African
American Lectionary – CHRISTMAS - Sunday, 22 December or Wednesday, 25 December
2013
Daryl Ward, Guest, Lectionary Commentator
Pastor, Omega Baptist Church, Dayton, OH
(Please see today's great music and worship recommendations in
the Music and Worship Resources unit.)
Lection – Luke 2:15–20 (New Revised Standard Version)
(v. 15) When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the
shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this
thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." (v. 16)
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the
manger. (v. 17) When they saw this, they made known what had been told them
about this child; (v 18) and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds
told them. (v. 19) But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her
heart. (v. 20) The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they
had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
I. Description of the Liturgical Moment
Christmas is a reminder that God is hope. Instead of giving up
on the world God sent his only begotten son (John 3:16). Christmas is
awe-inspiring because God sends hope to the hopeless. He not only sends the
message to those who need him most, but he sends it through those who need him
most. Christmas is about a poor family who under imperialorder had to march to
Bethlehem on the occasion of the birth of their firstborn son. When Jesus was
born, God's intention for him to be King was made known, not through heralding
trumpets or dancing maidens, but through a lowly group of shepherds. God sent
the "Good News" about the birth of the Savior of the World to a lowly
group of shepherds working second shift in the fields outside of Bethlehem.
Hallelujah!
II. Biblical Interpretation
Part One: The Contemporary Contexts of the Interpreter
It is commonly believed that Mitt Romney lost the 2012
Presidential election in part due to his secretly filmed statement in a
right-wing political fundraiser where he said, "There are 47 percent of
the people who will vote for the president no matter what. Alright, there are
47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe
that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care
for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to
housing, to you-name-it—that that's an entitlement. And the government should
give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. . . . These
are people who pay no income tax. . . . My job is not to worry about those
people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and
care for their lives."1
Mitt Romney was trying to use fear and to drum up more disdain
for the poor to gain political support. Fear is a weapon used to keep
marginalized communities in bondage. The goal of the conservative right wing of
this country is to keep us separated by fear so that some of us will vote their
way in elections and keep them in power. In spite of such tactics which have
long been operative in politics, the Angel says, "Fear not: for, behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you
is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord."
Part Two: Biblical Commentary
The angels left the most amazing scene of Jesus' birth and went
back to heaven, leaving the shepherds in their place, working second shift in
the fields. These shepherds were just regular low-wage working folks like
today's catering workers, chefs, childcare workers, correctional officers,
cosmetologists, firefighters, security guards, taxi drivers, truck drivers,
farmers, and secretaries. They would be among the 47% of whom Mitt Romney
spoke.
Verse 8 of this pericope says the shepherds "were keeping
watch over the flock by night." These shepherds were doing manual labor
caring for sheep. There are many African American and non-African Americans who
can relate to doing manual labor at night. These manual laborers are the people
to whom God chose to reveal the Good News. This "Good News" was not
revealed to a king or to a lord, or even to the religious leaders, but to
manual laborers working second shift in the fields outside of the small town of
Bethlehem.
But not only were they manual laborers, but in the First-century
hireling, shepherds had a bad reputation. Joachim Jeremias cites Rabbinic
sources and says that "most of the time they were dishonest and thieving;
they led their herds onto other people's land and pilfered the produce of the
land."2 Because they were often months at a time without supervision, they
were often accused of stealing some of the increase of the flock. Consequently,
the pious were warned not to buy wool, milk, or kids from shepherds on the
assumption that it was stolen property.3 Shepherds were not allowed to fulfill
a judicial office or be admitted in court as witnesses.4 A midrash on Psalm
23:2 reads, "There is no more disreputable occupation than that of a
shepherd."5 Philo, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher of Alexandria (25
BC–45 AD), wrote about looking after sheep and goats, "Such pursuits are
held mean and inglorious."6 But God still chose them.
