C230 Pentecost 4 (Proper 9)

[00:00:05] Speaker A: You're listening to by the well, a lectionary based podcast for preachers recorded on the land of the Wurundjeri people. Hello, I'm Robyn Whittaker. [00:00:18] Speaker B: And I'm Monica Melanchthon. [00:00:20] Speaker A: And this is the fourth Sunday of the Pentecost season, sometimes referred to as Proper 9. And Monica and I will be discussing the readings from 2 Kings, chapter 5, verse, verses 1 to 14, Psalm 30, and from the gospel, Luke, chapter 10, verses 1 to 11 and 16 to 20. But let's start in Kings. Monica, we're in the Elisha narratives here. Elisha, the prophet who's taken over from Elijah. And we meet, some of us will know this story really well. I think I had a children's book as a kid about Naaman, or Naaman, however you say his name, this non Israelite who comes to Israel to get healed by Elisha. [00:01:02] Speaker B: Yes. [00:01:03] Speaker A: What do we need to know about the situation here? [00:01:05] Speaker B: Well, yes, as you said, he is a non Israelite and who has a skin ailment. And there is, there's a fair bit of discussion as to what kind of ailment he had, whether it was leprosy or something else. But obviously it was not the kind of ailment that required seclusion and isolation because we see he's still functioning. You know. [00:01:27] Speaker A: Yeah, he's a general in the army. [00:01:29] Speaker B: Yeah, he's a general in the army. And, and we are told that he was a man of wealth and power because we can see that when he goes for the healing, he takes a fair amount of money and clothing and, you know, to pay for his, pay for his treatment. So he's a wealthy, He's a wealthy man. I think at this particular time, Israel was a vessel to the, to the Assyrians. And so he, as a general also takes a recommendation letter from the king of Aram when he goes to visit Elisha. [00:02:06] Speaker A: And would it be fair to say that in that political climate, the king of Aram is actually the more powerful king in this relationship? Hence the kind of anguish that we see in the king of Israel. [00:02:17] Speaker B: And I think I'd like to also call attention to the fact that this story is quite well known amongst most readers of the Bible. And interpretations or sermons perhaps on this particular text tend to focus on the male characters, primarily Naaman or the prophet. But I think we also need to call attention to the other characters in the story, particularly the little slave girl who we know nothing about except that she was an Israelite, probably part of the war booty, who's been brought to work as a slave in the household of Naaman as his wife's assistant. Yeah. So this young slave girl, alongside several of the other servants who appear later in the story, play a very prominent role in not just moving the story forward, but also ensuring the treatment of this king and recovery of his health. [00:03:29] Speaker A: And are often actually the characters that effectively speak the truth or the wisdom. Even though, as you said, it's very easy for our attention to focus on. On those with the power the. The named male characters. Yeah, I found the juxtaposition between just the. The sheer wealth and even military might that accompanies Naaman into Israel. And we get this quite lovely scene in a way, in that it's very dramatic where the king of Israel receives this letter basically saying heal and Naaman, and is horrified. Cause he thinks perhaps this is a political test, a bit of a gotcha moment. He's been asked to do something he can't possibly do because this is two men in power speaking to each other that have kind of gone over anyone else at this stage. [00:04:23] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I think there are several takeaways from this narrative. First of all, it teaches us about boundary crossings and so relationships between two powers that be Israel and Aram. One of course, with more power than the other. But I think the story is also emphasizing the fact that God works rather in unexpected places through unexpected people. And God also disregards borders that are erected by human beings. And I think what is interesting here, it is just not two different nations, but actually one is an enemy. [00:05:08] Speaker A: Yes, yeah, the enemy who is known. [00:05:10] Speaker B: For the kind of horrendous suffering that has been caused. You know, and. And so here is a text that actually seems to wear away from the demonizing of. Of enemies. [00:05:25] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, I think that's right. [00:05:27] Speaker B: Even if that demonizing is. Is well deserved. And I think it's, in some ways the text, I think, has a lot to say in. In. In the current climate that we are. That we are in. And. And with impending war. [00:05:45] Speaker A: Yes, yeah, yeah. And again, war. As I've been watching the news, struck by, you know, these are older men running countries at war. And maybe one of the countercultural bits of wisdom in this story is it is. It is those whose voices are often not heard and don't even get named, who will actually be, as you say, the agents of God, kind of bringing healing and restoration and peace in the midst of these men wanting to kind of show their power. [00:06:23] Speaker B: So I think. I think people need to. Readers have to focus on what this Little girl does. I mean, she is not prompted by anyone. She just hears about the fact that her master is. Is, you know, has this disease and