Hear the word of the Lord:
He left that place and came to his hometown,
and his disciples followed him.
On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astounded.
They said, "Where did this man get all this?
What is this wisdom that has been given to him?
What deeds of power are being done by his hands!
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of
James and Joses and Judas and Simon,
and are not his sisters here with us?"
And they took offense at him.
Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor,
except in their hometown, and among their own kin,
and in their own house."
And he could do no deed of power there,
except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.
And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Have you ever wondered why this is true,
“Prophets are not without honor,
except in their hometown?” I know that I have.
It is so counterintuitive that, honestly, I used to doubt it.
Not anymore.
When you think about it, it makes sense.
These people know Jesus. They know his folks, and his brothers
and sisters still live right there in town.
A couple of them probably have tables, or chairs,
or yokes for their oxen that Jesus has made.
When he reads from the scriptures in the synagogue,
Jesus reads from the same text, and he stands in the same place,
looking substantially the same as he did just a few years ago.
Yet he sounds so different. Can you imagine what they think?
We know this place.
We know this person.
We know this book.
We even know these words.
But we’ve never heard these words put together like this.
Not ever.
The people of God at Nazareth know their Torah.
They know it so well that they have an answer for every hard text.
Now this Jesus comes and reads this text totally differently.
What kind of new way is he reading the Prophets?
How can he disregard the old way of reading he was taught?
Where does he get this stuff?
They are partly right; the old readings of the prophets were true.
What they fail to take into account is a change in context.
Their interpretation was true before Jesus started his ministry.
Before this, Jesus, the ultimate fulfillment of those prophecies
was still in the future. Not anymore. God is here in the flesh.
Can we imagine what it might be like to read about someone,
to look for someone your whole life, and miss him when he comes?
The people in Nazareth know him too well to recognize
who he really is.
I wonder what we miss when we fail to listen to the ways that
our children read the scriptures? Think about that.
On the other hand, can we imagine the frustration of Jesus?
His own people didn’t know him, didn’t recognize who he really was.
Now they’ve become people that he can’t recognize either.
Where is the giant of faith alongside of whom he used to chant,
“Shema, Israel – Adonai elohenu, adonai ehad.”
Where are the loving souls who embraced him when he was young,
praising him, “You read so well from the Torah today!”
No wonder Jesus is heartbroken; no wonder he is powerless
to do any miracles here; here, home, an oasis of faith turned desert.
Jesus is amazed, but for all the wrong reasons.
So, because this community will not hear its own child,
that child leaves them to go teach those who will listen,
those who will believe. The blessing that could have been theirs,
will now be given to others. If you don’t think it’s good news,
then it’s not gospel to you; it's tragedy.
A community that will not honor the prophetic voice
of its children loses:
Its children,
The honor that it has before God,
The prophetic voice that connects it with truth.
Think about it.
Blessings,
Ron
Mark 6:1-6 – NRSV
Showing posts with label honor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label honor. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Do you really think ...
Hear the word of the Lord from the book of Samuel:
Some time afterward, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him. David said, "I will deal loyally with Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father dealt loyally with me." So David sent envoys to console him concerning his father.
When David's envoys came into the land of the Ammonites, the princes of the Ammonites said to their lord Hanun, "Do you really think that David is honoring your father just because he has sent messengers with condolences to you? Has not David sent his envoys to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?" So Hanun seized David's envoys, shaved off half the beard of each, cut off their garments in the middle at their hips, and sent them away.
When David was told, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. The king said, "Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return."
When the Ammonites saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, as well as the king of Maacah, one thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men.
2 Samuel 10:1-7 – NRSV
Any leader is bound to make mistakes, and the mettle of any new leader is tested by how they make mistakes and learn from them. When you’re the king, though, the learning curve can be pretty difficult. Hanun’s problem is not that he makes a mistake; it’s that he stacks them like bricks. What mistakes did the young king make?
Mistake 1 – Misunderstanding a relationship. Hanun’s father had a relationship based on mutual loyalty with David. Had Hanun not been paying attention to the events in his father’s court? What kind of person did Hanun think David was? Perhaps Hanun and his friends had been listening to the enemies of David. Perhaps there were other people with other agendas than that which was best for Hanun and his people. Why do we so easily see evil in the actions of others?
Mistake 2 – Misreading a situation because one has misunderstood a relationship. Sometimes a messenger is just a messenger. Did Hanun really think that David would dishonor his father by using mourners as a ploy for military intelligence? When a person is hypervigilant, they read the wrong motives into every act: right, wrong, and indifferent. The narrator tells us that David meant to show loyalty, honor, and respect. I’m sure that those were precisely the words that David’s envoys used. Hanun has totally missed the intended message. Why do we so often struggle to believe the plain spoken words of another, and insist on misreading a situation as being its precise opposite?
