Our Gospel reading today contains Jesus’ second prediction of his passion and death (the first was in last week’s reading). As before, the disciples are stunned at the disclosure—they are uncomprehending.
1st Reading (Track 1): Proverbs 31:10-31
Proverbs ends with an
acrostic poem—each line in the Hebrew text begins with a subsequent letter of
the Hebrew alphabet. The poem parallels
the poems praising Wisdom in chapters 1—9, although here the figure of Wisdom
is transformed into an earthly wife. It
is, of course, a highly idealistic vision; no woman could meet all these expectations. Nevertheless, the poem provides a sense of
what it means to live in the way of Wisdom.
31:10 A capable wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels. 11 The
heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good, and not harm, all the
days of her life. 13 She seeks wool
and flax, and works with willing hands. 14 She
is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from far away. 15 She rises while it is still night and
provides food for her household and tasks for her servant-girls. 16 She considers a field and buys it; with the
fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 17 She
girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is
profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. 19
She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor,
and reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She
is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all her household are clothed
in crimson. 22 She makes herself
coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23
Her husband is known in the city gates, taking his seat among the
elders of the land. 24 She makes
linen garments and sells them; she supplies the merchant with sashes. 25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and
she laughs at the time to come. 26 She
opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the ways of her
household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband
too, and he praises her: 29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass
them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful,
and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord
is to be praised. 31 Give her a
share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city
gates.
Psalm
1 (Track 1)
The Book of Psalms begins with a poem from the wisdom
tradition, which typically portrays a simple division between the way of the righteous/wise
with the way of the unrighteous/sinners.
The former are under the protection of God, the latter like useless
chaff that the wind blows away.
1 Happy are they who have not walked in the
counsel of
the
wicked, *
nor lingered in the way of
sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the
scornful!
2 Their delight is in the law of the Lord, *
and they meditate on his law day
and night.
3 They are like trees planted by streams of
water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves
that do not wither; *
everything
they do shall prosper.
4 It is not so with the wicked; *
they are like chaff which the wind
blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand
upright when
judgment
comes, *
nor the sinner in the council of
the righteous.
6 For the Lord
knows the way of the righteous, *
but the way of the wicked is
doomed.
1st Reading (Track 2): Jeremiah 11:18-20
These three verses
begin a longer passage (through 12:6) in which the prophet laments his
discovery that there is an assassination plot against him. As the passage goes on we learn that the
plotters have been identified by Jeremiah as false prophets and/or priests.
11:18 It was the Lord who made
it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their evil deeds. 19 But I was like a gentle lamb led to the
slaughter. And I did not know it was against me that they devised schemes,
saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the
land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!” 20 But you, O Lord
of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see
your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
Or this
1st Reading (Track 2): Wisdom 1:16—2:1, 12-22
The Wisdom of Solomon is a book of the Apocrypha, that
collection of books that we do not consider Scripture, but have set aside as
edifying. Wisdom was probably written a century before Jesus’ birth. Our reading this morning is part of a larger
reflection on the reward of the just and the punishment of the wicked, states
determined by reliance upon wisdom or the spurning of it. The “ungodly” here believe death will save
them from judgment and that the efforts of the righteous are futile.
1:16 The ungodly by their words and deeds
summoned death; considering him a friend, they pined away
and made a covenant with him, because
they are fit to belong to his company. 2:1 For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to
themselves, “Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a
life comes to its end, and no one has been known to return from Hades. 12 Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for
sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. 13 He professes to have knowledge of God, and
calls himself a child of the Lord. 14 He
became to us a reproof of our thoughts; 15 the
very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that
of others, and his ways are strange. 16 We
are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he
calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father. 17 Let us see if his words are true, and let
us test what will happen at the end of his life; 18
for if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him, and
will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. 19 Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may
find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. 20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death,
for, according to what he says, he will be protected.” 21 Thus they reasoned, but they were led
astray, for their wickedness blinded them, 22 and
they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hoped for the wages of
holiness, nor discerned the prize for blameless souls.
Psalm
54 (Track 2)
Psalm 54 begins as a lament of one feeling threatened
by enemies of some kind. Like most
psalms that begin in lament, it resolves into trust in the God of the covenant
who is always faithful.
1 Save me, O God, by your Name; *
in your might defend my cause.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; *
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For the arrogant rise up against me,
and the ruthless have sought my life, *
those who have no regard for God.
4 Behold, God is my helper; *
it is the Lord who sustains my
life.
5 Render evil to those who spy on me; *
in your faithfulness, destroy them.
6 I will offer you a freewill sacrifice *
and praise your Name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For you have rescued me from every trouble,
*
and my eye has seen the ruin of my
foes.
2nd Reading:
James 3:13—4:3, 7-8a
The Letter of James is sometimes referred to as the
book of Wisdom of the New Testament, akin to Proverbs in the Old Testament or
the Book of Wisdom in the Apocrypha.
Here wisdom is exalted as the way that leads to justice, peace, and all
virtue. Opposed to wisdom are
“cravings,” frustrated desires that lead to discord and even murder. Wisdom is submission to God, but not as a
slave to a master, for “draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
3:13 Who is wise and understanding
among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born
of wisdom. 14 But if you have
bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false
to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does
not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish
ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure,
then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits,
without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And
a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. 4:1 Those conflicts and disputes among you,
where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war
within you? 2 You want something
and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot
obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because
you do not ask. 3 You ask and do
not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your
pleasures. 7
Submit yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8a Draw near to God, and he will draw near to
you.
Gospel Reading: Mark 9:30-37
Our Gospel reading today contains Jesus’ second prediction of
his passion and death (the first was in last week’s reading). As before, the disciples are stunned at the
disclosure—they are uncomprehending.
They are comprehending of their social status, however, and argue about
it with one another. Jesus rebukes them
by placing a child among them. This is
who to emulate.
9:30 Jesus and the disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone
to know it; 31 for he was teaching
his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human
hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise
again.” 32 But they did not
understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. 33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he
was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, for on the way they
had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35
He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants
to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then he took a little child and put it
among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name
welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
The Scripture readings (except for the psalm)
are from the New Revised Standard Version
Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by
permission. All rights reserved. The Psalm translation is from The Book of Common Prayer. Commentaries are copyright © 2018
Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY 14843. www.EpiphanyEsources.com. All rights
reserved. Permission is given to copy for group study with this attribution. Bulletin inserts with these readings and
commentaries are available by subscription. Visit our website for more information.
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