Second Sunday after Epiphany– Year B

Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People

RCL Readings – I Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20); Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; I Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51.

ACNA Readings – I Samuel 3:1-20; Psalm 63:1-9, (10-12); I Corinthians 6:9-20; John 1:43-51.

Seasonal Introduction.  Epiphany of the Lord is celebrated on the 6th of January in the Western Christian calendar and the season continues until Ash Wednesday and Lent. Epiphany is a Greek word meaning ‘showing forth, appearance, or manifestation’. During this season, the church celebrates the manifestation of the Messiah on earth between the time of His birth and preparation for His death and ascension. The Baptism of Jesus, His presentation at the Temple, and His transfiguration–all events with deep connections to Jewish life and history. Jesus also chooses disciples who will witness and testify to Jesus–His manifestation, His mission and, most importantly, His person.


Common Theme. The readings this Sunday share the common theme of calling. As a supreme, and personal, intelligence it would be fair to say that God knows His heroes. He knows their strengths and their weaknesses and He knows whom He should call for specific tasks. We all have a calling from the Lord.[1] Paul reminds us in Romans that the “gifts and calling of the Lord are irrevocable.” God does not make a mistake when choosing or calling, nor does He take the gifts or call away. Which means that if we feel we have somehow missed our calling today, do not worry; the same call will be there tomorrow.[2] 


Hebraic Context. Receiving a calling from the Lord is not unique nor original to the Christian world. God called His heroes of old, the patriarchs, kings, and prophets to join in and undertake the work of the Kingdom of Heaven. In Jewish tradition, everyone is called to partake in the activity of tikun olam or the ‘repairing of the world’. It is incumbent upon everyone to use their God given skills to make their little part of the world a better place. Israel is called to be a light to the nations. Hence the idea of calling in Jewish tradition is usually in the collective sense, although individual Biblical heroes are often singled out for specific roles. Looking deeper at the Hebrew Bible, we also notice that God's calling does not solely rest on the Jewish people but also on Gentiles. Noah, Enoch, Job, and Cyrus are a few names that spring to mind when thinking of God's calling on the Gentile world in the Hebrew Scriptures. 


I Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20). Samuel is an important character in the Hebrew Scriptures as his role is to oversee the transition from the period of the Judges to Kings and Prophets in the governance of Israel. Samuel will anoint the first two recognized monarchs of the Kingdom of Israel.[3] He is also known as the ‘father of the prophets’. Concurrent to the rise of kings there would be the rise of prophets.[4] 


The passage begins with the sad revelation that the “word of the Lord was rare.” This is despite the fact that the Tabernacle had been long established in Shiloh; a functioning priesthood maintained and served the Sanctuary; and a sacred calendar was in place to regularly bring the people of Israel to Shiloh and His presence. The Israelites had embraced idolatry and syncretized their traditions with those of the inhabitants of the Land. Subsequently, the voice of the Lord had diminished.[5] Perhaps this explains why it took time for both Samuel and Eli to recognize the voice and calling of the Lord. The prophet Samuel reminds us that God does not give up; he continues to call until we hear the voice of the Lord.[6] 


I Samuel 3:19 reveals a true blessing when we receive the calling of God. We will never be alone, for, of Samuel, it is written “The Lord was with Samuel”.[7] God’s blessing on Samuel was substantive and evident. From Dan to Beersheba, the truth of Samuel’s word as a prophet of God was clear, as not one word of his prophecy was found false.[8]


Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18. This Psalm beautifully acknowledges the truth that God knows His heroes. The opening line states that, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” The Lord knows us better than we know ourselves. David writes how the Lord can, “perceive thoughts … even from afar” and knows our words before they are even spoken. He is indeed “familiar with all our ways”. While the Psalm itself attributes David as the composer, Jewish tradition cites Adam as the original author.[9] The rabbis derive this conclusion from verse 15 in which it is written that, ‘I was woven together in the depths of the earth’. As Adam is the only person created through the use of earth, they attribute this psalm (or at least this portion of it) to the first Man.[10] Regardless, the psalm strongly proclaims a deep truth that God knows us even before we were born. God knew Adam even before He created him and called Him into existence. We see this same theology reflected in Ephesians 1:4 as Paul says, “He chose us before the creation of the world.” Even if we are called to be holy and blameless, God knew us before the foundation of the world and does not call us to something that, by God’s grace, we cannot overcome. Obviously, both Adam and David are well known for their disobedience, but they can still claim to be with God.


