All Saints Day
DANIEL 7:1-3, 16-18: The Book of Daniel, from which only this passage is included in the three-year cycle of the lectionary, is one of the most strange books in the Old Testament. In our bibles it is listed among the prophetic books, but it is not prophecy like that of Isaiah or Jeremiah, Amos or Hosea. It belongs to a different category of literature which is called "apocalyptic."
In a short article in the Grolier's Encyclopedia, most of which I am quoting, Sherman E. Johnson describes apocapytic literature in this manner: "Apocalyptic literature consists of those parts of the Bible and other Jewish and Christian books which embody an apocalypse, or revelation, given through a symbolic vision of the future. Apocalyptic literature concerns the final period of world history and depicts the final confrontation between God and the powers of evil. The conflict frequently culminates in a world catastrophe; sometimes a messianic figure is responsible for the triumph over evil. . . . Classic examples are the books of Daniel and Revelation. Passages such as Isaiah 24-27, Zechariah 9-14, and Mark 13 belong to this type of literature. Other examples are Enoch, Jubilees, and the Apocalypse of Baruch in the Jewish pseudepigrapha, as well as the Apocalypse of Peter in the Apocryphal New Testament.
"Apocalyptic literature is usually pseudonymous, written under the name of a famous person. Books such as Daniel and Enoch are examples. But Saint John, the author of Revelation in the New Testament, apparently wrote in his own name. Sometimes apocalypses, especially the Apocalypse of Adam and others in the literature of gnosticism, contain elements drawn from Greek mythology as well as from the Bible and from Jewish tradition."
McKane, in "Prophets and Wise Men," writes about the difference between prophecy and apocalyptic literature. He notes that in the apocalypses "we are in a very different theological atmosphere from that of Old Testament prophecy. God no longer declares his intention plainly through the word of his prophet, but his communications are hidden in the riddle-like contents of visions and dreams and are unintelligible except to those who have been initiated into the mysteries. The prophet has been replaced by the interpreter who, in virtue of his God-given insight, can crack the code in which God conceals his detailed plans for the future (p. 100)."
Apocalypse had a special theology. It usually included the following:
1) God is all-wise and all-powerful. He is God of gods, King of kings, Lord of lords.
2) The time of God's coming to bring in his final purpose in the world is near at hand.
3) When He comes, God will reward the righteous and punish the wicked.
4) History is ordered by a divine plan that God determines and that he has revealed to his "seer."
One such "seer" was the author of the Book of Daniel. His book is most likely the latest in the Old Testament. It was probably not written until the second century before Christ. The book is divided into two distinct parts. The first half of the book, chapters 1 through 6, consists of stories told about Daniel or his three friends. The second half, 7 through 12, consists of visions seen by Daniel. In addition to its peculiar content, the book has a stylistic peculiarity. Part of it is written in Hebrew, 1:1-2:4a and chapters 8 through 12, but the other part of it, 2:4b-7:28, is written in Aramaic. One would think that half the book would be written in Aramaic and the other half in Hebrew, but as you can see from the divisions made above, that is not the case. The first half is written in both Hebrew and Aramaic, as is the second half. There is no discernible reason as to why this is so.
The scene of the book is laid in Babylon in the sixth century before Christ, the time of the exile of the Judeans. Many considerations, too detailed to be enumerated here, show that the stories it tells are not historical.
At the center of the book is the man named Daniel. With the other Jewish young men, Daniel is chosen to be educated for high civil service in Babylon. Daniel, however, continues in the Jewish faith. He observes the dietary laws of Judaism, he prays to the Jewish God in defiance of a royal edict, and he praises the God of heaven. He and his friends are sentenced to death in a fiery furnace, but God miraculously saves them from death. At a critical moment for Babylon, Daniel is called upon to give the proper interpretation of a troubling dream, and he succeeds. That gives him credibility for interpreting his own dreams and visions.
