The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time
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What holds you back? What binds you?
Isaiah gives a picture of the future kingdom where all is set right.
Jesus’ actions say that the kingdom is already here among you.
And James gives us more instructions for how to live to continue bringing about that kingdom.
We ponder this in the context of the gospel story of a man who cannot hear or speak. He is held back, and cannot participate in communal life. What place does he have in the kingdom? And what holds us back from participating in the kingdom?
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Chp 35 is a poem about Israel’s deliverance, marked by joy and hope. 35:1-10 are read during the Advent season, so this passage has that sort of flavor. Chapter 34 is an oracle of judgment on Edom – an enemy of Israel. Edom means “red” and Edomites were the descendants of Esau, Jacbo’s brother, and cousins to the Jewish people. Cousins but enemies. Chp 34 foretells of judgment on their enemy; chp 35 is the deliverance from that enemy and how things will look once it’s done. On a different level, it’s about the future kingdom that God will establish to reign supreme.
In chp 34 the prevailing image is the land becoming a desert: everything dies and all is dry and barren. Chp 35 is a reversal of that: the land becomes a wilderness in bloom. The great reversal is a common theme in scripture.
This passage promises a joyful return home for the Jews after their exile in Babylon. For Isaiah, that return was on multiple levels. It was the return of the Jews of that era to their homeland. But even deeper, it foreshadowed the final redemptive act of God: the return of all his people at the end of the age.
Prophets in general used lots of images when trying to explain things. So does Jesus. In that regard, they’re a lot like poets. Here, Isaiah uses two images for the last days, the end times, or the coming of the kingdom:
- Healing – a reversal of physical maladies that allows people to fully participate in the world around them.
- A blooming desert. Unexpected and seemingly impossible but delightful to witness. This image is very closely related to healing. God’s salvation extends to the natural world! Creation is healed.
V4 tells them “do not fear!” Jesus was always saying this too. Don’t be afraid! Paul says God has not given you a spirit of fear but one of power. The verse contains two words that we don’t use a lot these days. First is to vindicate, to clear someone of blame. This is how some aspects of theology view Jesus’ saving work on the cross – it clears us of blame. The second word is recompense, which means to compensate or to make amends for loss or harm suffered. Again, some theology says we are to blame and we can never make full amends for the wrongs we’ve done, but thankfully Jesus brings divine recompense – only God can make full amends. Julian of Norwich can offer us a refreshingly different perspective.
Vv5-6 are the image of healing. I think they don’t have quite the same impact on modern people because we have certainly seen people healed of blindness, deafness, and lameness. The original audience would have called to mind a blind person and known in the depths of their being that sight was impossible for that person. To think of that person seeing again would have prompted wonder and joy.
V7 is the second image of the kingdom: a desert in full bloom.
If you were to imagine the joyful abundance of the kingdom, what images might you use to describe it?
James 2:1-5
The lectionary spends five weeks with this short letter. I encourage you to read it in its entirety at least once, if not every week.
Today’s passage is about showing partiality or favoritism based on characteristics that shouldn’t factor in. V2 uses the word assembly; the Greek word is actually synagōgēn. The setting for this example is in the worshipping community, and James says there’s no room for evaluating people on socio-economic background in that setting.
A more literal translation of v1 would be:
Do not hold the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ while showing acts of favoritism.
This helps bring out the exclusive nature of this: you can’t truly hold the Christian faith if you’re playing favorites or treating some people better than others. There is a way of existing in this world that creates a hierarchy: who is in, who is out; who is good/bad; who is ritually pure/unclean. James says to throw all that out. Don’t live in that kind of hierarchy. John’s writings say the same thing but he uses language around not living in the ways of the world. James puts it differently but is saying the same thing. Faith in Jesus means following the gospel message of Jesus, namely that all are equal before God and are to be treated as such.
James also gives a challenge: you’re going to have to give up something. Either give up the faith or start living the gospel. It’s a pretty stark message.
Vv2-3 give the concrete example: someone comes in to worship dressed well, and the community gives him pride of place and attention. Someone else comes in dressed poorly and that person get pushed to the corner. There were lots of ways in the ancient world to determine social status. With strangers, the best indicator was clothing. If we wanted to update this example, we might say this: a person drives up with Fox news blaring on the radio while another drives up with NPR blasting. Can you immediately categorize the standing of both these people and would you immediately determine who is in your camp and who is not?! Would you treat one differently than the other?
V4 says that when you do this, when you make these judgments and then treat people on the basis of them, you’ve essentially become a judge with evil designs – you’ve made the judgment relying on factors that do not matter.
The poor are always objects of God’s special care, as emphasized in v5. It references those who are “poor in the world;” they are poor by the standards of the world, but they may be rich in the sphere of faith.
What are some factors you use to categorize and classify other people? How do those help and how might they be hindering your Christian journey?
Mark 7:31-37
After last week’s run-in with the Pharisees (where Jesus declares the old law about foods essentially no longer applicable), Jesus takes off into Gentile territory. We usually associate Luke with an emphasis on the universality of the gospel, but really it’s there in all the gospels because it was implicit in Jesus’ ministry. We see that here in Mark as well.
Jesus is in Gentile territory, in the area called the Decapolis, which is modern-day Jordan and Syria. He was last here back in chapter 5 when he drove a demon out into a herd of pigs and the people asked him to leave. Now, they’re begging him to heal. Perhaps this change of attitude was based on the testimony of the man he previously healed.
