Thessalonians’ faith, praising their dedication to others (“your work of faith“), the power of their hope (“endurance in hope“), and their response to the gospel (“how you were chosen“). Paul introduces themes of faith, hope, and election to prepare his hearers for his teaching and advice in the rest of his letter. He emphasizes that the good news came to the Thessalonians not simply in the missionaries’ words (“word alone”), but in divine power, specifically through the Spirit, whose outpouring resulted in the Thessalonians’ full conviction in the words’ truth.

The Lectionary editors chose this reading to begin Ordinary time’s semi-continuous reading from Thessalonians.

Gospel (Mt 22:15-21)

This section of Matthew’s gospel is from Jesus’ teachings in Jerusalem as his opponents question and challenge him. In today’s pericope, Jesus skillfully answers a trick question from the Pharisees and Herodians.

• Jesus’ opponents. The Pharisees were religious lay people who disagreed with the politically-appointed Temple priests’ actions and teachings. The Pharisees sought to restore the religious and theocratic kingdom of David. The Herodians were a political party who sought Jewish political independence. The Herodians sought to restore king Herod’s dynasty to Judea by collaborating with the Romans. The alliance of these two groups is highly unusual: the Herodians favored the tax; the Pharisees rejected the tax. In an honor/shame culture, the Pharisees act shamefully: rather than confronting Jesus directly, they engage spies and proxies to trap him.
• The question’s political context. The tax Matthew describes is the Roman census (κῆνσος/kēnsos) payment or “head tax” paid by every adult in the empire. When the Romans imposed direct rule on Judea in 6 AD, Rome required every man, woman, and slave between the ages of twelve and sixty-five to pay this tax in Roman currency. The tax amount was a Roman denarius, equal to a laborer’s one-day wage. Using this tax as pretext, Jesus’ opponents lay a trap. If Jesus opposes payment, he is an enemy of the state; if he advocates payment, he is a Roman collaborator.
• Jesus’ answer. Jesus recognizes the malice in his opponents’ question. Although he advises paying the tax, Jesus implies Caesar’s authority is relative and that a believer’s loyalty to God takes precedence. Although a few modern interpreters use this text as a basis for a doctrine of “church and state” separation, the text does not support that reading. Matthew’s point is to show Jesus’ skill in avoiding his opponents’ trap and to challenge his opponents to pay more attention to “God’s things.”

Summary and reflection

This week’s readings ask us to think about how we sort out our loyalties. Isaiah is clear that God, not Cyrus, acts to free the captives from Babylon. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that God’s power, not Paul’s words, stands behind their faith. Jesus criticizes his opponents for confusing God’s authority and power with Caesar’s human authority.

In a pluralistic society we can sometime be confused about who is in charge. As disciples we know that God alone deserves our attention and loyalty. Under the best conditions, God’s human agents simply fulfill the divine plan; under the worst conditions, human agents claim God’s authority as their own for their own purposes. Do we work to discern God’s acting in our lives and in the world? Do we test that leaders’ words and actions align with God’s justice and mercy? Do we grant human leaders only the authority they need, and remain loyal to the working out of God’s plan in all other times and places?

—Terence Sherlock

14 March 2021: Fourth Sunday of Lent (Lætare Sunday) B

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23	Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6	Eph 2:4-10	Jn 3:14-21
RCL: Num 21:4-9		RCL: Eph 2:1-10

Lectionary note: Scrutinies
On the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent, the Lectionary offers two sets of readings. Masses that include catechumens celebrating the Scrutinies use Year A readings; all other masses use Year B readings. This reflection uses Year B readings.

Liturgical note: Lætare Sunday

The fourth Sunday of Lent is called Lætare Sunday. The Latin verb lætare (lay-TAH-ray), which means “rejoice!” or “be joyful!”, comes from the entrance antiphon for the day:    Lætare Ierusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam.    Rejoice, Jerusalem, and come together all who love her. The liturgical color for Lent is purple, a color that reminds us of our need for metanoia: conversion and change. Lætare Sunday’s liturgical color is rose, a color that represents joy. This Sunday marks Lent’s approximate mid-point, a day to rejoice because Easter is now within sight. Traditionally this day was a day of relaxation from normal Lenten practices.