In the article quoted earlier from Grolier's Encyclopedia, Dr. Johnson makes special note of the passage before us. "Frequently," he wrote, "apocalyptic authors recount history up to their own time in symbolic form (as in Dan. 7:1-8) and then give a vision of the future salvation to be brought by God at the end of the present world." This vision is of four great beasts rising up from the sea. One is like a lion, a second a bear, the third a leopard. The fourth was the most terrifying of all. It had great iron teeth, it had ten horns, and a little horn that forced its way up between the others. Its horns had eyes like human eyes. As Daniel watched, this terrible beast was put to death, and the rest of the beasts had their dominion and power stripped from them.
If there are historical events behind this vision, they probably refer to the emergence into history of four kingdoms, the Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, and the Greeks. The Greeks are probably the fourth great and terrible beast. The little horn most likely refers to Antiochus IV, king of the kingdom of Syria from 175 BC to 164 BC, the time of the Maccabean revolt in Palestine. The house of the Antiochans had taken over Syria after the empire of Alexander the Great disintegrated at his death. If this is so, the writing of Daniel might have taken place during the time of Antiochus.
The central part of the text for today has to do with verse 18. "The holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever." To emphasize his point, the writer adds, "Forever and forever." In short, despite contemporary appearances, the world is still in God's hands. God is about to restore rule and dominion to his people, God's holy ones. God will be shown as King of kings, and Lord of lords, and his kingly rule shall continue forever.
PSALM 149: This psalm celebrates the "attack on Pharaoh," or at least "the attack on other kings and their nobles." The first half of the psalm (1-5) extols the Lord and rejoices in the Lord's representative, their King. It tells how the inauguration of a King is celebrated: with dancing and with music, with singing. The second half of the psalm (6-9) is much more martial. It calls upon God through the king to wreck vengeance on the nations and to execute judgement upon them.
Brueggemann, among others, does not know what to make of the psalm. It may be the voice of the powerful calling to expand their power, always a possibility where kings and kingdoms are concerned. It may be the voice of the powerless community of Israel arrayed against the power of Assyria or Babylon. He does not know which it is. "I find this psalm very difficult to interpret," he says, "precisely because the proposed action (judgement upon the nations) could have very different intentions."
EPHESIANS 1:11-23: Ephesians is one of the most difficult writings in the New Testament to categorize. It claims Paul as its author, but it may not be addressed specifically to the Christians in Ephesus. There are two variant readings in the ancient manuscripts of the this letter. One, followed by the translators of the New Revised Standard Version of the New Testament, reads, "To all the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Jesus Christ." The translators of the Revised Standard Version turned to another ancient manuscript which simply read, "To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus." The question is important in terms of the persons addressed by this letter: Was it addressed only to the Christians in Ephesus, or was it addressed to a wider audience: "All the saints who are faithful in Christ Jesus"? I opt for the latter translation. This letter is addressed to all Christians who put their faith in Jesus Christ.
Nowhere in the New Testament is the Christ in whom we put our trust more clearly delineated for us than in the verses at hand.
Our passage begins with a portion of a litany dedicated to Christ.
11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
"The pledge . . toward redemption" in verse 14 deserves special attention. This fascinating phrase was coined by the Phoenicians, a people whose lives centered around commercial enterprises. It passed from them to the Greeks and then on to the Romans. It was used for that portion of the money for a purchase that was given to ratify the contract and to pledge full payment of it. We would call it "a down payment." Calvin understood this: "The metaphor," he wrote, "is taken from bargains, in which, when a pledge has been given and accepted, the whole is confirmed and no room is left for change of mind." In the theology of Ephesians, therefore, this means that God has promised to redeem his people. The down payment for that is the crucifixion and redemption of Jesus Christ. Because the down payment has been made, God will move in God's good time to fulfill the contract. As John's Gospel put the idea, "God sent his son into the world not to condemn the world but that through him the world might be saved."
