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Christ calls Zacchaeus down from the sycamore tree … is this story so familiar that it is difficult to find fresh insights? (Illustration © Henry Martin)Patrick Comerford
Next Sunday, 3 November 2019, is the Fourth Sunday before Advent.
There are two sets of readings in the Revised Common Lectionary as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland, the continuous readings and the paired readings, the continuous readings and the paired readings.
The Continuous readings: Habakkuk 1: 1-4, 2: 1-4; Psalm 119: 137-144; II Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12; Luke 19: 1-10.
The Paired readings: Isaiah 1: 10-18; Psalm 32: 1-8; II Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12; Luke 19: 1-10.
Each reading can be found by clicking on the built-in hyper-link.
In addition, the Book of Common Prayer says [p 18], ‘All Saints’ Day may be observed on the Sunday falling between 30 October and 5 November. The Church of Ireland Directory says: ‘The Readings for All Saints’ Day may be preferred’ on this Sunday. Many editions of the Revised Common Lectionary also note the ‘Sunday between 30 October and 5 November’ may be observed as ‘All Saints’ Sunday.’
This set of resources is presented in two parts. Part 1 looks at the readings and liturgical resources for next Sunday as the Fourth Sunday before Advent. Part 2 looks at the readings and liturgical resources for next Sunday as All Saints' Day.
Part 1: the Fourth Sunday before Advent
Introducing the readings:
The continuous readings on Sunday look at how the oppressed, the small people, those who are made to feel small by others, especially the proud and the violent, are truly cared for by God, have the promise of new life, and are invited into the kingdom.
In the first reading, the Prophet Habakkuk cries out:
Look at the proud!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faith (Habakkuk 2: 4).
The Psalmist says, ‘I am small and despised’ (Psalm 119: 141). Yet he lives by the law, and he prays for understanding that he may live.
In the New Testament reading, Saint Paul and his companions recognise the sufferings of the Christians in Thessaloniki, but they can give thanks for their faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
Zacchaeus is despised both as a tax collector and as a man who is ‘short in stature.’ Both his occupation and his physique squeeze him to the margins and put him outside the community of faith. Yet, he is not as he seems to others. He is unknowingly generous and just, and Christ invites himself into this man’s home to dine with him. Zacchaeus sees who Jesus truly is (‘Lord,’ verse 8), and Jesus sees who Zacchaeus truly is (‘a son of Abraham,’ verse 9). In the meal and the hospitality, there is mutual recognition and true communion.
Habakkuk 1: 1-4; 2: 1-4:
The Book of Habakkuk is one of the 12 Minor Prophets or short books at the end of the Old Testament. It may have been written when Babylon was a major power, probably between 608 and 598 BC, when the Chaldeans or Babylonian were destroying Judah before the fall of Jerusalem.
The book begins with a dialogue between the Prophet and God, in which Habakkuk asks why his people suffer at the hands of foreign invaders.
Why do they suffer from violence, wrongdoing, destruction, violence, lawlessness and injustice?
Why does it seem that God neither listens nor acts?
God replies that he will deal with the wicked in his own good time, and will vindicate the faithful, for ‘the righteous live by their faith.’ God has a plan for the future, in which the faithful will be rewarded, the wicked punished.
A reflection written for the Jewish prayer book Service of the Heart, edited by Rabbi John D Rayner and Rabbi Chaim Stern, offers is a summary of the Prophets that includes the closing words of this reading:
Our rabbis taught: 613 commandments were given to Moses. Then came Micah and based them upon three: ‘Do justly, love kindness, walk humbly with your God.’
Isaiah based them upon two: ‘Keep justice and righteousness.’ And Amos based them upon one: ‘Seek me and live.’
Habakkuk too based them upon one: ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’
Akiba taught: ‘The great principle of the Torah is expressed in the commandment: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
Ben Azzai found an even greater principle: ‘This is the book of the generations of man. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.’
And Hillel summarised the Torah in this maxim: ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow-man. The rest is commentary: go and study it.’
