Pentecost 2, Year C

I. Theme – Authority of God 

 Jesus and the Centurion– Paolo Veronese (1571)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

First Reading – 1 Kings 8:22-23 ,41-43
Psalm – Psalm 96:1-9
Epistle –Galatians 1:1-12
Gospel – Luke 7:1-10 

The subject of today’s scripture readings is authority — namely, the authority of God. Authority of any kind is being challenged today. In the secular world, nearly every segment and class of society is demanding recognition of its separate rights.

Throughout these readings, we read of God who is a God of all people, but those who are faithful to God experience God more fully. In the fire on the altar, the prophets of Baal are revealed as crowd-pleasers, bowing to power and oppression, where Elijah is the faithful one who shows God’s faithfulness to the people. Solomon prays to God that others might see God’s glory in the dedication of the temple, even those outside of Israel. The psalmist sings of God being the God of all creation, the one true God. Jesus declares the faithfulness of the Centurion who is far off to be more powerful than the faith of those who travel with him. And Paul writes that the true Gospel is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not the gospel of public approval. Faith: what does it mean to have faith? Can you stand up to the crowd? Can you trust in God’s faithfulness when troubles are coming your way? Can you stand firm, when others turn away?

In Christ’s ministry of word and deeds, we sense the impressive authority he carried. Crowds drew back, soldiers were afraid to arrest him, the religious establishment was baffled and infuriated by his almost casual rerendering of traditions that were held sacred. Jesus even challenged the Torah, a veritable blasphemy to his contemporaries. He refused to debate issues, spoke his own word "Verily, verily, I say to you . . ." and impelled obedience by his own inherent authority. Jesus left no one doubting that he asserted the supremacy of God’s will and reign. His own authority, he said, came "from heaven." Jesus passed judgment, forgave sins, and demanded a decision regarding his identity. That he made it impossible to ignore him made his death inevitable.

II. Summary

First Reading – 1 Kings 8:22-23 ,41-43 

Of special note is that during Ordinary Time (The Sundays after Epiphany, and The Sundays after Pentecost) in the Sundays after Pentecost there is a two-track system for the First Reading from the Hebrew Scriptures. We are track 2 which is closer related to the other readings

Both readings today come from the 1 Book of Kings. The second reading is ten chapters earlier, and our second thread begins with Solomon’s prayer dedicating the temple to God. We are reminded that there is no other God like God, who makes a covenant with the people of Israel, and also desires to be in relationship with all the people of the earth. This temple will be a witness to the world and so when those outside Israel come and see it, they will hear of what God has done for Israel, and will desire to know God themselves. These passages in the second thread follow a theme of revealing who God is, through prayer, deed and word

This reading is made up of two separate sections, one of invocation, and the other a supplication that reflects the universalism found in psalm 96 (above). The context is rich with symbolism, for the Ark of the Covenant is being moved from Zion (a hill to the west of the Temple Mount) to the new Temple that Solomon has built. The reading functions as a prayer of dedication, although the focus of the lectionary is on the greatness of God, and God’s appeal to all the nations of the earth. Solomon comments on the convincing nature of this God of Israel who appeals to all the peoples of the earth – to the “foreigner.” It certainly reflects a later theology that was formed in the teaching of Jeremiah and the Isaiahs.

Psalm – Psalm 96:1-9 

This psalm is a hymn to the kingship of Yahweh, particularly as creator and judge. It is paralleled by the composite psalm in 1 Chronicles 16 celebrating the dedication of the temple. Psalm 96 was apparently used in celebration of the rebuilding of the temple, at the Feast of Tabernacles, then the Jewish New Year. At this festival the enthronement of Yahweh was commemorated each year. The lord’s kingship over all the nations of the world is proclaimed.

