Weekly Bible Notes

Ordinary 10 Year A  (Trinity 2)

Introduction

Viktor Yushchenko, became president of Ukraine in November 2004. Backed by millions of protesters in Kiev and other cities he forced the government to hold a repeat ballot -- and won by a wide margin. Yushchenko has become a revolutionary leader in the tradition of Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel and Lech Walesa. Sadly, Yushchenko suffered what is believed to have been a deadly poison attack which has left his face terribly disfigured. Clearly there were many in authority who resented a revolution and a loss of their power and vested interests. 

So it was that the death of Jesus would also prove very convenient for some. He preached a message of revolution which threatened the ruling Jewish authorities and they were plotting to kill him. Read the passages from Matthew Gospel this week and you will see why. Jesus told his opponents to act with compassion: to treat others, no matter how different they were, with respect and love.

Jesus really did not care if people were good Jews, he was kind and welcoming even to the ones who were considered to be under direct punishment from God. Lepers, sinners, tax collectors he opened the flood gates of God's love to them all and many were determined to keep it firmly shut. Our faith is judged by how good we are at respecting and showing compassion to people whom others reject.

Opening Verses of Scripture   Psalm 33:4

For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

Collect Prayer for the Day — Before we read we pray

Lord, you have taught us that all our doings without love are nothing worth: send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you. Grant this for your only Son Jesus Christ's sake.  Common Worship

Faithful Creator, whose mercy never fails, deepen our faithfulness to you and to your living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. Common Worship Additional Collect

God, faithful and true, you call every generation to make a pilgrim journey. Guide our feet along the road of faith, that we may put our whole trust in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen  Methodist Worship

Ever-loving God, your Son Jesus Christ healed the sick and restored them to wholeness of life. Look with compassion on the anguish of the world, and by your power make whole both people and nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. Methodist Worship

First Bible Reading  

Hosea 5:15—6:8

Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me."
"Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." "What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Like Adam, they have broken the covenant-- they were unfaithful to me there. Gilead is a city of wicked men, stained with footprints of blood.   (This is the word of the Lord—Thanks be to God)
 

Second Reading  Romans 4:13-25

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness."
The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
(This is the word of the Lord - Thanks be to God)

Gospel Reading  Matthew 9:9-13 & 18-26

The Calling of Matthew 
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." 

Jesus Questioned About Fasting 
Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." 

A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman 
While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region. (This is the word of the Lord—Thanks be to God)

Post Communion Sentence

Loving Father, we thank you for feeding us at the supper of your Son: sustain us with your Spirit, that we may serve you here on earth until our joy is complete in heaven, and we share in the eternal banquet with Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Commentary

When Jesus calls Matthew to follow him, Jesus is ignoring the social norms of his day. The Jewish people despised tax-men. Now none of us much likes a tax-collector, but in Jesus day they worked for the Romans who were the occupying power and thus were doubly hated. This was because the tax-collectors not only exploited their position by taking more money than they should, but they also gave some of their revenue to the Roman authorities. So according to the vast majority of Jewish people, a tax-collector was to be socially shunned, marginalised and hated. But Jesus refuses to be swayed by these accepted attitudes. Jesus goes one step further in breaking these boundaries of accepted decency by having a meal with tax-collectors and an assortment of people categorised as “sinners”. These people are not defined in any way, but we are given the distinct impression that the Pharisees at least do not approve of the company that Jesus shares a meal with. Sharing a meal was a customary way of showing hospitality and welcome to your guests. It was not the done thing to show this kind of hospitality to “sinners”.