In the prayer that follows the litany, Paul continues to emphasize the significance of Christ.
Christ is the one through whom we receive our knowledge of God. What we know of God we know through Jesus Christ. To know God in Christ we need a receptive spirit that will receive God's wisdom and revelation of himself. Christ gives us this warm-hearted spirit. Through Christ we know what God is doing in this world, what God says to the people of this world, what God expects us to do. When Christ's spirit meets our spirit, we receive the spirit of God in Christ.
Christ brings us hope for this world and hope for the world to come. Christ holds the hope of life eternal before us. Christ also brings into this life the same power that raised Christ from the dead - the power to overcome the forces of evil; the power to bring to each other the compassion, mercy, and justice that is in Christ; the power to enjoy the riches of spirit found in the Christian community.
Christ is ruler of all. Paul says that Christ has in his hands "all rule and authority and power and dominion." These words may be synonymous. Taken together, they mean all the powers of this world: the power of kings and empires, the power of merchants and economic systems, the power of all philosophies and religions. Each of these exercise power in this world, but the power of Christ surpasses theirs. Christ is King over all other rulers, he is lord over the ways we use our wealth, he is the truth that philosophies and religions aspire to. All these lesser powers are accountable to him and are judged by the standards of compassion and justice by which Christ lives.
Christ is head of the church. The church is his hands and feet, his voice and his ears, but he is its head. From the head comes the spirit that animates the church. From the head comes the direction the church must go. From the head comes the strength of moral character the church must exhibit. The church is the body of Christ; but it is that only so long as the head that energizes it is its living Lord, Jesus Christ himself.
For these reasons Paul does not cease to give thanks to God. He remembers in his prayers his Christians brothers and sisters. He addresses his prayers of thanksgiving to God through Jesus Christ who brings the power of God - the power that raised from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ - into our own lives today.
LUKE 6:20-31: They came from all over Jesus' world: all Judea, that is the areas south of Samaria running on to the desert of the Negev; Jerusalem, capital city and center of Jewish life and thought; even Tyre and Sidon, the areas north of Galilee, mostly pagan. Mostly gentile rather than Jewish. Others were there, too, the crowd of his "disciples," women and men who hung on his word but were not among the Twelve. The sick were also there, and the power of Jesus healed them of their diseases and cast the demons out of their lives. Then Jesus looked up - remember, they were standing and he was seated - at his disciples, those who would be receptive of his message, and he spoke to them.
We know the words from Matthew's gospel that are similar to these, but Matthew had tended to domesticate them. Not so with Luke. Jesus the prophet, who had been anointed by the Spirit of the Lord in Nazareth, speaks out bluntly and boldly as the prophets of old had done. He pronounces blessings upon the people, and he pronounces woes upon them. Only prophets dealt in the currency of both "blessings" and "woes." See how one follows the other.
Blessings on you who are poor now; woe to you who are rich.
Blessings on you who are hungry; woe to you who are full.
Blessings on you who weep; woe to you who laugh vacantly now.
Poor - hungry - weeping - that was the lot of the peasant in Palestine. Rich - full - laughing vacantly at their meaningless leisures - that was the situation of those who oppressed the peasants of the land. Jesus the prophet comes to proclaim the message that God would set things right, God has a prejudice in behalf of the poor. More than that, Jesus proclaimed the coming of the reign of God in which God's revolutionary action would take place, and the human situation would be turned upside down.
There is a fourth "beatitude - woe" here. "Blessed are you when people hate you, exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of your faith in the Son of Man. . . . Woe to you when all speak well of you." Jesus was speaking about what happened in the synagogues to those who had changed their allegiance from Torah to Son of Man. They were hated for it. They were excluded from the life of the synagogue, and to the degree that the synagogue was co-terminus with the community, they were excluded from the community as well. They were reviled, people called them evil. They were defamed, spoke of them badly. But people did that to the prophets before you, said Jesus. When that happens, rejoice and leap for joy. You will be numbered among the prophets. Your reward will be great in heaven.
