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Matthew 10:1-23:
The passage for today is Matthew 10:1-23 – the great “mission” chapter of Matthew. It begins with Jesus calling twelve of his followers to be “apostles”. This is the only time the word “apostle” is used in the Gospel of Matthew, so its use here is very intentional. The word “apostle” literally means “sent ones” – and what Matthew 10 deals with is the mission of the “sent ones”, not just for this occasion, but for the entirety of the church’s mission.
10:5-23 deals with five aspects of the apostles’ (church’s) mission. Those five aspects are as follows:
First, mission’s arena (10:5-6). It is first “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” It will later become a world wide mission to “all the nations” (Mt. 28:18-20), but initially, it is targeted to Israel. This aspect reminds us of the importance of targeting our mission.
Second, its tasks (10:7-8). We are to proclaim “the kingdom of heaven (God) has come near” and to act out that proclamation of a new political, economic and religious order (the “kingdom of God”) by working for that new order through the compassionate care of people (10:7) and the consequent building of the relational culture that will shape that alternative society and community. Note that in the final analysis, it is the proclamation, not simply of a person, but of a new social order that is brought about by that person!
Third, its material support (10:8-11). Disciples are not to profit from their mission but are to trust God for their necessities. Involvement in the mission of the church is not for the purpose of making money or to enable the missioner to join the “Roman” or even “Jewish establishment” world order!
Fourth, its impact (10:11-15). Those who are “worthy” will hear the word and observe the transformational actions of God’s people, and then will embrace that word, will join the community and will themselves become transformational agents of Jesus’ alternative kingdom right where they are planted. Conversely, those who are “not worthy” will also hear and observe but will reject it. They are not to be coerced into the kingdom (that’s using the tactics of Rome and the Jewish establishment). Rather their right to make the wrong choice should be respected, and no further attempt should be made to win them! Instead, the missioner is to “shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town”; that household or town has made their decision. They must now reap the consequences of that decision, and you are to respect that decision and thus spend no further time on them!
Fifth, its difficulty (10:16-23). Don’t underestimate the enemy! You confront the status quo with a vision and relational actions of God’s Empire? Then expect Humanity’s Empire to strike back! The Jewish establishment (10:17) and the Roman systems and their officials (10:18) will do everything in their power – judicially, politically, economically, militarily, religiously – not only to stop you but to squash you. Don’t expect society to embrace either you or your ethics, morals or commitment to justice (the trap the religious right so often falls into)! Expect the systems to reject you, to reject your ethics, to reject your beliefs, to reject your morality, to reject your vision and your work for the kingdom of God. If you receive the praise or even the cooperation of the systems, you’re doing something wrong! Endurance and persistence is what you are called to – a “long obedience in the same direction”. It will be that single-minded persistence that will ultimately lead to vindication (10:23). And that is what it means to be an apostle!
It is within this context of the mission of the twelve (and of the whole church) that the word eirene is used twice.
Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. . . If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. (10:11, 13)
To capture the significance of the passage, substitute the word “shalom” for “peace”. “Shalom” is seen here as almost a palpable substance that can be bestowed upon a household or a town, or withheld from them. Of course, in the context of this passage, “shalom” is the “eirene” of Christ’s kingdom, God’s Empire, the new political, economic and religious entity that is to substitute for both the Roman Empire and the Jewish establishment-dominated society. It is society as God intends it to be.
So what Jesus is saying here is that if you find people who yearn for God’s empire for their lives and society, bless them with a small portion of that empire sufficient to infect and dominate their home and their corporate existence politically, economically, socially and spiritually in their town or city. On the other hand, if the people have been so seduced by the standards of the “Roman Empires and/or the Jewish establishments” of this world, don’t waste your time on them! Withhold God’s kingdom from their midst! This is the mission of the “sent ones”.
Matthew 10:34-39:
Today’s scripture – Matt. 10:34-39 – continues Jesus’ theme on mission. He is continuing the development of the fifth point – “mission’s difficulty” – that he began in 10:16. (Note: 10_24-33 also continues that theme by calling for his disciples to be courageous and faithful in the midst of rejection and hostility.)
10:34-38 consists of two parts. The first section (vss. 34-36) emphasizes that Jesus didn’t come to “bring peace on the earth”. Whereas those who come to Christ experience shalom and his kingdom is a kingdom of shalom, his very coming divides families, towns and nations. “One’s foes will be member of one’s own household” if there are those in that household who are not believers.