Psalm 119: 137-144:
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible, in which the lines in each stanza begin with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in alphabetic sequence. Next Sunday’s portion is the 18th stanza in which each verse begins with the Hebrew letter tsadi (צ), the 18th letter in the alphabet, pronounced ‘S’ by Sephardi Jews and ‘Ts’ by Ashkenazi Jews.
As in the other stanzas, the emphasis is on the Law, and each verse uses a synonym for the Law. The psalmist’s foes despise him for keeping the Law and make him feel small. But the psalmist persists in faith and asks God for understanding so that he may live.
Saint Paul preaching in Thessaloniki … a fresco in the Cathedral Church of Saint Gregory Palamas, Thessaloniki (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)II Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12:
The Second Letter to the Thessalonians is written to a Greek-speaking, gentile congregation in the city of Thessaloniki, perhaps before the year 70 and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. The opening greetings identify the principal author as the Apostle Paul. His co-writers are Silvanus, known as Silas in the Acts of the Apostles and who worked with Saint Paul in Thessaloniki and Corinth, and Timothy, who joined Saint Paul at Lystra, in central Asia Minor.
Saint Paul’s letter opens with greetings that appeal to both Greeks and Jews, grace and peace, that come from the Father and the Son.
Despite their persecutions and afflictions, the Christians in Thessaloniki give Saint Paul reasons to be thankful on three counts. They are growing in faith, they are increasing in love, and they are a living example to other churches of how to remain steadfast in the face of suffering.
The second part of this letter is a prayer, in which the writers pray that the people in Thessaloniki will continue to be examples of how to live by faith, so that they may be glorified and Christ may be glorified.
Luke 19: 1-10:
Last week, we looked at the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the Temple (Luke 18: 9-14). Imagine if Zacchaeus was the model for that publican, that tax collector.
The story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19: 1-10) is the Gospel reading for next Sunday, the Fourth Sunday before Advent (3 November 2019). It is a popular Sunday school story, and so, as with so many parables that are unique to Saint Luke’s Gospel, like the story of the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son, because it is so familiar to all of us, it is often difficult to read it again with fresh eyes and to find fresh insights.
Yet, this is a fast-moving story, with all the fast-moving pace we are more familiar with in Saint Mark’s Gospel: every verse from verse 1 to 7, in the original Greek version of this story, begins with the word καὶ (and), indicating that the pace has heightened, the story is speeding up, we are moving closer to the climax of this Gospel.
A little earlier, a rich ruler (Luke 18:18) has asked Christ what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Christ has told him to keep the commandments, he has said that he has done so since his youth. Christ then adds: ‘There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me’ (Luke 18: 22). But the rich man finds it hard to give up his wealth.
Now we meet Zacchaeus, a tax farmer working for the Romans and therefore also rich, but a despised person and an outcast from Jewish society.
Christ is about to set out from Jericho to Jerusalem. From Jericho, the road is going to be uphill more treacherous: remember that it is on this road between Jericho and Jerusalem that a certain man is mugged and left for dead until the Good Samaritan passes by (Luke 10: 25-37).
Jericho was a major resting place or stopping point on a main trade route, at the centre of the lucrative trade in balsam, making it an important customs centre, and making it a lucrative and profitable location both for tax collectors and for bandits.
But Jericho has other significance: the walls of Jericho fell down at the call of the trumpets (see Joshua 6). So in this reading, after Christ passes through the walls of Jericho, his call breaks down all the walls people erect around themselves, individually and collectively.
Who is Zacchaeus? He cannot be Saint Matthew, who has already been called among the Twelve? Is he the tax collector in the previous Sunday’s Gospel reading?
Certainly, Zacchaeus is not any run-of-the-mill tax collector – he is the ἀρχιτελώνης (architelonis), the chief tax collector (verse 2), and so by contract had the right to collect revenues throughout this district. His name Zacchaeus (Greek Ζακχαῖος, Zakchaios) means pure, but his neighbours would have despised him, not only because they believed he squeezed the last drachma and the last lepta out of widows and children, but because they would also have seen him as a collaborator with the Roman administration – never mind that an autonomous Jewish government would still have had to raise taxes to provide itself with revenue and funding. His stature in some way symbolises his low place in Jewish society in Jericho.