Lent: all good gifts

In the season of Lent, the believing community follows Jesus as he is tested, transfigured, cleanses the temple, explains how God loves, and announces his hour has come. This week’s readings ask us to think about God’s gifts to us.

The first reading is from the book of Chronicles, written in the fourth century BC. Chronicles retells Israel’s history from Adam through the monarchy’s end. In today’s pericope, the Chronicler describes the Babylonian exile and the Jewish people’s return. He describes exile as a divine punishment for ignoring the prophets (“they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets”). Because they rejected God’s prophets, the people “were carried captive to Babylon, where they became slaves.” The Chronicler concludes the exile on a positive note: Cyrus urges the exiled people to go back to their native land (“let him go up”). (The Chronicler presents Cyrus as believing in Israel’s God, but Persian court records show him as a polytheist.) The Lectionary editors chose this reading as part of Lent’s stories of highlights from salvation history.

The second reading is from the letter to the Ephesus ekklesia, written by an unknown author at the end of the first century. In today’s pericope, the author focuses on the gift of God’s grace. Some scholars believe that these verses are part of an early Christian hymn that celebrates God’s blessings and richness. Although believers were spiritually “dead” because of sin (“our transgressions”), through baptism they are “brought to life” with and through Christ. The parenthetical “by grace you have been saved” reminds hearers that God initiates salvation as a gift. God’s gift of grace saves us because of our faith or trust in God, not because of our actions (“works”). God created humans in Christ to do good works. This creation by God is through God’s “new creation” in baptism. God has chosen the good works beforehand (“prepared in advance”) that God wishes the believer to accomplish through his or her life (“should live in them”). The Lectionary editors chose this reading because its theme of God’s gift matches the gospel’s theme.

John’s gospel is from Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. In this first discourse, John reveals how Jesus will be “lifted up,” how Jesus saves rather than judges, and how we bring judgement on ourselves.

• The meanings of “lifted up.” Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Nm 21:4-9) to save the lives of the Israelites; the Son of Man will be lifted up on the cross to give eternal life to all who believe in him. Jesus’ “lifting up” has double meaning: he is first lifted up on the cross (his transformational death) and he is then lifted up by the Father in resurrection and glory (he is exalted at the Father’s right hand). Those who believe in this revelation gain eternal life.
• Jesus comes to save, not to judge. In Jesus’ time, some Jews believed that the messiah would come as a judge to condemn those who didn’t keep the Law. John has already stated Jesus’ mission in his Prologue: to empower humans to become God’s children (Jn 1:12). God’s gift to the world is the Son; the Son’s gift is the cross, which enables the believing ones to be saved.
• Our own choices and actions judge us. Jesus doesn’t come to judge because the one who does not believe has already condemned himself or herself. In John’s realized eschatology, we don’t need to wait for the end of the world to hear God’s final judgement. Each person judges himself or herself by accepting or rejecting God’s revelation in and through Jesus; a person’s actions (good or bad) flow from his or her choice.

Lent’s readings call us to walk with Jesus as he prepares for his transformative death. Today’s readings ask us to reflect on God’s gifts through history and on God’s gifts in our own lives. The Chronicler recounts God’s return of the captives from exile in Babylon. The Ephesians’ author meditates on God’s saving grace. John explores Jesus’ lifting up in salvation and glory. What unwarranted gifts have we received? How has God facilitated our return to someone who we lost? When has God surprised us with grace in desperate times? How has God lifted us up to save and glorify us?

—Terence Sherlock

18 October 2020: Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary time

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Is 45:1, 4-6 RCL: Is 45:1-7	Ps 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10	1 Thes 1:1-5b RCL: 1 Thes 1:1-10	Mt 22:15-21 RCL: Mt 22:15-22

What disciples owe to God

During Ordinary time the Lectionary presents stories and teachings from Jesus’ everyday ministry. This week’s readings focus on God’s reign and human rule.