The second part (10:37-39) spells out the implications of following Jesus. One cannot equally embrace the kingdom of God and the standards or even the people of Caesar’s kingdom – even when those people are your own family! You must die to all the standards, priorities and even relationships of the old order in order to embrace the new order. The way of Jesus is the way of losing your life, the way of the cross (vs. 38).
It is important not to trivialize the way of the cross. One’s cross is not the burdens or inconveniences we bear. The cross was Rome’s primary means of intimidating into compliance those who would dream of another kingdom. It is about the rejection, intimidation, humiliation and violence that comes to those who will not conform. To take up the cross is to identify with those who reject Rome, who imagine a new kind of empire. It is to refuse to be intimidated into compliance, to be in opposition to the ethics, mores, standards and purposes of the empire. It is, above all, the inevitable result of rebellion against the Romes of the world.
Thus, for Jesus to call his disciples to “take up the cross and follow me” (to crucifixion) is to take the primary Roman (and Jewish leadership) symbol and tool of intimidation, and to turn it against the very systems that would use it to get people to conform! Jesus calls on his disciples to welcome and even embrace the cross. It is to become a symbol of their commitment to the ethics, mores, standards and purposes of Jesus and of his kingdom of shalom!
It is as if the Church was saying to Rome, “Throw your most powerful means of intimidation at us; we will laugh at it!” It is ultimate defiance! It is declaring to Rome that Rome’s chief means of enforcing its standards will be hallowed by the Christians as their chief means of both defying Rome and proclaiming a new kingdom – Christ’s kingdom! Thus, with the Christians defying the primary means of Roman enforcement, the Christians have set themselves free from all intimidation and instead can work as an unstoppable force (irrespective of the violence done to them) to bring about God’s new empire – the kingdom of God, the kingdom of shalom!
Mark 11:15-19:
Today’s reading is Mark’s account of the cleansing of the Temple (Mark 11:15-19). It is very similar to Luke’s account to which we alluded in yesterday’s reflection – Luke 19:45-48. The only differences in the two accounts are that the Markan account is more detailed and graphic. And it reports that the leaders of Israel sought Jesus’ death because “they were afraid of him” (11:18b). Otherwise, the accounts are virtually identical.
What is significant is that both accounts are a clear political statement. Let’s examine the Markan account. In Mark, Jesus takes four actions in the Temple (11:16):
1. He drives out those who are buying and selling (11:16);
2. He “overturns” the tables of the moneychangers and sets the doves free (11:16);
3. He prevents anyone from carrying any vessel into the Temple (11:16);
4. He teaches the people very confrontively (11:17).
Each action is significant. In the first action, Jesus drives out those “buying and selling”. That which offended Jesus about the “buying and selling” was not the exchanging of money and the selling of sacrificial animals, per se, in the Temple. All temples of all religions did that at the time! All national temples were the economic centers of their nations – their “Wall Street” as well as their worship center. What so deeply offended Jesus was that it had become primarily the economic center of Israelite life. It was primarily meant to be a house of prayer for all the nations. And instead, its leadership – the “princes of the day” who were also the “chief priests” had become so committed to the making of personal wealth that the Temple had become the primary symbol of the commercial and the spiritual exploitation of the poor.
Second, Jesus “overturned” the tables of the money-changers and “those selling doves”. The “money-changers” are the “street-level” representatives of the banking interests (read “chief priests”) of the country. “Those selling doves” are, in essence, using the Mosaic Law to part the poor from what little money they had (only the poor bought doves for sacrifice because they couldn’t afford larger animals) – thus contributing to the exploitation of the poor. Jesus “overturned” the tables. The word translated “overturn” is significant. The Greek word, katestrepsen doesn’t mean “to upset” or “turn over”. It means “to destroy”! Jesus didn’t just upset the tables, spilling their contents. He broke the tables, destroyed the tables, inflicted major damage on the industry!
Third, Jesus “forebade anyone to carry any goods” through the Temple. The word for “goods” (skeous) means “vessels or items needed for conducting worship”. It would be as if Jesus refused to let into a church any communion trays laden with the elements, any baptismal water, any Bibles, hymnbooks, PowerPoint programs on computers or projectors! In other words, what these three actions by Jesus are telling us is that Jesus shut down both the commerce and the worship of the Temple – at least for one day! This wasn’t a skirmish. This was an act of rebellion!
