Episcopal Church of the Incarnation
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 9 B]
Ezekiel 2.1-5 Psalm
123 2 Corinthians 12.2-10
Mark 6.1-13
Ezekiel 2.1-5
1) The Babylonian Talmud (the collection of rabbinical wisdom) describes Ezekiel’s place in the canon as being in natural progression with Jeremiah and Isaiah.
a) “Jeremiah is all doom; Ezekiel begins with doom but ends with consolation; while Isaiah is all consolation” (b. B. Bat. 14b).
i)
Ezekiel itself divides neatly into two halves: chs. 1-24 contain oracles of judgment against
2)
Ezekiel was written during the turbulent time of the
last days of
a)
Ezekiel claims to have begun his ministry in 593 B.C.,
among the Judean exiles in
b)
Presumably, the prophet was among the 8,000 captives
brought to
3) The lesson is taken from a longer section (1.1 to 3.27) in which the call of the prophet to prophesy is described, beginning with a vision of God (1.1-28).
a) In calling Ezekiel, the Lord makes it clear that He is sending the prophet to speak for Him to a people who have rebelled, and that the people must know that the prophet speaks for God.
i) The words of the Collect for this week that the people have been taught “to keep all [God’s] commandments” places this brief lesson in context.
(1) All of the lessons this week relate to belief that God is in charge!
Psalm 123
1) A psalm of confidence, which may be compared with Pss. 121.1 and 141.8.
a) Despite its simplicity, the psalm does describe God.
i) God is powerful, the source of blessing.
ii) God is merciful and compassionate.
2) The reference in v. 2 to the “hand” of the master/mistress is one to the source of blessings, particularly abundance (cf. Ps. 104.28).
3) V. 5 may be compared to Ps. 120.6. The “too long” idiom is typical of Aramaic, indicating this psalm to be one of the group known as “songs of ascents” (Pss. 120-134), i.e., those to be recited in pilgrimage (and thus by common people).
a) These are not liturgical psalms, but psalms to be repeated by individuals.
2 Corinthians 12.2-10
1) Throughout 2 Corinthians Paul focuses on his own apostleship.
a) The Corinthians were given to being “spiritual,” and thus to follow their own self-fulfilling desires.
i) Paul emphasizes that he has brought a message, and that this message is authoritative.
2) Having described his owns sufferings (in ch. 11), Paul now “boasts”. He compares his authority to that of his rivals (who have claimed authority by virtue of their sufferings, their Jewishness, and their visions).
a) A strong element of parody betrays Paul’s refusal to take his rivals seriously.
3) “I know a person in Christ” (v. 2): Paul speaks of himself in the third person (see also v. 5) because he is unwilling to claim a private religious experience as proof of an apostolic mandate. (Compare the statements of those in the Church today who claim the mantle of prophecy! They base their claim to this mantle on individual experience.)
4) Paul cannot speak of what was revealed in heaven. This is in parallel to the convention of a sealed revelation (cf. Dan. 12.4, Rev. 10.4; 13.2-3) or could be a way of showing the irrelevance of the experience in apostolic terms (cf. 1 Cor. 14.19).
5) The Greek sentence construction makes it clear that the “thorn” Paul refers to (v. 7) is external to him.
a) Acceptance of weakness becomes the mean by which power is acquired from God.
Mark 6.1-13
1) So far the gospel has focused on discipleship and faith, and the coming of Jesus as one with power. Now, Jesus is rejected by His own people. This is in contrast to Luke 4.16-30), where Jesus is rejected at the start of His public ministry.
a)
Jesus is followed back to His hometown of
2) Despite the people’s recognition of Jesus as offering wisdom and power, they reject Him because they think of Him as from their milieu alone.
a) The tone of the people’s questioning is also revealing.
i) When they ask “Is not this .. the son of Mary ...?” they are using a formula is marked contrast to the typical Jewish description as one being the son of his father.
(1) Saying “son of Mary” rather than “son of Joseph” may be explained by the death of Joseph, or even by Mary’s status of a virgin at the time of Jesus’ birth, but these explanations are not very sound. The language reflects negativity.
(a) This is reinforced by the description that the people “took offense at him”.
3) Mark says that the people” took offense”. The reference in Greek is that they were “scandalized at him,” from skandalon (a stumbling block). The positive reaction to Jesus has turned negative.
4) Being “amazed at heir unbelief,” Jesus leaves His hometown, to continue teaching. He commissions and sends His disciples out on mission.
a) The mission of the Twelve is an extension of Jesus’ ministry; thus, they have “power”. They also preach the same message of repentance.
b) The Twelve are to take nothing with them. This lack of concern over materials needs reflects the urgency of the mission.