I Corinthians 6:12-20. From the context of the Epistle it appears that the Corinthians were abusing what they felt was their “freedom in Christ.” A few verses earlier we discover the community is engrossed with internal lawsuits. Having faith in the Messiah and being saved does not give us permission to lie, cheat, or steal, or, in the case of Corinth, to engage in sexual immorality.[11] [12] Paul sternly warns the Corinthians (who are believers in Jesus) that those who practice immorality (wrongdoers) will not inherit the kingdom of God.[13] Being called by God should modify our behaviour. Part of the calling from the Lord is to have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is indeed with us, then we must maintain holiness in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Holiness and righteous behaviour are the marks of true freedom in Christ.


John 1:43-51. In the opening chapters of all four Gospels there are accounts of the calling of various disciples. John's Gospel adds the information that several of the first disciples were formerly disciples of John the Baptist, such as Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. The Synoptic Gospels usually depict Jesus meeting and calling His disciples in a single encounter, however John’s gospel shows that Jesus crossed paths with the future disciples several times before calling them–they weren’t all strangers. 


In this week's Gospel passage, we have the calling of Nathanael. John 21:2 notes that Nathanael was from Cana and most likely was one of the disciples to attend the wedding at Cana in John 2:1-10 with Jesus.[14] Philip, who appears from the context to also be a disciple of John the Baptist (who proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God), calls Nathanael to come and see the ‘one whom Moses wrote about in the Law (Torah). This hints at some knowledge and familiarity with the Torah and the messianic prophecies associated with the words of Moses. Initially, Nathanael questions the location of Nazareth. Nazareth is not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures nor in any 2nd Temple period Jewish literature and so we can understand a question from a Torah student.[15] Interestingly, Nathanael realizes and declares who Jesus is, calling Him “the son of God and King of Israel” in the first moments of actually meeting. It takes Simon Peter several years to declare the same thing. How did Nathanael arrive at the truth so quickly? 


Usually, we think of Nathanael sitting lazily under a fig tree absently pondering life, only to be interrupted and invited by Philip,[16] to a meeting with Jesus. The fig tree was a symbol of the coming Messianic Age of peace (Micah 4:4 and Zechariah 3:10). A working hypothesis from the Hebraic context is that Nathanael was probably an intentional student of the Hebrew Scriptures.[17] His familiarity with the Word of God meant that he was more swiftly able to recognize the voice of the Lord and the calling of the Lord than the other disciples. Nathanael is an excellent example for us of one way to recognize the Lord's voice: to be familiar with His Word. Immersing ourselves in the Scriptures will help diminish our culture's false voice and help us recognize our own calling from God more clearly.


Hebraic Perspective. In the gospel portion for this Sunday, Jesus tells Nathanael that he will see “heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” This reference to “ascending and descending” harkens back to the dream of Jacob’s ladder in which the patriarch also saw angels ascending and descending. Angels appear throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, 2nd Temple period Jewish literature as well as in Rabbinic literature and the New Testament. Angels, called malak מַלְאָךְ or ‘messenger’ in Hebrew, are a well established part of the Judaeo-Christian tradition. In Jewish angelology, not all angels dwell in heaven. God does have a myriad of ministering angels around Him at all times, however angels also have tasks to perform on earth. One Jewish tradition says that when God came down at Mt Sinai to give the Torah, He brought with Him 600,000 angels. One for each male Israelite present who had departed from Egypt. The Talmud records a late Jewish tradition that even goes so far as to say that behind every blade of grass is an angel whispering, “Grow, grow!”[18] Christian tradition holds that many of us, particularly children, have our own guardian angel. The source of this tradition is steeped in Jewish tradition. In the Scriptures, we note that both Jacob’s vision and Jesus’ declaration have the angels begin their movement by ascending and then descending. Thus the angels appear to begin their missions here on earth and then return to the heavens (perhaps to report). The Hebraic perspective is to acknowledge that the spiritual realm is very close to the physical realm. Angels are present here on earth and it is comforting to note that, “those that are with us are more than those that are against us” (2 Kings 6:16).


ACNA Readings


Psalm 63:1-9, (10-12). The epithet of the first line attributes this psalm to David when he was on the run from king Saul and hiding in the desert of Judah. While most of the previous readings have focused on the calling of the Lord and on God seeking Man, this Psalm instead has the Psalmist seeking God. There is much in this world that distracts us from God or hides the desire for seeking the Lord. Consumerism, abundance, even blessing can diminish the desire in us to pursue the Lord. Often we have to be in a dark place to recognize our need or desire for the light. 


