Patrick Comerford
Next Sunday, 7 July 2019, is the Third Sunday after Trinity.
The appointed readings in the Revised Common Lectionary for Proper 9 (Year C), as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland are in two groups.
The continuous readings are: II Kings 5: 1-14; Psalm 30; Galatians 6: (1-6), 7-16; Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20.
The paired readings are: Isaiah 66: 10-14; Psalm 66: 1-8; Galatians 6: (1-6), 7-16; Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20.
There is a link to the continuous readings HERE
Introducing the readings:
Next Sunday’s readings offer interesting contrasts and choices. In the story of Naaman, we see the response of two kings, one the victor and the other the vanquished, one willing to trust a foreign prophet, the other not trusting the motives of a gentile general, no matter what his condition.
We read of a mighty general who does not know what to do and a lowly slave girl who speaks out.
We have a king who receives a general but is unwilling to trust his motives, and prophet who is unwilling to meet the general but invites him to trust in God.
Naaman has great expectations but they can only be met by responding to simple commands. Naaman thinks he can buy God’s healing, but finds he receives faith freely in the free-flowing water.
The Seventy have great expectations but receive simple commands for the Seventy.
The wolf and the lamb may be contrasts, but together they become symbols of the coming kingdom.
We can contrast the impurity of Naaman, and how the 70 are to accept that they are sent among people and homes that may be impure.
There are contrast between the mission of the 12 and the mission of the 70.
Naaman finds healing and wholeness among a strange people. What are the expectations of the 70 when they find themselves among a strange people?
II Kings 5: 1-14:
In the continuous readings, we come to the conclusion of our series of readings on the lives and ministry of the prophets Elijah and Elisha.
In this story, Naaman is a gentile general who is healed by grace, which cannot be who earned or bought, but which is offered freely.
The story is probably set in the reigns of Ben-hadad and Jehoram, around the year 850 BC. But neither the King of Aram (Syria) nor the King of Israel is named. They remain anonymous, for the central character in this story is Naaman, the Syrian general, and his victory was seen as a working out of God’s plans.
However, Naaman suffers from leprosy, a word used to translate a Hebrew word for several skin diseases, some of which were incurable. At an advanced stage of these skin diseases, the sufferers were quarantined.
The other key character in this story is a young girl who was captured by the Syrians and now serves Naaman’s wife (also unnamed) as a maid or personal slave. This young captive or slave girl tells her mistress that the prophet Elisha, who is living in Samaria, could cure Naaman of his leprosy. Naaman hears this and seeks advice from the Syrian king.
In an act of what appears like shocking risk-taking, the Syrian king tells Naaman to visit the prophet, and offers to intervene on his behalf, writing a letter of recommendation to the defeated King of Israel. It was normal to bring gifts when approaching a prophet, and Naaman brings gold that weighs about 70 kg.
When Naaman arrives, the King of Israel thinks it is all a plot, and cannot handle the situation. He tears his clothes in shock and dismay in response to an enemy seeking help.
When Elisha hears what is happening, he challenges the king and tells him to send Naaman to him, not primarily to be healed but to learn about God. Naaman cannot bring himself to enter Elisha’s house. Elisha he sends out a messenger who commands Naaman to wash himself seven times in the River Jordan.
Naaman is angered at this response. He expected Elisha to come out to him and cure him on the spot. He could have gone and washed in any other river, even great rivers, at home if this would have cured him. He turns on his heels and walks away in rage.
Naaman has listened to a slave girl, his wife, his king, and the king he has defeated in battle. But now he cannot listen to the advice from Elisha’s messenger. Everything else was difficult to hear, but this is too simple to the point of him feeling demeaned.
His own servants point out the built-in contradictions in his responses. If Elisha had asked him to do something much more difficult, what would he have done.
Naaman now does what Elisha has asked him to do. He is cured in body, but also has a spiritual change. He returns to Elisha does accept advice from below, as he has listened to the advice of the young girl. In verse 15, he returns to Elisha and says, ‘Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.’