The first reading is from the prophet Isaiah, specifically second Isaiah, a prophet to the Jews in exile in Babylon in the sixth century BC. In today’s pericope, Isaiah endorses the Persian emperor Cyrus, a gentile king, as God’s anointed (mashiah or “messiah”). Isaiah says God raised up Cyrus to conquer Babylon (“subduing nations before him”) and so restore God’s people (“Jacob, my servant; Israel, my chosen one”) to their homeland. (To see Cyrus’ actual cuneiform edict releasing all captive people, go to http://www.britishmuseum.org and search for “Cyrus Cylinder.”) The Lectionary editors chose this reading to introduce God’s role in history and God’s use of even unbelieving or corrupt leaders to fulfill God’s plan.

The second reading, from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonian ekklesia, begins its continuous reading in Ordinary time. Written as early as the mid-40s, 1 Thessalonians is an historical record of Paul’s early missionary practice and a snapshot of his developing theology. It is the oldest writing in Christian scripture. Paul opens his letter by thanking God for the Thessalonians’ faith, praising the community’s vibrancy, their dedication to others (“your work of faith”) and the power of their hope (“endurance in hope”), and their response to the gospel (“how you were chosen”). Paul’s themes of faith, hope, and election prepare his hearers for the teaching and advice in the rest of his letter. Paul emphasizes that the good news came to the Thessalonians not simply in the missionaries’ words, but in divine power, specifically through the Spirit, whose outpouring resulted in the Thessalonians’ full conviction in the words’ truth. The Lectionary editors chose this reading as the start of Ordinary time’s continuous reading from Thessalonians.

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus continues to confront the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Matthew describes how the religious leaders and Roman political supporters conspire to lay a trap for Jesus.

• The conspirators, the tax, and the question. The Pharisees were a lay religious movement who followed Mosaic law. The Herodians were a public political party who sought Jewish political independence. The Roman census tax was an annual payment by all men, women, and slaves between the ages of twelve and sixty-five, equal to a laborer’s one-day wage. The Herodians favored payment of the tax; the Pharisees did not. Their question doesn’t seek an answer; they want only to trap Jesus.
• Jesus’ response and challenge. If Jesus answers “yes,” he would offend Jews seeking independence from Rome and implicitly deny that God is the only legitimate ruler of Judea. If Jesus answers “no,” he becomes an enemy of Rome. Jesus tells the conspirators to “show him a denarius.” Jesus’ response is that those who willingly use Caesar’s coins should repay Caesar in kind. He also implies that neither Pharisees nor Herodians are giving God what God is due. This is a serious charge.
• First century and twenty-first century implications. Jesus’ answer is adequate for first century Jews and Christians, to whom the state was completely extraneous. First century Jews and Christians could no more change Roman law than they could change nature’s laws. Matthew’s point is to show Jesus’ skill in avoiding his opponents’ trap and challenging them to pay more attention to “God’s things.” Twenty-first century Christians often use this text as a basis for a doctrine of “church and state,” but this text and others like it do not support such a reading. The gospel provides no theology of church and state. Rather, Jesus challenges twenty-first century disciples to discern what belongs to God.

This week’s readings ask us to think about God’s reign and God’s things. Isaiah tells the exiles that God can use a gentile ruler like Cyrus to bring about their restoration. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they received the gospel not simply in words, but through God’s power. Jesus turns the conspirators’ question back on them: what are they giving back to God? Discerning what belongs to God and to God’s reign is a disciple’s hardest work. God’s reign is already present, and sometimes in conflict with earthly kingdoms. As disciples, how do we live in God’s reign and give God what God is due? If all humans express God’s image, how can disciples support inequality? If God’s reign is open to all, how can disciples support exclusivity? If God’s reign is love, how can disciples support hate?

—Terence Sherlock