Thursday August 29 Pentecost 14
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Psalm 18 Part 2
The first half of this long psalm used images from the escape through the Red Sea to celebrate God’s rescue of us. This second half speaks of our faithfulness (understood to be a way of doing justice) which has been made possible because of our being rescued. The psalm goes on to use the imagery of total military victory as a symbol of the victory that God’s justice will have and how deeply we rejoice in that victory.
Job 8.1-10, 20-22 What’s Job about?
Job’s second friend, Bildad, argues that God is the God of justice and has always defended the poor and mistreated. If Job repents and is faithful to God, then God will restore him to his previous security. Bildad believes the traditional religious stance that God rewards good people and punishes evil people, so Job’s misery proves he has done something very wrong. The author is writing the book to disagree with that traditional assumption.
John 7.14-36 What’s John about?
Jesus responds to several critiques, perhaps issues that were being raised with the early Christians in John’s time.
In response to the accusation that he is not educated, Jesus says that anyone who knows God will recognize that is where his teaching comes from.
In response to the accusation that he encourages work on the sabbath, Jesus points out that Moses required circumcision on the Sabbath.
In response to the accusation that nobody will know where the real messiah came from and therefore Jesus cannot be the messiah because it is known where he comes from, Jesus responds that he comes from God but because people don’t know God from whom Jesus comes, so he can be the genuine messiah because people don’t know God, which is where he comes from!
Opposition among the religious leaders grows and Jesus says they cannot come where he will be—with the Father in heaven—but they interpret this as meaning he will travel to other parts of the empire. As is so often John’s technique, we are being led to grasp ever deeper levels of meaning in these conversations even if the specific arguments aren’t persuasive to us.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
we are taught by your word
that all our doings without love are worth nothing.
Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts
that most excellent gift of love,
the true bond of peace and of all virtue;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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