But Jesus is not going to be bound by these accepted values of his time and he steps over these boundaries and by his actions and words, he says that what has gone before is no longer valid, it no longer stands. Jesus declares that the new values of the Kingdom of God, which he is inaugurating, are different from what has gone before. Central to this theme of breaking boundaries is the quotation from Hosea Chapter 6 verse 6, “I require mercy, not sacrifice.” Jesus is presenting a perspective on life which has its foundation in the Prophetic tradition of the Old Testament. The Prophets were constantly challenging the values and views of their society. They were constantly proclaiming the word of God to each generation and time and time again, the people did not listen to what was being said to them. Jesus is presented to his audience, as standing as the last in line of these great prophets, proclaiming the true word of God to his generation and beyond to us today. The pattern is the same, Jesus challenges the values and views of first Century Jewish religion and society, but they fail to hear him. Jesus also challenges the values and assumptions of our society today, but do we fail to hear him? In addition, at times it is our duty as Christians, to challenge the values and assumptions of modern society in the name of Christ. Most of the time people will not want to hear what we have to say.

Here the mercy that Jesus requires in the name of God is the kind of mercy which does not exclude others, it does not condemn those who are innocent and it is about putting people and the real situations that they are in above legal a legalistic interpretation of the faith. Jesus had expressed his acceptance of sinners by eating with them and recommends mercy as a pattern for the living of our lives. Thus we are encouraged to accept those who are sometimes shunned by society and to show mercy to others. This indeed may be a challenge not only to the values and assumptions of society, but may also deeply challenge our own too.

Neil Bramble-Chapman
 

Meditation

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings  Hosea 6:6

Jesus quotes these words from Hosea in the passage from Matthew today. He did so in response to criticism concerning the company  which he kept. The book of Hosea tells of how the prophet Hosea became a living lesson on what the mercy of God was like. Hosea married a prostitute named Gomer and despite her unfaithfulness, bearing children from other men, nevertheless Hosea never failed to show love and devotion and took back his wayward wife. The message was that this was how God behaved towards Israel. Israel behaved badly towards God, nevertheless he never stopped loving them.  In Hebrew the word Hesed, or Chesed is used, it can be translated as “mercy,” “covenant faithfulness,” “kindness,” “loving kindness,” “steadfast love”—it’s all the same word. God was always utterly faithful, when they were faithless. God would be hurt by Israel's lack of fidelity but he could behave no differently because it is his nature to show mercy. Charles Royden
 

Hymns

1. Praise my lord the King of heaven

2. Shine Jesus Shine

3. Wide, wide as the ocean - children to sing this and congregation join in at Putnoe

4. Amazing Grace

5. Great is thy faithfulness

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian.

If it is well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die.

Additional Material

Commentary

In our Gospel reading today we have three passages which Matthew uses to teach us about the kind of person that Jesus was. 

Firstly Jesus calls Matthew. Matthew belonged to a profession which was hated by the Jews, rightly so, the Romans contracted with local people to collect taxes, and collectors extorted excess taxes for personal profit. They enriched themselves at the expense of their fellow citizens, and were thus held in great contempt. They were barred from the synagogue and considered the moral equivalent of robbers and murderers. To follow Jesus, Matthew realised that he must abandon his lucrative job, knowing that he can never regain it -- and that he has no friends elsewhere -- except Jesus!

The lesson is clear, if you hear the call of Jesus you must be prepared to accept massive changes in your life. Matthew does not ask to follow Jesus, nor does he understand what he is getting into. He does not understand theology or ascribe to a creed or set of beliefs. He responds in faith, that is, he responds to the voice of Jesus. He is not a great guy, he is not a moral person, he is unpopular and unworthy, but this just demonstrates that God loves and can redeem any person. 

To be called by Jesus is an act of pure grace.... We are not chosen because of what we are; ...we are chosen despite our personal worth or social status. 

The Pharisees could be forgiven for getting upset at what happens next. Jesus dines with Matthew and not surprisingly the guest list includes other tax collectors and sinners. 

The Pharisees are offended. Sharing a meal, especially in a public setting, implies acceptance, approval. The Psalmist asks for vindication, because "I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked" (Psalm 26:5). There is much wisdom here. Bad company corrupts! One bad apple spoils the barrel, bad company is the devil's net, you can't run with dogs without getting fleas! These old proverbs reflect the truth that the company that we keep makes a difference in our lives. Jesus responds, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn that this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." 

