The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time
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Malachi 3:19-20a
The setting for this short passage is The Day of the Lord, a time when God rules the earth and all is peace and prosperity. The Messiah has come and established God’s physical reign on earth. Justice has prevailed, and evil has been judged and punished. As the idea of The Day of the Lord developed in Jewish thought, it was initially seen as a time for rejoicing. But the message of the prophets was always that Israel itself would have to face God’s justice. That is the message of Malachi in today’s reading.
The passage draws primarily on the image of fire. If you think about fire, it has two seemingly opposing sides. A forest fire burns through an area, destroying trees and habitat. But that same fire opens new seeds that would not otherwise open. The fire of a forge allows a metalworker to shape metal that would otherwise be unyielding in its form. Fire is a both/and proposition, like many things in life. Fire in the spiritual life is a metaphor for that which burns away the unnecessary and opens us up to new life in God.
A related image in the passage is that of a winged sun. This was an ancient Egyptian image, but it also appears in archeological evidence from the Holy Land. It was likely brought to the Promised Land during the Exodus.
An image of the winged sun in the temple of Ramses III (the Egyptian captivity is generally thought to have occurred under Ramses II)
To give these short verses context, we might back up to v13. The people say it’s futile to serve God. There is what’s called “Deuteronomic theology.” This view says that if I uphold the covenant (as found in the Torah, but especially in Deuteronomy), God will bless me and I will prosper. But the people are suffering, and they are questioning Deuteronomic theology; it doesn’t seem to add up!
But not everyone is questioning God, and vv16-18 refer to the faithful remnant who stay true to God. They are listed in a “record book,” a common image in the Old Testament. Throughout Jewish history, God’s intent was always that the nation as a whole would be the chosen people. The novelty in v17 is that the chosen here are those who fear the Lord – not necessarily all of Israel.
V20 refers to the “sun of justice,” or “sun of righteousness.” This term is unique to Malachi. The sun, or the fire, comes on all. The evil are consumed by it, the good are warmed by it.
V21 speaks of the “day when I take action.” Deuteronomic theology has been tried and found wanting. Now we see a shift to try and explain God’s action through apocalyptic theology: the idea that God will send someone to set things right. This belief developed into the notion of a Messiah, who would deliver the people and establish God’s reign on earth.
Think about times of “fire” in your own life – those times when things were burned away. What good things did the fire make room for? Is there any healing you need to ask God for from the wounds of that burning?
2 Thessalonians 3:7-12
If you believe that Jesus is returning tomorrow, what need is there to work? Or save? Or address systemic injustice? Won’t these things all take care of themselves? This is the attitude that Paul confronts in today’s passage, and from his response, we might begin to develop a theology of work. And we should be careful not to restrict this word “work” solely to the sphere of earning a paycheck. It includes that, for sure, but it equally includes activities that have traditionally gone unpaid, such as the labor of a mother in the home or the efforts of a volunteer comforting the dying. In Paul’s view, work is sanctioned and sanctifying. It is necessary, and it provides a path to the cultivation of virtue.
In v7, Paul exhorts the community to “imitate” him, the Greek word mimeomai, from which we derive the word “mimic.” This is a constant refrain throughout the letters of Paul. He taught in words, to be sure, but his life reflected his teaching.
Paul’s example, when he lived among the community at Thessalonika, was that he worked to support himself. He clarifies in v9 that this was his choice; he had the cultural “right” to ask them to support him. But he chose a different way.
He then says in v10 that those who will not “work” should not eat. There are some who would like to use this verse to do away with any type of social welfare system. They believe that every person should be able and willing to make enough money to feed themselves. We could spend a lot of time debating this, but again, I go back to the definition of “work.” I’m reminded of 1 Corinthians 12:7 in The Message, “Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits.” I think “work” is something so much broader than what we generally expect, and I think “work” is also as personal and unique as each individual person.
Paul’s conclusion in v12 is that each person does their “work” in tranquility, and the ending of that verse is translated different ways. “eat their own food” (NAB); “earn their own living” (RSV); “earn the food they eat” (NIV). The Greek literally says “eat their own bread.” I suspect some translation choices are influenced by personal theologies of the extent to which societies should care for people within the community, and also the accepted meaning of work.
What is your “work,” your unique contributions to the kingdom? How are you living that out?
Luke 21:5-19
Today’s passage is best understood in a three-part structure: temple destruction prophecy (vv. 5-7), eschatological signs (vv. 8-11), and persecution warnings (vv. 12-19).
This passage can be a bit confusing! There is a threefold temporal division going on here:
- The times of persecution facing Christians
- The times of the destruction of Jerusalem
- The times of the Son of Man, the “last days”
But Luke interweaves these divisions:
- Times before the fall of the temple 21:5-11
- Interruption to consider what could be expected even before that fall 21:12-19
- Description of the fall of the city 21:20-24
- Glimpse at the days of the Son of Man 21:25-38
Remember that Luke is recounting all of this through the eyes of those who have seen it all come to pass. Luke will show how #1 (times of persecution facing Christians) has already been fulfilled (see Acts). And he suggests #2 (destruction of Jerusalem) has already been fulfilled as well.
A prophet could only be certified if his prophecies came to pass. Luke has presented Jesus as a great prophet, so now he’s showing the things that have come to pass. This is intended to create confidence in the expectation about the days of the Son of Man.
Luke has the “last days discourse” in chp 17 and separates it from this discourse on the destruction of the Temple. He wants to make sure that his community does not equate the destruction of the Temple (which would have already taken place) with Jesus’ return. So the wars, famine, earthquake – none of those herald the end of the world!
This is apocalyptic writing. “The authors do not conceive themselves to be predicting, in an abstract, uninvolved way, the ‘last things’ that are to happen centuries hence. Rather, they are interpreting the present crisis in which they are involved as the last crisis of human history, to be followed very soon by its consummation… Its purpose was not to foster speculation about when God would intervene, but to encourage dispirited people by proclaiming that God is in control of history and that punishment of the wicked will be God’s doing, not that of human vengeance.” (Reginald Fuller)
The passage opens with some who are looking at the Jerusalem Temple and marveling at its beauty. King Solomon built the first temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586BC. It was modestly rebuilt around 500BC. Over time, it was gradually improved and expanded. Between 20BC and 10 BC, Herod the Great funded a complete remodel. It included a new foundation, with some stones weighing in at 500-600 TONS.
I imagine Jesus barely glancing at the temple and responding in v6. As usual, Jesus sees something completely different. He sees these huge stones toppled once more. Of course, the people want to know when that’s going to happen and what sign will let them know it’s imminent.
Jesus warns them in v8 not to confuse the destruction of the temple with his return. He speaks of those who go about saying “I am he,” literally, “I AM,” ego eimi. The irony is that this is exactly what Jesus himself did!
Vv9-12 seem to me to describe the state of the human condition since the beginning of time. When have there not been wars or famines or natural disasters?! When have some people groups not been persecuted?! Jesus says none of this signifies “the end.”
V13 says this will be a time for bearing witness, the Greek word marturion, from which we get the word martyr. The grammar of this verse is flexible enough that it could also legitimately be translated “this opportunity will witness for you,” giving almost a passive sense.
Vv14-15 seem counterintuitive: don’t prepare your defense, but really completely and utterly on the Spirit in the moment.
The reality of living an authentic life according to the gospel is hinted at in vv16-17: rejection even by family, as well as social isolation.
The comfort is given in vv18-19: an assurance of deliverance.
It’s all too easy to glance at the headlines these days and feel like the world is literally coming to an end. In what ways have you fallen prey to this feeling and how has it impacted your actions in the world or your prayer?