The tree Zacchaeus climbs (Greek συκάμινος, sikámeenos) is not the European sycamore but the sycamine tree, which has the shape and leaves of a mulberry tree but fruit that tastes like the fig, known also as the sycamore fig (συκόμορος, Ficus Sycomorus). It is a big tree and little Zacchaeus the tax collector climbs it in order to see Christ (see verse 4).
The sycamine tree is not naturally pollinated. The pollination process is initiated only when a wasp sticks its stinger right into the heart of the fruit. In other words, the tree and its fruit have to be stung in order to reproduce. There is a direct connection between suffering and growth, but also a lesson that everything in creation, including the wasp, has its place in the intricate balance of nature.
So that he can catch a glimpse of Christ, Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore tree (verse 4). Now, while his name means ‘pure,’ he climbs a tree that was regarded by some as unpure, unclean, for its fruit was fed to swine. This was humbling for Zacchaeus: to see Christ, Zacchaeus had to crucify his pride. And so the tree also symbolises the cross: a picture is being painted to allow us imagine Zacchaeus prefiguring those who take up his own cross and follow Christ (see Luke 9: 23), while Christ’s call to Zacchaeus to come down (verse 5) could also represent the call to humility for Christians.
Zacchaeus is delighted and welcomes, receives Christ (verse 6). But when Christ goes to dine with Zacchaeus, all who saw it begin to grumble (verse 7): the people murmured in the wilderness; once again they are murmuring (διαγογγύζω, diagonguzo), complaining indignantly, when it comes to eating time, but this time they are not murmuring for food for themselves. Yet, in the wilderness God fed all the wandering people, whether they were sinners or righteous.
Zacchaeus then stands before the Lord and says: ‘Look half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much’ (verse 8).
Why four times?
Why does he not just pay back what he has taken?
The Jewish legal code prescribes the restitution required when responsible for the loss of another’s property (see Exodus 22: 1-15). This restitution ranges from simple replacement for negligence, increasing up to two, four or five times replacement for various thefts.
David applied this rule when he said: ‘he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity’ (II Samuel 12: 6).
Rather than asking how little he could do to correct his past wrongs, Zacchaeus chooses a generous restitution. He places himself on the guilty side of the spectrum in Exodus 22. Now he is living in maximum obedience to God. There is no law that says he must give half of everything to the poor, but Zacchaeus does this as well.
We could compare this behaviour by Zacchaeus the tax-collector alongside the tax collector’s self-description with the Pharisee’s self-description and self-justification in the reading for the previous Sunday (Luke 18: 9-14, the Fifth Sunday before Advent, 27 October 2019).
Zacchaeus also becomes a contrast of character with the Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18: 18-23), whose story comes between these two readings. Both Zacchaeus and the Rich Young Ruler are wealthy men, but one is self-righteous and will not give up his possessions, while the other gives half his possessions to feed the poor.
But for me there are two other sharp comparisons provided in this story when Christ then says to Zacchaeus: ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this too is a son of Abraham’ (verse 9).
Who else is described in this Gospel as a ‘son of Abraham’ or ‘a daughter of Abraham’?
Firstly, there is the unnamed rich man in the story of ‘Dives’ and Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31), the Gospel reading for a Sunday last month [29 September 2019, the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity]. This rich man, and we do not know his name and we do not know whether or not he was a tax collector, addresses Abraham as ‘father’ or ‘Father Abraham,’ and he in turn, Christ tells us, is addressed by Abraham as ‘Child’ (verse 25). In Sunday’s reading we see very different behaviour from a rich man, who is hailed as a Child of Abraham, but for very different reasons, and unlike Dives, Zacchaeus is going to have a guest at his table.
The woman who is bent over for 18 years and is healed in the synagogue (Luke 13: 10-17, see the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 25 August 2019), is described by Christ as ‘a daughter of Abraham’ (Luke 13: 16). She too is an outsider, a marginalised person in her society, and because of her stature she has to be pushy in order to see Jesus, making her way through the men in the synagogue.
