We close our liturgical year with Pilate’s encounter with Jesus in the Gospel of John. Pilate questions Jesus as if he were a threat to the order of the Roman Empire. Does this man claim to be a king? Jesus never answers directly but talks about a kingdom not from this world.
1st Reading (Track 1): 2 Samuel 23:1-7
The last words of King
David before his death (at 1 Kings 2:10) are in the form of a psalm praising
God for his faithfulness to David’s house.
It is significant that David claims that God speaks directly to and
through him. Among his descendants this
claim will gradually disappear.
23:1 Now these are the last words of
David: The oracle of David, son of
Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of
Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of Israel: 2 The
spirit of the Lord speaks through
me, his word is upon my tongue. 3 The
God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: One who rules over
people justly, ruling in the fear of God, 4 is
like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming
from the rain on the grassy land. 5 Is
not my house like this with God? For he has made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things and secure. Will he not cause to prosper all my
help and my desire? 6 But the
godless are all like thorns that are thrown away; for they cannot be picked up
with the hand; 7 to touch them one
uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear. And they are entirely consumed in
fire on the spot.
Psalm
132:1-13 [14-19] (Track 1)
Psalm 132 is a hymn celebrating God’s founding of the
Davidic dynasty and the choice of Zion/Jerusalem as the center of Jewish life
and government. It may have been part of
a liturgy, re-enacting the discovery of the ark of the covenant by David and the
grand procession he made in bringing it to Jerusalem.
1 Lord, remember
David, *
and all the
hardships she endured;
2 How we swore an oath to the Lord
*
and vowed a vow to
the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not come under the roof of my house, *
nor climb up into
my bed;
4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep, *
nor let my eyelids
slumber;
5 Until I find a place for the Lord,
*
a dwelling place
for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 “The ark! We heard it was in Ephratah; *
we found it in the
fields of Jearim.
7 Let us go to God’s dwelling place; *
let us fall upon
our knees before his footstool.”
8 Arise, O Lord, into
your resting-place, *
you and the ark of
your strength.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; *
let your faithful
people sing with joy.
10 For your servant David’s sake, *
do not turn away
the face of your Anointed.
11 The Lord has sworn an
oath to David; *
in truth, he will
not break it:
12 “A son, the fruit of your body, *
will I set upon
your throne.
13 If your children keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them, *
their children
will sit upon your throne for evermore.”
[14 For the Lord
has chosen Zion; *
he has desired her
for his habitation:
15 “This shall be my resting-place for ever; *
here will I dwell
for I delight in her.
16 I will surely bless her provisions, *
and satisfy her poor with bread.
17 I will clothe her priests with salvation, *
and her faithful people will rejoice and sing.
18 There will I make the horn of David flourish; *
I have prepared a lamp for my Anointed.
19 As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; *
but as for him, his crown will shine.”]
1st Reading (Track 2): Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
The Book of Daniel was
most likely written during the Maccabean revolt against the Greek ruler
Antiochus Epiphanes IV (167-164 b.c.e.). This was a time of enormous stress for
the Jewish community, a time ripe for apocalyptic writing like Daniel. Our passage this morning is a portion of one
of the visions of Daniel. The parts
missing envision a great and terrible judgment on “the beast,” which is clearly
symbolic of the Greek empire. The
portion we do read clearly foretells that God will ultimately reign in
justice. The identity of “one like a
human being” has long been debated. Christians have tended to identify him as
Jesus.
7:9 As I watched, thrones were set in place, and an Ancient One took his
throne, his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure
wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and flowed out from
his presence. A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood attending him. The court sat in judgment, and the books were
opened. 13 As I watched in the
night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. 14 To him was given dominion and glory and
kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His
dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship
is one that shall never be destroyed.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks
be to God.
Psalm
93 (Track 2)
Psalm 93 begins a section of the psalter devoted to
the kingly rule of God in Israel. Recall
that it was God’s intention from the beginning to be Israel’s King. It was the people
who demanded an earthly king “like the other nations.” In this psalm God’s rule
is based upon God’s control over the powers of chaos, symbolized by the sea.
1 The Lord
is King;
he has put on splendid apparel; *
the
Lord has put on his apparel
and girded himself with strength.
2 He has made the whole world so sure *
that
it cannot be moved;
3 Ever since the world began, your throne has
been established; *
you
are from everlasting.
4 The waters have lifted up, O Lord,
the waters have lifted up their voice; *
the
waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
5 Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea, *
mightier
is the Lord who dwells on high.
6 Your testimonies are very sure, *
and
holiness adorns your house, O Lord,
for ever and for evermore.
2nd Reading:
Revelation to John 1:4b-8
As in all apocalyptic writing, the Revelation to John
was written during a time of great stress—most likely one of the waves of
persecution of the early Christians by the Romans (“Babylon” throughout the
book is clearly symbolic of Rome). Our
passage this morning is from the introduction to the book and begins with a
prayer. Jesus is at the center of the
prayer, accompanied by three powerful images. To name Jesus as “ruler of the
kings of the earth” is to tell the end of the story at its beginning. That is the significance of Jesus being
“Alpha and Omega” (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet). Jesus is in time but stands out of time. If it sounds like Revelation begins as a
letter it is because that is its basic form.
1:4b Grace to you and peace from him
who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are
before his throne, 5 and from Jesus
Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the
kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his
blood, 6 and made us to be a
kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen. 7 Look! He
is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”
says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Gospel Reading: John
18:33-37
We close our liturgical year with Pilate’s encounter with
Jesus in the Gospel of John. Pilate
questions Jesus as if he were a threat to the order of the Roman Empire. Does this man claim to be a king? Jesus never answers directly but talks about
a kingdom not from this world. It is a
kingdom unlike the kingdoms of this world in that Jesus’ followers do not fight
for him. Theirs is a non-violent
movement. Jesus’ kingdom is about truth,
something about which Pilate can only be cynical, as in verse 38 he asks, “What
is truth?”
18:33 Then Pilate entered
the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the
Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about
me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I
am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over
to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus
answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my
kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from
being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a
king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For
this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
The Scripture readings (except for the
psalm) are from the New Revised Standard
Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of
the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by
permission. All rights reserved. The Psalm is from The Book of Common Prayer. Commentaries
are copyright © 2018 Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY 14843. www.EpiphanyEsources.com. All rights
reserved. Permission is given to copy for group study with this attribution. Bulletin inserts are available by subscription. Go to our website for more information.
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