Proper 7, Tuesday: Judas
Today's Readings:
- Psalm 97,99
- 1 Samuel 6:1-167
- Acts 5:27-42
- Luke 21:37-22:13
The Ark is returned after seven months, with guilt offerings. The Sadducees threaten to destroy the apostles, but are counciled by Gamaliel that if Jesus was human, the apostles will lose steam and the movement will disappear; if the Jesus movement comes from God, then there is nothing the Sadducees can do to stop it. Satan enters Judas' heart and Judas looks for an opportunity to betray Jesus. Jesus tells the apostles where to prepare for the passover feast.
Judas must have written a very interesting gospel. Of course, what we read about him in the four canonical gospels is very unfair to Judas. As soon as we meet him we are told that he betrayed Jesus with no explanation as to why Jesus called him. Judas must have had something. All twelve of them must have had something that Jesus recognized as important to his movement. We have different accounts of his death and rumors about his love for money. In conversations I've heard people say that the Jews in Jerusalem couldn't have behaved in a different manner, like the prophecy of the Messiah took away their choice. If the Jews who called for Jesus' execution were compelled by prophecy, then Judas was, too, and we can't call him the villian in the passion narrative. It gets tricky, because then who authored the prophecy that forced Judas to act the way he did? God. It works if you believe in atonement theology, which I don't.
So Judas had something. It's possible that he was looking for a military leader, but it's hard to justify his sticking around for so long with Jesus if Jesus never talked about military rebellion and a military victory over the Romans. Judas probably liked the way Jesus taught at first, supporting his ideas and his methods. When Jesus entered Jerusalem and the people hailed him as a Messiah, and Jesus didn't deny it, Judas probably felt that that was the moment where Jesus crossed a line. For Judas, that was when Jesus went from being a great teacher to a theological problem. Did he meet the requirements for the Messiah? Where the people misunderstanding Jesus' mission and Judas couldn't rationalize following Jesus any more? It's possible.
Why don't I take the Gospel accounts literally? Because, like most history, they were written by the victors in the fight for the Jesus movement and Christianity.
Temporarily Away
I hate to not be able to get posts up for this week. I will post them at the end of the week. My wife and I are leaving town for a few days. I could have worked ahead, but it didn't work out this week. I plan on working a day or two in advance after I get back and date the entries so they will hopefully appear at a more convenient time. I realize that my posts go online around noon, but I'm on the west coast. They don't make it for anyone's morning prayer.
Thank you, and bless you, for patience.
Proper 7, Monday: Protective God
Today's Readings:
- Psalm 89:1-18
- 1 Samuel 5:1-12
- Acts 5:12-26
- Luke 21:29-36
The Ark is taken to Gath and Ekron, and those cities suffer. At the portico of Solomon, the apostles are arrested after many are healed; they are released from prison and return to their teaching. Jesus tells us of the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.
In Samuel and Acts, we read about a protective god who makes an effort to support one group over another. Jesus does not talk aobut God's protection. The Chosen during the trials and tribulations of the end times. Individual must be strong to survive; their salvation comes in prayers, not from God.
It brings into question how much our own individual strength comes into play. God, the source of all things, according to Jesus wants us to stand strong for ourselves. I can buy that. I believe that the reason we have free will is because without it, love for God is meaningless, but if we can reject God, we can be independent from God, and we can also indepentently desire for union with God.
Year One, Proper 7, Sunday: Material Detachment
Today's Readings:
- Psalm 66,67
- 1 Samuel 4:12-22
- James 1:1-18
- Matt 19:13-30
James writes that faith brings wisdom, doubt does not. We are tempted by our own desire, which gives birth to sin, which gives birth to death. Talk about a hot and cold passage. While I am a lover of wisdom myself, I don't see doubt as a bad thing, but this passage can easily be used to justify statements like "believe or burn." The second part is a good model of how dangerous things start: desire. Remember, money is not the root of all evil, but love of money is the root of all evil.
Matthew also presents us with a difficult passage, one that has haunted me for years. The rich young man asks about what good deed is necessary for eternal life. Despite keeping all of the laws, the young man realizes that something is missing. Jesus tells him to sell all of his posessions, which the young man cannot do. He is still connected and invested in his possessions. I have the same problem. I'm a pack rat. I watch shows like "Mission:Organization" and shudder when people are forced to throw out so many of their things because they aren't being used. My hobbies cycle, and some of them, like my guitar, don't get used for over a year at a time, then I get the desire to play again, relearn what I've forgotten, and pull it out. By the "Mission:Organization" standard I should throw it all away if I haven't used it in a year. What happens when I get the bug to play the guitar? I have to buy or rent one. I don't have that kind of money. I'm not sure that I could sell my stuff to ease my life. Of course, when I think about those horrible life changing events like a fire that destroys everything you own, what would I replace? I probably wouldn't replace the guitar right away, but I know eventually I'd buy another one. I think the important thing is being able to let go of material desire. The rich young man couldn't let go of it. Job had that kind of detachment. Was Job saddened by the loss of his family and land? Yes. Did he let that loss define his life? No. Maybe it's time to re-read Job.
