10 March 2010
Psalm 119:97-120; Gen. 45:16-28; 1 Cor. 8:1-13; Mark 6:13-29

Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and sends for the rest of the family to come to Egypt to ride out the famine with him there. This is the second time these people have gone to Egypt in time of famine, Abram and Sarai were there in a similar time. Joseph has learned to think with the Lord in understanding the world. He tells his brothers that their act of treachery in selling him into slavery was the Lord’s doing, he saw the sovereignty of God in this reunion, God had sent him here to save his own family, the very ones who had sought to do him harm. Pharaoh is delighted to hear of Joseph’s family and readily provides for them, so great is his admiration for Joseph.

John, like Joseph, had won the admiration, if grudgingly, of an earthly ruler. Mark tells us, “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him.” John’s way of life, his fearless proclamation of truth, gave Herod cause to believe that this man should be protected not persecuted. His wife had reason to fear John’s influence on her husband and she believed that if she could have him removed from the scene, all would go back to normal. Jesus’ appearance on the scene and the works that He was doing surely caused Herod and Herodias some grief and fear that their sins had found them out and that John would come back to haunt them. The beliefs of the people sound a bit like reincarnation with superpowers given by the power of the one who worked the resurrection.

Paul tells the Corinthians, whose culture was thoroughly pagan, that idols are nothing at all. In Corinth, a major trading and religious center, it would have been difficult to buy food that had not been sacrificed to idols prior to its sale. Also, there were many temples and shrines in this city. The Christian community was working out how to live as Christians in the midst of this pagan culture and it is no surprise that they were having difficulty sorting out what it means to participate in social life while maintain a distinctive identity. We see these same kinds of dilemmas in our society where some believe abstinence from alcohol, for instance, is the best policy although the Bible has no absolute proscription against it. I understand the choice that says it is best not to lead others into temptation if they are weak and liable to alcoholism but it is indeed a choice on how to use our freedom. We must navigate the line between being culturally conditioned and distinctively Christian and that requires us to think about the choices we make if we are to maintain our integrity as Christians in a way that witnesses to the world.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.