The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time
Click here for more information.
Overview and Connections
I think it’s interesting that both the Exodus and Luke readings are typically interpreted as prayer. As we’ll see especially with the parable, there is, I think, also an element of persistence in action.
Exodus 17:8-13
Around 200AD, the church father Origen interpreted this scene as contrasting the active life over and against the contemplative life. The contemplative prayer life is critical to a successful active life. Origen offered a similar interpretation of the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. Ever since, the interpretation of this story has centered around prayer. Interestingly, there’s no mention in the text #1 that Moses prayed or asked God for help, or #2 that God actually intervened in the battle.
To me, the key image in this story is Aaron and Hur, who support Moses.
The story revolves around a battle with a nomadic tribe called the Amalekites. These were distant cousins of the Israelites, descended from Jacob’s brother Esau. (Jacob was later renamed Israel.) The Amalekites were little more than a large tribe, and they owned no land, but they often provoked larger nations with their hit-and-run strategies. In this story, it appears that they are harassing the tail end of the Israelites as they move through the desert towards the promised land. This group in the back would have included the old and infirm, and all those too weak to keep up.
Apparently, Moses tolerates this for a while, but in v9, he finally dispatches Joshua to go teach their cousins a lesson. Remember that these Israelites have been slaves in Egypt for 400 years. They have no first-hand knowledge of battle tactics or how to fight. They do not fare well against the seasoned warriors.
In v9, Moses holds up the staff or rod of God. This is likely the same rod used in the Egyptian miracles in Exodus 4:20.
In v10, we encounter Moses’ brother Aaron. Aaron accompanied Moses on his appearances before Pharaoh, and he will continue to play a key role in the story. But this is the first mention of Hur. Who was he? There is a Hur mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:19-20 as Caleb’s son and the grandfather of Bezalel. The latter is mentioned in Exodus 31 as an artist. Hur is also mentioned in Exodus 24:14, again with Aaron, as though they are a pair. The Talmud speculated that Hur was Miriam’s son and, thus, Moses’ nephew. That makes sense given the prominent role he plays here.
Moses goes to the top of the hill so he’s very visible to the battle below, and he holds up his staff, which would be a symbol not only of his authority but also of what God had already done. The gesture in v11 has long puzzled scholars. It could be a war-like gesture, but it is also symbolic of prayer. There’s a hint of magic here, as though a ritual must be performed “just so” in order to appease God. To dispel this notion, ancient rabbis interpreted the gesture as Moses reminding the warriors to lift their thoughts to God in heaven.
As long as Moses’ hands are up, the Israelites prevail in the battle. But if his hands go down, the Amalekites begin to win. Moses can’t sustain the posture indefinitely, so Aaron and Hur step in to help. They sit Moses down on a rock and support his arms for him. This arrangement seems to bring the outcome in v13, “Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”
I don’t know about you, but v13 troubles me. Does God sanction “mowing down” people? Is this divine judgment? Some have used this story (and many others in the Old Testament like it) to sanction war and violence against other nations. As I said before, though, Moses never overtly prays to God in this story. He never asks God if this is what they should do or to have a positive outcome.
The lectionary, however, clearly intends for this story to be interpreted through the lens of prayer. And for that, we must focus on Aaron and Hur. How many times have you tried so hard to be persistent in prayer, but God’s silence knocks you off the boat? You flounder in doubt and despair, finding it impossible to continue praying. This is the time you need people like Aaron and Hur in your life. We don’t know much of anything about Hur, but we do know about Aaron. He was the one who helped the people build a golden calf to worship instead of God. Aaron was not perfect. And yet, here he supports his brother in prayer.
Who are the Aarons of your life? Those imperfect souls whose prayer avails much (James 5:16)? It’s rarely easy (in my experience) to tell someone I need help, especially when I feel like I can’t pray. Even harder is to let them prop me up in prayer, to help me pray by standing by me.
Maybe you’re in a battle right now, and you feel like your prayer can’t go on. Who will you ask to help support you? Or maybe you’re not in that place right now, but you’ve been there before and you know it will come again. Make a commitment right now to your future self to ask for help and receive it.