just, you know, expresses her. Her desire that he was closer to Israel so he could be healed by this prophet whom she had perhaps heard about as a very young child, you know. And so along her statement, which is very, very short actually her role in the one line, yeah, she, she. With that she, you know, she sets in motion the. Of Naaman. [00:07:08] Speaker A: I was also struck this time reading this again, and it is a very familiar story at the role of Elisha, who, while he is a significant figure in this text, obviously he seems to resist that. The narrative going around him with the other men. So Naaman comes to his house with, we're told in verse nine, his horses and his chariot. I mean, this is like military accompaniment. And. And instead of kind of bowing to the wealth and power, he stays in his house and sends out a servant. So again, we've got servants carrying the messages. And the treatment is pretty simple. It's go and bathe seven times, seven being a number of perfection, and you'll be clean. And we see here some male ego where Naaman is furious because the prophet hasn't even bothered to come out and meet him. And it made me wonder, I mean, one possible theme is what have we missed out on? Because our ego or our sense of the esteem due to us or what we thought was an appropriate kind of behavior to us did not happen. And we let that expectation of a power dynamic or something block us from accepting help and healing. [00:08:21] Speaker B: Right. And I mean, I think we need to think about also why Elisha felt comfortable doing what he did. You know, he did not allow the wealth or the power of this man to determine how he should behave. He didn't, you know, he didn't bow and prostrate or anything like that. So. So, yeah, but I think that that sort of response also comes from his own confidence and his. His belief in. In Yahweh and that God, Yahweh is the supreme God in comparison to this man and his nation. [00:08:58] Speaker A: Yeah, that's right. And if we keep reading the story, we. Beyond what the lectionary gives us, a couple of verses, we actually find that when offered payment at the end, Elisha will refuse it. So again, we've got a rejection of wealth and the kind of ways of the world. So we've already had the Israelite girl servant. We've got the messenger servant, assistant of Elisha who comes out. And then of course, at the end of the story, we get the servants of Naaman, who are the ones who kind of very gently. Yes, try it. Get your ego out of the way. Why don't you just try bathing? It's a simple thing. [00:09:35] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think so we. We hear these. About these people who are normally marginalized, playing a rather crucial role, as I've already said. But I think one thing that really struck me in a. In a reflection that was written by Sione Javella recently from more ecological perspective, is actually the role that the river plays in the story. And I think we tend to forget that. [00:10:02] Speaker A: Yes. [00:10:03] Speaker B: And I think oftentimes, I mean, Neiman was actually quite upset that he was asked to go and dip himself in this little nondescript river when he had the Euphrates and the Tigris, you know, bigger rivers. Bigger rivers, more powerful. And so here you also find this power between rivers, I guess. [00:10:22] Speaker A: Yeah, I love that. [00:10:23] Speaker B: Yeah. And so the role that the river plays in. In the healing of this. Of this man. Yeah, yeah. And. [00:10:33] Speaker A: Yeah, that's great. Well, we'll find there are some connections here to Luke, but let's first go to Psalm 30. [00:10:41] Speaker B: Yeah. Okay. [00:10:45] Speaker A: Monica, you're the psalm specialist here, so tell us what we need to know of what do you notice in the psalm? [00:10:52] Speaker B: This. This psalm is an interesting one. It is identified as an individual thanksgiving psalm, and the individual aspect is quite crucial because it starts off in a very deeply personal manner. The style of the prayer is very personal. And so it is an individual song of thanksgiving where Yahweh is addressed as My God, which indicates that the personal faith is not an intellectual conviction of the existence of the God of Israel, but very deeply personal relationship. What is interesting here is that in the first three verses of the psalm, it's the individual who is speaking. Yeah. And so the individual talks about the deliverance from death and healing, perhaps from some kind of illness. And then the psalmist praises Yahweh because Yahweh has lifted him up from his plight. Sorry for the masculine language. The psalmist's plight. And has been. The psalmist has been rescued from the realm of death itself. So maybe it was a deadly illness. And the psalmist says that Yahweh has healed the psalmist, and the illness is seen as a vestibule of Sheol, so, which has also caused a crisis in faith for the psalmist. And the psalmist is saying, you know, if you had let me die, God, then there will be no one, you know, who will praise you. You know, and the enemies will mock you because you have not been able to save me. So in a way, there is a challenge that is being placed before God saying, your reputation is also at stake. And so. And an early death would have been a tragedy, and through saving me, your goodness and love will become apparent to everyone else, you know. So having said that, in verses four and five, the psalmist calls the community of faith to support the individual in