Light on the Lessons s1

Light on the Lessons

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21, Lectionary 26); Cycle A; October 1, 2017

Leader Guidance

Materials Needed

+ Bibles for everyone (variety of translations often useful)

+ Lectionary sheets (very convenient if you use them in worship)

+ Chalkboard, newsprint, overhead, or another means for displaying information and recording thoughts

+ Basic reference books for use as needed: Bible dictionary, Bible atlas, concordance, a one-volume Bible commentary

I Getting Started

Discuss experiences with “Through the Week.” Share prayer concerns, including the recovery from Harvey. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten the group. Read the lessons. Then turn to the questions in “Getting Started.”

1. Responses will vary. Generally, we think God unfair when we perceive a contradiction between God’s goodness and omnipotence and the existence and effects of evil, as when bad things happen to very good and faithful people.

2. Responses will vary. This can be a difficult balance, but both sides are valid. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. This suggests that we need some self-love (confidence, sense of worth) in order to love others.

3. Responses will vary. Most, probably, will point to some aspect of what Jesus did for our salvation, but some may cite other reasons, which could be quite interesting to explore.

II Check the Texts

1. Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

A. Exodus 20:5 (part of the Ten Commandments) takes punishment to the fourth generation. Deuteronomy 24:16 says parents and children cannot be executed for each others crimes; responsibility is personal. If Deuteronomy is later than Exodus, then some difficulties may have arisen over revenge on whole clans for the sins of the patriarch, or a similar problem. The proverb being quoted by both Jeremiah and Ezekiel was probably widely accepted. Taken at face value, it says that the wrongs done by parents will affect their children. Modern psychology would support that generalization. Ezekiel is arguing, however, that the children would have no guilt for what the parent did. He is pleading for individual, rather than corporate, responsibility.

B. Three generations are mentioned in these verses, a number perhaps suggested by Exodus 20:5. The generational pattern is righteous-sinful-righteous. Note how Ezekiel describes righteousness. Ask, “Which of the actions are ritual or cultic and which are ethical?” (Verse 6, 12e, and 15ab refer to ritual matters; all the rest are ethical issues. Ezekiel was a priest, but he understood the balance between the cult and living a just life.)

C. Ezekiel calls for individuals to repent and to stop blaming their ancestors. If this generation straightens up, they will be all right. Verse 4 summarizes his point. You might discuss a modern parallel in the way we tend to blame our inadequacies on our dysfunctional parents. (Whether or not TV therapist Dr. Phil is the best psychologist, he gets an audience because he tells people to stop whining about the past and take a firm grip on their own present.)

D. Jesus’ disciples apparently accepted the common wisdom which Jesus sternly challenged. This is another example of how the Gospels refuse to whitewash the disciples. Their human weaknesses are very clear.

2. Philippians 2:1-13

A. A number of titles are possible. Here’s one set: Christian attitudes (verses 1-4)…Reflect what Christ did for us (verses 5-11)…And need to be worked into (expressed through) our daily life (verses 12-13).

B. The four items could be termed attitudes or experiences or emotions. Since Paul is speaking of Christian experience and not general psychology, he is talking about the unique quality being “in Christ” gives to all these attitudes. Christ is their source and their power.

C. “Mind” here could be translated “mindset,” meaning a focus on Jesus so intense that it permeates one’s whole life. So, “same” here could refer to “in Christ” as well as to the common experience of the believers. Paul, throughout this letter, urges unity in every way he can.

D. Verses 3-4 are the “then” following the “if” of verses 1-2. Their motivation is their experience of being “in Christ.”

E. “Mind” could mean sharing Christ’s outlook and attitude toward the world and people. It cannot mean thinking exactly as Christ did; we are not his equals. Being “in Christ” involves growing “into him,” letting his spirit permeate our mind and our actions. This language speaks of an intense relationship with Christ, toward which all can grow but at which not all have arrived.

F. Humility, in part one, with key verbs of empty, humble, obey; exaltation in part two. The hymn reinforces Paul key behavioral point in verses 3-4.

G. The curve will look like the letter “U.” You might compare the hymn with the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed and invite the group to point out similarities.

H. Paul refers back to the attitudes and behaviors he noted in verses 1-4. We are not choosing our own path of salvation, as so many want to do today. God is the source of salvation and God is at work in us. We can best understand “work out your own salvation” as meaning “work your Savior Jesus Christ into the fabric of your life.” The phrase “fear and trembling” is a common on to express the seriousness of being in God’s presence, his holiness and numinous quality. It does not mean being afraid of God in the usual sense of “fear.”

3. Matthew 21:23-32

A. Jesus had entered Jerusalem on this last week (Palm Sunday, we call it). He had driven the money changers from the temple and healed a blind man within its precincts.

B. One can read this as Jesus playing verbal games to trap his opponents. Or he could be making a serious point by referring to John because Jesus saw his ministry in continuity with that of John.

C. Verses 28-31 reflect the same point Ezekiel made: It is never too late to repent. Jesus condemns the religious righteous who complacently deny that their lives, too, need examination and repentance.

III What Does It All Mean?

1. Responses will vary. Encourage faith sharing.

2. In many places, conflicts are only intensified by ancestral memories and blame for things that happened long ago. In that sense, having a very short historical memory is an advantage. (In this context, you might consider the claim for reparations for slavery.)

3. Execution cuts off any chance for repentance and conversion; verse 32 suggests that God doesn’t get excited over someone dying for their sins.

4. `Responses will vary. If the group comes up with ten or so transgressions, work them into a “Top Ten” list, from 10 to 1.

5. Humility is not self-abasement, but rather a proper understanding of who we are in relation to others and to God. Humility understands that we are here to help each other and not to abuse or exploit each other. We assert ourselves in the service of love rather than our selfish advantage.

6. Responses will vary. Pride, inability to change with the times, and lack of growth are some of our challenges.

7. Encourage participants to share their experiences. We all need opportunity – and encouragement – to testify to our Christian experience.

IV Into the Week

Share some possible answers to #1. Encourage participants to do #2 and to try #3.