2 Timothy 3:10 – 4:5
The letters to Timothy are like a form letter to a pastor beginning a new position of church leadership. They describe expectations and responsibilities.
A number of times in the pastoral epistles, the author will call on examples of faith that Timothy can look to and follow. In today’s passage, he calls on the example of Paul himself.
The NAB translates the word in v10 as “followed,” but the idea is more like “observed.” Luke uses this word in 1:3 when he says, “With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning…” Paul has endeavored to be a good model, and Timothy has taken that to heart.
No one can accuse Paul of being a snake-oil salesman! In v12, he lays it out like it is, just as Jesus did. All too often, we approach suffering as the exception, rather than the rule. But Paul says if we live a certain way, we can expect persecution for it.
The New American Bible translates a phrase in v12 as “live religiously in Christ,” which I think is a poor word choice in our modern climate. Most other versions render it “live a godly life,” which better captures the meaning.
The word “persecuted” means to “aggressively chase, like a hunter pursuing a catch (prize).” Paul uses this word positively sometimes, for example in Romans 14:19, where it is translated as “pursue.” But mostly, persecution has a negative meaning.
“Remain faithful” in v14 is the same word used extensively in John’s gospel, where it is rendered “abide.”
Vv15-16 (particularly v16) are often used by fundamentalists to argue for sola scriptura – the idea that scripture alone contains God’s revelation. In this view, doctrines not supported in the Bible (such as purgatory) are not accepted. One important thing to keep in mind with these verses, however, is that what is being referred to here is the Jewish scriptures, or the Old Testament. The New Testament, as such, did not exist yet in its canonical form that we know today. Paul says that Timothy has been acquainted with the sacred writings since childhood, clearly referring to the Old Testament education every Jewish boy would receive. This makes it difficult to defend the idea of sola scriptura, but it also positively commends the Old Testament as a valuable and continuing source of God’s revelation.
V16 is a key verse in understanding inspiration. The word “inspired” is a word not found elsewhere in the New Testament, and it means “God-breathed.” This points to a divine source of scripture.
“His appearing” in 4:1 is the word epiphaneia, which means the manifestation of God. It could refer to the second coming of Christ, and it also refers to the way Christ comes at every moment, bringing the kingdom to be.
4:2-3 speak of seasons, the word kairos. This is a time different from chronos, chronological time. This is a God-time, outside of time as we know it.
In v3, there is the curious phrase “itching ears.” It comes from a word meaning “to scrape.” A better translation would be tickled ears. It is used only here in the New Testament, but in other literature of the time, it described people who go seeking novelty and the latest fads rather than the truth. I think it is a great description of many people today who seek to fill their ache for God with material things and experiences.
This reading urges us to learn from faith-filled examples. Who are the examples in your life? They might be saints of old or living saints. They might be everyday, ordinary people who have profoundly impacted your life. What lessons have they taught you, and how are you being faithful to those lessons?
Luke 18:1-8
Old Testament Background
To set the stage for this parable, it’s helpful to first read a passage from the Old Testament about how widows were to be treated: Exodus 22:21-23. It’s also helpful to have background on how judges were expected to act: Exodus 23:6, Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 24:17, and Deuteronomy 27:19.
The Text of the Parable
The parable opens by setting the stage in the context of prayer. I talk about the meaning of this word in the Greek in the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
V2 references a certain judge in a certain city. This is meant to imply that this is a “stock” character, one that is not specified and intentionally not defined. This man feared no one, the Greek word phobeó. The Old Testament says over and over that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But this man has no fear of God. He never gives God a second thought, and he cares nothing for other people. Back in Luke 10, Jesus defined the greatest commandment as “love God and neighbor.” This man does neither.
A widow has been seeking his help in v3. The NAB says she “used to come,” but the verb tense is one that indicates continuous action repeated over and over again. This woman has come in the past, and she continues to come.
