“Balancing”
II Kings 5:2-24
Psalm 15
Colossians 1:15-28
St. Luke 10:38-42
INI
Disciples as Dependents
Two Sundays ago, in the Gospel reading we heard of Jesus sending out seventy disciples (a perfect number) to make people aware that the Kingdom of God was near to them. What is interesting in this sending out is that Jesus sends them out in a diminished state, dependent upon the hospitality of others. They were to accept what was set before them, taking the bare minimum in support of there bodily needs. In this, Jesus prepares his disciples with the discipline born in the wilderness, in the wanderings of Israel, and in the return of the exiles. The examples of this dependency help us to understand what it means to follow – to go into a new land or place, a situation to which God has called us. Clearly the focus is on where we have been sent, and the message that we bring to that place. So, it is no surprise that the disciple, no matter how high or low, are focused on the message.
What about those who provide for dependent messengers? And so, it is that three strangers appear in Abraham’s camp. That they were angels (messengers) is not important right away. Abraham takes the initiative and offers them hospitality – water for refreshment and bathing, a place to rest, and a bit of bread. Later there would be the luxuries of a meal – veal and milk curds. The bulk of the reading in the lectionary acquaints us with the details of Abraham and Sarah’s hospitality to the stranger. So, our focus is here first.
In the Gospel we hear of Martha, who greets Jesus by the roadside in the village where she lived with her sister. Martha understands the rule of hospitality and invites Jesus, and presumably the other disciples, into her home. She quickly works to make that hospitality real, as she observes the ancient requirements of the road and wilderness. And she serves as an example to the disciples, preparing them for their duties as dependent disciples.
In the psalm for today, the author poses both a question and an answer that may guide us in our attention to the texts for this Sunday. The psalmist asks, “LORD, who will sojourn in Your tent, who will dwell on Your holy mountain?” In other words, who will be the dependent stranger seeking God’s hospitality? And then, just as quickly he or she provides the answer, “The one who walks blameless and does justice and speaks the truth in their heart.” The psalmist attempts to get at the heart of righteousness, as does Jesus as he guides his disciples amongst the people that they are sent to proclaim the kingdom to.
Righteousness, it appears, was a common objective in the ancient world, and it was closely aligned not so much with the knowledge one had of the heavens and the gods as how one was responsible to fellow human beings. This week while perusing a new collection of Ancient Egyptian Literature[1], I chanced upon a monumental inscription from the tomb of Nefer-Seshem-Re, called Sheshi. In it he describes a righteous life.
“I judged between two so as to content them,
I rescued the weak from one stronger than he
As much as was in my power
I gave bread to the hungry, clothes,
I brought the boatless to land,
I buried him who had no son,
I made a boat for him who lacked one,
I respected my father, I pleased my mother,
I raised their children,”[2]
It is a grander view of hospitality than just food, drink, and rest. It is an attentiveness to the neighbor, much like we read about in the story of the Good Samaritan, last Sunday. Discipleship, it seems, is an attentiveness to all that encompasses our neighbor. The dependent disciples see the needs and dependencies of a fellow human being.
Disciples as Attentive
In the Divine Liturgy celebrated in the Orthodox Churches, the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, at the Gospel, there is a dialogue between priest, people, and deacon and people. It goes like this:
Priest: Wisdom. Arise. Let us hear the Holy Gospel. Peace be with all.
People: And with your spirit.
Deacon: The reading is from the Holy Gospel according to (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John).
Priest: Let us be attentive.
The word that captures the moment for me is the priest’s injunction, “Let us be attentive. And with this we come to the second part of the Gospel for today.
The reverie about Martha’s hospitality, indeed Abraham’s and Sarah’s as well cannot last long. Jesus’ gently chides Martha about getting lost in her hospitality and focuses on Mary’s attentiveness to the message that Jesus is bringing. We have the same situation in the first reading. The strangers, after their sumptuous meal, bring the attention of their hosts to a promise that they bring (and here we discover them as angels, or as the Orthodox see it, the Godhead itself). They call Abraham and Sarah’s attention to the message, the promise that they bring, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a sun.” This is a big surprise to the woman who thought herself barren and to the man who though he would have no heir. The message is of hope – the Kingdom of God is near.
What would I like for you to take home with you today? It is simply that following Jesus, being a disciple of his is a delicate balance of these two aspects: hospitality and attentiveness to the message all done in the ancient virtues of righteousness. The righteousness God provides to us, for God sees us righteous beings, objects of God’s love. The other two aspects are our responsibility. We see both these elements in our liturgy – examples of what life must be like for those who follow Jesus. Hospitality in the Eucharist, and attentiveness to the message, the Gospel. As you continue to walk into the future, I hope that these elements will inform the steps you plan to take. If these elements were a reality, a virtue in our country and in our society our times might be different.
It won’t be easy. Sarah laughed at the promise, and I am certain that Martha and countless other women who have been marginalized by the church were offended and diminished. Our giving to the stranger, our attentiveness to the stranger, our good news for the stranger, this is what Jesus has asked us to give.
SDG
[1] Lichtheim. M. ed. (2019), Ancient Egyptian Literature, University of California Press, Berkeley
[2] Ibid, page 49f.
[3] https://www.goarch.org/-/the-divine-liturgy-of-saint-john-chrysostom
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