The Psalm is attributed to David at a time when he was in a dark place yet he begins the song by saying that it is God that he truly needs. David could have begun the psalm requesting assistance and asking for his enemies to be defeated. Instead the first desire is to seek God. Paul reflects this theology when he says that it is ‘suffering that produces hope’, not success! While David was running for his life, pursued by evil men and with danger all around, it was then that he wrote, “I earnestly seek you.” Towards the end of the psalm David acknowledges that his enemies will indeed perish and that there will come a time of rejoicing in the salvation of God. While victory and salvation are the final hope the first thing to do is to seek earnestly after God. Again, this theology is seen in the New Testament where Jesus admonishes us to, ‘seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and the rest will be added to you’. This psalm is a reflection of priorities.

Endnotes

  1. In the pages of sacred Scripture we encounter many people being called by the Almighty for specific ministries and service. The Patriarchs are obvious examples of those called to the service of the Lord; Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Elijah etc. In the New Testament Paul declares that he has been ‘called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God’ Romans 1:1. Not only are individuals called but so are whole nations. Israel was called to be ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ (Exodus 19:5). Similarly, the apostle Peter infers that all believers are called to be a holy people (I Peter 1:15). Not every believer will be called by God to a unique task, but every believer is called to be a light, to love their neighbours–to be obedient to God.
  2. This also implies that the calling of Israel to be a light to the nations has likewise not been rescinded. The chosen people cannot become the unchosen people.
  3. Gideon’s son, Abimelech (My father is king), was crowned king by the people of Shechem and he reigned for three troubled years.
  4. Kings were the predominant form of government that God placed over His people–not republics or democracies. However, prophets acted as part of the checks and balances to the monarchy, along with the priesthood. Kings were also supposed to write out their own copy of the Torah and were to carry it with them wherever they went (Deuteronomy 17:18-19). Every king was to have their own prophet to guide and warn them. So it is interesting that Solomon, though he grew up with Gad and Nathan, is not recorded as having his own prophet. Nathan is with Solomon at his coronation but then disappears from the narrative. Solomon’s acts are recorded by Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo–prophets of David, Jeroboam, and Rehoboam. Solomon had priests, secretaries, recorders, commanders of the army, work overseers… and Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king’s friend–but not his prophet (I Kings 4:1-6).
  5. Regular worship attendance, even with functioning clergy and the presence of God, cannot replace sound doctrine or true obedience and subservience to God. The Church, despite having the blessing of the Scriptures–the Word of God–and the Holy Spirit, also has a history of replacing obedience with worship, clergy, or the presence of God.
  6. Although, our modern-day culture, with all its false voices, will still attempt to hide God's voice from us. Perhaps that is part of the plan of the Enemy to drown out the voice of God.
  7. While Romans 8:29-30 might be debated on a doctrinal level, the statement in Romans 8:38-39 surely states that God is with those He calls–even, or especially, in times of distress.
  8. There are many prophets in our world today, some are even followers of God. How can we know if God is with a prophet? If what the prophet says does not come to pass then they are not a prophet of God, “when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken.” (Deuteronomy 18:22) If the prophet does not confess sound doctrine, even if what they say comes to pass, they are false prophets and an anti-Christ (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; I John 4:1-3; II Peter 2:1). If the prophet lives in opposition to God’s word, is greedy, or simply lives in disobedience to God, (II Peter 2:2-3; Didache 11:9, 12; Matthew 7:15-20) “Not everybody making ecstatic utterances is a prophet, but only if he behaves like the Lord. It is by their conduct that the false prophet and the prophet can be distinguished.” (Didache 11:8) If any of these tenets of a true prophet are not found, they are a false prophet. While we might not stone them (even if that would be a quick way to remedy the problem the church has with so many false prophets today), neither should we welcome them into our community or follow their teachings.
  9. Midrash Tehillim: Psalm 139, Rabbi Yehuda states, “This psalm was spoken by the first Adam…” The Psalm speaks of creation of man (Genesis 2:7), God finding the writer wherever they hide (Genesis 3:8-9), and, in Genesis Rabbah 11.2, Rabbi Levi stated that God gave light to Adam that first night when darkness fell over all the earth and Adam was terrified (Psalm 139:11-12).
  10. As Psalm 139 is traditionally associated with God’s creation of the first man, it is part of the Jewish liturgical lectionary that is recited at Rosh HaShanah, in which the cycle of Torah readings begin anew (the first Torah portion being Bereshit, Genesis 1:1-6:8).
