The Land and Preaching: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

The Book: And the Pharisees and scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." ...Then Jesus said, "There was a man who had two sons..." Then the father said, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found." - Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Land: Since Luke 15 contains three parables, it might seem odd to write about "the land" as it impacts our reading and understanding of this text. But let us remember that the land is more than country; it is climate, custom and culture as well. The parables here, as all parables, are loaded with the stuff of life.

One interesting bit of conjecture as to the location for the telling of this parable grows out of the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes about Jesus' choice of dining companions. Was Jesus dining in the home of Matthew at Capernaum? There is certainly the backdrop of the "other side" for the telling of a story about a young man who goes to a far (Gentile) country and resorts to feeding swine. That country was just across the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum.

Special cultural aspects of this parable that might enrich preaching this Sunday are: the unthinkable request of the younger son for his share of the inheritance before the father's death; the younger son's desperate condition; his improbable choice of an occupation; the unexpected welcome of the father; the lavish gifts of a robe, a ring, sandals, and the fatted calf; the scorn of the elder son for his father and brother; the refusal to welcome his brother and join the party; the release of the elder's pent-up anger toward his father; and the pleading of the loving father for like-minded welcome, forgiveness, and celebration.

Given the culture of the day, the chances of this kind of outcome are small. A young, rebellious son would be stoned; an insolent, elder son would be equally shamed and shunned.

Lesson for Preaching: The thrust of this familiar parable is centered on the behavior of the father. While attention is often focused on the younger son, there are two sons that are equally lost in their relationship to their father. Yet, it is with neither of the sons that the lesson of the parable rests. The father is loving and forgiving with the sons. The challenge is for the sons to be loving and forgiving as the father. Certainly, this is the call of Jesus to the religious folk of his day. In relation to sinners, they are expected to be like God the Father in welcoming, loving, and forgiving.

The Rabbi's Teaching Steps

The Book - "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the Lord is good, his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithful-ness to all generations." - Psalm 100:4-5*

The Land - One of the most active excavations in the environs of Jerusalem in the last few years has been on the southern end of the Temple Mount. Among the revelations there is what is commonly called the "rabbis' teaching steps." These expansive steps served pilgrims who approached the Temple for worship from the south. The steps helped the worshippers access the Huldah Gates. Near them stood the ritual baths which rendered them clean for worship.

The steps received its name as rabbis finished their teaching in the porticos and needed a place to proclaim a message from God without interruption. Certainly, this place provided the much sought after audience. One rabbi who took advantage of this podium was Jesus. According to Matthew 23, Jesus concluded his public ministry on this steps with a proclamation entitled, "the Seven Woes."

The Lesson - Today, one can visit these steps and spend time pondering the heart of the pilgrim of the first century and examining one's own heart. Many psalms served the worshipper of that time in their approach to the Temple. Of these psalms, Psalm 100 captured the mood of the pilgrim, the expectancy in Temple worship, and the adoration of God who is good and whose love endures forever. As such, this psalm continues to express for the faithful their hope and aspirations for worship.

*Two other significant scriptures to read and study on the teaching steps are Matthew 23 and Acts 2:1-41.

The Mountains Surrounding Jerusalem

The Book - "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people from this time on and forevermore." - Psalm 125:1-2

The Land - The mountains surrounding Jerusalem stand just under 3,000 feet above sea level. They are the Mount of Olives, Mount Scopus, Mount Moriah and Mount Zion. Each mountain has been a stage for some of the more dramatic events in biblical history.

For example, Mount Scopus served as the base for Rome's Tenth Legion in the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A. D. Mount Moriah held both Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple. Today, the Dome of the Rock stands where Jewish temples once stood.

The Lesson - The visitor to this land readily grasps the prominence of the four mountains surrounding Jerusalem. Equally, the reader of the Bible understands the appropriateness of the imagery in Psalm 125. Just as Jerusalem is cradled by the surrounding mountains, the person of faith can experience the arms of the Lord around him. The promise of the Lord is from "this time on and forevermore."

The Ramparts of Jerusalem

The Book - "Walk about Zion, go all around it, count its towers, consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever" - Psalm 48:12-14.

The Land - The present rampart around the Old City is the work of Suliman the Magnificent, the Ottoman sultan. The ramparts of Psalm 48 is that of Kings Solomon and Hezekiah and perhaps Nehemiah.

Today's pilgrim or student can walk around most of the Old City atop the rampart. The rampart can be accessed at the Jaffa Gate or the Damascus Gate and exited at New Gate or Zion Gate, among others.

The words of Psalm 48 come alive as one "walks about Zion." Also, the visitor gets a splendid view of daily life in the Old City.