The incarnation is for the benefit of those who need it. Jesus keeps bad company and it is something which costs him a great deal in his ministry. Of course the difference with Jesus is that he is not corrupted by sin, he accepts the sinner and enables them to discover the forgiveness of God. 

Finally Jesus helps a dead girl and a sick woman. A ruler approaches Jesus and makes a tremendous statement of faith "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." he believes that even the slightest touch of Jesus hand will save. Jesus agrees to go to the home of the ruler and he responds a lot quicker than most modern doctors! 

It is then that a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She too believes that even the slightest touch from Jesus will heal.

The girl and woman have much in common, the stories are about people alienated by disease and death. For a start, touching them would have rendered anyone ceremonially unclean.

The woman's bleeding separates her by ritual law from family and friends. Her problem has persisted for twelve years. It is a spiritual and social problem as well as a medical problem. Her bleeding renders her unclean, and requires her to separate herself from the rest of society (Lev. 15). She cannot attend the synagogue or participate in religious rituals. If she touches another person, her touch renders that person unclean. She has to live as a leper did, on the fringes of society, shut out, looking in from the outside. It is hard to imagine how lonely and vile she must have felt.

Likewise, death isolates the family and all who attend the corpse.... But, in both cases, by being touched and by touching, Jesus breaks through the barriers.

Both of the stories also involve females. Women, in that time and place, were not highly regarded and had few rights. Parents wanted sons -- not daughters. The prejudice persists, 2,000 years later we have only just accepted woman as ministers in God’s church and still refuse to allow them to be bishops. However, just as Jesus showed mercy to lowly sinners in vv. 9-13, so he also shows mercy to lowly females. The healings take place at the touch and word of Jesus, at his command. 

The word of Jesus has power, it conveys healing. Charles Royden

Hymns

1. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness 529
2. Give thanks 170 (After communion)
3. There’s a sound on the wind 681
4. Make me a channel of your peace 456
5. Rejoice the Lord is king 575
6. We rest on thee, 735
    

For Meditation

Mercy

Mercy imitates God and disappoints Satan. -- John Chrysostom

David Sheppard,the Bishop of Liverpool wrote a book entitled 'Bias to the Poor.' It reflected his belief that God had a special concern for the disadvantaged who received a rough deal from society. Poor people have worse health and a correspondingly shorter life span, they have less choice and often find themselves trapped in difficult circumstances. The passages from the readings set for today remind us that God does have a 'bias towards the poor'. Jesus spent his time with the tax collectors and the sinners rather than the religious people we would have expected. It was considered that he expressed dreadfully bad taste in the company he kept. However, God has special concern for people who find themselves at the edges of society, the foreigner, the poor, the rejected and unloved. God wants us to treat each other the way he demonstrates in his love for us.

Prayers

Lord, you have taught us that all our doings without love are nothing worth: send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you. Grant this for your only Son Jesus Christ’s sake, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
 

Teach us, O Lord, to love you, to trust you and for ever to praise you. Let us exalt your name both in the day and in the night. Let us serve you both in the house of prayer and in the world about us. Let us ascribe to you with all your saints both wisdom and majesty, both honour and glory, world without end. Amen. Henry Vaughan, 1621-1695
 

Our loving Father, we give thanks for your goodness and love; for the joy of home and family, and the companionship of friends and neighbours; for the strength that supports us and the love that surrounds us, both when our joy is complete and when it is touched by pain. We give thanks for your Son Jesus Christ: the glory of his humble birth, the graciousness of his selfless life, the obedience and trust that led him to the cross, and the triumph of his resurrection and ascension. We give thanks for your Holy Spirit at work in your Church and in our hearts, revealing your truth, renewing our lives, and bringing us to your eternal Kingdom. Alexander Siatwinda, Zambia/Halifax

 

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