Luke continues the sermon with these words from Jesus: "Love your enemies." This command to love is amplified in three ways. "Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you." These words do not talk about increasing our feelings of good will toward our enemies. They tell us to take action in their behalf: do good, bless, pray. Such a prescription fits any situation of enmity and hostility.
Jesus brings to his hearers attention three situations of hostility with which all of them might be familiar.
The first refers to a fight between two people. "If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other." Matthew had said that if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. If a man was right-handed, in a real battle he would hit his adversary on the left cheek. To be struck on the right cheek meant that he was struck with the back of his opponent's hand. This kind of blow was an insult, and the two would have to work out its implications. Luke says, "If anyone strikes you on the cheek." This points to an out-and-out brawl between the two. Jesus says, according to Luke, in those circumstances offer him the other cheek. Your action may be precipitous enough to stop the quarrel between you. It is the risk you have to take.
The second illustration refers to a mugging. Someone confronts you and takes your coat. The "coat" was a relatively expensive garment. A person probably owned only one of them over a lifetime, and it was a valuable possession. It was made of camel hair. Wrapped around you, it kept away the heat of the day and the cold of the night. Some mugger might catch you on your way and demand the coat. Said Luke's Jesus, "Give it to him. Give him your shirt as well." The "shirt" was the tunic that the Palestinian peasant wore as his customary garment. He worked in it, he slept in it. It cost a day's wage, a single denarius, and the peasant would own more than one. Why give this, too? "Surprise the mugger," said Jesus. "Let him have your coat. Then offer him your shirt. That may jolt him enough to cause the vicious cycle between the two of you to be broken."
The third illustration talks of an equally vicious situation. A beggar has stopped you in the street. He asks for alms. This request is only a ruse. He really wants your possessions. He begins to steal them from you, openly or secretly. Said Jesus, according to Luke, "If anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again." In other words, let him have what he wants to take. This, too, may break the cycle of hostility and suspicion that exists between the two.
These three situations are moments of danger for the one accosted. He may be injured, perhaps even killed. These are the kinds of crises faced at any time by anyone who lived in an urban area like Corinth or Athens or Rome. How does a Christian react in these circumstances, people of the congregations asked their teachers. The advice the teachers gave was simply, "Do what you can to relieve the ugliness of the moment." The teachers also said that this was the advice that Jesus had given.
We cannot be certain that Jesus said these exact words. When Matthew gives them, the circumstances behind them seem to be those that a Palestinian peasant might face in his village. When Luke gives them, they are set in the urban areas into which the church had gone. It is clear that Jesus had said something like, "When someone strikes you, . . when someone steals from you, . . when someone begs from you." The way in which Jesus is said to have finished the sentence was recast by the teachers of the church to fit the framework, urban or rural, in which the persons lived. This is the way the Holy Spirit of Christ works. The spirit takes a statement of Jesus and fits it into the situation before the disciple. The authority of Jesus becomes attached to the answer the church offers. We cannot recover what Jesus said originally to the situation. We can only appreciate the way that the church employed the sayings of Jesus in order to address the predicaments of the day.
Luke rounded out his presentation of these precepts by invoking the Golden Rule. "Do to others what you would have them do to you." The principle involved was that of doing those things that break the cycles of evil in which we live. "Do good, . . bless, . . pray." No matter what Jesus said in his original statements, these three injunctions are valid both for first century Palestine and Rome and for twentieth-first century New York and your home town.
These edicts of Jesus move smoothly into Jesus' discussion of those whom we are to love. It is not enough to love those who love you, said Jesus. Sinners - meaning people outside the congregations - do that. Such love is natural. Loving enemies is not natural. It takes the grace of God in you to do it. "Be merciful," said Jesus, "just as your Father is merciful." We show mercy to others because God showers mercy upon us.