Psalm 131, 132; 2 Samuel 19:1-23; Acts 24:1-23; Mark 12:28-34
The battle is finished, now the pieces have to be put back together. Joab lectures David on his grief for Absalom, the one who has been the cause of this civil war. David needs to hear these words, as difficult as they were for him. He has caused the victors to feel shame over their victory as the price included the life of Absalom. David puts aside his grief in order to go to the gate of the city and greet those returning from war. In consolidating the kingdom he replaces Joab with another commander of the armies, Amasa, a man of Judah like himself. He is also in a forgiving mood. Shimei, who has cursed David as he went out of Jerusalem is one of the first to come and ask forgiveness. Ziba, Mephibosheth’s servant, also comes out, again without his master, to greet David. Humpty Dumpty it seems is back together again, both Israel and Judah will be one kingdom again.
Jesus is questioned on the law, which is the highest obligation under the law. In the case of conflicting interests, which is the law that has the highest claim? That is the question at hand and Jesus yokes loving God and loving the neighbor. The question begged a single answer but Jesus says that you can’t love God and not love your neighbor, which is what John argues in his first epistle, you can’t love God who you haven’t seen if you can’t love the neighbor you see. There is, however, an order to the commandments, we love God first and that causes us to see the neighbor through God’s eyes, the neighbor is the one for whom Jesus died and we love the neighbor then as God loves them, not as we would love them. Our love for one another is, as it were, purified by loving the Lord.
The main offense for which Paul is accused by the Jews is that he is “one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world.” Certainly there is truth to an accusation that riots have happened in several places where Paul preached but did he incite the riots? What we see in every instance recounted by Luke is that the crowds were incited by particular individuals or groups in order to oppose Paul for commercial or other reasons. Is Paul’s preaching the proximate or secondary cause of the riots? Secondarily, Paul is charged with leading a sect rather than a religio licita, or an officially licensed religion, and for profaning the temple. These are all issues that touch on Roman law but Luke tells us that Felix had an accurate knowledge of the Way, what we know today as the Christian faith. Luke’s defense is that he was not disputing with anyone, that he was actually practicing a portion of Judaism, that he had not rejected the law and the prophets, and that all this was about resurrection from the dead, perhaps attempting to divide his accusers yet again. Felix decides not to decide just yet but allows Paul a good deal of freedom although he will be under house arrest. It would seem that he has already decided there is nothing to see here but how to move on awaits.
Honor great our God befitteth;
who his majesty can reach?
Age to age his works transmitteth,
age to age his power shall teach.
They shall talk of all thy glory,
on thy might and greatness dwell,
speak of thy dread acts the story,
and thy deeds of wonder tell.
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