The salvation that Christ brings is not specifically to the house in which Zacchaeus lives, nor even to the House of Israel, but to the household of God, especially those on the margins – those at the gates, those who are pushed outside when they cannot be pushy. The word οἶκος (oikos) in verse 9 means not just a house or even a specific inhabited house or home, but also refers to the house of God, the tabernacle, the place where God fixes his residence, the family of God, the household of the Christian Church, of the church of the Old Testament and New Testament. It is the stem word for ecumenism.
Perhaps it is because the faith of Zacchaeus is so integral to the apostolic faith of the Church, and the salvation brought to his house is the salvation brought by Christ into the whole world, that the early Church developed a number of traditions around Zacchaeus.
Saint Clement of Rome tells us that Zacchaeus became a companion of the Apostle Peter. Together they preached in Rome, and there during Nero’s reign Zacchaeus accepted a martyr’s death.
On the other hand, according to Clement of Alexandria, in Stromata, and in the tradition of the Eastern Church, Zacchaeus was surnamed Matthias by the apostles, and he took the place of Judas among the Twelve after the Ascension (Acts 1: 26). The Apostolic Constitutions (7: 46) identify ‘Zacchaeus the Publican’ as the first bishop of Caesarea.
Luke 19: 1-10 (NRSVA):
1 [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ 9 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’
An icon showing Christ calling Zacchaeus down from a tree in JerichoA reflection on the Gospel reading:
The story of Jesus as the self-invited guest of Zacchaeus in Jericho is another story that is unique to Saint Luke. Shortly after telling the story of the Pharisee and the Publican in the Temple, Christ arrives in Jericho – perhaps the home city of the man who was helped on the side of the road by the Good Samaritan.
There, a man who wants to see Christ is probably pushed to the back of the crowd for two reasons that count him out: he is small in stature, and he is a tax collector.
The physical problem shows how Zacchaeus is pushed to the margins by those who should have counted him into their social and religious community. He is of little stature not just physically, but socially too.
Can you imagine yourself as a little child trying to see a great parade – perhaps a Saint Patrick’s Day parade – when you were small?
Did everyone want to let you through?
Or did you not count?
No-one stood aside for you. And no-one is going to stand aside for Zacchaeus. They belittle him, and they probably think he deserves it – after all, the taxes he collects support the Roman occupation and administration.
But Zacchaeus overcomes, rises above, his exclusion, by climbing the tree – is there a symbolic reference here to clinging to the Cross? In any case, Zacchaeus climbs the tree to see Jesus – something you could imagine a child doing, but surely not the sort of thing a well-paid civil servant should be seen doing?
Zacchaeus sees Jesus and Jesus sees Zacchaeus.
And Jesus invites himself not just to dine with Zacchaeus, but to stay with him.
‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for I must stay at your house today’ (verse 5).
Normally, it is the potential host rather than the intended guest who does the inviting. So once again, Jesus the Guest becomes Jesus the Host.
Zacchaeus is delighted. But the good burghers of Jericho are unsettled. They murmur that Jesus is heading off to dine with sinners.
We are so self-righteous at times in our churches that I am worried we are in danger of being unwilling to welcome those who would be seen today as the little people. One rector I know in a comfortable South Dublin parish challenged his parishioners, who are very generous in their giving, especially when it comes to development agencies, mission agencies and what we once called Third World causes.
He asked them how they would react if a group of travellers or refugees turned up on a green space in the parish on a Saturday night, and all of them presumed to come to church on the following Sunday morning.
In welcoming Jesus, Zacchaeus has what can only be described as a conversion experience.
The NRSV translation tells us that he promises to amend his ways and that, in the future, he will give half his possessions to the poor, and return anything extra he has squeezed out of people when he has been collecting taxes.
There are joys for those who are PAYE/PRSI workers in the tax system in Ireland!