This story is unique to Mark. The Jesus that Mark portrays is a very human Jesus, and this story graphically portrays the human body as a vehicle for divine grace. Jesus very intimately touches this man and the man receives that intimate touch. God doesn’t just act on a spiritual plane; God dips into our world. This is a sacramental moment.
In this story we see the “Messianic secret” which Mark emphasizes: it’s “secret” because Jesus can only ultimately be understood in light of the cross. This healing is not the whole story about him. Most people are going to talk about the healing, but they will miss the point. Jesus says: wait for the cross so that you can then understand who I am.
We think of Mark as terse and choppy but this story has an incredible amount of detail, as do many of his stories. Listen for that as you hear it read and proclaimed.
To be “deaf and dumb” is a general term for being unable to communicate with the world around you. No doubt this encounter was an actual one in which a person actually was deaf and unable to speak. But, like most gospel stories, we must read it on multiple levels.
The passage begins with telling Jesus’ route. It’s a bit like saying “he left Columbus and went by way of Cincinnati to Cleveland.” Either Mark is confused about the geography or he wants to say that Jesus is wandering around a large area for a while. The Decapolis was an area around the sea of Galilee, stretching south, with a predominantly Gentile population. When Mark does give us these details, it’s important to pay attention to them. Jesus is now in “pagan” territory, non-Jewish terrain.
The last time Jesus was here, they were begging him to leave. Now, in v32, they approach him and beg for another miracle. It says the man has a speech impediment. Mark uses a rare Greek word here – mogilalos which means “speaking with difficulty.” This word is not used anywhere else in the New Testament, but it is used one time in the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. It appears in Isaiah 35:6 “the mute tongue shall sing for joy,” which is from our Old Testament reading today. There are other Greek words for saying that someone can’t talk. It’s very likely Mark chose this word under the influence of the Isaiah passage. And if that’s the case, then Mark probably wants us to associate this healing with the end days, the final establishment of God’s reign. Mark is hinting at the idea that the kingdom is at hand – it’s here and now among you.
The people beg Jesus for a healing, the Greek word parakaleó, which means to “come alongside.” John’s gospel uses a form of this word to refer to the Holy Spirit, one who comes alongside us. We don’t know who the people are that bring the man but, like the Holy Spirit, they are coming alongside to help him.
Take a moment to read v33 and imagine the physicality of it. Ewwww!!!! Last week Jesus was accused of not washing his hands. This week he takes those unwashed hands and puts them in someone’s mouth. Just…. yuck!
Although this sounds to our ears like an invasion of personal space, remember that this culture was not used to that notion. Even today in the Middle East, people touch each other in ways that can feel invasive, especially to Americans.
Spit was sometimes used in medicine. More commonly, people would spit at the mention of evil, the “evil eye.”
In v34, Jesus then prays. Similar to 5:41, the Aramaic has been preserved. Why? Probably Mark’s community retained this almost as though this human word of Jesus held its own power. It was probably bordering on magic here. He does this looking up to heaven, which was a traditional Jewish posture of prayer.
This is the only place in the gospels where Jesus is said to groan, or sigh deeply. Whatever it was about the situation, it penetrated and affected Jesus deeply and he acknowledges that, gives “voice” to it. Romans 8:26 says that the Spirit intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. I think this is a beautiful picture of Jesus interceding for us. He prays and is almost overwhelmed with his compassion and desire for healing.
V35 tells us the healing was not only immediate, but it was complete. In chp 8 there’s the story about a healing of a blind man, and that one is not immediate – it takes two rounds for the man to see. This one is immediate.
v36 references the “Messianic secret.” Remember – Jesus is not just a healer. For Mark’s gospel, we have to wait for the cross to fully understand who Jesus is. But some are intent on proclaiming the good news, the same word used at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry – he proclaimed the good news of God.
The crowd is then exceedingly astonished. This is an over the top expression to use for what just happened. It was out of proportion to the healing that just took place. Mark wants us to realize how important this action is, and connect it both to the Isaiah passage and also the idea that the kingdom is in their midst.
The crowd’s reaction deepens the contrast between the enthusiastic approval of the people and the suspicion of the religious authorities.
The reading ends by saying Jesus has “done all things well.” This is the same language as in Genesis “God saw everything he had done, that it was exceedingly good.”
In the baptism of children, the Ephphatha rite or “prayer over the ears and mouth” is sometimes used:
The celebrant touches the ears and mouth of the child with his thumb, saying:
May the Lord Jesus,
Who made the deaf to hear and the mute to speak,
Grant that you may soon receive his words with your ears
And profess the faith with your lips,
To the glory and praise of God the Father.
All: Amen.
There is a similar optional rite for adults as well.
I think it’s significant that other people bring the man to Jesus. And also that these are the very ones who initially rejected Jesus, but now they perhaps understand him as a source of healing. That, too, is our job: to be healed and then to bring others to that source of healing. Like this man, we are deaf and dumb. Sin impairs our ability to hear, understand, and then proclaim the good news. Like the man, we need Jesus’ intercessory healing.
Why do you think Jesus performs this healing apart from the crowd? And what do you make of his display of groaning even though no one is around?
This is another great story for imaginative prayer. You might imagine that you are the deaf and dumb man. Other people are leading you towards Jesus. Do you have any hope of healing? Or maybe you are a friend who desires healing for a loved one. Can you bring that person to Jesus?
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© 2024 Kelly Sollinger