16 Pentecost, Cycle A Proper 20,
September 24, 2017
Exodus 16:2-15 Psalm 145:1-8
Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16
Lectionary Link
When the children of Israel were stranded in the wilderness without seeing a stable supply of food. Moses interceded with God as the heavenly chef and God sent a new gourmet treat to be served on the ground each morning. And all the children of Israel had to do was collect and eat it, which they did, and when they saw it for the first time they asked, "Ma Na? which means "What's this?" Which probably really was said, "Ooooo, What's this!"
Ma Na or What's This? is probably the common question of all people when they are presented with something new. This bread on the ground seems to be in the category of food but it is not like food that we've eaten in the past; how can we be certain that it is good for us?
You and I and everyone have been in the situation of asking this question when we have been presented with something new. We have doubts about how the new relates to our past experience. We have doubts about whether embracing the new is going to be beneficial to us. Sometimes we are not really ready to embrace the new as beneficial to us. We often embrace the new as being a threat to us and to our way of life.
St. Paul is a case in point. As rabbi Saul, he saw the followers of Jesus and he said, "What's this?" He presided at the stoning of St. Stephen. What's this? What is this new religious path that has occurred because of Jesus of Nazareth. Saul of Tarsus was so threatened and repulsed by the Jesus Movement, he answered his "What's this?" with murderous and persecuting behaviors.
His extreme response to the Jesus Movement brought about his own violation of the Mosaic Law about not committing murder. This "acting out" behavior met by the graceful response of Stephen, must have resulted in an interior snap which led to his conversion and subsequent rise to be the leader of the Christian Movement to the Gentile peoples.
This Jesus, this Jesus Movement and their interpretation of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, "What this?" Is not this a threat to Judaism? Is this not a departure from the Hebrew Scriptures? How can we accept this? How can we accord this new movement any status?
When confronted with the Jesus Movement, St. Paul asked, "What this?" And he answered his question with persecuting behaviors towards followers of Jesus.
This same Paul, later wrote: "To me, living is Christ and dying is gain." St. Paul took the question Manna and discovered Jesus to be the Manna or living bread that came down from heaven. St. Paul found that partaking of the body of Christ became the main staple of his life of faith.
The parable of Jesus about the equal pay for the early hired and the late hired is how the early church addressed the "What's this?" question. What's this? New people, the Gentile are being invited into equal status in faith with those who were Jews and had inherited the long tradition of Hebrew Scriptures. Shouldn't the heirs of this long tradition be accorded more pay, a more exalted status than these, "Johnny come lately" Gentiles? It's not fair. What's this conferring of equal accord in God's eye for these foreign Gentiles who want to claim God's favor even though they don't have the heritage and they do not practice the ritual purity requirements of Judaism.
The church over and over again has had to deal with the "What's this" question. Women being equal in dignity to men? What's this? Slavery now a sin? What's this? People of color, having equal dignity to white people? What's this? Child labor laws enforced. What's this? Diabled persons being equal in dignity? What's this? Gay persons having equal dignity and status in God's eye. What this? On and on we are confronted in human experience with new occasion for love and justice and the Gospel being extended and practiced toward more people, and people of old habits and patterns say, "What's this?"
The essence of the Gospel is the love and justice of God coming to all people, even to some "new" people?
Today, we need grace to be freed from our bias and prejudice and our old habits which do not allow the expansion of the practice of God's love, justice and dignity for all people.
Today, we come to the Eucharistic table and we receive the heavenly manna and we ask "What this?" And the answer is this: It is the body of Christ equally shared with anyone who wants to receive the graceful presence of Christ in their lives. Amen.
Exodus 16:2-15 Psalm 145:1-8
Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16
Lectionary Link
When the children of Israel were stranded in the wilderness without seeing a stable supply of food. Moses interceded with God as the heavenly chef and God sent a new gourmet treat to be served on the ground each morning. And all the children of Israel had to do was collect and eat it, which they did, and when they saw it for the first time they asked, "Ma Na? which means "What's this?" Which probably really was said, "Ooooo, What's this!"
Ma Na or What's This? is probably the common question of all people when they are presented with something new. This bread on the ground seems to be in the category of food but it is not like food that we've eaten in the past; how can we be certain that it is good for us?
You and I and everyone have been in the situation of asking this question when we have been presented with something new. We have doubts about how the new relates to our past experience. We have doubts about whether embracing the new is going to be beneficial to us. Sometimes we are not really ready to embrace the new as beneficial to us. We often embrace the new as being a threat to us and to our way of life.
St. Paul is a case in point. As rabbi Saul, he saw the followers of Jesus and he said, "What's this?" He presided at the stoning of St. Stephen. What's this? What is this new religious path that has occurred because of Jesus of Nazareth. Saul of Tarsus was so threatened and repulsed by the Jesus Movement, he answered his "What's this?" with murderous and persecuting behaviors.
His extreme response to the Jesus Movement brought about his own violation of the Mosaic Law about not committing murder. This "acting out" behavior met by the graceful response of Stephen, must have resulted in an interior snap which led to his conversion and subsequent rise to be the leader of the Christian Movement to the Gentile peoples.
This Jesus, this Jesus Movement and their interpretation of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, "What this?" Is not this a threat to Judaism? Is this not a departure from the Hebrew Scriptures? How can we accept this? How can we accord this new movement any status?
When confronted with the Jesus Movement, St. Paul asked, "What this?" And he answered his question with persecuting behaviors towards followers of Jesus.
This same Paul, later wrote: "To me, living is Christ and dying is gain." St. Paul took the question Manna and discovered Jesus to be the Manna or living bread that came down from heaven. St. Paul found that partaking of the body of Christ became the main staple of his life of faith.
The parable of Jesus about the equal pay for the early hired and the late hired is how the early church addressed the "What's this?" question. What's this? New people, the Gentile are being invited into equal status in faith with those who were Jews and had inherited the long tradition of Hebrew Scriptures. Shouldn't the heirs of this long tradition be accorded more pay, a more exalted status than these, "Johnny come lately" Gentiles? It's not fair. What's this conferring of equal accord in God's eye for these foreign Gentiles who want to claim God's favor even though they don't have the heritage and they do not practice the ritual purity requirements of Judaism.
The church over and over again has had to deal with the "What's this" question. Women being equal in dignity to men? What's this? Slavery now a sin? What's this? People of color, having equal dignity to white people? What's this? Child labor laws enforced. What's this? Diabled persons being equal in dignity? What's this? Gay persons having equal dignity and status in God's eye. What this? On and on we are confronted in human experience with new occasion for love and justice and the Gospel being extended and practiced toward more people, and people of old habits and patterns say, "What's this?"
The essence of the Gospel is the love and justice of God coming to all people, even to some "new" people?
Today, we need grace to be freed from our bias and prejudice and our old habits which do not allow the expansion of the practice of God's love, justice and dignity for all people.
Today, we come to the Eucharistic table and we receive the heavenly manna and we ask "What this?" And the answer is this: It is the body of Christ equally shared with anyone who wants to receive the graceful presence of Christ in their lives. Amen.
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