Widows were easily exploited because they had no one to advocate for them in a male-controlled setting. She comes seeking a just decision against her adversary, a technical term used for courtroom participants; someone seeking damages in a lawsuit. “My rights are being violated. Protect me!”
V4 might evoke the parable of the prodigal father. The judge “thinks to himself” about how to handle the woman. He acknowledges that he doesn’t fear God and doesn’t care about others. And yet, in v5, he seems almost afraid of this widow. He worries she will strike him. The literal meaning of the Greek is to give a black eye, but it was also used metaphorically to suggest an exhausting persistence. Today, we might say “she got up in my face” or “she was all in my business.” This is no metanoia – he simply wants to be rid of this tiring woman.
Vv6-8 then provide a sort of commentary and interpretation of the parable.
Interpretations of the Parable
We might call this “The puzzling parable of a persistent person.”
I think the first thing that can help us understand all that’s going on here is the observation that vv 2-5 are most likely the core of the original parable. So the original parable is talking about someone who gets their way through persistence.
In this view, v1 and vv 6-8 can be seen as early attempts at interpreting the parable. V1 situates the story in a very Lukan theme – that of prayer. Vv 6-8 seem to mix in the idea of a delayed parousia – Christ’s second coming. This makes a little more sense if you look at the material that the lectionary skipped. 17:20 through the end of that chapter talks about the coming of the kingdom. Many in Luke’s community no doubt expected this coming sooner rather than later, and they might be tempted to grow weary or give up waiting for it. The disciples, after Jesus’ ascension, will be subject to oppression and delayed retribution, and they might respond by losing hope and courage.
So there’s actually more going on here than just persistence in prayer. Persistence in a life of discipleship in view of waiting for Jesus’ return would also be a valid way to read this.
We’ll respect the lectionary’s interpretation of this parable as applying to prayer. But let’s look at it from another angle as well.
Neither of the main characters fit expected stereotypes. A Jewish judge would have been appointed based on his character. The fact that this one neither fears God nor respects man is startling. He doesn’t seem to act according to the prevailing codes of honor and shame. And in the end, he acts because he’s afraid that this widow might give him a black eye! That seems at odds with how he is portrayed. Nothing about this guy is what we might expect.
And then the widow is supposed to be this poor, defenseless person, but here she’s portrayed as someone bold enough to threaten a man. She speaks up for herself.
This parable seems to be asking us to leave behind our familiar stereotypes and wrestle with notions about what God is like, what justice is, and how it might be achieved.
Many things point to the judge as representing God. It then becomes troubling when he acts as he does. Is God really someone who is deaf to our pleas? Someone who would refuse to give us justice and make us beg? That’s a troubling image.
But what if we flip-flop the standard roles? What if God is represented by the woman, and humanity is represented by the judge?
In this case, we see a people who don’t care pursued by a God who seeks justice in the world. A people who resist God’s call, until God wears them down.
Viewing it this way doesn’t invalidate any of the other interpretations, and it’s a great example of how one passage of scripture can have many layers, and each layer has something to teach us.
But let’s go back to the lectionary interpretation, where this is a parable about prayer.
In this interpretation, the parable is a rhetorical argument from lesser to greater, which was a common technique in rabbinic teaching: if an unjust judge would listen and grant justice, how much more so the perfectly just God?
Does God hear our prayers? Does God respond to our requests? Theology says, of course. But sometimes that can feel like a flippant answer in the face of what seems to be God’s extended silence. Perhaps this parable can infuse hope into such a situation.
We’re nearing the end of the liturgical year. More and more, we’ll begin to hear about the coming of our Lord – about looking for it, hoping for it, waiting for it. This passage today tells us to do that bathed in prayer.
Pope Francis gave a general audience in 2016, and he talked about this passage: “The object of prayer is of secondary importance; what matters above all is our relationship with the Father. This is what prayer does: it transforms the desire and models it according to the will of God, whatever that may be, because the one who prays aspires first of all to union with God, who is merciful Love.”
Where do you need persistence right now? What does such persistence look for you?
