Pericope Study for Epiphany 5C

This is a pericope study presented in an effort to assist in studying the lectionary as part of sermon preparation. Therefore, while I am responsible for the content, it does not necessarily directly reflect my opinions or theology, though it might. My intention is to provide some information and direction in your attempt to hear God's Word and sense the Spirit's movement.

Ecumenical Lectionary Concerns: (The ELCA lessons and POD are used for this pericope study.)

O God, your ears are open always to the prayers of your servants. Open our hearts and minds to you, that we may live in harmony with your will and receive the gifts of your Spirit; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (89)

[5] At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." [6] And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. [7] And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. [8] And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. [9] Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?"

[10] It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. [11] God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, [12] I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you."

3.9 Request: "an understanding mind to govern" and to "discern between good and evil"

8.12 therefore, YHWH agrees to give history's greatest "wise and discerning mind"

3.1-15 This entire dialog lays out a fairly complete theology of kingship for the kings of Israel / Judah.

3.5 Gibeon About 5 or 6 miles NNW of Jerusalem. One of the "high places" where YHWH was worshiped before Jerusalem, and illicitly after the temple was built.

3.5 YHWH appeared to Solomon in a dream by night Analyze this dream. How would you advise a parishioner who came to you with a dream like this? (Forget the king stuff and translate it into a calling applicable to your average person, eg, starting a family or a new job or beginning a school year.) How does this compare to considering it a direct revelation from God?

3.7a And now . . . made your servant king in place of my father David Ie, Solomon desires to enter into and continue the covenant David had with God.

3.7b-8 Does this refer to Solomon's feelings of inadequacy to rule such a large kingdom or is he just being modest?

8.12 YHWH agrees to grant Solomon's request. Does the story subsequently show Solomon to have such wisdom and discernment?

8.13-14 In the 2 verses immediately following this lesson, YHWH promises Solomon riches and honor and, if he is faithful, a long life. What is the value of leaving this out of our lesson? What would be the value of adding it back in?

Psalm 119 is made up of 22 stanzas of 8 verses each, one verse for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is an "acrostic psalm", in this case the first word of each line beginning with the respective letter of the Hebrew alphabet: 8 with aleph, 8 with beth, 8 with gimel, etc. These particular 8 verses all begin with פ "pe", the Hebrew equivalent of the roman "p" or "f". Also, nearly all of the verses in this psalm have a reference to some aspect of the Torah: law, precepts, commands, word, etc.

How much does the form of this psalm affect it's content? Do you see a structure or form for these 8 verses beyond groping for more to say about the law with each line beginning with the same letter?

The Psalm is usually linked to the first lesson. How is this passage related to 1Kg 3?

[26] Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. [27] And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

[28] We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. [30] And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

[31] What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? [32] He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? [33] Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. [35] Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written,

[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

8.26 Likewise The previous verses were talking about hope. What is the continuity implied in the "likewise"?

8.26 Spirit helps us in our weakness . . . intercedes with sighs too deep for words What is the value of this help and intercession?

8.26 "The earthly church of Christ is not capable of speaking the language of the Spirit of the 'angels of the countenance of the Lord,' which is appropriate before God's throne, nor can they formulate their prayers (of petition) on the basis of the perfect knowledge of God that is granted to these angels (see above). But they may nevertheless take comfort before God in the assistance of the exalted Christ! He, who is the Spirit, intercedes before God on behalf of his own with Spirit-filled petitions for the completion of redemption that are inexpressible for earthly beings." (Peter Stuhlmacher, Paul's Letter to the Romans, p 135)

8.28-30 What is at stake here? What form of predestination do you subscribe to or reject? How do you reconcile it with these verses? What is the difference between predestination and grace?

8.28 all things work together for good . . . What is the "good" referred to here? Does this apply to the individual good, to communal good, to eschatological good, . . . ?

8.28 those who love God, who are called . . . Does this equate love for God with election? Does one come before the other?

8.29 foreknew . . . predestined What is the difference between foreknowing and predestining? How does the way we understand God to exist and act in time affect how we draw this distinction?

8.29-30 The tenses here are (with the exception of the in order that . . . clause) are all straightforward aorist tense. To whom do these verses apply? If to all, how do you explain the past tense? Stuhlmacher's perspective: "From God's perspective and according to his will, that which can only be developed and completed in the future within salvation history is already accomplished. God has so acted in Christ, once for all, that all time is and remains determined by it." (Peter Stuhlmacher, Paul's Letter to the Romans, p 137)

8.29 conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first born of a large family. If we are chosen so Jesus can be the head of this family, what is our place and importance in that family? For whose benefit is all this done?

8.31 The for / against is probably in the context of eschatological judgement. Does this verse imply or assume that the readers are elected?

8.32 who did not withhold his own Son What is the significance of this allusion to the binding of Isaac (Gen 22)?