the praise of God. So what is interesting here is that the human. There is, first of all, a linking of the human subject and the divine object. And this is a matter of the faith community as much of the individual. So the personal experiences of the praying individual is interpreted from the language of the faith of the psalmist, and it becomes also a matter of faith for the community. [00:13:42] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, there's a great lesson in that if we think of this something as something that's, you know, not saying this was the intention of the psalmist, but it's kind of modeling how we pray and engage God and worship, that the community celebrates the overturning, this turning of, you know, mourning into joy, to use the language of the psalm, this sense of having escaped death, and that it is the whole community that engages in that celebration. [00:14:14] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think it's important to note here in these verses, until verse six, is that the individual brings his or her experience of salvation into the community. [00:14:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:25] Speaker B: But he or she also brings the community into his or her experience of salvation. Okay, so. So there's a link that is made between the personal and the communal. So the. The psalmist involves the public in the gratitude, which means that the personal experience and the business of the individual also becomes the experience and the business of the community. [00:14:53] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. No, that. That's lovely. And I mean, one could obviously preach a sermon on this, but there's lots of ways that you could use this liturgically in the prayers. [00:15:03] Speaker B: I mean, the thing is, I think in. There are many confessional bodies in the world today where witnessing. Giving witness to an experience of salvation, an experience of healing or. Is quite common, you know, And. And I think in a way, the psalm is. Is. Is asking us what is the. What is the importance or what is the value of witness? Yes, yeah. Of one's own personal experience of. Of God. [00:15:33] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, that's right. And how do we share that with one another so that we can all actually not only suffer, with which I think we talk about quite a lot in parts of the Christian tradition, but celebrate with. When God has saved someone or they. [00:15:49] Speaker B: Feel like you can also think about what, you know, a narrative like that, you know, individuals sharing his or her experience in the community. What does that do to the hearers? You know, it offers perhaps hope or encouragement or courage. You know, so there are many advantages to this kind of public and personal witness. [00:16:15] Speaker A: Yeah. And connection. I think we connect with one another's stories. It's why stories are so powerful. So, I mean, you know, if. Obviously, it's got to come from experience in the heart, but I mean, one way a preacher could approach this text is actually to share, to witness, to actually speak quite personally about one's experience of God. [00:16:38] Speaker B: If. [00:16:39] Speaker A: If one can see that reflected in the psalm and perhaps invite others to do so as well. [00:16:44] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:16:48] Speaker A: All right, so we might. Well, we can come back to that, but shall we move on to the Gospel reading for the week? [00:16:53] Speaker B: Okay. [00:16:56] Speaker A: Did you know you could join our Facebook group by the well for extra content and discussion. So we're in Luke 10 now, following on from last week's lectionary reading at the end of chapter nine. And we're in the part of Luke's Gospel where Jesus has set his face to Jerusalem. So in Luke, you get chapters and chapters and chapters. A huge section of the text where Jesus is beginning the journey to Jerusalem. And of course, that's always symbolic of to the cross in the Gospels. And at the end of chapter nine, we've had those stories last week about the demands of discipleship, I think, where, you know, the Son of Man has called people to follow him, and we've had these, oh, but God, let me first go bury the dead or let me first go do this. Yeah, excuses, which sounds really harsh that Jesus is basically like, oh, if you're going to do that, don't bother. But here in chapter 10, I think we move into a new kind of demand of discipleship and hear a scene of mission or evangelism where 70, or in some versions of the narrative, 72 are sent out in pairs. And that little textual note, we probably think the oldest manuscript said 72. It was most likely changed to 70 because 70 is a significant number in the Hebrew scriptures. Moses had 70 elders. There's 70 nations that are said to descend from Noah. There's 70 years in exile in Jeremiah. So we think that was probably changed to make it a bit more biblical. [00:18:38] Speaker B: Yes. [00:18:40] Speaker A: But, yeah. What do you notice about this reading? [00:18:44] Speaker B: I think when I read the text, the first thing that hit me was the connections that can be made between the Gospel lesson and the Old Testament lesson. Because in The Old Testament lesson, you will find that the people who, who actually participated in the healing of Naaman are people with no resources. You know, they had no wealth, they had no power. They didn't give money. No, there was no exchange of