PENTECOST II

Jeremiah thrown in prison -- Marc Chagall

• Genesis 21:8-21 and Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17  • 
• Jeremiah 20:7-13 and Psalm 69:7-10, (11-15), 16-18  • 
• Romans 6:1b-11  • 
• Matthew 10:24-39

On the Sundays that follow Trinity the Revised Common Lectionary offers alternative Old Testament readings and Psalms. The first is a ‘Continuous’ reading that takes us through major sections of the Hebrew Scriptures week by week and may bear little direct relation to the Epistle and Gospel. The ‘Thematic’ alternative is a passage chosen for its relation to the other two readings (though the connection is not always easy to see).

On this Sunday the continuous reading begins the story of Abraham and Isaac. The climax, about which there is much to be said, is not reached until next week. The alternative OT reading for this week comes from Jeremiah, and it does resonate with the Gospel passage. For, although this section of Matthew reads like a list of only loosely connected sayings, it has a recurring theme – the cost of discipleship. Perhaps the passage reflects the experience of the fledgling Church whose early experience of joyful unity in the proclamation of Gospel was rather speedily followed by cultural rejection, internal divisions, and eventually vicious persecution. But even if Matthew has the benefit of hindsight here, it is still plausible to suppose that Jesus warned his followers about the potential cost of the of committing to his cause, the cost of crucifixion in his own case.

Jesus carrying the cross -- Salvador Dali

Of course, as the extract from Jeremiah clearly reveals, there was nothing new about this in the historical experience of faithful and prophetic Jews. Jesus tells his disciples to expect violent opposition even in their own families, and Jeremiah laments that he has become a laughing stock amongst his own people. Both see, certainly, that this is not pointless persecution. Rather, as Jeremiah remarks, in such persecution and ridicule, “O LORD of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind”

There is though, this notable difference. Whereas Jeremiah prays that he will “see your retribution upon” his enemies, and hence a vindication of his “cause”, Jesus does not ask or offer any such vindication. Rather, he says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell”. Christians in the modern world are still being persecuted in large numbers. Those who are mercifully spared such persecution, however, often forget about the more insidious threats to the soul that the requirements of social conformity and the pursuit of economic prosperity can bring.