The shepherds went in unity to see the thing that the angels had
revealed to them. Throughout verses 15 through 20 there are several references
to "we" and "us" and "let's go." These are the
actions of folks in a union-type situation. There are always meetings and rallies
in a union organization.
The shepherds found the truth "lying in a manger" (a
less-than-middle-class way to be born). The Greek noun is phatne,7
"manger, crib, feeding-trough." A manger means that it was in a
stable, or, as some biblical traditions indicate, in a cave. Not in a
Travelodge, Red Roof Inn, or Howard Johnson's, but a cave, the kind of lodging
used by commoners and peasants, working folks.
Verse 17 says, Then they made it "known . . ." Folk
who are united and have something to tell make it known. In keeping with our
union language, Unions have their ways of getting the word out about events
that matter to them or to their members. This is why unions always have
newsletters, newspapers, and flyers, and now, the Internet. These shepherds
were no different. What they saw was worth getting the word out about and they
did. Isn't that the thing to do at Christmas and all year round—get the word
out about the one who was born in Bethlehem?
In verses 18 and 19, we see that this news was so otherworldly
that people were amazed, and Mary did not share it but kept it to herself and
pondered it in her heart. Mary did not speak or reply—she pondered. According
to Webster's Dictionary, the word ponder means "to weigh in the mind:
Appraise to think about: reflect on. Mary could have responded in a variety of
ways that would have made sense. Reflection certainly makes sense since Mary
was a poor teenager who has just given birth to the Savior of the world.
This text concludes by saying that the shepherds returned after
seeing Jesus, glorifying and praising God. These men of humble circumstances,
and perhaps suspect reputations, now proclaimed to the world the "Good
News." They proclaimed the news to everyone they met. Like the woman at
the well they cried, "Come see a man . . ." ( John 4:1-26). Like the
angels before them these shepherds may also have cried, "Glory to God in
the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14, NKJV).
Celebration
Jesus, Savior of the World, was born in a lowly manger. What
does that say to all of the poor folk in the world? It says that no matter how
you start, you can end up awesome and amazing. God does not only work with who
the world considers important. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NLT) says:
Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise
in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God
chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they
are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are
powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at
all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a
result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
Jesus, Savior of the World, was announced by common laborers
working second shift outside of a third-rate town. Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NKJV)
says:
Thus says the Lord:
"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and
righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight," says the Lord.
Descriptive Details in This Passage
The descriptive details include, but are not limited to:
Sounds: Grass blowing in the breeze; animals chewing on straw;
bleating sheep—as a kind of backdrop to the night;
Smells: Manure—the rich, pungent, earthy smell permeates
everything;
Colors: Silver stars in the night sky—a dark velvet mat
highlighted with twinkling stars; and
Sights: Shepherds in a field working; a manger with a newborn in
it; Mary pondering; and a Union cap or shirt (this image helps makes the
transition from the text to contemporary society).
III. Other Sermonic Comments or Suggestions
Please see today's great music and worship recommendations in
the Music and Worship Resources unit.
Notes
1. Corn, David. Mother Jones, September 17, 2012.
2. Jeremias, Joachim. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus
(SCM/Fortress Press, 1969), 304–305. He cites b. Sanh. 25b; Strack and Billerback
II, 114; M.B.K. x.9; T.B.K. xi.9, 370; b. Ket. 62b; b.B.K. 94b Bar. Green, p.
130, disputes this analysis. Rather, he sees them merely as "peasants,
located toward the bottom of the scale of power and privilege."
3. Marshall, p. 108, too, notes that the tradition of despised
shepherds is a late tradition.
4. Jeremias, TDNT 6:489.
5. Midrash Ps. 23.2, ed. Buber, Vilna 1891, 99b.12, cited by
Jeremias, Jerusalem, p. 311, fn. 42.
6. Philo, de agric. 61, cited by Jeremias, Jerusalem, p. 311,
fn. 42.
7. Swanson, James A. The Dictionary of Biblical Languages. Logos
Bible software. #5764.
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment