Political, Social & Religious Intrigue

Wednesday, July 18, 2007 -- Week of Proper 10

"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117
An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html

Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 974)
Psalms 38 (morning) 119:25-48 (evening)
1 Samuel 20:1-23
Acts 12:18-25
Mark 2:13-22


Political, social and religious intrigue track our readings again today.

The alliance between Jonathan and David has profound effect on the rule of government in Israel. Normally one would expect the king's son to give absolute loyalty to his father, not only because of the Fifth Commandment to honor one's father, but also the patriarchal norms of Mediterranian culture. Finally, the son was the supposed heir to the throne. This is a plot that would have been judged treason by conventional standards and a violation of the respect owed to a father by religious and social norms. Jonathan elevates his relationship with David above his paternal relationship. He plots with David a bit of royal intrigue that will lead to something like a civil war and the fall of a political dynasty.

The beginnings of the Christian movement are deeply part of the political scene of the age. Herod Agrippa executed James, the brother of John and arrested Peter. Herod saw the followers of Jesus to be a political problem worthy of persecution and death. In fact, the message and teaching of the early church was pointedly confrontational and antagonistic toward the claims of the Empire. To say that Jesus is Lord is to say that Caesar is not. Much of the language and the practice of the early church reflects its self-perception as an alternative and superior authority to that of the state. (The story about Herod's speech and the people's acclamation that he was divine, followed by his sudden death is a story that we also find in Josephus' "Antiquities.")

We read in Luke that among Jesus' first disciples was Levi, a tax collector. Jesus went to dinner at Levi's house. This is behavior that would have been scandalous to Jewish religious leaders. Tax collectors were collaborators with the occupying Romans and were notorious for their extortionary practices. To eat with such a person would be interpreted as compromising to Jewish interests. To eat with sinners, people who do not observe the Torah law, would have been compromising to religious practice. We see Jesus eating and accepting into his circle people who are scandalous. We see that those observing him were also troubled by his level of partying and feasting.

Then we read an account of Jesus breaking one of the Ten Commandments, at least as it was interpreted by common custom. "Remember to keep the Sabbath Day holy" is the fourth commandment. To pluck heads of grain was to perform an act of harvesting, working in violation of the Sabbath. For his defense, Jesus cites David who, when he and his men were hungry, ate the sacred Bread of the Presence which was reserved only for the priests.

Jesus then quoted an interpretation of Sabbath practice, "The sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the sabbath." That was the teaching of the school of Gamalial, the Pharisee. Today's modern reform and conservative movements in Judaism trace their lineage through Gamalial. During Jesus' day, his was a minority interpretation. The more common interpretation was that of the school of Shammai, "humankind was made for the Sabbath." Shammai's was the more strict, conservative tradition; Gamalial's was the more contextual, liberal tradition. But even Gamalial would have been shocked by Jesus' eating with tax collectors and sinners.

It is interesting that today we have the interplay of religion and politics in our daily newspapers, motivating many of the large events that shape the conflicts of our world. We have the intertwining of religious and political leaders and the question of whether to bless or to challenge the activities of the state. We have interpretive debates over the significance of the Ten Commandments and of proper moral codes. Pretty normal Biblical stuff, I would say.

Lowell
______________________

To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the "Morning Reflections" email list,
go to our Subscriptions page -- http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id137.html

The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR

The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.