Unfortunately, the NRSV translation is a little inaccurate here. Zacchaeus makes no such promise about the future. He says, in the original Greek, that this is what he is doing in the present – the present tense is used.
If he is telling the truth, then Zacchaeus has been grossly misrepresented, misunderstood and libelled by his neighbours and within his own community, even at the point where he is dining with Jesus.
The present tense is important. For this day, on this day, Christ affirms that Zacchaeus too is a child of Abraham, that he too is an heir to those promises made long, long ago to Abraham.
Those who needed conversion were not Zacchaeus and others like him on the margins, who were in need of seeing people as Christ sees them.
Christ seeks out the sinners, the lost, those who are excluded, those counted out, and invites them to the heavenly banquet. Like Zacchaeus, they too are brought from the margins into the centre.
The one person everyone thought was outside, is on the inside as far as Christ is concerned. And those who think they are on the inside are in danger of finding that they are on the outside.
Some questions for consideration
Are we welcoming enough, as individuals and as a Church?
How would you feel if Jesus came to your parish next Saturday night and decided not to come to your church on Sunday morning, but to go somewhere else?
What if you were left without Christ being present in your church on Sunday morning … in either Word or Sacrament?
How often are we prepared to welcome Christ’s presence among us only in the way we choose?
For those of us in what might be described as ‘High Church’ or Anglo-Catholic traditions, do we neglect Christ’s presence in the Word too often?
To those of us in what might be described as ‘Evangelical’ traditions, do we neglect Christ’s presence in the Sacrament too often?
Liturgical Resources:
Liturgical Colour: Green (Ordinary Time)
The Collect of the Day:
Almighty and eternal God,
you have kindled the flame of love in the hearts of the saints:
Grant to us the same faith and power of love,
that, as we rejoice in their triumphs,
we may be sustained by their example and fellowship;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Collect of the Word:
Merciful God, righteous judge of all,
who sent Jesus among us
to seek and to save those who are lost:
grant that we may eagerly seek the Saviour,
and joyfully welcome him into our homes and lives.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
Lord of heaven,
in this Eucharist you have brought us near
to an innumerable company of angels
and to the spirits of the saints made perfect.
As in this food of our earthly pilgrimage
we have shared their fellowship,
so may we come to share their joy in heaven;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Suggested Hymns:
Habakkuk 1: 1-4, 2: 1-4:
643, Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
509, Your kingdom come, O God
Psalm 119: 137-144:
6, Immortal, invisible, God only wise
705, New songs of celebration render
144, Word of justice, alleluia
Isaiah 1: 10-18:
357, I’ll praise my maker while I’ve breath
553, Jesu, lover of my soul
446, Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands
498, What does the Lord require for praise and offering?
Psalm 32: 1-8:
562, Blessèd assurance, Jesus is mine
92, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
II Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12:
92, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
616, In my life, Lord, be glorified
639, O thou who camest from above
508, Peace to you
624, Speak, Lord, in the stillness
Luke 19: 1-10:
629, Abide among us with thy grace
417, He gave his life in selfless love
421, I come with joy, a child of God
576, I heard the voice of Jesus say
587, Just as I am, without one plea
132, Lo! he comes with clouds descending
637, O for a closer walk with God
214, O Love, how deep, how broad, how high!
9, There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
78, This is the day that the Lord has made
Part 2: All Saints’ Day (1 November 2019) or All Saints’ Sunday (3 November 2019):
Friday 1 November 2019 is All Saints’ Day, which is one of the ‘Principal Holy Days’ that are observed in the Church of Ireland.
This is one of those days, according to the Book of Common Prayer, when ‘it is fitting that the Holy Communion be celebrated in every cathedral and every parish church or in a church within a parochial union or group of parishes.’
The Book of Common Prayer says [p 18], ‘All Saints’ Day may be observed on the Sunday falling between 30 October and 5 November. The Church of Ireland Directory says: ‘The Readings for All Saints’ Day may be preferred’ on this Sunday. Many editions of the Revised Common Lectionary also note the ‘Sunday between 30 October and 5 November’ may be observed as ‘All Saints’ Sunday.’