Naaman has been healed in body, mind and soul.
Psalm 30:
Psalm 30 is a hymn of thanksgiving for recovery from a grave illness. The writer relies on a series of contrasting images to express the grace of God, which turns despair into hope.
The psalmist praises God for his recovery from grave illness, and for being rescued from ‘Sheol,’ from ‘the Pit,’ and being restored to life.
The psalmist invites all who hear him to join in giving thanks and praising God. When things were going well for him in the past and he was prosperous, he felt secure and healthy. But when he fell ill, he felt he had fallen from God’s favour. He felt he was near death and cried out to God.
God hears his prayer and restores him to health and favour. His sorrow turns to joy, his mourning turns into dancing, and he will praise God for the rest of his life.
Galatians 6: (1-6), 7-16:
The Apostle Paul concludes his Letter to the Galatians by emphasising the need to live a life of faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, with the believer encouraged to allow himself or himself to be made a new creation through Christ.
Saint Paul is writing to the church among the Galatians, which is divided between those who say new converts to Christianity must first become converts to Judaism and people from the local Gentile community who were mainly Greek-speakers, many of them descended from Celtic tribes that had settled in central Anatolia.
On the previous Sunday, we read how Saint Paul has told these people that the whole law is summed up in one single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Galatians 5: 5). He reminds them that ‘the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Galatians 5: 22-23).
Now, Saint Paul concludes his exhortations, telling his readers to bear one another’s burdens, and to be honest about themselves and with each other. We must never weary in doing what is right, working for the good of all.
So far, Saint Paul has dictated his letter to a scribe. He is not used to writing, but he now writes in ‘large letters,’ in his own hand, as if to emphasise or underline the importance of that he has to say.
Within the church, there is no place for adhering to old divisions or boasting about being Jew or Gentile, circumcised or not circumcised. What truly matters is the new creation.
Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20:
Jesus has set his face to go to Jerusalem, and a Samaritan village has refused to welcome his messengers in the previous Sunday’s reading (Luke 9: 51-62).
But Christ has rebuked James and John for their response to this rejection, and in this reading he now sends out 70 disciples on a mission of healing and proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God. They are to go ahead of Christ, to the places he is about to travel through on his way to Jerusalem, preparing the way for Jesus’ own mission, and tells them how to respond to both acceptance and rejection.
They are sent out with the understanding that the ‘harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few’ (verse 2).
The Seventy are sent out ‘like lambs into the midst of wolves’ (verse 3), defenceless before hostile people. But the image hold within it the promise that Christ is to usher in an era of peace and reconciliation, in which ‘the wolf and the lamb shall feed together’ (see Isaiah 65: 25).
The Seventy are to head out immediately and without delay (‘carry no purse ...,’ verse 4) and concentrate on the mission (‘greet no one ...’). They are to bring peace with them, and when they meet a person of peace, God’s peace will be with that person (verse 6).
They should accept whatever hospitality and food they are offered, and to show by their action, healing people and sharing the promise of the kingdom of God.
Verses 12-15, which are omitted here, tell the Seventy how to handle hostile situations, and to leave rejection to God’s own judgment and God’s own time.
The Seventy return, and if they had any misgivings when they were sent out, they now come back surprised and filled with joy. Christ has seen their victory over evil forces, and gives them authority ‘snakes and scorpions,’ then regarded culturally as sources of evil.
But if they have returned with joy, they are not to be joyful in the face of evil. Instead, they are to rejoice in the coming of the kingdom.
What were the difficulties and the evils the Seventy were to face on the way? Where were they going?
We hear more about this in the following passage in this chapter, which is the reading on the following Sunday (Luke 10: 25-37). This is the story of a man who is attacked on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem, and who finds that the one person who comes to assistance is a Samaritan.
The very threats we may face may not be the ones who fear, and those who offer us comfort and support on the way may be those we least expect to offer it. But more about that next week.
What is the symbolism of the Seventy?