Fourth, through his teaching of the people and his confrontation of Israel’s leaders, Jesus explains why he has brought the Temple to a standstill:
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations;
But you have made it a den of robbers. (11:17)
The first line is a quotation from Isaiah 56:7. That verse is, in turn, a portion of a segment (56:1-8) that presents God’s promises to the foreigner and the socially marginalized. By quoting that passage, Jesus indicates what the Temple is supposed to be about: inclusivity and community, centered in God and especially accessible to “outsiders” – whether they are Israel’s poor or whether they are Gentiles.
The second line is from Jer. 7:11. That verse is within the context of an attack upon the Temple (7:4-15) for becoming economically exploitive and religiously/politically oppressive. In that passage from Jeremiah, the prophet declares that unless exploitation of the poor ceases, the temple (and Israel) will be destroyed (which of course, is exactly what happened)!
The point is that the nuances of what Jesus was declaring by both these words and his actions would not be lost on the religious, economic and political leaders of Israel. They knew he had quoted Isa. 56:7 and Jer. 7:11. And they would have known the contexts of these respective passages. They were not ignorant of their own scripture!
Thus, they would have realized that Jesus was both thoroughly repudiating them and exposing them to the people for the exploitive and oppressive people and systems they actually were. And they were painfully aware of how popular Jesus was with the people. No wonder they feared him. And no wonder they decided they had to get rid of him immediately. Otherwise, they would have a full-scale rebellion on their hands!
Luke 2:8-35:
The scripture for today is Luke 2:8-35. This passage contains an intriguing dichotomy that is presented in this passage.
The first side of the dichotomy is the emphasis upon shalom for a specific group of people:
Glory to God in the highest heaven,
And on earth peace among those whom he favors. (2:14)
Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
According to your word;
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
Which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A light for revelation to the Gentiles
And for glory to your people Israel. (2:29-32)
Both of these passages are two of the four songs in the Lukan birth narratives. The first is the angels chorus on the occasion of Jesus’ birth. The second is the prophecy of Simeon on the occasion of Jesus’ circumcision. The first is God’s action. The second is compliance with God’s Law. Thus, Mary and Joseph are faithfully complying with God’s will – whether directly or through the Law – in the birth of Jesus.
Shalom – the shalom community – the biblical Kingdom of God is promised for “those whom God favors”, for God’s “servants”. It is not for all, but for those who are prepared to see God’s salvation intended for the Gentiles and for Israel, accomplished “in the presence of all peoples.” God’s kingdom of shalom – of Jubilee – is intended for all who will receive it and will commit themselves to work for God’s society for humanity.
The other side of the dichotomy is that there will be those people and systems that will not receive God’s favor. Shalom is promised only to those “whom God favors”, not everyone. Jesus’ coming is “a sign that will be opposed” (vs. 34), God’s action that is “destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel” (vs. 34). The message of Luke is a message of the “upside-down” kingdom, that the mighty will be brought low and the humble lifted up (see for example, Mary’s Magnificat – 1:50-54). The advent of Jesus may be the advent of salvation. But it is also the advent of conflict. The first will be last and the last first. Israel will be divided in its response to Jesus.
So with the good news comes bad news! With the promise of shalom is the promise of rejection. With the coming of the kingdom of God – the coming of society as God intended it to be politically, economically and religiously – is also coming the kingdom of opposition, who will use all their capacity to oppress, exploit, control and dominate to keep things the way they are. “Thus, Jesus is “destined for the falling and the rising of many – and a sword will pierce your own soul, too,” for there is no avoiding of this conflict for anyone!
Luke 8:40-56:
Today’s scripture is Luke 8:40-56. This is the twin stories of a girl restored to life and a woman healed, with the two stories intertwined (indicating that they are meant to be read as one).
The two stories are twin statements of the sort of faith that Jesus wants from those who follow him, the kind of faith that saves. The young girl, the daughter of Jairus, “a leader of the synagogue” is dying; she is twelve years old. The woman has been suffering from hemorrhaging for twelve years; she is ritualistically unclean – especially from Jairus. Jairus acts to get healing for his daughter. The woman acts to get healing for herself.