The Readings:
The readings for All Saints’ Day this year (Year C) are:
Holy Communion: Daniel 7: 1-3, 15-18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1: 11-23; Luke 6: 20-31.
Morning Prayer: Psalms 15, 84, 149; Isaiah 65: 17-25; Luke 9: 18-27.
Evening Prayer: Psalms 148, 150; Sirach 44: 1-15 or Isaiah 40: 27-31; Hebrews 11: 32 to 12: 2.
Each reading can be found by clicking on the built-in hyper-link.
Introducing All Saints’ Day
All Saints’ Day is one of the 12 Principal Feasts of the Church. From the third century, there is evidence of celebrations of All Martyrs. The Eastern Church continues a fourth century tradition of the ‘Sunday of All Saints’ being celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost.
In the early seventh century, the Pantheon in Rome, which had been closed for over a century, was dedicated to Saint Mary and All Martyrs. By the eighth century, 1 November was growing in popularity for the celebration of All Saints, possibly originating in Ireland. By the ninth century, the date had reached Rome and then the Holy Roman Empire.
Daniel 7: 1-3, 15-18:
The Book of Daniel is set during the exile in Babylon. Daniel was known for his piety and wisdom. The book was written in Daniel’s name ca 165 BC to give hope to people suffering persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Greek ruler who tried to eliminate Judaism.
This reading is of a vision at night in which the earthly kingdoms pass away to make way for the kingdom of God. In his dream, Daniel sees the four winds stirring up the sea, and four great beasts rise up out of the sea. In the intervening verses notes that the first three beasts are like a lion with wings, a bear with three tusks and a leopard with four heads and four wings. The fourth beast with horns symbolises Antiochus.
Daniel then sees God as the Ancient of Days, or ‘an Ancient One’ (verse 9), on his throne, and his appearance is followed by the Son of Man, who is given ‘everlasting dominion’ and whose kingdom ‘shall never be destroyed’ (verses 13-14).
In the second part of this reading, we are introduced to the interpretation of these visions. The present persecutions will come to an end, God shall rescue his people, and ‘the Most High shall possess the kingdom for ever – for ever and ever’ (verses 15-18).
Psalm 149:
Psalm 149 is the second last psalm in the Book of Psalms. It was written as a new liturgical song of praise to be sung by the ‘assembly of the faithful.’
But it invites worshippers not only to sing but to dance and to make music on the tambourine and the lyre. The praise we give to God in singing, dancing and music reflects the joy and delight God takes in his faithful people.
Ephesians 1: 11-23:
Saint Paul writes this letter ‘to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus’ (verse 1). In this reading, he reminds them that Christ has made them heirs to the kingdom of God. Their Baptism marks them out as people who are to receive this promise, and he prays that their faith may grow and increase in depth.
The image in this reading of Christ being seated at God’s right hand has many parallels with the vision in the reading from the Book of Daniel, in which the Son of Man is given ‘everlasting dominion’ and whose kingdom ‘shall never be destroyed.’
Luke 6: 20-31:
Saint Luke’s version of the beatitudes comes with a different emphasis that the way Saint Matthew lists them (see Matthew 5: 3-12).
This is the ‘Sermon on the Plain’ (verse 17), rather than the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 1), and immediately before Christ has called the Twelve (see Luke 6: 13-16).
Christ now speaks of four beatitudes (verses 20-22) and four parallel woes or warnings of the age to come. Some people are ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’ (μακάριος, makários) by being included in the Kingdom, but they are paired with those who are warned of coming woes:
● those who are poor (verse 20) and those who are rich (verse 24)
● those who are hungry now (verse 21) and those who are full now (verse 25)
● those who weep now (verse 21) and those who laugh now (verse 25)
● those who are persecuted, or hated, excluded, reviled and defamed (verse 22) and the popular or spoken well of (verse 26)
The poor acknowledge their dependence on God, but the rich cannot see the need to welcome in the Kingdom of God because they are comfortable in their self-sufficiency.