Naaman is told to wash seven times, and Seventy disciples are sent on a mission into Gentile territory.
The number 70 is assigned to the families of Noah’s descendants (see Genesis 10: 1-32). In Jewish tradition, 70 is the number of nations of the world, and this is repeated in the Book of Jubilees (44: 34), although is not regarded as Biblical in almost every tradition. The Septuagint lists 72 names, and some translations of Saint Luke’s Gospel enumerates the 70 as 72. Do the 70 – or the 72 – represent a future mission to all nations?
In the wilderness, Moses was aided by 70 elders (see Exodus 24: 1, 9; Numbers 11: 16, 24-25).
The Septuagint or Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, takes its Latin name, abbreviated to LXX, the Roman numeral 70, from the Greek name for the translation, Ἡ τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα μετάφρασις (ton evdomekonta metaphrais), ‘The Translation of the Seventy.’
The Letter of Aristeas in the Second Century BC says the Septuagint was translated in Alexandria at the command of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 BCE) by 70 Jewish scholars (or, according to later tradition, 72 – six scholars from each of the Twelve Tribes) who independently produced identical translations.
Once again, we can see the confusion between the numbers 70 and 72. Is Saint Luke saying the 70 (or 72) represent the true words of God?
The Great Sanhedrin is described in rabbinic texts as the Court of 71, although no Old Testament text ever refers to such an institution. It was regarded as the supreme authority in matters religious and civil, including the appointment of kings, authorising offensive wars, punishing idolatry and teaching Torah.
Do Jesus and the 70 represent the new 71, the new Sanhedrin?
However, despite the Gospel references to the Sanhedrin, it is worth pointing out that there are very few rabbinic references that locate a Sanhedrin in the late Second Temple period, the time of Christ and Saint Paul.
Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20:
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.”
16 ‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’
17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ 18 He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’
Liturgical Resources:
Liturgical Colour: Green
The Collect:
Almighty God,
you have broken the tyranny of sin
and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts
whereby we call you Father:
Give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service,
that we and all creation may be brought
to the glorious liberty of the children of God;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Collect of the Word
Almighty God,
you have built your Church
on the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets
with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
Continue to send your messengers
to preserve your people in true peace that,
by the preaching of your Word,
your Church may be kept free from all harm and danger;
through Jesus Christ, your Son, or Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
O God,
whose beauty is beyond our imagining
and whose power we cannot comprehend:
Give us a glimpse of your glory on earth
but shield us from knowing more than we can bear
until we may look upon you without fear;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Suggested Hymns:
II Kings 5: 1-14:
553, Jesu, lover of my soul
587, Just as I am, without one plea
513, O Christ, the healer, we have come
557, Rock of ages, cleft for me
Psalm 30:
554, Lord Jesus, think on me
592, O Love that wilt not let me go
196, O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
528, The Church’s one foundation
Isaiah 66: 10-14:
569, Hark, my soul! it is the Lord
16, Like a mighty river flowing
Psalm 66: 1-8:
683, All people that on earth do dwell
701, Jubilate, ev’rybody
360, Let all the world in every corner sing
104, O for a thousand tongues to sing
Galatians 6: (1-6) 7-16:
561, Beneath the cross of Jesus
517, Brother, sister, let me serve you
318, Father, Lord of all creation
523, Help us to help each other, Lord
225, In the cross of Christ I glory
589, Lord, speak to me that I may speak
634, Love divine, all loves excelling
673, O Christ, our hope, our hearts’ desire
528, The Church’s one foundation
248, We sing the praise of him who died
247, When I survey the wondrous cross
Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20:
37, Come, ye thankful people, come
39, For the fruits of his creation
454, Forth in the peace of Christ we go
478, Go forth and tell! O Church of God, awake!
455, Go forth for God, go forth to the world in peace
456, Lord, you give the great commission
305, O Breath of life, come sweeping through us
505, Peace be to this congregation
443, Sent forth by God’s blessing, our true faith confessing
492, Ye servants of God, your master proclaim
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.
The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000)
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