The woman touches the hem of Jesus’ garment and is physically healed. Jesus asks who has touched him in a way that seeks healing, and she confesses. Jesus says to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace” (vs. 48).
What Jesus says to her is that her faith has “saved” her as well as “healed” her. The Hebrew concept of salvation and their concept of wellness, of being healthy, of being healed are intertwined. Thus, Jesus’ statement has a double meaning not captured in the NRSV translation. Her faith has healed her. But her faith has also saved her. She has received a double salvation. And a double salvation was necessary, for not only was she physically ill. She was socially and spiritually ostracized from Israel because of her physical malady. So she needed both to be physically healed and to be socially liberated. Thus, Jesus declares her “saved.”
What had saved her? It had not simply been Jesus’ intervention. In fact, he had not even been aware of her malady! What had saved her had been her faith. And it was because of her single minded belief that Jesus could heal her that caused Jesus now to call her “daughter” and to bless hr with the4 presence of shalom (“go in peace”).
And what of the other daughter? She has meanwhile died. But when the new comes to Jairus regarding the fate of his daughter, Jesus says, “Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved” (vs. 50). Again, Jesus uses the word that can be translated either “saved” or “made well”. It’s the same dynamic as with the woman. The mourners gathered at the home don’t believe. “They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead” (vs. 53). But not Jairus. He continues to believe. And Jesus raises the girl from death. “Her parents were astounded” (vs. 56) – almost capturing the idea, “surprised by joy”. Thus, salvation comes to that house, as well – because they had the faith of the formerly-hemorrhaging woman. So they too (including the girl) could “go in shalom”!
Luke 19:29-40:
As we begin work in the NT, it is important to keep in mind that the word “shalom” is changed to the Greek “eirene”. And “eirene” has roughly the same meaning in Greek as it does in English – that is, it is simply describing the condition in public or private life where conflict, violence or warfare is absent. Thus, the richness of “shalom” is not carried over into “eirene”.
However, it is important to remember that Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Greek. And therefore, wherever in the Gospels it uses the word “eirene”, it is the Aramaic derivative of shalom – “shalam” – that is used, with all of its attendant richness.
What is most remarkable is that when one examines the NT contexts in which “eirene” is used, one readily realizes that its definition has been changed from its Greek meaning to its Hebrew meaning. All the richness of the Hebrew “shalom” that we have discovered in the Hebrew Bible is transferred over into the New Testament “eirene”. In essence, the Jewish Christians adopted the Greek word and then turned it into a Hebrew-impregnated word!
The Palm Sunday use of eirene is in Luke’s story of the Triumphal Procession. It is intriguing how many OT references there are in Luke’s story (Luke 19:28-40). Luke means to demonstrate how Jesus is the One whose task it is to bring in the Messianic kingdom of God that will fulfill Jubilee (or, in other words, will bring about the shalom community of political justice, economic redistribution of wealth, elimination of poverty, with each person in relationship with God and humanity). And that task of Jesus, according to Luke, is symbolized in his Triumphal Entry.
The two primary themes of Luke 19:28-40 are: (1) Jesus is the Davidic Messiah, “the king who comes in the name of the Lord” (vs. 38), and (2) his coming causes ever-deepening division within Israel between those who are in power and who stand to lose the most economically, politically and socially if Jubilee comes (vss. 39-40) and the people who welcome him and the reformation of society he promises to bring (vv. 39-40; cf. 2:34-35). The entire Triumphal Entry is cast in relation to Psalm 118 and Zech. 9:9, making clear that Jesus is the predicted, anticipated king.
So it is that Jesus enters the holy city on a colt (Zech. 9:9), symbolizing a king of peace rather than of war. The people spread garments on the pathway – the way a royal figure is to be welcomed (II Ki. 9:13). Finally, the people cry:
Blessed is the king
Who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
And glory in the highest heaven. (19:38)
The first part of this declaration is from Ps. 118:26 – a psalm which is a hymn of royal entry in the annual Hebrew ritual of enthronement of the king. And in a magnificent coming of full-circle, the crowds now declare at Jesus’ enthronement and the advent of the Jubilee kingdom/shalom community (“Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven”) what the angels sang at his birth (Lk. 2:14).
This, then, is the great intent of Luke – not just proclaiming Jesus coming into people’s hearts, but coming to establish within and through his church the Jubilee kingdom of shalom!