Episcopal Church of the Incarnation
The Second Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 6 B]
Ezekiel 17.22-24 Psalm 92.1-4, 11-14 2 Cor. 5.6-17
Mark 4.26-34
After Trinity Sunday (i.e., in “Ordinary Time” or the “Season after Pentecost”) the Revised Common Lectionary allows for two options in reading sets. Track One follows a “semicontinuous” scheme in the Old Testament, in which readings proceed through O.T. books without relation to the New testament selections. In Track Two the O.T. and psalm readings are keyed thematically to the Gospel lesson. This track is similar to the old Book of Common Prayer lectionary, and is the track used for all readings in this parish.
Ezekiel 17.22-24
1) All of ch. 17 consists of the “allegory of the eagles,” in which an allegory is first stated (vv. 1-10) then interpreted (vv. 11-21), and then a further allegory stated (vv. 22-24).
a)
The verses state explicitly that an allegory is being
related, one which relates to the status of
b) Vv. 11-18 interpret the allegory specifically.
2) In the present lesson, the imagery returns to that of the first allegory, but here a different cast of characters enters.
a)
The new “twig” from the top of the cedar is the future
king of
b) The “birds of every sort” is an echo of imagery used in the story of the ark in the flood, and will reappear at Ezek. 31.6 to describe Pharaoh.
i)
ii) God will humble the mighty and lift up the low, and lesson repeated in ch. 31 with specific reference to Pharaoh.
(1) The Lord determines the fate of nations.
Psalm 92.1-4, 11-14
1) This is a thanksgiving hymn recited by an individual, in which the psalmist compares the fate of those who find joy in God with that of evildoers.
a) Structure:
i) Rejoicing over the Lord’s works.
ii) The recompense of the wicked and of the psalmist.
iii) The reward of the righteous.
2) The verses selected for use here relate to the initial rejoicing and the reward of the righteous.
a)
The wicked flourish but wither; the righteous flourish
forever in the
2 Corinthians 5.6-17
1) Two themes overlap in this selection.
a) Facing the fear of death (5.1-10) and reconciliation in a new creation (6.11-6.10).
i) The selected verses are thus at the cusp of the transition between the themes.
2)
Paul is making clear that (unlike as held by some in
a) Bodily existence is not an obstacle to union with Christ.
b) However, how we conduct ourselves in the flesh bears strongly on judgment.
i)
Paul is combating two results of Gnostic belief (common
in
(1) Gnostics (then and now) argue that, since spirit is good and flesh (matter) evil, either what one does with his or her body is of no consequence (a libertine approach) or the body must be mortified (a morbidly ascetical approach).
(a) Paul makes clear that we are spirit and body together, created together by God and thus living together for God.
3) Genuine existence is life in the “love of Christ”. This is life in spirit and in body.
a) Jesus died that “those who live might live no longer for themselves” (v. 15). The new life in Christ must lived, expressed as other-directed, as was Jesus’ life.
i) How Jesus dies is how Christians are to live, in self-sacrifice.
ii) All believers are part of a new Creation, and must accept each other as fellow members of this new Creation.
Mark 4.26-34
1) This lesson comprises the parables of the growing seed and of the mustard seed.
a) Contrast is highlighted between the smallness of the seed and the greatness of the result, of the final harvest.
b) God guides the growth of His kingdom toward its future fullness.
2) The process by which the seed grows is not known to the sower. The seed will take car of itself, and the sower does not analyze how or why it grows. It matters not to be anxious about the kingdom.
3) The harvest is eschatological, involving judgment and last things. Thus, the sower “puts in the sickle,” a reference to Joel 4.13 (cf. Rev. 14.15).
a) The coming of God’s kingdom is inevitable. Therefore, there is no need for discouragement or impatience regarding its coming.
b) Underneath the great shrub “the birds of the air can make nests” (v. 32).
i) This is a reference back to Ezek. 17.23 and 31.6.
(1) The many nations (peoples) can rest within the kingdom, but note that the language is conditional. Jesus does not say that all shall nest, but that they can.