  11. Paul includes a word that he creates among this list, ἀρσενοκοῖται–homosexuality. Greek literature never ignored the common cultural practice of male with male sexuality and has many words for this practice–each greek word, from πορνοι (a common prostitute, often male), used earlier in Paul’s list of unrighteousness, to παιδεραστια (lover of boys) means something specific. But Paul chose to create his own word. Rather than choosing one word (and possibly being misunderstood), or listing dozens of words to get his point across, Paul simply quotes from the LXX in Leviticus 20:13, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.”
  12. Paul’s meaning for the use of the adjective μαλακοι is difficult to understand. In the vast majority of circumstances, it simply is an adjective meaning “soft”. Because it is in a list of nouns consisting largely of sexual practitioners, the context would imply it is an adjective describing a sexual act. However, this doesn’t play out in Greek literature (the possible exception being a description of Aristocrates in Dionysius Halicarnassus, Antiquities 7.2). An alternative would be the use of μαλακοι in Proverbs 26:18-28 (LXX 33:18-28), a sin of the tongue–a common sin Paul (and James) require disciples of Jesus to abstain from. Finally, it could be similar to the use Josephus gives μαλακοι in Antiquities of the Jews 5.132 in which the Israelites ignore the warnings found in Deuteronomy 6-11 and grow soft, indulging themselves in luxury and pleasure, capitulating to the local cultures rather then following the Law of the LORD.
  13. To inherit the kingdom of God does not necessarily mean to inherit a place in heaven in the future. The Hebraic understanding of the kingdom of God indicated a present rule and reign of God in the lives of His people. Thus the sense here is that immorality indicates that God is no longer king of the lives of the Corinthians, which is a dangerous situation to be in.
  14. Nathanael appears only here in John 1:43-51 and then again when he meets in John 21:2 after the Resurrection in the Galilee. Some early commentators identified Nathanael with Bartholomew. Bartholomew, “Bar Talmai” is a surname (similar to Simon bar Jonah or Judah bar Ilai) and perfectly allows Bartholomew and Nathanael to be the same person. Nathanael is only mentioned in the gospel of John while Bartholomew is only mentioned in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts. Augustine, in Tractate 7.17 on the Gospel of John, argues that Nathanael wasn’t chosen as one of the 12 Apostles (and thus, not Bartholomew) because he was too learned in the Scriptures (see Footnote 15) and Jesus wanted to prove that even the fishermen He called could astound the wise and mighty of this world. Regardless, we know that Jesus called more than just 12 disciples. Nathanael, whether an Apostle or similar to the hundreds of unnamed disciples, followed Jesus’ throughout His life, from Jesus’ first call to Jesus’ appearance after the resurrection.
  15. Augustine argues (Tractate 7.15 on the Gospel of John) that Nathanael’s mention of Nazareth can either be positive or negative. If it’s positive, “From Nazareth something good can come” Auguestine would argue that Nathanael, as a student of the Law, would recognize the term Nazareth as having prophetic meanings (such as noted in Matthew 2:23) and thus would raise his hope.
  16. Many believe that, like Andrew and Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael were brothers. However, this is not mentioned and, like Andrew and Peter, Philip was from Bethsaida while Nathanael was from Cana.
  17. The fig tree is a common symbol within Rabbinic literature as the Jewish scholars looked into the Scriptures. The Mekhilta of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai connects the wisdom, described in Proverbs 3:13-18 with the tree of life in the Garden of Eden through Exodus 15:25-26–the wood thrown into the bitter water (possibly from the tree of life) brings life even as obedience to God brings life. Knowledge was also related to the fig, as in Matnot Kehunah on Bereshit Rabbah 19.6.7, where it was the fig tree that Adam and Eve ate to gain the knowledge of good and evil–having beginnings and ends from the same thing is very common in Hebraic thought, in this case, the use of the fig leaf to cover the nakedness discovered from eating the [fig] fruit. In addition, the fig is compared directly to the Torah in that it can be fully consumed without needing to spit anything out (Yalkut Shimoni Joshua 1). Finally, figs cannot be collected all at once–whenever you visit a fig tree (in season) a newly ripened fig can be found. In a similar manner, we cannot learn Torah all at once but everytime we return there is new wisdom to be found (Babylonian Talmud Eruvin 53b-54b). Midrash Mishlei 27 continues to speak of the fig that is designed to be eaten in this world, so to the Torah, if consumed in this world, will give food in the world to come. All of these symbols have a common point–wisdom, knowledge, and Torah. If we seek wisdom, the Torah will answer (תאנה being both the spelling for the “fig” as well as “she will answer”). From these, a later tradition developed that one studied Torah under a fig tree.
  18. Midrash Rabbah, Bereshit 10:6