Mistake 3 – Acting unwisely because one has misread a situation as a result of misunderstanding a relationship. It is one thing to believe that you don’t have a good relationship with someone. It is another thing altogether to misread the intentions of one of their actions toward you. But to take an aggressive action based on these two things shows that Hanun is not thinking things through. Did he not have the self-confidence to believe that another king might wish him well? Did he not take the time to consider, even for a moment, that David might have had a good motive? Apparently not. So, instead of hedging his bets by allowing for the possibility that he has misunderstood the relationship or misinterpreted the events, Hanun assumes that he is correct on all counts and makes the most aggressive move possible in the circumstances, short of assassinating the emissaries. Why do we believe that picking a fight is easier than praying for peace?
Mistake 4 – Making a bad decision by going to war to defend an unwise action based on a misreading of a situation because one has misunderstood a relationship. After Hanun humiliated these two men, he soon received conclusive evidence that he had enraged David. He could have reconsidered the evidence. He might have apologized. Perhaps he should have offered to make things right for the envoys that he humiliated. Instead, Hanun hires an army as one more ill-considered action in a chain of mistakes. Why do human beings so often choose war over peace?
Don’t you wish that we could say that we were different? Don’t you wish that our behavior was any more noble? The fact remains that we are going to make mistakes in our lives, especially when we try to interpret the words and actions of other people. The important questions, though, are:
Are we going to test our theories against other facts?
Are we going to listen to others who disagree with us?
Are we going to hear the plain spoken words of those whom we doubt?
Are we going to act in such a way that allows for the possibility that we might be wrong?
Do we have the courage to apologize when it becomes painfully apparent that we have messed up?
Let us test our hearts, our minds, our words, and our actions against these difficult questions.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Some time afterward, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him. David said, "I will deal loyally with Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father dealt loyally with me." So David sent envoys to console him concerning his father.
When David's envoys came into the land of the Ammonites, the princes of the Ammonites said to their lord Hanun, "Do you really think that David is honoring your father just because he has sent messengers with condolences to you? Has not David sent his envoys to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?" So Hanun seized David's envoys, shaved off half the beard of each, cut off their garments in the middle at their hips, and sent them away.
When David was told, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. The king said, "Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return."
When the Ammonites saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, as well as the king of Maacah, one thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men.
2 Samuel 10:1-7 – NRSV
Any leader is bound to make mistakes, and the mettle of any new leader is tested by how they make mistakes and learn from them. When you’re the king, though, the learning curve can be pretty difficult. Hanun’s problem is not that he makes a mistake; it’s that he stacks them like bricks. What mistakes did the young king make?
Mistake 1 – Misunderstanding a relationship. Hanun’s father had a relationship based on mutual loyalty with David. Had Hanun not been paying attention to the events in his father’s court? What kind of person did Hanun think David was? Perhaps Hanun and his friends had been listening to the enemies of David. Perhaps there were other people with other agendas than that which was best for Hanun and his people. Why do we so easily see evil in the actions of others?
Mistake 2 – Misreading a situation because one has misunderstood a relationship. Sometimes a messenger is just a messenger. Did Hanun really think that David would dishonor his father by using mourners as a ploy for military intelligence? When a person is hypervigilant, they read the wrong motives into every act: right, wrong, and indifferent. The narrator tells us that David meant to show loyalty, honor, and respect. I’m sure that those were precisely the words that David’s envoys used. Hanun has totally missed the intended message. Why do we so often struggle to believe the plain spoken words of another, and insist on misreading a situation as being its precise opposite?
Mistake 3 – Acting unwisely because one has misread a situation as a result of misunderstanding a relationship. It is one thing to believe that you don’t have a good relationship with someone. It is another thing altogether to misread the intentions of one of their actions toward you. But to take an aggressive action based on these two things shows that Hanun is not thinking things through. Did he not have the self-confidence to believe that another king might wish him well? Did he not take the time to consider, even for a moment, that David might have had a good motive? Apparently not. So, instead of hedging his bets by allowing for the possibility that he has misunderstood the relationship or misinterpreted the events, Hanun assumes that he is correct on all counts and makes the most aggressive move possible in the circumstances, short of assassinating the emissaries. Why do we believe that picking a fight is easier than praying for peace?
Mistake 4 – Making a bad decision by going to war to defend an unwise action based on a misreading of a situation because one has misunderstood a relationship. After Hanun humiliated these two men, he soon received conclusive evidence that he had enraged David. He could have reconsidered the evidence. He might have apologized. Perhaps he should have offered to make things right for the envoys that he humiliated. Instead, Hanun hires an army as one more ill-considered action in a chain of mistakes. Why do human beings so often choose war over peace?
Don’t you wish that we could say that we were different? Don’t you wish that our behavior was any more noble? The fact remains that we are going to make mistakes in our lives, especially when we try to interpret the words and actions of other people. The important questions, though, are:
Are we going to test our theories against other facts?
Are we going to listen to others who disagree with us?
Are we going to hear the plain spoken words of those whom we doubt?
Are we going to act in such a way that allows for the possibility that we might be wrong?
Do we have the courage to apologize when it becomes painfully apparent that we have messed up?