The word παράκλησις (paráklesis), which is translated as ‘consolation’ (verse 24) implies they believe they have already heard their call or received their support, and so do not believe they can be called again or need God’s support.
In a negative sense, the verb translated in verse 22 as to exclude, ἀφορίζω (aphorízo) means to socially ostracise, to mark off from others by boundaries, to limit, to separate, or to exclude as disreputable, although in a positive sense it can mean to appoint or set apart for some purpose. Christ tells his new followers will be persecuted just as prophets (for example, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Amos) were persecuted in the past.
But the day is coming when they will be rewarded, and like the prophets of old they will be known for their holiness.
Luke 6: 20-31 (NRSVA):
20 Jesus looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24 ‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25 ‘Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
27 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.’
Liturgical resources:
Liturgical colour: White
Penitential Kyries:
Lord, you are gracious and compassionate.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
You are loving to all,
and your mercy is over all your creation.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Your faithful servants bless your name,
and speak of the glory of your kingdom.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
The Collect of the Day:
Almighty God,
you have knit together your elect
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:
Grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living
that we may come to those inexpressible joys
that you have prepared for those who truly love you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This collect wonderfully expresses the doctrine of the whole church as the ‘mystical body of Christ’ (see Roman 12: 5, I Corinthians 12: 27; Colossians 1: 24; Ephesians 1: 23, 4: 12, 5: 30-32). The collect concludes by alluding to I Corinthians 2: 9. Thomas Cranmer composed this collect for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer:
Almkightie God,
whiche haste knitte together thy electe in one Communion and felowship,
in the misticall body of thy sonne Christe our Lord;
graunt us grace so to folow thy holy Saynctes in all virtues, and godly livyng,
that we maye come to those inspeakeable joyes,
whiche thou hast prepared for all them that unfaynedly love thee;
through Jesus Christe
The 1662 version substituted ‘blessed’ for ‘holy,’ and ‘in all virtuous and godly living’ replaced ‘in all virtues, and godly livyng.’ ‘Unspeakable’ has clearly changed its meaning, and here becomes ‘inexpressible.’
The Collect of the Word:
O Ancient of Days,
through the outpouring of your Holy Spirit
you comfort and bless all creatures.
Gather from the four corners of the world
all those who weep in despair and loneliness,
those who are hungry, naked, or poor,
those who have withstood oppression
and are bowed down in anguish before violence.
Grant that they may rejoice in the new life
of justice and peace that you promised your people
through the compassionate witness of Jesus.
Introduction to the Peace:
We are fellow citizens with the saints
and the household of God,
through Christ our Lord,
who came and preached peace to those who were far off
and those who were near (Ephesians 2: 19, 17).
The Preface:
In the saints
you have given us an example of godly living,
that rejoicing in their fellowship,
we may run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
and with them receive the unfading crown of glory ...
Post-Communion Prayer:
God, the source of all holiness
and giver of all good things:
May we who have shared at this table
as strangers and pilgrims here on earth
be welcomed with all your saints
to the heavenly feast on the day of your kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing:
God give you grace
to share the inheritance of all his saints in glory ...
Some suggestions for Prayers:
God of the past,
on this feast of All Saints
we remember before you, with thanks,
the lives of those Christians who have gone before us:
the great leaders and thinkers,
those who have died for their faith,
those whose goodness transformed all they did;
Give us grace to follow their example and continue their work.
God of love
grant our prayer.
God of the present,
on this feast of All Saints
we remember before you
those who have more recently died,
giving thanks for their lives and example and for all that they have meant to us.
We pray for those who grieve
and for all who suffer throughout the world:
for the hungry, the sick, the victims of violence and persecution.
God of love
grant our prayer.
God of the future,
on this feast of All Saints
we remember before you the newest generation of your saints,
and pray for the future of the church
and for all who nurture and encourage faith.
God of love
grant our prayer.
We give you thanks
for the whole company of your saints
with whom in fellowship we join our prayers and praises
in the name of Jesus Christ
Amen.