money. They used whatever talents they had that was innate to them. So you have the young girl who had nothing. But, you know, what one scholar has called intangible resources, such as compassion, trust, memory, you know, and hope. And I think in a way, witness that we talked about in Psalm 30 as well. And she uses them to bring healing and peace into that household. And so did the, the servants, you know, encouragement. So when, when Jesus says, no, don't take, don't take anything with you. I'm. I'm guessing that sometimes material things can actually become a hindrance. Hindrance to, you know, effective evangelism. Yeah. [00:19:57] Speaker A: You know, or we think if we don't have the resources we've had in the past or this set of things, or this program or whatever it is, we can't do mission and evangelism. We can't witness. Yeah. And here is, as you say, we have an image, you know, that again, it's. It's also quite sort of. Democratic's not quite the right word. But this isn't the 12 being sent out. That's already happened earlier. [00:20:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:24] Speaker A: This is the 72, which actually suggests Jesus had this massive group of people following him and they're sent out. We don't get told about their qualifications or anything else. Right. [00:20:35] Speaker B: Yeah. And Jesus says, you know, us asking them to go and preach peace, you know, and this is a kind of peace that is not necessarily achieved on the backs of soldiers or people with power and military power, but it is. And it is not a peace that is reserved for the wealthy at the expense of the poor. It is a. It is not a peace that is brought through weaponry and destruction and, and war. So it is a piece that Jesus, you know, is a piece of. It's a, it's a peace in life or peace of life. And that well being and, and calm and serenity is something that is holistic here. [00:21:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:21:20] Speaker B: So in the context of the Roman occupation, where the Romans bring plunder and death, the apostles here are asking to. Are being told to bring life, to restore relationships and. [00:21:32] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. There's a scholar called Michael Parsons who talks about how, you know, in the Roman Empire and at this time you would be equipped for holy war, so you'd take all the stuff you need. And this is the opposite of that. They are Literally unequal, unequipped. They're told to get rid of their equipment and to go on this mission of peace. It's not an easy mission. We should note that they're told to take nothing. There's an image of being sent as lambs to wolves. You know, they. They will face hostility. They will face rejection. They're told. I was also struck. They're told to accept hospitality because so often when we go out or we. We evangelize or we seek to do missional work, we think we're the ones bringing the hospitality. And here again, we've got that reversal where they are to accept the hospitality of others, to eat what they're given, and, of course, meals and eating. In Luke, these are places where reversals happen, where miracles occur, where people see the world differently. [00:22:33] Speaker B: Yes. [00:22:34] Speaker A: And so in accepting that hospitality of others, there is the chance for those transformative moments, I think. But that, again, also means ridding ourselves or those being sent in the passage not only of their possessions, but actually of their power. Because when we host, we have power. When we sit at someone else's table, we have to be guests. And that's not easy for people who like being in control. [00:23:01] Speaker B: Yeah. And we always also think that hospitality is something that only those who have power and wealth can offer. But I think here it is, you know, people who have nothing can also be hospitable. And I think we need to maybe expand our understanding of hospitality. It's food. Yes. For sure. But it's much more than that. [00:23:22] Speaker A: Yeah. In terms of welcome and. Yeah. [00:23:25] Speaker B: Compassion and. And mercy. [00:23:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Which is why I like your connection to the. The servant, and particularly the Israelite servant girl in. In. In the king's passage, because I think we have some similar dynamics there in terms of what is offered. [00:23:40] Speaker B: Yeah. So the peace that Jesus here is offering or is asking these disciples to go and spread is a piece that is founded on the promotion of life rather than death, or it is on relationships rather than enmity. But I guess one verse in that particular text that I can't get my head around is this dusting off the feet. You know, if they don't offer you hospitality or if they are not good to you, you know, you just wipe your face, wipe your feet. [00:24:15] Speaker A: Yeah. I think. [00:24:16] Speaker B: And I think some. One reflection that I was reading was. Was making a reference to Taylor Swift's song, Shake It Off, Shake it Off. [00:24:24] Speaker A: I love it. [00:24:25] Speaker B: So do we. What is there a difference between shaking it off or wiping? And wiping, I think this person was saying, is a Little more gentler than shaking it off then. [00:24:35] Speaker A: Shaking it off. Yeah, possibly. And I mean, it's. I mean, we can't remove the, the element of judgment that is in this passage. We, I say this often, but we think of Luke's Jesus as this very kind, compassionate