31 October 2011

Psalm 56, 57; Neh. 6:1-19; Rev. 10:1-11; Matt. 13:36-43

The letter sent to Nehemiah was meant to suggest that they would pass along this “intelligence” to the king who would presumably take immediate action based upon the information provided and would come against not only Nehemiah but all those who were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. The enemies of the work even conspired with a man we suppose to be a priest, Shemaiah, to ruin Nehemiah. It is believed that Shemaiah, in furtherance of this scheme, had shut himself up to show that he believed his life to be in danger and that he would soon flee to the temple for sanctuary. He suggests that Nehemiah should also fear for his own life and that together they should go to the temple and lock the doors against their enemies. Nehemiah’s first response is that he is not a coward and then the Lord reveals the greater plot to him. If Nehemiah, a layman, entered the temple and locked the doors, it would certainly look to all the world that he had made a power play to control all, which would be difficult to explain both to the Jews and to the king. Fortunately, he listens to the Lord in this and the plot fails and the walls are completed. Unfortunately, that was not the end of the plots against him, there were those who continued to have communication and contact with Tobiah. To anyone who has ever pastured a church or led people, this is a familiar situation.

Jesus explains that among the believers there will be those who look true but who are in reality not members of the body of believers. The promise is that all this will be taken care of in the end, at the harvest. It is a hard thing to say that in any given church are those who simply are not part of the true body but that seems to be what Jesus is saying here. Even among His own small group of disciples, they will see that one is indeed not truly with them. How do we deal with that reality and that problem. Nehemiah and Jesus both were aware that some were not with them in spirit and yet they did not take action against those people, they left it to God, trusting that His will would be done. It doesn’t mean we should not confront this when it becomes a problem for the community, but it does mean that we leave the final judgment to the Lord.

Just as John is prepared to write what the “seven thunders” had spoken, he is stopped by a voice from heaven that tells him that the time has not yet come for this to be revealed to those who will read John’s words. This part of what John has seen and heard must be kept secret, it is for him only. As in the Gospel lesson, there will come a time when all is manifest but now is not that time for these words. John is give a scroll to eat, sweet to the taste but which turns bitter on the stomach. The Word of God is always sweet to us but it will come forth from John as prophecy of God’s judgment against nations and kings, it is not affirmation but instead bitter wrath. Judgment is real, even if we don’t see it and even if it is long delayed, even past this life.