The Lesson - While the psalmist tells of the glory and strength of Zion, he extols God's praise.

Like the city of God and even more, God is a sure defense. God gives victory to the faithful and strikes the unbeliever's heart with fear. And God's steadfast love endures forever.

Therefore, let the people of God rejoice and praise God's name and tell the next generation of his judgments. "Walk about Zion...consider well its ramparts!"

Photo courtesy of bibleplaces.com

Celebrating the Feast of Purim

The feast of Purim began last evening and concludes February 28 at sundown. Celebrating Purim is one of the more joyous occasions in the land.

At the heart of Purim festivities is the reading of the book of Esther in the synagogue. In this book, the heroine, Esther, thwarts the program of arch villain, Haman, at the urging of Mordecai. In his words, Esther has "come to the kingdom for a time like this." The king of Persia listens to the pleas of Esther, and Haman receives a dose of his own medicine.

The public reading of the book of Esther becomes rather boisterous. At the mention of the name of Haman, the crowd may stomp their feet, hiss, or sound horns.

Three other commandments for the day call for the sending of food gifts to friends, the giving of charity to the poor, and the eating of a festival meal.

One final aspect of the celebrations resembles "carnival." The costumes can represent Jewish heros or heroines. Masks are often worn. All in all, the day's activities are sober but entertaining.

Retracing the Final Week II

Our group's final day was in the environs of the Old City. The focus of our field trips and our studies was the final days of Jesus' ministry.

The day began at the Lion's Gate or the St. Stephen's Gate. After a visit to St. Anne's Church, we followed the Way of the Cross through the Old City. Although the Via Dolorosa is a walk of faith and not history, the journey is nevertheless meaningful.

For us, the day did not end at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After a long wait to enter the edicule, we continued on to the Western Wall. Since Thursdays are given to Bar Mitzvahs, the plaza was alive with singing and the dancing of school children.

The final stop on this twelve-day journey through the Bible was at the Temple Mount Excavations. There we stepped onto the first-century street along the western or retaining wall of the Second Temple. We examined the inscriptions from Isaiah and the "place of trumpeting
...."

Although hurried by a departing meal and flight, we spent as much time as possible on "the rabbis' teaching steps." These steps are considered original to the Second Temple. It was here that pilgrims ascended to the Temple from the south, and it was from these steps that Jesus unburdened his heart and rendered his final teaching. The teaching as recorded in Matthew
23 is a declaration of "woes" on the Pharisees.

As we concluded the reading of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus' cries for genuine discipleship accompanied us on our continuing journey of faith.

Retracing the Final Week I

Over the next two days, our group from Mississippi will be retracing Jesus' final week in Jerusalem. In the Church, we refer to this period of his ministry as "Holy Week."

By beginning the day in Bethany, we realize that the retracing can't be on true chronological lines. Nevertheless, the sites visited are crucial in understanding the drama of Jesus' final hours.

Bethany was the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Perhaps, another Mary (who anointed Jesus' feet) lived here. Yet another of Jesus' friends who lived in Bethany was Simon the Leper.
The combination of such acquaintances attracted Jesus to Bethany often. Tradition holds that Bethany was Jesus' base for the crucial days before Passover.

From Bethany, we made our way to Bethphage located where the ancient road in the Wadi Qelt opened onto the Mount of Olives. Here we remembered Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on what the Church today calls "Palm Sunday" (Mark 11). We spent time seeking out the meaning of what appears to be a diliberate claim of kingship, albeit a different kind of kingdom. It was not difficult to imagine a pompous procession from the west by Judea's prefect, Pontius Pilate. What a contrast it must have been!

Leaving Bethpage, we walked down the Mount of Olives to Dominus Flevit Church which commemorates Jesus' pause to weep over the city. "O Jerusalem! O Jerusalem!" the cry continues.

In the garden of Gethsemane, we prayed in the Basilica of Agony or the Church of All Nations. The architect, Antonio Barluzzi, has captured a sense of night inside the church even on the brightest of days. Nearby is the cave where the disciples might have slept through the cold night.

The afternoon was spent on Mt. Zion at the traditional site of the Upper Room, the tomb of King David, and St. Peter in Gallicantu (the place of the crowing of the cock). Between the garden of Gethsemane and Mount Zion, we were able to set the context of the events of Maunday Thursday. Some of the group took time to visit the grave of Oscar Schindler in the Protestant Cemetery.

The final stop of the day was to view the Second Temple Model of Jerusalem. This model is located now at the Israel Museum. Although it is not, the model appears of a larger scale and even more impressive in its new location. The model remains one of the great teaching tools in this land.