Jesus because at times he is, but he also says lots of words of judgment. So. But it is worth noting the judgment is God's. [00:24:59] Speaker B: Yes. [00:25:00] Speaker A: So that. Yes, they shake off the dust. I see that as a kind of metaphor for they move on. [00:25:05] Speaker B: Okay. [00:25:06] Speaker A: So they're not returning rejection with hostility or making war. The message is actually the same to both groups whether they're welcomed or rejected. They're told to say the kingdom of God has come near and that gospel message will be heard by some as good news and by others as threat if they are not ready for. But. But the message is actually the same. [00:25:30] Speaker B: Okay. [00:25:31] Speaker A: And I think it's about the posture of the hearer, but, you know, we can't remove that. There is a. There is a tone of warning here, you know, in Jesus words. [00:25:40] Speaker B: And I think there's. There's some. I mean, Jesus I think is being realistic. Not everyone is going to be ready. [00:25:48] Speaker A: It's quite comforting. [00:25:50] Speaker B: Yeah. And there will be, you know, people who will object, who will resist. Yeah. And I think I like your idea of, you know, move on. [00:26:00] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think this is where this, the tricky bit of the reading to me is the 16 to 20. So the lectionary skipped some of the woes in the middle, but we get this immediate scene of retain of return. So time is sort of warped. The 70 returned with joy, saying, lord, in your name. Even the demons submit to us. [00:26:21] Speaker B: Oh, wow. [00:26:23] Speaker A: And. And then we get this kind of. It feels very random to me, that. Not a logical segue, but Jesus then says, I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. So we're suddenly in this cosmic kind of realm. And I think I've struggled to work out what Luke, the author, is trying to do here, but I think he is connecting this mission of proclaiming the kingdom of God has come near with this now cosmic kind of demonic forces of evil dimension. So we've expanded beyond just the human and part of Jesus. Declaration, I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. This is the first time Satan is mentioned as a figure in Luke. And we need to note that by the time we get to the New Testament, Satan has developed into a kind of someone in opposition to God. And that's quite different to the Job Hebrew Bible Idea of Satan. So this idea that Satan has fallen from heaven is often a shorthand way of describing this sense of Satan being kicked out of God's heavenly court and now becoming an opponent. And I think that is actually symbolic of the fact that evil, because Satan has now become associated with evil, evil no longer has power. And it's not that it's gone away entirely, but that part of the kingdom of God coming near is to say the kingdom of evil is diminishing in power. [00:27:56] Speaker B: Yeah, so. So I mean it's interesting that the, you know, the author mentions snakes and scorpions, which I, I'm not so sure about the scorpions, but definitely the snake has always been symbolized as something evil. Right. I mean, as a. [00:28:11] Speaker A: Yes, back to symbolic Genesis 2 and. [00:28:13] Speaker B: Yeah, symbolic of, of evil. Yeah. I'm not sure that snake lovers and will like this. [00:28:21] Speaker A: No, no, sorry to anyone who really likes their snakes. [00:28:25] Speaker B: Yeah. But again, if, you know, if you're going to talk about the river and the animals in, in the Nayman story. Yeah. From an ecological perspective. [00:28:35] Speaker A: Yep. Snakes. [00:28:37] Speaker B: Snakes and scorpions now under the control of, of human beings, you can, I have given you authority to tread on them, you know. [00:28:45] Speaker A: Yes. And they won't hurt you. So the sense that these poisonous or things that symbolize, you know, evil, evil and death for humans are not ultimately those with power. So yeah, we're getting images from nature being used in these sort of, I think more symbolic ways here and ultimately a call to rejoice that your names are written in heaven, which I think is to say you still have a place in God's heavenly realm, whereas Satan has been cast out. So we do enter this very kind of cosmic, otherworldly territory towards the end of the reading. But that is also the worldview of the gospels that, that if we're going to talk about the kingdom of God, we are talking about powers. And part of the good news is that the powers of evil, which other New Testament texts will talk about in terms of the power of evil regimes on earth, these are things that Jesus challenges and ultimately will overturn. [00:29:49] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think, I think these texts, I think speak rather powerfully into, into the situation that we are in now. The, the peace of course, is a very significant word in this particular lesson. And you know, we are living in a conflict ridden world and, and each nation that is at war is doing so for the sake of establishing peace. They say, yes, what kind of peace for whom? You know, and who's going to benefit from, from the war? So, so I think preachers have a fair bit that they can do with this text and relate it to the context in which we are in at the moment. [00:30:37] Speaker A: There's a lot there. By the well is brought to you by Pilgrim Theological College and the Uniting Church in Australia. It's produced by Adrian Jackson. Thanks for listening.