Seasons of the Spirit
The Christian Year in Biblical Perspective
January 29, 2012
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany (Year B)
Liturgical Color: Green
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
In spite of what might be described as a love/hate relationship the Israelites
had with Moses, certainly the realization that he would not always be there as
mediator concerned them greatly. After warning Israel in the previous paragraph
about the inherent dangers of incorporating the practices of pagan religions in
their own faith, Moses promises them that God will raise up “a prophet like me
from among your own people.” The singular noun ‘prophet’ is being used
collectively in reference to a series of prophetic voices in Israel, culminating
in the coming of Messiah. Rather than the motley practices of occult religions
all around them, God promises Israel the sure voice of the prophet who speaks
directly on behalf of God.
Psalm 111
This psalm is a great psalm of praise to the God of Israel who is faithful to
the covenant he makes with his people. When we stop and contemplate upon some of
the descriptive phrases in this psalm about God, we are brought to the
realization that the God we love and worship is truly worthy of such commitment
from us. Two phrases in the psalm seem especially appropriate for us at this
juncture in human history. God is “ever mindful of his covenant” and “all his
precepts are trustworthy.” Ever mindful and trustworthy. That is, God never
fails to remember his promises to us and is utterly trustworthy when it comes to
keeping those promises. While we will never succeed in this life in fully
understanding God, to know that he is trustworthy answers, at least in this
life, many of those unanswerable questions.
I Corinthians 8:1-13
The ultimate assumption of the Judaeo/Christian faith is monotheism – there is
but one God. To love that one God is to be known by him, which can be both
encouraging and challenging. Encouraging in the sense that we can be confident
that God is aware of us and our circumstances. Challenging in that we are
reminded that no aspect of our lives is unknown to him. The Corinthians were
struggling with the difficult task of walking away from a life-long culture of
polytheism and learning to live in the context of one God. It must have been
encouraging to know that all those tales of vindictive gods who must be placated
at every turn were no longer the norm for life. It clearly is challenging in
learning how to relate to those around us who haven’t yet succeeded in
overcoming the past. Ultimately, it is in knowing that we “are known by God”
that serves to motivate us to not use our freedom in Christ in a way that causes
a weaker sister or brother to stumble. Few challenges in life are more daunting!
Mark 1:21-28
Mark’s gospel moves with great intensity, taking little time to get from event
to event. Soon after calling Simon and Andrew, then James and John, Mark has
Jesus teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. There is a healing story involved
in this account, but before that, Mark tells us that Jesus taught in the
synagogue and “they were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one
having authority and not as the scribes.” One is immediately reminded of our
text from Deuteronomy, where God promises “a prophet like me from among your own
people.” Unlike the scribes whose approach to teaching seems to have been “how
many previous scribes can I quote” Jesus apparently spoke directly as God’s
witness to God’s people. Matthew’s gospel has a similar statement at the end of
the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Throughout the sermon you may remember
Jesus saying something like “You have heard it said . . . But I say unto you.”
Our faith calls us to see Jesus as God’s ultimate witness to his people. His
witness is trustworthy and his promises to us ever on the mind of God.
Rev.
Wye Huxford, Special Representative
European Evangelistic Society
http://www.eesinc.org/