Suggested Hymns:
The hymns suggested for All Saints’ Day by Bishop Edward Darling in Sing to the Word (2000) include:
Daniel 7: 1-3, 15-18:
6, Immortal, invisible, God only wise
34, O worship the King all-glorious above
285, The head that once was crowned with thorns
Psalm 149:
346, Angel voices, ever signing
705, New songs of celebration render
368, Sing of the Lord’s goodness
710, Sing to God new songs of worship
492, Ye servants of God, your master proclaim
Ephesians 1: 11-23:
250, All hail the power of Jesu’s name
643, Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
326, Blessed city, heavenly Salem (Christ is made the sure foundation; omit verse 1)
296, Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire
263, Crown him with many crowns
693, Glory in the highest, to the God of heaven
324, God, whose almighty word
266, Hail the day that sees him rise
300, Holy Spirit, truth divine
99, Jesus, the name high over all
588, Light of the minds that know him
281, Rejoice, the Lord is King!
313, The Spirit came, as promised
451, We come as guests invited
491, We have a gospel to proclaim
Luke 6: 20-31:
494, Beauty for brokenness
22, You shall cross the barren desert
Also suitable:
459, For all the saints, who from their labours rest
461, For all thy saints, O Lord
650, In Christ, our humble head
469, In our day of thanksgiving, one psalm let us offer
471, Rejoice in God’s saints, today and all days!
476, Ye watchers and ye holy ones
An extra note on some hymns:
Church Hymnal, 459: One of the great hymns celebrating this day is ‘For all the saints, who from their labours rest,’ which was written by Bishop William Walsham How (1823-1897) as a processional hymn for All Saints’ Day.
The saints recalled in this hymn are ordinary people in their weaknesses and their failings. In its original form, it had 11 verses, although three are omitted from most versions – the verses extolling ‘the glorious company of the Apostles,’ ‘the godly fellowship of the prophets’ and ‘the noble army of martyrs’ were inspired by the 1662 Book of Common Prayer version of the canticle Te Deum.
The tune Sine Nomine (‘Without Name,’ referring to the great multitude of unknown saints) was written for this hymn by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) while he was editing the English Hymnal (1906) with Percy Dearmer.
When he wrote this hymn, Walsh How was Rector of Whittington, Shropshire. At the time, this was part of the Diocese of St Asaph, but following the disestablishment of the Church in Wales in 1920, the parish was transferred to the Diocese of Lichfield in the Church of England.
He became a canon St Asaph Cathedral, and spent time in Rome as chaplain of the Anglican Church there, All Saints’ Church, before returning to England.
While he was Bishop of Bedford, Walsham How became known as ‘the poor man’s bishop.’ He became the first Bishop of Wakefield, and died in Leenane, Co Mayo, in 1897 while he was on holiday in Dulough.
The hymn vibrates with images from the Book of Revelation. The saints recalled by ‘the poor man’s bishop’ in this hymn are ordinary people who, in spite of their weaknesses and their failings, are able to respond in faith to Christ’s call to service and love, and who have endured the battle against the powers of evil and darkness.
In its original form, this hymn had 11 verses, although three are omitted from most versions: the verses extolling ‘the glorious company of the Apostles,’ ‘the godly fellowship of the prophets’ and ‘the noble army of martyrs’ were inspired by the 1662 Book of Common Prayer version of the canticle Te Deum.
But the heart of the hymn is in the stanza in which we sing about the unity of the Church in heaven and on earth, ‘knit together in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of … Christ our Lord.’ Despite our ‘feeble struggles’ we are united in Christ and with one another in one ‘blest communion’ and ‘fellowship divine.’
Thanks & Praise, 43: ‘God everlasting, wonderful and holy’ is by Harold Riley (1903-2003). The tune Coelites plaudant is a melody from the Rouen Antiphoner (1728) that was harmonised by Vaughan Williams, originally for ‘Christ, the Fair Glory of the Holy Angels’ by Athelstan Riley in the English Hymnal, co-edited by Vaughan Williams and Percy Dearmer.
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).
All Saints … a modern icon
