Sunday Readings for July 1

2Samuel 1:1, 17-27
After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.

David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:

Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!

How the mighty have fallen!

Tell it not in Gath,

proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon;

or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,

the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.

You mountains of Gilboa,

let there be no dew or rain upon you,

nor bounteous fields!

For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,

the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.

From the blood of the slain,

from the fat of the mighty,

the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

nor the sword of Saul return empty.

Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!

In life and in death they were not divided;

they were swifter than eagles,

they were stronger than lions.

O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,

who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

How the mighty have fallen

in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;

greatly beloved were you to me;

your love to me was wonderful,

passing the love of women.

How the mighty have fallen,

and the weapons of war perished!

   Our Old Testament lesson is David’s lament at the death of Jonathan and Saul. We can understand David’s grief at the death of Jonathan: they had been close since their youth. But what about Saul? For years, Saul had alternated between celebrating David and abusing him. He had threatened David’s life several times, and had driven him into exile. Why this outpouring of grief for Saul, one of history’s most difficult fathers-in-law?

   Here’s part of the answer: whatever else Saul was, headstrong, irrational, unfair, he was also Yahweh’s anointed. In one version of the death of Saul, a young Amelekite, one of Saul’s enemies, admits to David that he is the one who finished Saul off. Instead of being rewarded, he is punished for “lifting his hand against the Lord’s anointed.” Saul may not always have lived up to that high calling, but the calling itself must be respected. Ultimately, Saul’s status as the one anointed by God to govern Israel is more important to David than the disagreements that arose between the two men. Perhaps David is also beginning to realize just how difficult Saul’s calling was. Power is now in David’s hands. Will he fare any better? Could anyone?

   Leadership is a difficult role for any person to play. And how difficult the rest of us find it to respect our leaders, to honor the office they fill, and at the same time, have compassion on their human failings! All the more reason to respect David’s passionate lament over Saul.  All the more reason to pray for our leaders, whether our opinions match theirs or not!

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

As you excel in everything-- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you-- so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something-- now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has-- not according to what one does not have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written,

"The one who had much did not have too much,

and the one who had little did not have too little."

   The Corinthian drama continues, perhaps towards a resolution! Paul and the Corinthian Christians have been through a lot together. Paul has visited the city and established a church. He has moved on, as was his custom, but in his absence he has been undermined by “false prophets”, other teachers who questioned Paul’s authority and teachings. Paul seems to have made another visit, which did not go particularly well. He has written the Corinthians a very severe letter, which seems to have found some traction: the Corinthians seem willing to accept Paul’s status as a true apostle, and are willing to be guided by his teaching, and his example.  

   With all that drama out of the way, it is time to get back down to the business of everyday faithful living. Before even setting out on the journey which took him to Corinth, Paul promised to raise funds for the Christians in Jerusalem, who were suffering through a famine, and perhaps persecution. The Corinthians had agreed to make a contribution to this cause, and now it’s time to honor their pledge.

   The combination of high theology and sensible practicality we find in this part of the letter is one hundred per cent Paul! We give, because giving in love is the true nature of God, and we are called to honor the image of God, to display the image of God, that dwells in us. We give because Christ has given to us; we give money, remembering that in Christ, God has given us everything. That’s the high theology.

   “The one that has much should not have too much; the one that has little should not have too little.” That’s the sensible practicality. In a world where two thirds of the people suffer health problems because they have too little to eat, and one third of the people have health problems associated with eating too much, maybe we have not got Paul’s simple equation right? There’s more at stake than just a sense of fairness. Communities divided by huge gaps of wealth and opportunity are inherently unstable: they tend to collapse under their own top-heavy weight, or fall prey to violence. Paul is asking the Corinthians to narrow the gap between themselves and the community in Jerusalem, for the sake of solidarity, to keep the larger community healthy, and focused on its important task: proclaiming the Good News.

Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." He went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, `Who touched me?'" He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Our gospel is a typical “Mark sandwich”: we start with one story, get drawn into a second story, then finish up with the first story. Mark does this quite a bit. It is a common strategy for people telling stories from memory: embedding one story in another helps the story teller remember two stories at once. Maybe this is a holdover from an earlier oral tradition? Interesting.

   In this case, the arrangement of the stories is as important as their details. The two people approaching Jesus are very different: Jairus is a respected, powerful, secure member of society. His position as synagogue leader assures him of that. The woman who touches Jesus is just the opposite. She is completely vulnerable: she is ritually unclean, she is poor, and she is alone. More than that, she has touched a man in public, which was bad news in any circumstances; to make things worse, she has now made him ritually unclean as well. To top it all off, that man is Jesus, who has become quite a celebrity. Surely she is in big trouble.

   But, as the sandwich arrangement emphasizes, Jesus responds to their two requests equally. In fact he stops what he is doing in order to establish personal contact with the woman, not to chastise her, but to commend her faith. Clearly, Jesus’ ministry is going to cross all kinds of old boundaries, and upset all kinds of old ideas about who counts as righteous, who is worthy of God’s love, who has a place in the Kingdom. Mark makes sure we can see this, by telling us these two stories together. The Kingdom of God is as close to an impure, isolated woman as it is to a respected, powerful rabbi.

   Different as they are, Jairus and the woman share one trait: they both recognize the authority of Jesus (though perhaps out of desperation). Perhaps this is what Jesus responds to. Perhaps trust counts for more than all the respectability in the world.