The psalmist sings of God’s work among all people, all nations, that God is the God of gods, that all other gods are idols but this God is the Creator of heaven and earth. This God is the ruler of the earth and all that is in it: nature and human beings

All are invited to sing God’s praise. Given that perspective, the author quickly characterizes the nature of the gods of the world. He calls them “ungods”, incapable of the acts that he will ascribe to the Lord. God is depicted as the ruler of the cosmos – the author of creation and the God that happily receives the praises of the world. In that context, he judges the earth, but with justice.

Epistle –  Galatians 1:1-12

Today’s reading begins a sequence of six readings from this letter, which is often described as the Magna Carta of Christian liberty. Various points about the letter — when it was written, to what specific locality, against exactly which group — have not been settled precisely.

It is clear, however, that Paul is reacting strongly to a challenge to the content of the gospel he preached and to his authority to preach it. He adapts the usual format of the introduction to his letters to respond to these issues.

The Galatians, who had received Paul and his teachings before, are now being influenced by Jewish Christians who believed that one needed to become Jewish first before becoming Christian. Paul is concerned that the Galatians were so easily swayed by these Jewish Christians that they are now requiring the people of their community to be circumcised and keep kosher as well. They have missed the point: Jesus came for all, Jew and Gentile. It is not about customs and rituals that keep one separate, but about common faith.

Paul tackles a very sensitive issue, namely his authority to proclaim the Gospel. He declares himself an apostle though he was not one of the twelve, that is, `one sent’; in the Jewish sense `commissioned to act as representative.’ His apostolic authority is not dependent upon a human source or a human agency but upon God.

Paul then gives a brief summary of the gospel to define what he means, emphasizing Jesus’ action "to deliver us," not by escape from, but by triumph over, the world. Paul omits his customary thanksgiving for those to whom he is writing and launches into a sharp rebuke to them for deserting their allegiance to God. No one, not even Paul or an angel, has the prerogative to alter the content of the gospel preaching. He is not trying to conciliate them (perhaps an accusation his opponents made, 1 Th. 2:4) but to be a "servant," literally slave, of God, as were Moses, Joshua, and David

Gospel – Luke 7:1-10 

Luke 7:1-10 is the story of Jesus healing the Centurion’s servant. A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die. 

The Centurion who hears about Jesus, sends Jewish messengers to come to Jesus and bring him to heal his servant. The messengers support his cause – " He is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us." This is a Roman who has power and authority among both his own people and among the Jews, and shows such faith that he doesn’t even need Jesus to come all the way to him, but knows that Jesus can heal. When Jesus decides to intervene, the centurion then sent friends to tell Jesus that the Centurion wasn’t worthy for Jesus to come to his house but did say to Jesus "speak the word" and heal from a distance.

The Centurion is a witness that Jesus’ message is not just for a select group, but for all—for the Centurion may have power and authority, but he is seeking healing for a slave, for someone who would be considered replaceable. The Centurion shows faith that is unlike what Jesus has experienced before—someone who believes based on what he has heard alone, not on his own experience.

"When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health."

The story of the centurion of Capernaum is paralleled in Matthew (Mt. 8:5-13) and more generally in John (Jn. 4:46b-54). Matthew and Luke have both probably gotten the story from their common source, Q, which may have contained only the dialogue (Lk. 7:6c-9; Mt. 8:8-10). Otherwise it is difficult to decide whether Matthew has drastically abbreviated an original more closely given by Luke, as he does elsewhere, or whether Luke has expanded an original closer to Matthew.

In Matthew’s account, the centurion comes directly to Jesus; there are no intermediaries. Luke may have wished to strengthen the parallel to Cornelius (Acts 10:22) and to emphasize the role of Jews as willing intermediaries to a non-Jew. The centurion is probably not a Roman, for there were no Roman forces in Galilee before A.D. 44; he was rather a Gentile in Herod Antipas’ troops

In Luke the action takes place at a distance – an attitude that would appeal to the circumstances of the early church. The center of this healing story is the Centurion and his servant. Their relationship is characterized by Luke as being “valued highly” .The centurion (most likely a gentile) is quite deferential to Jesus – sending a delegation of notable Jews, and then discouraging Jesus from coming “under my roof”.

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