8.31-39 These verses are frequently used for funerals, often with 8.36 removed. Is this a legitimate use of this passage?

8.34 Note the NRSV text note p: "Is it Christ Jesus . . . for us?" How would it affect the meaning to make this a question?

8.36 Why is this verse here? How does it fit in the logic of the passage? Note that this is a quote from Ps 44.22. It is possible that the list in 8.35 refers to the persecutions Christians were suffering in Paul's time, ie, the "your sake" is witness (martyrdom) for the sake of Christ.

8.36 more than conquerors The Greek is hupernikwmen = hyper + conquer, ie, defeat powerfully. (to the point of overkill, like the list in 8.38? :) )

8.38-39 This is a list of merisms, any one of which would adequately describe "anything", so why does it end with the catch all “anything else"? Are these anythings all within our created order or do some touch on other realms? Why are these particular merisms chosen?

8.38-39 Repetition is a powerful way of marking emphasis and Romans is a book full of things worthy of emphasis. What makes this verse so important?

8.38-39 This list of things that can't separate us from God's love can be very comforting, hence its frequent use at funerals. Are there limits to this comfort? Inherent dangers here of which we must be cautions?

8.39 will be able to separate us What is the sense of the future in "will", ie, temporal or eschatological or both?

8.39 the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord What does "in Christ Jesus our Lord" mean here? Note that it is "Christ Jesus", not "Jesus Christ"; is this significant?

Of special Lutheran interest, the Book of Concord has quite a few references to this passage. Most are in the Formula of Concord Article XI, God's Eternal Foreknowledge and Divine Election, both the Epitome and the Solid Declaration.

[31] He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; [32] it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."

[33] He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."

[34] Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. [35] This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:

[36] Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." [37] He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; [38] the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, [39] and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. [40] Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. [41] The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, [42] and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

[44] "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

[45] "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; [46] on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

[47] "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; [48] when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. [49] So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous [50] and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

[51] "Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." [52] And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

This week's gospel lesson is made up of six (6) parables. How are they related? Is there a progression or other structure beyond merely stringing them together?

13.31-33 The Anchor Bible says, "It is a mistaken interpretation which sees in these sayings an assertion of the silent, gradual growth of the Kingdom. In all of them, the emphasis is on the sheer miracle of the growth of the Kingdom." (Anchor Bible, vol 27, p 169) How do the passage of 2 millennia, the lack of a 2^nd coming, and the decline of Christendom each modify the significance &/o meaning of these parables and the "sheer miracle of the growth of the kingdom"? How does this affect the people of your congregation?

13.33 yeast Lit, "was leavened", ie, some kind of fermenting agent, not necessarily yeast.

13.33 three measures of flour Per Jeremias (Parables, p 147) about 50 lbs or enough for over 100 loaves of bread.

Why is 13.34-43 omitted? What does this editing do to the meaning of the lesson? Or to put it another way, note the intertwining of this and last week's gospel lesson.

(FYI, the RCL has fragmented lessons for 4 weeks in a row this summer: propers 9, 10, 11, & 12.)

13.36-43 parable of the weeds in the field This refers to the parable in 13.24-30. Why is the explanation delayed until after 2 other parables have been told? Does the explanation refer to them too in some way?

13.44-46 What do these parables say about the value of the Kingdom of Heaven? About the cost of being in it? What is the difference?

13.44 hidden in a field Ie, in lieu of a safe deposit box, though probably not by the current owner of the field. While there was some controversy in Matthew's day over who had rights to it, in the parable it is assumed to be the owner of the property at the time regardless of the origin. This is a case of a parable in which the main point is to be taken aside from any ethical concerns in the story itself.

13.44 in his joy The emphasis is on the value of the treasure, not the cost or effort required in acquiring it.

13.47-50 This parable of the net is very much like the interpretation to last week's parable of the weeds. What is the value of having both of them?

13.48 good . . . bad This could mean either good / bad quality fish or ritually clean / unclean fish.

13.48 threw out the bad Note that they bad fish are thrown out, not back into the sea.

13.52 every scribe who has been trained . . . new . . . old What is a "trained scribe"? How would such a person relate to the "new" and the "old"?

Theological Themes and Threads:	1Kg	Ps	Rom	Mt
wisdom vs material blessings	x
predestination			x
priorities, things of great value	x			x
leverage, small things having great influence				x
hope beyond suffering			x
acceptance &/o rejection of the Word				x

Suggested Sermon Titles:*	1Kg	Ps	Rom	Mt
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like . . . and Like . . . and Like . . .				x
God Is for Us			x
There's Fungus Among Us – Thank God!				x
Good Things Come in Small Packages				x

*I do not necessarily advocate using these as titles for real sermons, but rather present them in the hope that you might stumble over them and fall on something useful. Enjoy.