Let us test our hearts, our minds, our words, and our actions against these difficult questions.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Friday, May 8, 2009
A place for my people ...
God tells David not to build a temple. Yet then, lest we think that God is angry at David, hear the words by which God honors David:
“Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
“And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.”
In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
2 Samuel 7:8-17 – NRSV
Previous episodes in the life of David reveal his intent to honor God. David must obey the will of God. David must respect the symbols of God’s presence. David must worship the person of God. In David’s view, the life of Israel is not about David, but is instead, all about God.
We wouldn’t want to view this as an exchange, because the things that God has given to David are immeasurably superior to that which David has been able to offer God. Yet God has seen the ways that David has honored him, and wants David to understand how his God has honored him in the past, and will honor him in the future. God has taken David from shepherd to prince, from pauper to king. God has walked with David, and protected David. As David has lifted up the name of God, God has lifted up the reputation of this unlikely king. Unlikely except for the purpose and power of God.
Yet God does not lift David up merely for David’s sake; God does this for the sake of his people. Having made David king, God says, “I will now appoint a place for my people and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place …” From the very beginning, God has known that place is important for human beings, because he made them that way. He made a safe place for Adam and Eve to begin, and he has maintained a place of providence for the people who followed them. Now God appoints a place where an entire people can know his care.
We all need space: room to move, to grow, to play. God gives us freedom of movement, room to play so that, in our play, we may find new ways to use our gifts, new ways to serve him, new ways to please him. The kind of room to play that David had dancing in front of the ark. Yet human beings don’t always allow others to have space. Michal, for instance, didn’t give David that kind of room, because the only way was her way. Because she couldn’t give him room to maneuver, she couldn’t keep a place in his heart. Yet God not only gives David room to work, he makes room for an entire nation of people to discover what it means to be the people of God.
Does that mean that David and his people will be perfect? Hardly. As a matter of fact, it looks like God is setting himself up for a world of hurt. God promises, though, that he will see to it that the actions of his people in this universe will find their natural consequences. A faithful house of David will keep its throne; yet if they misstep, God will correct David’s offspring as if they were his own children. Yet despite whatever future iniquity David and his people might commit, God promises that they can count on one truth: his steadfast love will never cease.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
Lamentations 3:22-23 – NRSV
May God help us,in the space that he gives us, imaginatively create a place something like the kingdom of God, however imperfect. May that place have enough room for everyone in our house to stretch, to grow, to run, and maybe even hide in the shelter of his love, even if for just a little while.
Grace and peace,
Ron
“Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
“And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.”
In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
2 Samuel 7:8-17 – NRSV
Previous episodes in the life of David reveal his intent to honor God. David must obey the will of God. David must respect the symbols of God’s presence. David must worship the person of God. In David’s view, the life of Israel is not about David, but is instead, all about God.
We wouldn’t want to view this as an exchange, because the things that God has given to David are immeasurably superior to that which David has been able to offer God. Yet God has seen the ways that David has honored him, and wants David to understand how his God has honored him in the past, and will honor him in the future. God has taken David from shepherd to prince, from pauper to king. God has walked with David, and protected David. As David has lifted up the name of God, God has lifted up the reputation of this unlikely king. Unlikely except for the purpose and power of God.
Yet God does not lift David up merely for David’s sake; God does this for the sake of his people. Having made David king, God says, “I will now appoint a place for my people and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place …” From the very beginning, God has known that place is important for human beings, because he made them that way. He made a safe place for Adam and Eve to begin, and he has maintained a place of providence for the people who followed them. Now God appoints a place where an entire people can know his care.
We all need space: room to move, to grow, to play. God gives us freedom of movement, room to play so that, in our play, we may find new ways to use our gifts, new ways to serve him, new ways to please him. The kind of room to play that David had dancing in front of the ark. Yet human beings don’t always allow others to have space. Michal, for instance, didn’t give David that kind of room, because the only way was her way. Because she couldn’t give him room to maneuver, she couldn’t keep a place in his heart. Yet God not only gives David room to work, he makes room for an entire nation of people to discover what it means to be the people of God.
Does that mean that David and his people will be perfect? Hardly. As a matter of fact, it looks like God is setting himself up for a world of hurt. God promises, though, that he will see to it that the actions of his people in this universe will find their natural consequences. A faithful house of David will keep its throne; yet if they misstep, God will correct David’s offspring as if they were his own children. Yet despite whatever future iniquity David and his people might commit, God promises that they can count on one truth: his steadfast love will never cease.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
Lamentations 3:22-23 – NRSV
May God help us,in the space that he gives us, imaginatively create a place something like the kingdom of God, however imperfect. May that place have enough room for everyone in our house to stretch, to grow, to run, and maybe even hide in the shelter of his love, even if for just a little while.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Those who love me ...
Today’s reading is the 91st Psalm:
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.
NRSV
Grace and peace,
Ron
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.
NRSV
Grace and peace,
Ron
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